Non-Common destinations

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Rancher Will

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2010
Posts
610
Location
Mountains of Colorado
As RVers for over 50 years we would like make a comment that may be of interest to many here.

We have noticed very common queries and comments and discussion about will known places to visit with an RV. They are all fine and we have enjoyed most of them over the years (National Parks, Monuments, etc.).

Over the years, at first but even now, we often travel through or by intersting places that do not get the publicity of well known desinations. We often find that paying attention to these places and stopping, even for a day or two is well worthwhile and enjoyable. I could list many such locations where we stopped when we came on such places while enroute to other places. We nearly always were happy that we took time to do so.

For example, last week, returning from Southern California where we stayed for 5 days, we stopped for an overnight in an RV Park in Richfield, Utah. We had planned to stay overnight and had gone through Servier County Utah many times in the past. This time we decided to examine the features around Richfield.

We stayed and enjoyed three days in the area and plan to go back in the future to see more of the area. The attractions over the three days at Fish Lake, the Piaute Trail, scenic areas and recreation activities were very enjoyable.

We have done this in many areas over the years and invariably we find that the lesser known locational areas usually offer many attractive, even unusual interests, that are not well known. This is something that I rarely hear others mention so I thought many of us here might like to consider what we find enjoyable. And it is something it not necessarily planned in advance but is available on almost any trip.
 
I second that! My wife being a nature Photographer,will at times bounce off the seat like a kid until I pullover and let her wander about snapping pic's.

It's amazing the things and places she finds in the middle of nothingness (or so it would seem)

Not every attraction is marked or discovered (at least by us) So, if you see me pulled off somewhere, we are discovering!

Steve
 
I get lost often. As a result, I've found loads of beautiful unique places that are way off the beaten path. Also, by avoiding interstates when possible, I've stumbled across all sorts of interesting sights when traversing the  highways and biways.

I got hopelessly lost one day and amazingly stumbled into a campground out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by huge farms.  Turns out the campground had lakes, loads of mature landscaping, with lots of shade trees and unique weather that kept it cooler than the surrounding areas.  I only stayed 3 days, but  weeks later, I came back and moved in for a whole month, it was so lovely. There was nothing touristy at all in the area but I found it incredibly beautiful, peaceful and decidedly different.

Amazingly the campground had many loyal seasonal campers who kept their campers there all summer and commuted to their campers on the weekends from as far away as 300 miles.  So weekdays were pretty quiet while weekends were rather lively with a very friendly crowd.

Many of the old highways and byways have the old timey picnic areas along the roadside, some with just one table, typically under old huge trees. Many are by streams or lakes or breath taking views. I've often stopped at these just to stretch my legs, walk the dog and make a snack or lunch. You don't find anything like this at all on the interstates other than the generic rest areas with massive parking lots and loud trucks idling away while the drivers nap.

 
On the way to Yellowstone, we stop off at the (well known) Badlands and Black Hills in SD. Then we spend some time in the Bighorn NF. A much less known site is the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. The scenery is fantastic, and for nature photographers, bighorn sheep and wild horses are both plentiful. As a bonus, their campgrounds are free, but there is a fee for electric hookups.

While at Yellowstone, take the drive over the Beartooth hwy (212) from Cooke City to Red Lodge. The road hits 10,947' elevation and is one of the most spectacular in the country . WARNING 1: Drive it the first time without a tow. Then decide how comfortable you will be towing on it. WARNING 2: The Beartooth is eaddictive. There is so much to explore there that it usually takes us two weeks to get across. The Cooke City Cafe has great food and a wine & beer list that is several pages long.

For you midwesterners, the Shawnee NF in far southern Illinois is a well kept secret. The Cache river basin is cypress / tupelo swamp that looks like it belongs in a Louisiana bayou. The Little Grand Canyon and the Garden of the Gods both have some amazing scenery. Canoeing for a day at Horseshoe Lake, we saw more eagles than people. The Pine Larue natural area has some good scenery and is said to contain more species of vascular plants than any comparably sized area in the country. For privacy, the Trail of Tears State Forest has a campground with the camp sites spread out at roughly 1/4 mile intervals along the road on a ridge line. Thanks to the CCC, some of the sites even have three sided shelters with stone fire places.
 
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