camping | Stoness Travel Blog

12 Tips to Boondock Safely in the Desert

Boondocking in the desert isn’t for everyone, but thousands of people enjoy it. A few tips for more comfortable and safer desert living are listed below.
1- Deserts cool down rapidly at night and warm up quickly in the sunlight. Take the necessary clothes with you, and be prepared to change them according to the temperatures.

2- In the winter time you are not likely to encounter nasty slithery creatures. Most of them are holed-up waiting for real warmth. Just the same, in case they haven’t read the rules, watch where you walk, and don’t reach into holes, or turn over rocks without being extra careful. You might even empty your boots before putting them on.
3- Don’t camp in creeks and washes. Distant rainstorms can turn them into fast flowing streams of mud.
4- Camp in sheltered areas to keep you out of dust kicked up by a windy afternoon.
5- Arrive with your water tanks full, and your holding tanks empty. Some Boondocking areas are visited by mobile sewage trucks, and potable water trucks, but not all. With full water tanks, and being very water frugal, we can manage for over 10 days before having to head for civilization.
6- Try to camp near other people so if you have a problem you will have someone to ask for help. But don’t camp so close you are neighbours. They are likely boondocking to get away from being really close to others.

7- Desert plants usually protect themselves with needles and thorns. Carry tweezers to help you remove them from your skin. The teddy bear cholla is a friendly looking plant until you get close then you can see its protective needles. If one latches onto you, don’t try to pull it off with your other hand. You’ve been warned! Instead, use a comb or a pair of sticks to pull it away from your skin. It’s very sharp!
8- Don’t go away and leave your awning up, unless it’s very well secured. Desert winds come up fast, and can move anything not fastened down.
9- If you plan on driving into the desert on the trails, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Have a good map, and take water and food just in case the car has a breakdown. If that happens, stay with the car. A car is a bigger target to find than a human.

10- Install a house alarm system in the RV. Set it up so you can press a button to turn on the alarm. Noise will usually scare away prowlers.

11- Have outside lights on all sides or your RV, so you aren’t walking around to the back in the dark.

12- The most important suggestion is to use common sense. Anytime you are out in a large wilderness area there are hazards. You can fall, get lost, or a host of other calamities can happen to you. There are a few more hazards here than at home. You have to make careful decisions. Your life depends on it.

Happy RVing!

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels. Visit his website at: www.stonesstravelguides.com

Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert National Park

Welcome to Prince Albert National Park, 1500 square miles of wilderness. When the government set aside the land in 1927, some considered it a waste of money. Why protect a special section of wilderness when there was so much?

It is fortunate that some people had the foresight to make the effort because where there was once endless wilderness, men have reduced it drastically. To the north, forest has been cut for pulpwood, and to the south new fields are checkerboarding their way right to the park boundaries.
Travellers heading west to the Canadian Rockies often miss one of Saskatchewan’s out of the way treasures.

Often, they try to cover the prairies as quickly as possible, tiring of the continuous rolling fields of grain and the occasional slough. Actually, these are quite scenic on their own, but if you head north past Saskatoon, you will encounter terrain you probably didn’t expect. Slowly small stands of aspen begin to intrude on the agricultural landscape. Hills appear, a few small lakes, and even exposed rocky cliffs.
Waskesiu is the centre of commerce in the park. Here you will find the major campgrounds, a few hotel room, and cabins, and a store and library. Lake Waskesiu provides lots of fish fun, boating and canoeing, and the big sandy beach at the townsite is a large hit with the children.

There are areas with more primitive camping. At the Narrows Campground they are trying an experiment with solar panels to see if solar panels and batteries can replace the expensive propane generator that has serviced the location for years. There is a small marina here, and the stored power will provide them with electricity, as well as pump water and light the restrooms.
Prince Albert NP has a wide variety of hiking trails that will take you from civilization into the backcountry where you can expect real wilderness experiences ranging from the crazy cry of the loon to the scream of a prowling lynx.
Of course, with its 1500 lakes, the park is a natural for canoeing. The canoe routes will lead you into some of denser wilderness regions of the park beyond the trails.
If you are looking for something a little less strenuous, stop at the golf course and play a few holes. You may even get a good look at a herd of elk having an afternoon rest on one of the fairways.

The next time you cross the prairies, take a little sidetrip. Head north of Saskatoon to Prince Albert National Park.
Happy RV’ing

Exploring the Chilcotin Plateau

Heading west from Williams Lake, British Columbia, spectacular Highway 20 takes the adventurer across the ever-changing scenery of the Chilcotin Plateau. This plateau fills the space between the Coastal Range and the interior.

The variation in topography is what makes up the exciting variety in the scenery.

You may not realize it, but the largest ranch in North America was the Gang Ranch.

It had cowboys tending cows over 1,000, 000 acres of the plateau. Several large ranches still operate in the area where seeing old fashioned log snake fences, and herds of cattle and horses will not be that unusual.

The traveller will enjoy the rolling grassland scenery, interspersed by canyons and cliffs. Lakes, streams, and rivers attract the fishermen, canoers, and those who like to sail. Distant whitecapped mountains draw the hikers, and also those who want to spend some time on a long trip into the wilderness on horseback.

If you want to camp, you will find a large number of campgrounds. The resorts attract people who want comfortable accommodations in rustic areas with great views. Certainly the wilderness ambiance permeates the atmosphere of the entire trip across the plateau. Escott Bay Resort, and Chilcotin Lodge are two, among many, that fit the requirements of a great stay, and also have a few campsites.

As you head west you pass into Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and drop down a great hill into the Bella Coola valley, and a completely different type of scenery. At Stuie, near the bottom, you will find the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge, famed for its grizzly bear viewing. And in winter, even more famous for its skiing.

The 450 kilometre drive from Williams Lake to Bella Coola has long been part of one of British Columbia’s most popular scenic circle drives. Instead of returning to

Williams Lake, drivers would board the ferry at Bella Coola, cross to Vancouver Island and make their way via another ferry to Vancouver.

This circle drive is facing disaster! The BC government is cancelling the ferry, apparently with total disregard to the damage it will do to the tourist accommodations along the Chilcotin route. It’s difficult to imagine how a government could spend so much money promoting tourism and with a single act, destroy everything it had built.

No matter what they do, they cannot destroy the experience of a visit to the Chilcotin, although they can make it a great deal more difficult.

Happy RVing !