Greetings OB!
I'm putting together a little two week road trip itinerary to the southwest US and thought I would share some of the stops I'm planning on making. I'm open to some additional suggestions as while I've been to both of these states a couple of times, I don't claim to know a lot about them. I primarily use iOverlander to help me find dispersed camping as often as I can, and I'll also stay in established campgrounds occasionally to get around people again.
Heading to western ND first, south of Medora. There's a multipurpose trail called the Maah Daah Hey and I plan on camping near it at the Coal Creek campground. I'm bringing my mountain bike along on this trip and you'll see why I think it's a good idea based on the other places I'm planning on visiting. Looking forward to riding this trail as I've never been on it before and I've lived in ND my entire life.
Then I'm off to the black hills of western South Dakota after that. Planning on hiking the Black Elk Peak/Harney Peak hike near Mount Rushmore. Found a few spots to camp in the black hills and only going to be in the area for a night.
A day or two later will find me near Estes Park CO and taking in Rocky Mountain NP for a couple of days. I've never been there so if you have any suggestions on what to do or see there feel free to respond. I've made vehicle & shuttle reservations so I should be able to get in either of those ways to go see something you may suggest. The primary reason I'm heading to Colorado during this time is my local college football team (the Bison) play the Buffaloes in Boulder on 8/29 and I wouldn't miss it. I follow them around the country especially for big games like this and I love to make long road trips out of it when I can. Since I bought my 2017 Jeep GC in 2019 and put the rooftop tent on it not long after that, and discovered dispersed camping and "overlanding", I really really love these trips even more. Spending a few days near Estes Park, Boulder/Denver and then heading west that weekend after the game.
Making a stop at the Colorado Monument near Grand Junction for a day/night and doing some exploring there. I camped near here in '22 and was amazed at the difference in landscape compared to the eastern part of the state with the Rockies. Very dry desert vibes but made for a cool camping experience.
Then I'm off to Moab UT for 3-4 days and planning on hitting Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Point State Park, the Shafer Trail (thinking of going downhill from Canyonlands and heading back to Moab that way). I want to head west further when I'm ready to leave the Moab area and check out Goblin Valley State Park as that place looks out of this world. It offers some really unique and cool scenery and it's also a great place to look at stars at night.
Unsure of how I'll head back home to ND from here, either go up through SLC and then Montana and east from there. Or go back through Colorado....but I hate backtracking if I can avoid it.
Anyway, fun discussing these kinds of things with other people that enjoy this type of leisure/hobbies. I'm the list guy before a trip, love to plan and talk details of what to expect, and try to make sure I can maximize my time/enjoyment when traveling. My friends can't stand that about me haha so maybe I can find some likeminded individuals in here. I understand being flexible and willing to change as you go, and I do plenty of that as well.
Happy day!!
Tim
I'm putting together a little two week road trip itinerary to the southwest US and thought I would share some of the stops I'm planning on making. I'm open to some additional suggestions as while I've been to both of these states a couple of times, I don't claim to know a lot about them. I primarily use iOverlander to help me find dispersed camping as often as I can, and I'll also stay in established campgrounds occasionally to get around people again.
Heading to western ND first, south of Medora. There's a multipurpose trail called the Maah Daah Hey and I plan on camping near it at the Coal Creek campground. I'm bringing my mountain bike along on this trip and you'll see why I think it's a good idea based on the other places I'm planning on visiting. Looking forward to riding this trail as I've never been on it before and I've lived in ND my entire life.
Then I'm off to the black hills of western South Dakota after that. Planning on hiking the Black Elk Peak/Harney Peak hike near Mount Rushmore. Found a few spots to camp in the black hills and only going to be in the area for a night.
A day or two later will find me near Estes Park CO and taking in Rocky Mountain NP for a couple of days. I've never been there so if you have any suggestions on what to do or see there feel free to respond. I've made vehicle & shuttle reservations so I should be able to get in either of those ways to go see something you may suggest. The primary reason I'm heading to Colorado during this time is my local college football team (the Bison) play the Buffaloes in Boulder on 8/29 and I wouldn't miss it. I follow them around the country especially for big games like this and I love to make long road trips out of it when I can. Since I bought my 2017 Jeep GC in 2019 and put the rooftop tent on it not long after that, and discovered dispersed camping and "overlanding", I really really love these trips even more. Spending a few days near Estes Park, Boulder/Denver and then heading west that weekend after the game.
Making a stop at the Colorado Monument near Grand Junction for a day/night and doing some exploring there. I camped near here in '22 and was amazed at the difference in landscape compared to the eastern part of the state with the Rockies. Very dry desert vibes but made for a cool camping experience.
Then I'm off to Moab UT for 3-4 days and planning on hitting Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse Point State Park, the Shafer Trail (thinking of going downhill from Canyonlands and heading back to Moab that way). I want to head west further when I'm ready to leave the Moab area and check out Goblin Valley State Park as that place looks out of this world. It offers some really unique and cool scenery and it's also a great place to look at stars at night.
Unsure of how I'll head back home to ND from here, either go up through SLC and then Montana and east from there. Or go back through Colorado....but I hate backtracking if I can avoid it.
Anyway, fun discussing these kinds of things with other people that enjoy this type of leisure/hobbies. I'm the list guy before a trip, love to plan and talk details of what to expect, and try to make sure I can maximize my time/enjoyment when traveling. My friends can't stand that about me haha so maybe I can find some likeminded individuals in here. I understand being flexible and willing to change as you go, and I do plenty of that as well.
Happy day!!
Tim
