This is the fifth piece in a series on no-frills wild camping (also known as free camping). It covers a different type of adventure: boondocking or caravanning. Particularly popular in the USA, this type of free camping allows access to great natural parks and other interesting areas while letting you keep lose to home comforts and mod cons. This low-budget adventure travel is particularly attractive for those needing to cover long distances and follows Extreme Environmental Experiences in the UK, Short Wilderness Breaks, Suntastic Sensations and Bivouacking Biggies and will be followed by articles on how to go about it. Read on to learn more….
The Rocky Mountains, USA
Boondocking; camping wild and free in the boondocks (rough country) while using a motor vehicle is a typically American pastime. While some think it’s cool to take their motorhome to a Wallmart carpark others look for more secluded spots. Boondocking is especially attractive to those looking for long distance travel with a romantic, reckless or artistic twist. Such was the motivation of newly-weds Hylnur and Joice who boondocked throughout a 3,000 mile trip across the US.
A view of Welsh Patagonnia
Joice describes the highlight of their trip;“As the altitude began to change so did the vegetation and landscape until we passed a wall of rocks and the horizon opened up to one of the most majestic views we have ever seen. Beautiful tall pines, gorgeous naturally sculpted rock formations, an azure blue sky and birds everywhere. It was all on a scale that we couldn’t comprehend. It made us understand that “breathtaking” isn’t just a clichéd form of words but something that really happens.
After we put down our tent, next to our car at the foot of one of the mountains, we discovered large RVs nearby. They were enormous, had all mod cons including satellite dishes and working bathrooms. While the snob in us scoffed at such luxury, the amount of wildlife we heard around our tent that night showed why a metal encasement might have been a good idea.”
The couple awoke to discover dog-like paw marks on their car, demonstrating that an appreciation of how to manage the local Rocky Mountain fauna is as important as having the right clothes, bedding and of kindling that’ll stay alight long enough to light a fire if the clouds descend. Nature enthusiasts will love the range of wildlife here which includes the Grizzly and Black Bear, Cougar, Coyote as well as less inimicable species such as Pikas, Cariboo and Moose.
Or try:
Caravan camping through Europe; a classic for visiting Antipodeans
Vancouver to the Oregon Border
Salt Lake City to San Francisco
Follow the Darling River in New South Wales
The next article in this series is Dos and Don’ts of Wild Camping
[...] Extreme Environmental Experiences in the UK, Short Wilderness Breaks, Suntastic Sensations and Bivouacking Basics as well as articles on how to go about it. Read on to learn [...]
[...] The next article in this series is Boondocking Basics [...]