you can go north to the old Paria township, the turnout is just about at the top of the loop in the highway on the map in the other post.
There is a good boondocking spot just west of the Paria BLM trailhead office (this office is not near the road to Paria township--it's where the Paria River crosses 89), maybe a mile or a little more. It's on the north side of the road before you go into the big roadcut that is the little hook at the bottom east side of the loop. Actually, any gate along that road in the yellow area on the map in the post above leads into BLM land. You can see there is some private land near the Paria River and the highway, but only about 1.5 miles wide.
Thanks Zep great information, unfortunately, I was wanting information on ALT 89 to the south of there. I have to agree though, that is a good area...
Oops, I get dumber by the nanosecond. But I'll post this anyway, a more detailed map of the area around the Paria River BLM trailhead. Which accompanies the text from my post above.
Now, more to your point--the campground between Navajo Bridge and Lee's Ferry is fine. No cover, and hot as hades in the summer, but a great place otherwise.
One very cool thing at Lee's Ferry is that when the fruit comes into season, you can pick all you want. I loaded up on plums a couple of years ago. So make sure you visit the farm there.
I'm new to all this, and I'm trying learn. What is boondocking? It is when you can park your trailer for free, right? But you have to manage without hookups and all the little extras? I read that some campgrounds charge as much as $32-$40 a night to park there. It seems like a lot of money. I'm considering of doing the RV think full time for a year, and I want to find out ways to save as much money as possible.
Thanks,
Myra Winter
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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did."- Mark Twain
I'm new to all this, and I'm trying learn. What is boondocking? It is when you can park your trailer for free, right? But you have to manage without hookups and all the little extras?
Myra, yes, boondocking is camping without a hookup. You'll need a quiet generator unless you're going to be way out in the boondocks. You can boondock in Wal-Mart parking lots for short periods. I guess you can sneak around and find other places inside civilization for one night stands. I do it pretty often, but sometimes it's difficult.
The real boondocking world is out in BLM land and sometimes in National Forest areas that are otherwise not much visited. Popular National Forests areas have restrictions, mostly you have to be in the campsites and they are $10-15, although I have seen a few at $5 and a few more at $8. You can get maps of BLM land at any BLM office, almost exclusively in the western states.
If you have an Airstream older than 1976 you won't have a gray water holding tank, so you'll have to provide for a way to catch the water externally (I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket, which is adequate if you watch it closely, and it provides a highly accurate way to estimate your useage).
Dumping you black tank is more of a problem. Too many butt-head RVer's (and others) have been dumping bad stuff at dump sites , eg, oil, paint, anti-freeze, and other stuff that kills the septic system, so finding a public dump is getting harder (Oregon is an exception, many of their rest stops have public RV dumps). You might as well plan on staying at an RV park every few days in order to take advantage of their showers, dumps, and ability to charge your batteries.
Speaking of charging, if you have two batteries and are careful, you can make it for 6-7 days between charges, so if you black tank doesn't fill up in that time, a once a week stop at an RV park is perfect. You can also charge from your tow vehicle if you have it hooked up correctly, which can completely eliminate a battery power problem if you move often.
Myra, yes, boondocking is camping without a hookup. You'll need a quiet generator unless you're going to be way out in the boondocks. You can boondock in Wal-Mart parking lots for short periods. I guess you can sneak around and find other places inside civilization for one night stands. I do it pretty often, but sometimes it's difficult.
The real boondocking world is out in BLM land and sometimes in National Forest areas that are otherwise not much visited. Popular National Forests areas have restrictions, mostly you have to be in the campsites and they are $10-15, although I have seen a few at $5 and a few more at $8. You can get maps of BLM land at any BLM office, almost exclusively in the western states.
If you have an Airstream older than 1976 you won't have a gray water holding tank, so you'll have to provide for a way to catch the water externally (I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket, which is adequate if you watch it closely, and it provides a highly accurate way to estimate your useage).
Dumping you black tank is more of a problem. Too many butt-head RVer's (and others) have been dumping bad stuff at dump sites , eg, oil, paint, anti-freeze, and other stuff that kills the septic system, so finding a public dump is getting harder (Oregon is an exception, many of their rest stops have public RV dumps). You might as well plan on staying at an RV park every few days in order to take advantage of their showers, dumps, and ability to charge your batteries.
Speaking of charging, if you have two batteries and are careful, you can make it for 6-7 days between charges, so if you black tank doesn't fill up in that time, a once a week stop at an RV park is perfect. You can also charge from your tow vehicle if you have it hooked up correctly, which can completely eliminate a battery power problem if you move often.
Zep
Hi Zep,
What is the most affordable way to live in an RV full-time? Even reasonably, it sounds like one cannot boondock for more than 7 days at a time. Is this correct? Are there cheap camping grounds where I can live for 2-3 months at a time without having to move?
Thanks,
Myra
__________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did."- Mark Twain
In the National Parks, State Parks, and BLM campgrounds in the 11 western states that I have been to, usually have a 14 or 21 day limit for camping.
They will tell you that you have to leave for at least 7 days before returning to stay again. I don't know how strictly they enforce these rules, but my guess is that the more popular the park the stricter they are going to be.
I think they do this to discourage people from " living " there and to make room for other "visitors".
Privately owned parks are probably your better option for extened stays.
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Mark
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I'm new to all this, and I'm trying learn. What is boondocking? It is when you can park your trailer for free, right? But you have to manage without hookups and all the little extras? I read that some campgrounds charge as much as $32-$40 a night to park there. It seems like a lot of money. I'm considering of doing the RV think full time for a year, and I want to find out ways to save as much money as possible.
Thanks,
Myra Winter
Hi
Want FREE.Look at sites like Fulltime.Hitchitch.com with Ron and Terry for winter boondocking in AZ at "Q", Quartzsite on BLM land 14 day free,& 7 months for $140 in LTVA.In summer can boondock at places like Bear Cannon Lake AZ and area around it free for 14 days. If over 62 get Golden age passport for $10 for life time, lets you into Nat.Parks free and 1/2 price at most Gov. camp ground,BLM, Forest servce, Corps of Engineers ect.Lots of good spots but does take lots of looking on the iternet. Will need quite honda generator, away to get rid of waste water ect.Most of our camping is boondocking ,But we are not full timers only about 1/3 of the time
Jimmini
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What is the most affordable way to live in an RV full-time? Even reasonably, it sounds like one cannot boondock for more than 7 days at a time. Is this correct? Are there cheap camping grounds where I can live for 2-3 months at a time without having to move?
There are lots of little RV parks in small towns that are quite reasonable. If you sign up for more than a month, you can often get a spot for $10 a day. I just spent 3 months in one in Mojave, CA for less than that, but in the summer you have to pay for your electric and it's hot as hades for 10 weeks. I think once you get on the road you'll find that you can discover the kinds of places you are looking for.
Believe it or not, two years ago I had a place in downtown Las Vegas for $10 a night, but they finally bulldozed it. Anything else there now is either an arm and a leg or out on the edge of town. Actually, I think there are some cheap places along the Boulder Highway, in town, and not connected to a casino. You just have to look.
I bet there's some cool places (pun, maybe) like Astoria, OR or Aberdeen, WA or Tillamook that would be interesting. Any place that's a little economically depressed, but still beautiful country.
Little towns like Mt Carmel or Orderville on the east side of Zion National Park come to mind. I think I found a $12 place in Mt Carmel a couple years ago, and that was for just one night at a time.
I've always wondered about small towns with closed gas stations or other small businesses. Seems to me that the owners might entertain a little rent money and provide at least electric and water for a trailer in the back parking lot.
If you want to stay in the LA area, I think it will be tough. There was a small, run down RV park just SE of the Burbank airport a few years ago, nice enough neighborhood, gone now. I see these places now and then, but you have to drive around to find them and they look, at first, like maybe you wouldn't want to be there--then you stop and talk and you find that they are more attractive once you're inside. If you can think about going a little bit away, then I'd look at the towns up 395, all the way to Bishop. Lone Pine, Big Pine, Olancha, Independence--I love that entire highway. Hot in the summer, but survivable.
There are lots of little RV parks in small towns that are quite reasonable. If you sign up for more than a month, you can often get a spot for $10 a day. I just spent 3 months in one in Mojave, CA for less than that, but in the summer you have to pay for your electric and it's hot as hades for 10 weeks. I think once you get on the road you'll find that you can discover the kinds of places you are looking for.
Believe it or not, two years ago I had a place in downtown Las Vegas for $10 a night, but they finally bulldozed it. Anything else there now is either an arm and a leg or out on the edge of town. Actually, I think there are some cheap places along the Boulder Highway, in town, and not connected to a casino. You just have to look.
I bet there's some cool places (pun, maybe) like Astoria, OR or Aberdeen, WA or Tillamook that would be interesting. Any place that's a little economically depressed, but still beautiful country.
Little towns like Mt Carmel or Orderville on the east side of Zion National Park come to mind. I think I found a $12 place in Mt Carmel a couple years ago, and that was for just one night at a time.
I've always wondered about small towns with closed gas stations or other small businesses. Seems to me that the owners might entertain a little rent money and provide at least electric and water for a trailer in the back parking lot.
If you want to stay in the LA area, I think it will be tough. There was a small, run down RV park just SE of the Burbank airport a few years ago, nice enough neighborhood, gone now. I see these places now and then, but you have to drive around to find them and they look, at first, like maybe you wouldn't want to be there--then you stop and talk and you find that they are more attractive once you're inside. If you can think about going a little bit away, then I'd look at the towns up 395, all the way to Bishop. Lone Pine, Big Pine, Olancha, Independence--I love that entire highway. Hot in the summer, but survivable.
Zep
Zep,
I'm not thinking about getting a trailer so that I can stay in Los Angeles. I have hands to see! Babies to shake! (Did I get that backwards?). I'm hitting the road, Jack. Not comin back.
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