RV Camping – More Million Dollar Views for $16/night…

Have you ever returned to a place you’ve been before – but everything looks just a bit different?

Perhaps its a bit of age, wisdom or whatnot; or perhaps it’s just that you really “took it in” during this visit for the first time – and perhaps it’s just a bit more spectacular than it was before.

A Million Dollar Location on $16. per night! Tough Creek Campground (high resolution versions of this and all other photos are available)

That’s the way I have felt about much of my traveling over the past few weeks. Yes, having a heart attack has made me more “dialed in” on life, perhaps a bit more appreciative, if you will. There’s something else though – and I’ve mentioned it in my recent posts how GREEN its been here in (of all places) Wyoming.

I left Casper on May 10 after a month’s stay and headed directly to Saratoga – can’t pass on the hot springs there! As you saw in my previous post, when I departed Saratoga, I encountered stormy conditions (AND SNOW) more typical of late March than late May! I know from reports that this has been occurring throughout much of the Western US, which is also the catalyst for the tornado outbreaks in the middle of the country.

Return to Tough Creek Campground

Despite the weather, the calendar said Memorial Day was approaching – and as with the other major Summer holidays, campgrounds often fill up months in advance. I was heading to Tough Creek with NO reservation, yet I was confident I would find a site – and truth be told, a GREAT site (see video above & pics in this post!)

A view from my site at Tough Creek – after the rain

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What was the source of my confidence and how can YOU be assured of a GREAT campsite over any of the Summer holidays if you’re a full-time traveler?

Here’s my BIG tip on getting a great campsite over the Summer holidays WITHOUT reserving months in advance…

Wyoming (and likely many states) have non-reservable campsites in their state parks. BE SURE TO CHECK ON THIS BEFORE HEADING THERE! They also have a rule that says you must stay in any campsite you occupy overnight. This means they don’t allow “weekend warriors” to drop the camper in the campsite of their choice on lets say the Tuesday before Memorial Day weekend and then return to it to enjoy their 3 day weekend on Friday.

The site I secured at Tough Creek – had time to “fit” into the trees as I was the ONLY camper in the park!

As a full-time traveler, that’s not a problem for me – I stay in my camper EVERY night! I arrived at Tough Creek Campground a couple of days BEFORE the holiday weekenders and secured the site of my choice – in fact, I arrived to find an EMPTY campground!! My only restriction was to avoid the sites (about 1/3rd of them) that are reservable. The other 2/3rds are open to occupy and stay in up to 14 days (this is the typical limit for many public campgrounds – State Parks, National Parks, and Federal lands.)

Many state parks have spacious sites. All sites at Tough Creek are dry camping

***Wyoming State Park campground fees – there’s a new system this year: A day fee & an overnight fee. As a camper you pay both. For non-residents they charge $9/day and $16/night for DRY camping. There IS a way to save on this – get an annual non-resident DAY pass ($70.), good thru Dec. 31, and then pay only the $16 fee nightly for stays in the parks. This means if you spend more than 8 days in Wyo State Parks, you’ve paid the $70. annual day use fee and the rest is gravy.***

If you check with the public campground of your choice you may find that they too have non-reservable sites – and if so, you’re in! Just plan to arrive no later than the Wednesday before the big holiday weekends (Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.)

time on the water in my kayak

Important: July 4th is not always a traditional 3 day weekend. This year (2019), July 4th falls on a Thursday, so you can expect many “weekend warriors” to arrive on Wednesday the 3rd. In this case, I’d suggest getting settled in no later than Tuesday the 2nd and perhaps even Monday the 1st.

Just a quick side-note… Some of my photos show the nose of my kayak when I’m in the water. In case you’re curious – the image below shows the inflatable kayak I’ve chosen to play and travel with…

I’ll say this – I LOVE this kayak for a few key reasons – its well made; lightweight (26 lbs) – and paddles fast! If you get one, let me know what YOU think of it!

Wind River Canyon… a SPECTACULAR Drive

During my most recent stay at Tough Creek, I drove the Wind River Canyon (the majority of the video that accompanies this post shares my drive through this canyon) to Thermopolis. Thermopolis is aptly named as it has hot springs to enjoy – healing waters as they say. Between Tough Creek and “Thermop” is the Wind River Canyon – a spectacular stretch of road, an easy drive, and perhaps some of the greatest scenery in the nation! This is why I dedicated so much video footage to driving the canyon… enjoy! Oh, and yes, the tunnels you pass through are large enough for the largest of 5th wheel trailers and motorhomes.

The weather…

The weather was stormy during much of my stay at Tough Creek and I thanked the Lord for giving me the wisdom to purchase my generator this Spring as my solar panels were virtually useless for 4 consecutive days. Those 4 days were followed by two days of sun and calm, only to see two of the stormiest days ever that I’ve been in my camper! At one point, I was watching the water level rise in the reservoir, just feet from my trailer – and wondering if I was going to have to break camp during the storm and head for higher ground.

Storm Clouds at Tough Creek

All told, the storm systems dumped about 50% of the ANNUAL precipitation for this region over the course of about a week – and as I noted in my video, the two day storm that hit at the end of the Memorial Day weekend dumped over 2 inches of rain – and again, this is a region that averages 8.43 inches annually!

Late Season Snow Capped Mountains

On Wednesday the 29th, the weather cleared and on the 30th I decided it was time to move on to my next adventure – a return to the Flaming Gorge with a planned visit to a new campground in that region. More about that in my next “journal entry.”

Did you see my thorough analysis detailing the benefits & costs of RENTING vs. BUYING a camper? Be sure to check it out HERE!

Sunset from my campsite – after the storm
You can’t beat this!
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8 thoughts on “RV Camping – More Million Dollar Views for $16/night…”

  1. Like your videos there isn’t much here. Some good information but so little. Photos are nice quality but all look alike. How about a photo of the campground map. Photo of the restaurant you visited, the food, the staff. What do you like about it? You’re serving up a dry cheese sandwich. The most interesting thing lately was the heart attach. Thankfully you fared well and are recovering. Lets see some action!

    Reply
    • Bob,

      I believe this is about the same message you sent me on YouTube. If you’re not happy, you’re always welcome to follow someone else. I do what I do, and to be honest, I LIKE what I produce. So, with that Bob, have a WONDERFUL day.

      Reply
  2. Hi Alan, David and I enjoyed meeting you at the Tough Creek fish cleaning station over Memorial Day weekend. We almost bailed on our trip because of those all day rain storms. Fortunately the sun came out and warmed us up for our 2 weeks in Idaho.
    We really enjoy your great advice on your website and Facebook. Be well and safe travels!
    Sue Rose and David Thorpe and Murphy the Golden Retriever who sat on your foot.

    Reply
    • Hey David, glad to hear your travel weather is improving! Mine has as well. I’m currently in Wellington, Utah; staying in town for a few days, then heading back into the hinderlands for more off-road adventures! I just posted about Lucerne and the Flaming Gorge – which is where I went after we both left Tough Creek (a GREAT spot!!) Keep in touch and yes, I remember your golden retriever!

      Reply
  3. Good ideas but it only kind of worked for us on the Memorial day weekend. We were actually going out for the Friday night and Saturday night the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. No reservations. Thought we would be fine, but it turned out our campground of choice was holding a boy-scout jamboree! We 20 miles down the road and they were able to settle us into a spot. It was a beautiful state park, so it was all good.

    Reply
  4. That area looks great Alan. Just wondering who/what is that background music? Really good blues guitar. Thanks for keeping us…in the loop. Gregg – In “Flatland”…

    Reply
    • Gregg,

      You know you can fix the “flatland” lifestyle! As to music, glad to hear I made a good choice. I use “filmora” to edit and prep my videos. Within it there is license-free music I can use. In the video associated with this post, I used pieces (in this order) from Red Echoes, Skyline, Drift, Elder Kedem and Ron Raffel. If they’d allow me, I’d use Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Southside Johnny, but they’re all “licensed only”! I hope this gives you enough of a lead to find the writer of the guitar piece. Al

      Reply

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