2016 Quad-State Rally

[ChocoChock01]

Yea, I know 2016!!!


This will be in the SE Utah, location TBD.


Post suggestions, in addition to the previously posted which are still in the running, we just have more time.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Sandy Island and Navajo Tribal Park look like candidates.


http://www.utah.com/monument-valley-campgrounds

 

[kitphantom]

Sand Island, IIRC & is the CG I think it is, has great petroglyphs. It was hot when we stopped there over last 4th of July. Also FCFS, only.

We camped at a smallish campground outside Monticello on that trip, Buckboard. There was another CG not too far away on the same road.

 

[NJGuy]

Sand Island Campground just outside Bluff Utah? I just stayed there for 2 nights. OK place but it fills up each night, at least in April. There are no reservations. According to the Monument Valley website, the campground is still closed. Gooseneck SP is free but there is one pit toilet (if memory serves me correctly) and there is no water. However, there is unlimited space. Gouldings is very expensive.

 

[kitphantom]

We don't boondock, but camp in either style of campground. We tend to prefer someplace that takes reservations, driving 6-8 hours and searching for a campsite is no longer fun for us.
However, whatever the group decides to do is fine. The Quad-state Rally is our secondary one, so attending depends on time/place and the rest of our schedule.

 

[ChocoChock01]

What is difficult about taking the pulse of "who" likes "what", is that I just like getting out on the road to get off the road.
Planning these trips is all in anticipation of taking the trip (virtual travel).

We can do all three with the exception of high clearance off road (but mentally I'm there)!

So by the time I actually get to a location, it is pretty close to what I have anticipated (due to research and the input of previous campers/travelers). I can't recall every being disappointed, but I have been pleasantly surprised at a location.

Things like where is a water source and where to dump (unless permissible to bury) AND getting stuck, are important notes, the rest is all part of the journey (I do have long distance towing for both TV & PUP coverage).

Back to taking the pulse on likes and dislikes, is critical, it is important IF others are going to follow.
Thanks for the ALL the comments because they are all used researching!!!

AND 2016 planning is really 2014 planning put into a realistic time frame it puts the idea out for others who might be tempted and there is time to modify plans!!


Now the 2017 West Coast Solar Eclipse Rally, we really do need the time because of the numbers involved and the "line of totality!"

 

[ChocoChock01]

Sand Island ......OK place but it fills up each night, at least in April. There are no reservations. .... Gooseneck SP is free but there is one pit toilet (if memory serves me correctly) and there is no water (GOOD TO KNOW SO ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE PRIOR TO FINDING THIS OUT). However, there is unlimited space. Gouldings is very expensive.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Yes, the voting came out this way:

• CO Mesa Verde 2015
• UT Moab 2016
• AZ TBD 2017
• NM Navajo Lake 2018
• Last weekend in June.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Time to start looking where 2016 Quad-State Rally will be at .

Narrowed to a wide area of Moab - Monument Valley.

CG:
http://www.ccnationalparks.com/monumentvalley/
http://www.uscampgrounds.info/
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en.html


If anymore people have experience in this area, would love to hear it.

 

[ChocoChock01]

......... We stayed at a small cg outside Monticello a couple of years ago, but last year it was not on the reservation system at all, this year it seems that just the group site is on it. We also camped at Devil's Canyon USFS, on 191, south of Monticello, last Sept. No hookups, vault toilets; two loops. One has huge concrete pads around the picnic table, the other is a bit more rustic. It is probably about an hour to Moab itself, and would make a good base to explore the Cedar Mesa area. We were going to do that, but it was rainy and those back roads are not the place we'd want to be in wet conditions. There are USFS campgrounds along the river just north/east of Moab, but the ones we've seen are pretty hideous, unless they've been improved since the last time we were on that road.Arches NP fills quickly, and the campground is about an hour's drive from Moab. (I have been looking at it for my trip while Courtenay is on a raft trip this June, and it looks to be filled for any dates I might want to be there.) Dead Horse Point SP also seems to fill pretty quickly, that reservation window begins 4 months in advance. Again, about an hour from Moab.Green River SP is just off I-70, a bit farther from Moab. I've been there in June, will be there again this year (if the raft trip goes, that is the take-out point), and it is hot, humid and buggy. We like it as a base to explore the region in May and September.AZ: There is always the campground at Jacob Lake that the Northern AZ Rally was at last Labor Day. About an hour to the North Rim of Grand Canyon itself. On the road to North Rim, there is Demott USFS, as well as boondocking in the area.Near Williams, Dogtown Lake was nice at Labor Day; 1 to 1-1/2 hours to South Rim Grand Canyon.Any ideas for more specific areas? June is going to be hot for most of UT and AZ. I know a few small campgrounds around those states, which would be difficult for a rally, some don't take reservations.

 

[Hoomi]

We are reasonably open. While it's nice to have Shore Power and piped water, we've worked on keeping our P'up practical for boondocking as well. The biggest time we prefer Shore Power is if the weather is going to be cold enough that we would want to use the heated mattress pad.

Our exposure to Utah camping so far has been more central Utah, near where my in-laws live, and seeing the scenery along the route up from Kanab. As such, I really can't suggest any locations in SE Utah from personal experience.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Im also looking for a mid point stop for 2015, probably near Flagstaff, then head up 89/160.

 

[Hoomi]

We're stopping at the (gasp!) KOA in Holbrook on our way. We've stayed there before, and one nice thing about KOA's is that they tend to be predictable. For us, heading up the 17 to Flagstaff adds something like a hundred miles to the trip. Time-wise, it's about the same as going up through Show Low, as the road up through the Salt River Canyon is slower for a much of the distance. Scenery-wise, the Salt River Canyon is a much prettier route.

The KOA in Flagstaff is a reasonably nice park as well, and not too far from the freeway. We stayed there one night on our way back from Utah last year, and despite how close it is to town, it's still well-wooded and pretty peaceful. It's actually right on the 89 north out of Flagstaff, almost across the street from the Flagstaff Mall.

On a trivia note, the Fatman Loop trail system actually has a branch that connects to the KOA, for those who might want to enjoy a nice recreational hike. I hiked the Fatman Loop when we went up to Flagstaff for a weekend last year, and it's a nice hike. Pretty scenery, enough climbing to get the heart rate up, and a well-marked trail.

There are a couple of other campgrounds along that route, just north of Flagstaff, but I have no experience with those. Check the Camp Arizona Website for listings and reservations.

Homolovi State Park near Winslow is a nicely maintained campground, located near some old Native American ruins. Not a lot of trees, but the campground was clean, will full hookups, and not far from the freeway. We stayed there one night on our way up to Utah a couple of years ago. That, however, is well beyond the 89 turn-off, and only good for those planning on continuing down the 40 and taking another route across.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Despite the connotation of "KOA" they are independently owned, and a significant part of the RV system. You can make reservations AND I have never had a "bad" experience in any of them. They are the Motel 6 of the RV world where they will
"leave a light on for you"! Usually, a known entity.


We will eat at the same restaurants in our hometown because if you don't cater to them, they won't be around to cater to us.

 

[Hoomi]

Yeah, that's pretty much our opinion of the KOA system. They may not offer the "camping experience" of setting the P'up in a quiet remote location far away from utilities and other people, but when traveling and needing a decent place to stop for a night or two, they're a good bet for a consistent quality. It may not be great quality, but it's usually clean, reasonably well maintained, and the rules typically enforced.

And they don't balk at the type of rig you have, or the age of it, or any other such things. They're just as happy to host a family with an old canvas tent, as a family with a 25 year old P'up, as a retired couple with a 2015 diesel-pusher, and pretty much everything in between.

 

[ChocoChock01]

........

There are a couple of other campgrounds along that route, just north of Flagstaff, but I have no experience with those. Check the Camp Arizona Website for listings and reservations.
........

I like this site, it shows CG not shown on other sites!

 

[ChocoChock01]

This is a Utah site for looking for the location of 2016 Quad-State.
https://www.utah.com/database/campgrounds/

 

[ChocoChock01]

Next question??
Moab
or
Monument Valley?

 

[ChocoChock01]

Southern Utah

http://www.discovermoab.com/canyonlandsnationalpark.htm

is home to some of North America's most varied and otherworldly terrain, accounting for its unusually high concentration of national parks. The "Mighty Five" Arches, Canyonland, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Bryce National Parks...all lie within 350 miles of each other (and the Grand Canyon is just across the state line). Gateway towns like St. George, Kanab, and Moab provide all the creature comforts when you're done hiking and sightseeing.

 

[ChocoChock01]

Now this is boondocking!
Valley of the Gods
http://www.loveyourrv.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Valley-of-the-Gods-boondocking.jpg