SUV RVing Adventures

[Bster13]

Nice pictures, what camera? Also, is that a tarptent?

 

[ArtW]

I passed on an SUV the dealer tried to sell me, now i wonder if I was too hasty
Which SUVs do you find suitable?

 

[anewbiewannabe]

The photos of the Tetons make me want to get back there even more than I already did. I think the Tetons call to me more than Yellowstone.

Yet more questions for you---on the 55 mile loop, how long did you stay out there? I remember when I was out there the one trail we wanted to do required getting a permit after a certain point, which we discovered at that point, so we weren't able to go there because of time constraints. Does that 55 mile loop require a permit?

Thanks

 

[SUV_RVing]

Nice pictures, what camera?  Also, is that a tarptent?

Thanks! The camera is the Nikon Coolpix S7000. And yes, that's a Tarptent Contrail, which is no longer sold and has been replaced by the ProTrail.

I passed on an SUV the dealer tried to sell me, now i wonder if I was too hasty
Which SUVs do you find suitable?

Depends what you're looking for. I have a 2011 Toyota RAV4, which is definitely at the smaller end of the SUV spectrum. If you need a ton of space, you're going to want something bigger. But it's fantastic for me because (1) it gets great gas mileage (~31 MPG highway), (2) it's super easy to drive and park, and (3) the rear seats fold down to be nearly completely flat, which makes throwing a mattress down super easy. I don't have to do any modifications to get a suitable sleeping platform. The rear seats of most SUVs fold down to make more room in the rear, but most of the ones I've seen fold down to either not be very flat, or they have a big ol' bump, or something else. That's not a dealbreaker, though. You can always make a simple sleeping platform out of a sheet of plywood and some 2x4's. 

As far as which SUVs exactly I recommend, I don't know. I don't have enough experience with more than a handful of them. I know that when I was shopping for SUVs, I knew I was going to be camping inside, so having the seats fold down flat was one of the main things I was looking for. The RAV4 and the Subaru Forester had seats that folded down completely flat (or at least almost completely flat). The seats in the Nissan Xterra and Honda CR-V did not fold down very flat at all. If you wanted more room, one of the larger SUVs from one of the American manufacturers (Ford, GMC, Chevy, etc.) would have to be the way to go.

The photos of the Tetons make me want to get back there even more than I already did.  I think the Tetons call to me more than Yellowstone.

Yet more questions for you---on the 55 mile loop, how long did you stay out there? I remember when I was out there the one trail we wanted to do required getting a permit after a certain point, which we discovered at that point, so we weren't able to go there because of time constraints. Does that 55 mile loop require a permit?

Thanks

I did the 55-mile loop in two days. ~30 miles on the first day from the Taggart Lake trailhead to Alaska Basin, and then ~25 miles the second day back to Taggart Lake. The reason I did it like this is exactly for the reason you said: permits. Alaska Basin is actually outside of the national park on national forest land, so you don't need a permit to camp there. Doing the loop in two days instead of three or four or more was a challenge physically but meant that I didn't have to deal with the permit situation. It was worth it for me. Here's a map of GTNP, and you can see Alaska Basin labeled outside of the shaded green park boundary a bit southwest of Grand Teton.

 

[SUV_RVing]

Climbing Mt. Hinman in the Cascades (7,492 feet)

I left Wyoming and Montana behind and headed to Washington to see my brother. He wanted to climb Mt. Hinman, a major peak in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness region in the Cascades. We drove up there after he got off work on Friday, hiked for several hours, camped, and then hiked up Hinman and returned to the car the next day. A great little trip in a beautiful part of the Cascades.

[img=480x640]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/01.jpg[/img]
Above: My brother hiking a couple of miles up from the trailhead on day 1

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Above: Crossing a bridge on day 1

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/03.jpg[/img]
Above: My brother skirting a large snowfield early on day 2

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/04.jpg[/img]
Above: Skirting the uppermost of the La Bohn Lakes. Yes, it really was that color.

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/05.jpg[/img]
Above: Chain Lakes and Bears Breast Mountain

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/06.jpg[/img]
Above: Getting up there!

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/07.jpg[/img]
Above: The Hinman Glacier

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/08.jpg[/img]
Above: The summit ridge as seen from near the summit. Spectacular place!

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/09.jpg[/img]
Above: The clouds came in on the descent

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Hinman/10.jpg[/img]
Above: There were tons of delicious bilberries/Cascade blueberries

 

[Fluffhead]

Your pics are inspiring! Thanks for sharing...

 

[SUV_RVing]

Climbing Glacier Peak in Washington (August 30)

I left my brother's place near Seattle and drove into the mountains. I spent the night in the RAV4 at the free campground at the Glacier Peak trailhead and headed out early the next morning to climb Glacier in a day. What resulted was one of the very best days I've ever had in the mountains. I was on the move for something like 20 hours and hiked 34 miles round trip with about 11,600 feet of vertical elevation gain. I spent the night again in the RAV4 when I got back to the trailhead before driving back to Seattle the next morning to recover.

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/01.jpg[/img]
Above: Sunrise

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/02.jpg[/img]
Above: View of Indian Head Peak from White Pass

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/03.jpg[/img]
Above: Glacier Peak!

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Above: White Mountain

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Above: Glacier Peak reflected in a glacial tarn

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/08.jpg[/img]
Above: Getting closer to the mountain proper

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/07.jpg[/img]
Above: Big ol' holes in the Cool Glacier

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/06.jpg[/img]
Above: On the summit!

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/09.jpg[/img]
Above: Crossing under the White Chuck Glacier on the way back.

[img=640x480]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/boxedties/Glacier Peak/10.jpg[/img]

Above: One last look at the mountain

 

[jimindenver]

Stunning shots

 

[Gypsysoul]

Looks like an amazing adventure. Your pics are gorgeous!

Caryn

 

[SUV_RVing]

Here's a video of a quick overnight SUV camping trip I took last week to northern Utah's Porcupine Reservoir. I'd never been there before, but I was amazed by how beautiful it was. 

[video=youtube]

 

[Cammalu]

Such a pretty spot

 

[SUV_RVing]

I've been really terrible at updating this thread here lately (lots of adventures I haven't shared), but I just started posting a new video series of a 2-week-long trip I went on in October to SE Utah and western Colorado, so I figured now would be a good time to start it back up again. 

In this first video, I visit a waterfall, find a great free campsite near Arches National Park, and clean the place up a bit.

[video=youtube]

And here are some pics:

 

[bpdchief]

Subed your youtube channel, been watching your adventures. Good to see you appreciate the beauty of nature. Safe travels

 

[SUV_RVing]

Here's the video from day #2 of the adventure near Moab. I know a lot of us have probably been to Arches National Park, but this particular area that I visit is extremely rarely seen. I search for hidden arch and one of the earliest non-Native American inscriptions in Utah.

[video=youtube]

And here are some pics:

 

[SUV_RVing]

After spending a day in Arches National Park, I went into Moab to get some work done and then checked out the Golf Course Rock Art Panel, which I'd never seen before. Then I took off into the La Sal Mountains and found an amazing boondocking spot with one of the best views ever! Here's the video:

[video=youtube]

And here are the pics:

 

[SUV_RVing]

Unfortunately I'm not able to make it to RTR right now (next year!), but I do have another video to share. In this one I climb a couple of 12,000+ foot peaks in the La Sal Mountains of southeastern Utah (near Moab). I had a great day out in nearly 13,000 feet and successfully managed to not get blown off the mountain!

[video=youtube]

Here are the pics:

 

[SUV_RVing]

After spending a day climbing mountains in the La Sals, I check out a waterfall and natural arch (one of the few in the Moab area that isn't in the red rock) there in the mountains before returning back to Moab. I then check out Otho Natural Bridge, one of the best arches anywhere, and then find a great campsite on BLM land south of town.

[video=youtube]

And here are the pics:

 

[SUV_RVing]

I left my camp south of Moab and first checked out Newspaper Rock, a small cliff that has the highest density of Native American petroglyphs I've ever seen. I then tried to enter Canyonlands National Park via the road to Davis Canyon from Indian Creek, but that road turned really rough really fast, so I had to abandon the effort. Instead I entered the Canyonlands Needles District via the paved road. I did a handful of short hikes (Roadside Ruin, Cave Spring Trail, Pothole Point Trail, Slickrock Trail) before finding a beautiful, secluded campsite way up in the Abajo Mountains (aka Blue Mountains) west of Monticello.

Here's the video:

[video=youtube]

And here are pics from the day's adventures:

 

[SUV_RVing]

After waking up to an unexpected snowstorm, I spent the next day exploring some Native American ruins on Cedar Mesa, including House on Fire Ruin, Mule Canyon Towers, and the Butler Wash Ruins. I then headed out into the the Valley of the Gods to spend the night while waiting for my friend to show up. 

[video=youtube]

Pics:

 

[SUV_RVing]

I met up with my friend Dennis in the Valley of the Gods. The next day, we drove to Sand Island Boat Launch near Bluff, Utah. We spent the next two days floating in our kayaks down the San Juan River to the Mexican Hat Boat Launch. We checked out several petroglyph panels, saw a cliff dwelling, climbed up some moki steps, ran some rapids, and just had an amazing time overall. This was one of my favorite trips ever.

[video=youtube]

Pics: