If you’re game on for exploring the US via camping or vanlife, I’m sharing a not-so-best-kept secret. Traveling with the America the Beautiful pass. With this pass, also known as a National ‘NPS Annual Pass,’ our US National Parks, Monuments, Seashores and Forests with amazing, natural treasures are waiting for you.
“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself”
– Wallace Stevens
Seriously, this is one of the best deals going. Period! Add in camping and free dispersed camping (where available on BLM land and other locations) and you’re heading for a major mental reset.
As I write this, I’m sitting in the Jeep’s passenger seat. Torn between writing or watching at the scenery all around us as we pass by. Good thing my fingers have muscle memory on the keyboard.
Looking up, rocky, marbled terrain fills the horizon. Scanning the valleys below, riparian areas wind along streams with their glowing spring greens. We’re driving across the less mountainous part of Utah on BLM land, heading towards the Four Corners before driving through New Mexico.
I yearn to pound the window and scream, “Let me out” as there’s still so much to see. But, responsibilities back at home along with Michigan’s vibrant spring are emerging after 8 weeks on the road. I’m sharing our recent travel experiences in Arizona and Utah. Writing about these wonderful places keeps the memories present a bit longer!
Plus, hopefully these writings inspire you to seek local or distant travels.
Shifting from Destination to Journey Mindset
Before camping our travels were mostly by air. The primary reason was my five weeks per year work vacation time. Between family and local travels, limited vacation time lead to using air travel. The faster, the better in reaching our desired destination.
Fast forward to my life after ‘corporate’ today, it’s different. Sure, there are moments I miss those fast-paced, get-a-ton-done in a day, days. Then, when immersed in natural beauty in front of me, that ‘missing moment’ passes fairly quickly.
The difference too is we’re traveling with Sheen’s Bean (nuCamp Tab 400 Boondock) camper in tow, with the intent of seeing what’s along the way versus a destination. Talk about a mindset shift, and one that I find I’m still adjusting too. The mental reset of living in the moment happens gradually. However, when visiting vast, wide open spaces our National Parks offer, the reset gets pretty darn easy.
Also, COVID for many, created a changed mindset. Remote work, work from anywhere, is an expectation for many employees’ work roles.
The reality? More and more of us are hitting the open road with time on our hands. And in many cases as it should be, the destination is not the end game. The journey is!
America the Beautiful Pass – Bring on Life Changing Moments
Why is the NPS Annual Pass the best deal going? For $80 a year, you have access to all of our National Parks and public, national lands (more on the dollars and cents below). Access to the fee areas on a daily basis? Covered!
These amazing lands, designated by the national government fill the senses and memories with treasures. The intent? To preserve the natural environment, history and scientific interest. And, sharing all that that beauty with us, the public. Adventure on!
The majority of our National Parks cover vast and unique spaces. Spaces filled with eye-popping, jaw dropping views. Nature, wildlife, sheer unique beauty spans horizons that’s unique to its respective area.
Sure, there’s parks that given when you go, it’s nutty with traffic, crowds and a frantic pace. Not because of the park. But, because of the sheer volume of folks with limited time trying to view some of our iconic locations.
If the option to travel in the non-peak time in the most frequented parks is available, go for it! During summer vacations travelers descend in droves in many of our more popular national parks. Yet, there are many National Parks that rival the ‘busy’ parks in beauty without as many crowds.
Each park is unique, special. As our travels this year in March and April covered mostly Arizona and Utah, our visiting time frame is well before the masses hit the road.
We camped in Bryce Canyon this past week after camping for a few weeks on BLM lands in Arizona and Utah. Bryce this time of year has smaller crowds. Our last morning there I was the only one watching the sunrise over the Hoodoos (see above). Perfect timing!
National Parks – How Many Options Do You Have?
In addition to our National Parks spanning 28 states, the America the Beautiful Pass works at more than 2,000 sites of federally-owned lands. This includes lands managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.
In 2022, as mentioned above, the annual pass of $80 gives you access to all of them. This includes entrance and day use fees for the driver and passengers (up to 4 adults). To see the list of parks, seashores and monuments included: The NPS Annual Pass list of parks.
Many of these parks offer campgrounds with some amenities (bathrooms, dump stations, electrical). The America the Beautiful Pass includes discounts for these and other services within our parks. In Bryce National Park, our RV camping fees were $15.00 per day versus $30.00.
There are many other locations too that accept the America the Beautiful Pass.
Camping Across the US and the America the Beautiful Pass: National Parks, State Parks, Dispersed Camping
When traveling with our camper, travel planning requires research similar to our old way of travel. However, the biggest difference is that our start and end time in a given area is much more flexible. When scheduling time in higher traffic campgrounds, advance reservations are a must for high season.
State Park and National Park Campgrounds: Terrific Options Along the Way
An example of advance reservations this trip is Patagonia State Park and Campground. We booked reservations 6 months out for this high season time frame. However, across our 8 week travels, this is the only advance reservation scheduled for an extended stay. Along the route to Arizona, we chose Harvest Hosts for easy, one night stop overs in fun and enjoyable venues.
At Bryce National park campground, high season is several weeks away. The campsites are currently first come first serve this time of year (April). We scored a great spot within a few minutes. As the season moves one, reservations are definitely a must to ensure a spot using their online reservation system.
Moving on to Dispersed Camping on BLM Land – Arizona & Utah
After Patagonia, the rest of our trip is winging it with dispersed camping. Three recommendations for dispersed camping:
- High clearance 4WD vehicle and trailer to really venture further off the road confidently (unless you’re tent camping)
- Read reviews prior to going in or detaching and walk-in to check out the site
- Follow “Leave No Trace” principles to ensure we continue to have access. For more tips see: (8 Proven Camping Planning Tips to Keep You Happy Camping)
- Enjoy the space. Even with so much to see in the surrounding area, sit back and take in the sights and sounds right in front of you.
Do You Need an America the Beautiful Pass to Disperse Camp?
As an fyi, an America the Beautiful Pass is not required to camp on BLM lands. However, BLM asks that you obtain a permit (free) before going in to certain areas. We stopped by the BLM office in Utah before diving into Cottonwood Canyon road to get a permit. The BLM staff is informative, friendly and offers terrific insight.
We picked National Parks, Monuments and Forests and camped in nearby BLM dispersed camping areas. The challenge is finding ‘just the right spot’. Not in terms of availability however. So many areas and spots to choose from! Out west, BLM lands offer many areas, roads, areas for free camping up to 14 days. Some locations we knew already. Others we relied on Campendium for insight or found on our own.
Arizona
After leaving the Patagonia area, we dispersed camped in Beunos Aires, Arizona. Thank you Campendium as my hubby discovered this remote area looking for spots and finding awesome reviews. Peaceful, quiet and beautiful light. We saw maybe three other people across four days?
Following a few days in Buenos Aires we drove into Bog Springs (As an fyi, the Bogs Springs area accepts the America the Beautiful Pass) looking for a spot within the first come first serve campground. Nothing available within the campground. And yet, no worries. Dispersed camping right around the corner.
The dispersed camping spots were easy to access, with some good navigating skills, a high clearance vehicle and camper (Sheen’s Bean’s wheels are 15″). For more on dispersed camping: 8 Proven Camping Trip Planning Tips that Keep You Happy Camping.
From there we chose to move north to explore Sedona. At first, admittedly we were skeptical when starting down the road to find our spot. A ton of RV’s near the turnoff. However, the further back we drove, the spots were more isolated, quiet with open views to big, big skies.
Next stop? Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Marble Canyon and the vast surrounding area. Holy smokes! The texture, colors, terrain. Add in hiking, birding (California Condors), driving through diverse ecosystems and the adventure keeps on rolling.
Our dispersed camping spots were in the wide open. While we were there with other dispersed campers, the distance between each camp area was quite large depending on which site we chose. A view of the Colorado River and deep caverns waited right outside our camper door.
Take a Scheduled Tour & See More!
Because these areas are huge, we opted to schedule a tour into White Pocket near Kanab, Utah. (The lottery to go in to the Wave, well, let’s just say it didn’t happen). Grand Circle Tours offers a variety of locations and customization. After sharing what we were looking to see, Lauren recommended White Pocket. Angela, our guide, rocked it big time! After effortlessly driving us through terrain filled with rocks, steep and deep sandy roads we arrived. The other cool factor is our pups joined in the fun as well.
Not only did we get a tour, she shared geological and climate insight that turned our tour into a connection with the area.
The education started at the beginning of our drive in. With a look at the right and left side of the road, Angela shared why they were different in color and composition. From there, it was deep insight into views along the way and the topography (living crust) I was photographing.
When spending time with local guides, the level of insight and ideas on other activities to tackle increases. Our time with Angela helped plan several other days on our camping adventure. My only regret is that this tour was not earlier in the week.
A fabulous day and wonderful memories! Thank you Grand Circle Tours and Angela.
Utah
Just a few miles away from Marble Canyon and we were rolling along in Utah. With mountains, a much cooler climate as we moved north, our biggest decisions were where do we want to go? The drive in Cottonwood Canyon recommended by Angela, (never to be done when wet!) took us up, over and through terrain of desert, riparian forests and raw, rugged rock formations. After dispersed camping one night, we begrudgingly moved north.
The temptation to stay here longer kept creeping in!
But, Bryce Canyon National Park was calling our name and we listened. With a few days camping at Bryce, we now know what the hype is about. Totally unique views from above and below of the Hoodoos with many overlooks and hikes.
In addition to incredible views, wildlife emerged in trees, woods and fields. Birds, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and prairie dogs were emerging with the warmer weather.
Knowing that we needed to start heading east, our next stop was Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This non-crowded, loaded with remote dispersed camping areas is a huge, massive feast for the adventurist. Hiking, canyoneering, driving, sightseeing, waterfalls and wildlife reside across 1.9 million acres.
Pick trails, canyons, drives or just hang outside your camper and enjoying time in remote beauty. This is an area where time leaves us yet flies by quickly. So much to see and even with time on our side, the scope of what’s available calls for even more time.
A return visit is in our future.
Returning Home: Taking Memories, Photographs, Our American the Beautiful Pass and Leaving Only Footprints
This is marking the end of our spring eight week travels. As we navigate roads to our home, our conversations are steering to our upcoming camping travels this year and next spring. In between, our home state of Michigan is filling up quickly with migrating birds, bursts of bright colors and wildflowers.
Grateful for the recent experiences, yet so sad to be leaving the west and all this vast terrain and beauty behind. But, there’s an open road in front of us as we head home. And, an open road awaiting our return to roads both visited and soon-to-be traveled.
2 comments
I really enjoyed your blog. Reminds me of events I experienced many years ago.
So much to see out there!!!💕
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