Anything to do or visit that doesn't require a permit???

[gnarledwolf]

Ok, we needed more careful research, I'll admit it.  We are currently in Amarillo TX and heading somewhere northwest... that's either NM and Arizona  or strait to Colorado and Utah and such.  My question is, where can you go to enjoy hiking and great sites that don't cost a friggin $35 fee to get in to?   Heck, one of the suggestions that was given to me was some indian village where you had to pay a $10 fee for a permit to take pictures!  Grand canyon and in fact all those areas are out...  I've never had that much money to work with.  Any ideas?   The whole idea for this life was living free and with as little expense as possible. we are also tent camping, so that matters too for locations.
Matt

 

[cyndi]

roadtrippers.com and google maps has option, too. Karen and Tony's blog has tons of information, with maps: http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com/

If you're on I-40, it kind of follows RT. 66 and crosses it in some places. Some of it is abandoned (still interesting to wander around) The towns that have hung out to the retro Rt. 66 vibe are fun to explore.
http://www.historic66.com/

roadtrip usa is a good resource
https://roadtripusa.com/

 

[rvwandering]

A national parks pass is great and will get you free entry into all of the parks for a full year. It's well worth the price but if you don't have the money for one go to national forests instead. You'll be able to tent camp for free and there are many hiking trails. Here's a link to get you started - http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/tonto/recreation/hiking/?recid=35199&actid=50

 Bike trails are good too - http://www.traillink.com/


 Also try Googling free attractions with a city or town name.

 Some smaller national parks and monuments are free all of the time so don't skip them without checking.

 Many roadside attractions are free - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm kinda old school.  I prefer books.  Find your nearest Barnes and Noble:

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/

Go on in and find the Travel section.  You should find guidebooks from any of several companies:  Lonely Planet, Fodor, Moon, the Weird series . . .

Sit there and have a coffee while reading them.  If anything looks interesting, but it isn't clear whether or not it's free, well, you've got free wifi there, search for their web site.

Also, you can get the official state tourism websites from the states you are interested in - NM, AZ, NV, UT, etc. to send you free guides and road maps. Just need to hang around some place long enough for them to get to a General Delivery Post Office.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

Also, you can get the official state tourism websites from the states you are interested in - NM, AZ, NV, UT, etc. to send you free guides and road maps. Just need to hang around some place long enough for them to get to a General Delivery Post Office.

Regards
John

Or you can pick them up at a welcome center when you enter the state.

 

[WriterMs]

Without a pass or extra funds for national parks or state parks, there is still a world of wonderful places to see. You are just not quite out of "plain plains" yet in Amarillo.

I'm am quite sure all of El Morro and adjoining El Malpais are free. The "fees" pages are down as I looked just now, but the write up on the small El Morro campgrounds says their sites are free -- no fees. The gov site has trail maps for the whole area. There are neat displays at the visitor centers. I've been a couple of times and don't remember paying for any activities there. But you can call them to be sure:

http://www.nps.gov/elma/index.htm


From there, you can still go up to the campsites Bob recommends -- you do not have to go into the paid Grand Canyon Park to be in some fabulous scenery and cool tall trees.

To get some fantasitic scenery that is "the beginning of the Grand Canyon," consider going up north from Flagstaff to Page, AZ. You'll see the lake (not sure what is free up there) but when you drive west, you'll be going along part of the region called the Grand Staircase Escalante. I found free boondocking sites that were nice in Apple Canyon (I think it was) -- but the hoodoos and cliffs and such are pretty cool up there.

Here is a page to show you some pics and give you info on area camping in general:

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand_staircase-escalante/Recreation/camping.html

Just don't be discouraged... you have not yet gotten to the good stuff. It does take some research, but the rewards are going to blow you mind.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Or you can pick them up at a welcome center when you enter the state.

Well, yeah, I guess that's true.  But if you have them ahead of time, that can influence WHERE you enter the state.  I mean, if you enter the southern part of, say, NM and pick up the stuff, you might discover that everything that really interests you is up in the NORTHERN part of NM, and you could have taken a different route to NM.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

Well, yeah, I guess that's true.  But if you have them ahead of time, that can influence WHERE you enter the state.  I mean, if you enter the southern part of, say, NM and pick up the stuff, you might discover that everything that really interests you is up in the NORTHERN part of NM, and you could have taken a different route to NM.

Regards
John

Yes, but these guys are already on the road and in Texas. It can take up to 10 days for a tourism bureau to get a package put together and out in the mail...ask me how I know that!

The other place to pick up info on freebie stuff if you're not going to be in range of a welcome center is to go to a hotel. The front lobby usually has a rack of all kinds of brochures that you can look over.

 

[akrvbob]

You can almost always download the states tourist brochure as a zipped .pdf.
Bob

 

[akrvbob]

Nearly all the western states have tons of National Forests and there is no shortage of Ranger stations, you can use your atlas to find the name of the National Forest you are driving by and then google it to find the Ranger station. Just stop in an ask the Ranger places he recommends. While you are there ask for a MVUM and ask where you can hike and go dispersed camping.

It's really very easy. Nearly every National Forest out west is full of great places to hike and camp.

Be aware that out West the National Forests are starting to get cold in September, depending on their elevation. The elevation of nearly all NFs is Colorado is very high and September is fall and October is winter.

If I were you, I'd go to the San Juan mountains of Colorado in September (take highway 550 north from Durango), then Moab, Utah in October, then Sedona in November, then down to Quartzsite, AZ for winter. Each is a stunningly gorgeous place with plenty to see for free.
Bob

 

[Ella1]

I looked at the calendar for Saguaro National Park (east) (Tucson, AZ)
http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/RMD-September-Programs.pdf
Call the visitor center at (520) 733-5153 for updates.

and west http://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/upload/TMD-September-program-schedule-2.pdf  
520) 733-5158 for updates
See www.nps.gov/sagu for other programs

I run into that, too. Because so many people go  there, (wherever there is) to see the sites, local communities provide infrastructure $$$ and sites $$$ so that  your trip is made easier and your enjoyment is enhanced.

 

[psytechguy]

If you're in Amarillo, you're only 20 miles away from Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

I think it's a $5 admission, but well worth it if you've never been.