*In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day, I thought I’d add a post from May 2016*
I’m not sure WHY we felt the need to go camping on Memorial Day weekend, THE busiest camping weekend of the year. We go camping year-around, so why we chose this weekend to go, instead of staying home, is beyond me. We wanted to try a new forest road up in the Jemez Mountains, one with lots of beautiful, open, grassy sites. Yeah, us and everyone else. We turned down the road and immediately knew we had made a mistake. From the first open spot, it was wall-to-wall RV’s. As we continued to drive the might-as-well-have-been-paved dirt road, I realized this was also probably the easiest route into the Jemez for everyone coming up from Albuquerque. At one site, there were literally more than 20 RV campers back to back. It was kind of ridiculous. Definitely not our scene.
Thank goodness we have done A LOT of back-roads exploring in the Jemez over the last 5 years, so we had several back-up plans. We knew that, to deter the RV’s, we would probably need the bumpiest road we could find. We didn’t end up needing quite that, but we did have to trek a bit to one of our tried-and-true spots in the Jemez and it was BEAUTIFUL. Only downside was getting woken up at 6am the next morning by someone cutting trees. Other than that, it was pretty perfect. Our scouting trips had paid off! Just goes to show that you CAN beat the crowds on Memorial Day.
Tips for scouting camp sites in the National Forest:
* Keep good records. Dedicate a notebook, journal, or app to making notes about where you want to explore and what you might find when you get there.
* Start with Google Earth. Identify the area that you want to explore. Navigate around, looking for dirt roads, open areas. Notice any homes/buildings/improvements in the area as that usually means private land instead of national forest. Get a feel for the area and set waypoints on any potential spots.
* Devote time to scouting. Pack a picnic lunch, lots of snacks, download a new movie or books for the kids, and set off in the car with your map/GPS/smartphone. If you’re feeling optimistic and ambitious, pack your camping gear. Drive to your proposed destination and explore! Take the back-way, drive down random dirt roads, wander off of the beaten path. Just pay attention and don’t get lost!!
* Tell your neighbor/friend/spouse where you’re headed. If you think there’s any possibility you MIGHT get lost, make sure someone knows where to start looking…
* Once you find a good campsite, take notes. First, make sure you really can camp there. Double-check that it’s not on private land or in a protected area. Look around and guesstimate how popular it’s likely to be. Is there a ton of trash or shell casings? Multiple fire rings? Obvious evidence of lots of vehicles? is it near the road? Is it easy to get to? Also, notice any potential problems: If it’s near water, it may be really buggy certain times of the year; cow dung may suggest the land is used as a pasture; and check the potential for flash flooding or slick, muddy roads. If the site passes inspection, congratulations!! Get the GPS coordinates and set up camp, or make a plan for when you can return and enjoy the site to the fullest.
* Take your camping logbook/records with you whenever you set out. That time you spent scouting may be wasted if you don’t actually have the records with you when you need them.
