Labor Day Weekend is the Best Time of Year for Camping

If you are looking for a Free National Forest Camping spot; USFS Sno-parks are a great candidate. Sno-parks use is free this time of year and the weather is great.

 

Late summer camping has other benefits:

• Mosquitoes are all but gone.
• Hot sunny days & cool nights.
• Fall colors.
• Fat fish, the fish stocked in the spring are fat and tasty.

 

National Forest Sno-parks are located in the Cascade Mountain Range in WA & OR and in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in CA.

 

Hikers and backpackers can pick up snowmobile and cross country ski trail maps at the USFS ranger station. If hiking off trails in wilderness areas, hikers should be equipped with handheld GPS units to avoid getting lost.

Intrastate Snowbird Destinations

By definition Snowbirds travel to warmer climates in winter. Therefore most of us think of the seasonal southern migration. That early winter RV trek doesn’t need to be a long trip. Now that you are settled into your warm winter digs; it is time to plan for summer. Finding a cool summer RV retreat might be closer than you think! Think Elevation!

Arizona is a great example of all staying in a comfortable environment all year-around with little travel. I call it Intrastate Snowbirding.

Left is an example of cool AZ summertime retreat. On the right is great winter playground only a few hundred miles distant. In some locations the distance can be as little 50 miles from desert floor to mountain streams with elevation changes of 4,000 feet or more. An elevation change of 4,000 feet can dramatically change both temperature and rainfall.

There are several southern USA states featuring several combinations of surf, desert and mountain climates. Reverse your logic and think traveling to a cooler climate in the summer and you might find new exciting RV destinations to visit.

Until the next post: Remember you can’t change the weather. However your RV is on wheels; you can change the climate!

OR_Maverick
Lake Pleasant, AZ N 33° 51.357 W 122° 17.214 1,330 ft

Introducing Sno-Parks.com

My newest website, Sno-Parks.com is up and running. Most top Sno-Parks in California, Oregon and Washington are listed and many are rated for summertime camping.

Snowmobilers, cross country skiers, and others using the National Forests for winter sports may benefit from the information compiled at Sno-Parks.com.

Information for listed Sno-Parks includes available facilities, activities, USFS ranger district contact links and location.

Rated Sno-Parks also include photos, GPS co-ordinates and personal notes.

At Sno-Parks.com, Sno-Parks can be searched by county or ranger district, within National Forest, within each west coast state.

Until the next post: Don’t leave home without your Sno-Park parking permit. Permits are required in winter months to park your Sno!

OR_Maverick

Multi-purpose Walking Stick

Your walking stick could save you money on costly RV repairs!

When hiking I like to carry a walking stick. As a walking stick it has many obvious uses of which you are aware. I modified my favorite saguaro cactus rib walking stick (insert 1) to help me select suitable RV camping sites. A mark on the stick (a green stone) will tell me if there are any obstacles in my path. This allows me to avoid minor dents and major costly RV repairs.

As I walk the path to a potential site I check for branches too low or too narrow, ruts too deep and stumps too tall. At the site I can determine if there is enough room to set-up the awning or not. I can determine all this with one outstretched arm and my walking stick.

Each of us differs in height so no 2 walking sticks will be marked alike. Here is how to mark your walking stick.
Stand behind your RV shoulder to one side. Extend your arm and walking stick adjusting your grip until your stick is aligned with the side other of your RV (insert 2). Using a piece of tape or other means mark your thumb’s location on your walking stick. Do the same for your RV’s height and awning.
Find the area on your RV that is the closest to the ground. Set your walking stick next to the area and mark its location. I turned my walking stick upside down.

When all the marks where tallied on my walking stick they were within inches of each other. Since I am not interested in splitting hairs when backing my RV into tight spots, I chose the longest dimension and called it good. As my walking stick is short, that mark also works for ground clearance as well.

To use your walking stick hold it by your mark and extend your arm or place it on the ground next to raised obstacles to check for ground clearance (inserts 3 & 4).

Now pace off the length of your RV and you have all the dimensions you need. If you have difficulty remembering the number of paces, write it on your walking stick.

Until the next post: Remember; when your RV meets an immovable object…it always looses.

OR_Maverick
Deer Mountain Sno-Park, Ca: n 41 34.255 w 122 07.857 5825 ft