Enthusiast II
Second trip report here! We hit the road from Reno towards Flagstaff for the Overland Expo West and camped our way around the SW USA. We totaled 1700mi back to Reno on what was a 5 day adventure in my Tundra.
Day 1: We camped on Mt. Charleston, 40mi just north of Vegas. What a beautiful region with dispersed sites all over. There are a few established campgrounds but we took Mack's Canyon Road about 10 miles to locate our site. There are two entrances to the mountain, coming from the North we took Lee Canyon's road 17mi before making a right onto Mack's Canyon Road.
Day 2: Saw the Hoover Dam then hit the road to Flagstaff and jumped on Edge of the World trail. 26mi of dirt from Flagstaff took us 2.5 hours but we were rewarded with a beautiful spot on the edge of the world overlooking Sedona. The next morning we hit the road out, taking Fry Park Road back to pavement onto 89 north to reach the Expo.
Day 3:
Overland Expo West was a nice visit, great rigs and some very cool companies showcasing their gear. I've been running my ARB Simpson tent for a little over 4 years now but seeing some of the quality RTTs out there makes me want to upgrade. We felt 1 day was enough of an experience for us so we hit the road north away from the storm to find camp.
Camped North Rim Grand Canyon. We took Buffalo Ranch Road somewhere around 25 miles to the edge of the North Grand Canyon. There were 2 sweet Tacoma's parked here, looking great for a photo op. Vermillion Cliffs is visible from here as well.
Day 4: The next morning we hit the road to St. George, Utah and beyond. Found early camp at Virgin River, AZ but we were quickly hit with heavy wind and rain so we packed up and hit the road west in search of camp. We came across Valley of the Fire State Park, Nevada and were lucky enough to find a great campsite away from the wind and rain, tucked up against the rocks. We had no time to explore the park on foot but will definitely be back.
Day 5: 500mi day back to Reno.
Equipment notes:
This was my first trip running an Iceco 65qt fridge + Jackery 500 and I was really impressed. The Jackery was never lower than 80% and charged much quicker than expected on their 100w Solar Panel. I might be interested in a 45qt for weekend trips as the 65 was more than enough for 2 people/5days.
I think my next project is a more efficient water system. Carrying 3x6 gallons jugs got annoying fast.. Other than that everything else worked out great.
I'll work on adding what isn't already on the map.
Day 1: We camped on Mt. Charleston, 40mi just north of Vegas. What a beautiful region with dispersed sites all over. There are a few established campgrounds but we took Mack's Canyon Road about 10 miles to locate our site. There are two entrances to the mountain, coming from the North we took Lee Canyon's road 17mi before making a right onto Mack's Canyon Road.
Day 2: Saw the Hoover Dam then hit the road to Flagstaff and jumped on Edge of the World trail. 26mi of dirt from Flagstaff took us 2.5 hours but we were rewarded with a beautiful spot on the edge of the world overlooking Sedona. The next morning we hit the road out, taking Fry Park Road back to pavement onto 89 north to reach the Expo.
Day 3:
Overland Expo West was a nice visit, great rigs and some very cool companies showcasing their gear. I've been running my ARB Simpson tent for a little over 4 years now but seeing some of the quality RTTs out there makes me want to upgrade. We felt 1 day was enough of an experience for us so we hit the road north away from the storm to find camp.
Camped North Rim Grand Canyon. We took Buffalo Ranch Road somewhere around 25 miles to the edge of the North Grand Canyon. There were 2 sweet Tacoma's parked here, looking great for a photo op. Vermillion Cliffs is visible from here as well.
Day 4: The next morning we hit the road to St. George, Utah and beyond. Found early camp at Virgin River, AZ but we were quickly hit with heavy wind and rain so we packed up and hit the road west in search of camp. We came across Valley of the Fire State Park, Nevada and were lucky enough to find a great campsite away from the wind and rain, tucked up against the rocks. We had no time to explore the park on foot but will definitely be back.
Day 5: 500mi day back to Reno.
Equipment notes:
This was my first trip running an Iceco 65qt fridge + Jackery 500 and I was really impressed. The Jackery was never lower than 80% and charged much quicker than expected on their 100w Solar Panel. I might be interested in a 45qt for weekend trips as the 65 was more than enough for 2 people/5days.
I think my next project is a more efficient water system. Carrying 3x6 gallons jugs got annoying fast.. Other than that everything else worked out great.
I'll work on adding what isn't already on the map.
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