White Sands National Park is a hard-to-describe experience. Your eyes are telling you “snow” as you’re surrounded by miles and miles of waving, rolling dunes of pure white. However, you are not cold. In fact, being at the northern end of the Chihuahuan desert, it can be quite the opposite. Of all the National Parks we’ve been to, this is one of the most memorable. This post may contain affiliate
Looking for a place to stay within spitting distance of White Sands National Park, we found the Baylor Pass Trailhead off of Baylor Canyon Road in Las Cruces, NM. This was just a quick stop for us as we were rushing to get to Quartzsite in time for The Boy’s birthday. But it wasn’t too bad of a campground and we wish we could have spent more time there. Camping
One of our goals on the road is to see as many national parks as possible. While passing through New Mexico, we got the opportunity to explore Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This massive complex of caves is stunning. Of the many nicknames this cave system has gotten over the years, my favorite is “The Grand Canyon with a lid on it,” and it fits. Pictures and video can’t capture its
We initially stayed at Chosa Campground to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Its location gave us the bonus opportunity to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Part of the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns, the Guadalupe Mountains host a stunning array of different microbiomes, thanks to the natural springs and mountain terrain shading areas from the intense New Mexican sun. Each visitor center acts as a gateway to unique and
We were looking for boondocking camping opportunities while traveling west toward our winter base in Quartzsite, Arizona. While we were originally planning on camping further north, we noticed that those campgrounds were predominantly forest roads and possibly impassable by our bus. We wanted to stay in “day trip” range of Carlsbad Caverns National Park and started looking further south. What we discovered was perfect: Chosa Campground! Chosa Campground is a
Free camping isn’t too hard to find. But free camping with hookups is a rare treat. Our first ever time hooking up was at such a place, but that only had electricity. Rodeo Campground in Lamesa, Texas has electricity and water! This is another example of us spending a little less time behind the camera, and we got no pictures of this location. Google did, though. About Rodeo Campground Calling
Texas doesn’t have any of the public lands we’ve come to love in the Southwest. However, it does have a fun assortment of free camping opportunities! One such opportunity is SeaBee Park in Abilene, Texas. About SeaBee Park Just outside of Abilene, Texas, and adjacent to a spur of Lake Fort Phantom Hill, SeaBee Park has a surprising amount to offer. One can go birding on the lake shore, launch
Another stop on our trek away from the East Coast was the Cherokee casino in Roland, Oklahoma. This was arguably our first time staying in a casino parking lot. Normally, we shy away from parking lots as it’s not really our vibe. However, there are not a lot of boondocking opportunities in the southeast. The Cherokee Casino in Roland, OK was unique in that its dedicated RV lot has free
While we were camped at the Lenox Marcus Recreation Area, we took a day to check out the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR. This park is a bit unique when it comes to state and national parks. Not only are we very familiar with the principles of “leave no trace,” but we practice it wherever we park. Part of leaving no trace is not taking anything with
When you imagine a national park, what do you see? Remote wildernesses, probably. Hot Springs National Park is a bit of an odd duck, as it’s a national park surrounded by a city! Hot Springs National Park: A Tale of a City’s History A tour of Hot Springs National Park is a tour of the history of the city. The city started as a sacred healing site visited by the