How we pick a site
After three years of trial and error — mostly error — we have a checklist. It's not science. But it's saved us from a lot of bad nights.
People keep asking how we decide. The honest answer is messier than the checklist, but here's both.
Mistake one: assuming the photos on the reservation site are recent. They're not. A site that looked level and shaded in 2019 is now full sun because the cottonwood came down two winters ago.
Mistake two: trusting one review. Every site has one person who loved it and one who hated it. Read five before you commit.
Mistake three: not checking elevation. We've shown up to 'high desert' sites that turned out to be 8,000 feet. The propane stops working right and the dog stops eating.
The checklist
Distance from the previous site: under 250 miles. Anything more and we lose a whole day to driving.
Cell signal: at least one bar verified on a coverage map, not the reservation site's bragging.
Water within ten miles. Even if the site has hookups, we want a fallback.
Wind exposure: we look at satellite, not the photos. If the site is on a ridge, we pass.
A grocery store within 45 minutes. We've made dinner out of trail mix and pickles. Once was funny. Twice was not.
From the campfire.
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What a great idea!
well said :)
so true!!
Is this something we can do too?