Spring 2014 Mega Camping trip!
On this trip we will cover over 900 miles of Colorado and
see four national landmarks and make countless memories. This trip by no means
will be easy! It host long days in the Tiguan as well as sand, bugs, and
animals… We got this shit in the bag.
The parks…
Great Sand Dunes is the youngest of
the parks that we will be visiting as it was established September 13, 2004.
Though this land was protected long before that. While here we will experience
an undeniable sense of wonder as the shear amount of sand is breathtaking is
overwhelming.
Mesa Verde was established June
29, 1906 and is made up of 52,074 acres. Mesa Verde stands for “green table”
and is home to over 4,800 archaeological sites that include 600 cliff dwellings
dating from about A.D. 550 to 1300. These cliff dwellings where once home to
prehistoric people once dubbed the Anasazi who are now called the ancestral
Puebloans. It will be here that we will spend the most time, as there is much
to see and experience!
Hovenweep is a Ute term meaning
“deserted vally” but don’t let that name fool you as its home to six ancestral
Puebloan sites. This 785-acre monument protects stone pueblos that are square,
circular, and D-shaped towers. These sites
are in Utah and Colorado.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison was Established October 21, 1999 and is made up of 30,385
acres that include sheer walls of dark gray stone that rise more than 2,700
feet above the unsettled Gunnison River. The park has made its home in the
deepest parts of the gorge protecting one of the most dramatic canyons in the
country.
Destinations
Great Sand Dune
National Park & Preserve
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park is
located 35 miles northeast of Alamosa, Colorado, reached by U.S. Highway 160
and State Highway 150 from the south, or from State Highway 17 and County Lane
6 from the west.
Entrance fees: $3.00 per adult.
Camping fees: $15.00 a night
________________________________________________________________________
Mesa Verde National
Park
Website: http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm
Location: Mesa Verde
National Park is in Southwestern Colorado. The Mesa Verde Headquarters is a
one-hour drive from Cortez, Colorado, heading east on Highway 160 to the park
turnoff, and a 1.5 hour drive from Durango, Colorado, heading west on Highway
160 to the park turnoff.
Entrance fees: $15.00 per vehicle
Camping fees: $29.50 a night
There's also a
gas station, RV dumping station, coin-operated laundry, complimentary showers,
a gift shop and grocery store.
________________________________________________________________________
Hovenweep National
Monument
Location: Hovenweep
National Monument is located along the border between southeast Utah and
southwest Colorado, just north and west of Cortez, Colorado.
Entrance fees: $3.00 per person
Camping fees: $10.00 per night
________________________________________________________________________
Black Canyon of The
Gunnison National Park
Website: http://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm
Location: Black Canyon of
the Gunnison National Park is located approximately 250 miles southwest of
Denver.
Entrance fees: $15:00 per vehicle
Camping fees: $15.00 per night
________________________________________________________________________
Trip notes
As it stands
right now we will drive about 900 miles and be in the car for over 16 hours.
The Tiguan gets about 25mpg (that is on a good day). This could be closer to
20mpg since we will have all of our gear and driving through the mountains.
Kevin and I did the math and it would be about $180.00 for gas but I would like
to bump that up to $225.00 since the miles on Googlemaps does not include miles
driven in the parks.
All campsites will have a bathroom
but may not have running water. Also, it is relevant to think the weather for
this time of the year. The days could be warm and the nights cold. A new
sleeping bag and clothing that can be worn in both warm and cool weather is a
good idea. (I.e. hat, gloves, and jacket).
Miles traveled: 900 or more
Estimated gas cost: $225.00
Food: Could be $200.00
Park fees: $54.00
Camping fees: $105.00
Park Costs: $15.00 for tours
Camping Reservations
Mesa Verde National Park
Camp Ground: Morefield Campground Tent site
Confirmation Number: 80002B2WN
Reservation Number: 829455
Black Canyon of Gunnison National
Park
Camp Ground: South Rim Campground
Site, Loop: 008A, loop A
Reservation number: #2-28834083
Things needed
o
2 tens
o
3 sleeping bags
o
3 pillows
o
2 air matrasses
o
4 washcloths
o
3 towels
o
3 hiking bags w/H20
bag
o
Firewood
o
Matches
o
Fire
starters/newspapers
o
The grill
o
Grill tools
o
Plates &
silverware
o
Paper napkins &
paper towels
o
Heavy-duty Aluminum
foil
o
Hand wipes
o
Salt and Pepper
o
Coffee mugs
o
Coffee
o
Coffee maker
o
Cutting knives
o
Trash bags
o
Dish soap
o
Cooking spray
o
Pots and pans
o
Scrub pad
o
Bug repellant
o
Camping chairs
o
Tissues
o
Plastic sandwich bags
o
Water bottles
o
Zoey’s dog stuff
o
Sporks
o
Grill tools &
knifes
o
Flashlights
Things Angie needs to bring
Important: Please be
VERY mindful of items that smell really sweet or flowery. Bears are coming out
of hibernation and are HUNGRY. I highly encourage you NOT bring anything that
smells, as this will attract them to our/your tent. Also, we will need you to
pack a small bag as you big roller bag will take up to much space. If you like
you can pack you roller bag and transfer your times to a smaller bag once you
get here.
o
Tennis shoes or some
type of sports/hike shoe.
o
Flip flops or some
type of water shoe
o
Clothing that has a
lot of give as we will be binding, using ladders, and potentially crawling
o
Pants
o
Underwear
o
Socks
o
T-Shirt
o
Shorts
o
Sleeping clothing
o
Jacket
o
Hoodie (I have)
o
Shampoo/conditioner
o
Body soap
o
Tooth brush
o
Famine hygiene
products
o
Deodorant
o
Razor
o
Other personal items
o
Sunscreen (I have)
o
Medication
o
Stocking cap
o
Gloves
o
Cell phone charger
o
Comb/brush
o
Headlamp
Thursday
·
Angie arrives at 6:30pm. After landing we will
go back to the apartment and get ready for the trip. This will include packing,
food prep (if needed), and loading the Tiguan.
Friday
·
Up at 5:00am to shower and load
food items and other things into the Tiguan.
·
6:45am Leave for Breakfast at
Cracker Barrel. We will be meeting Edna there.
·
8:00am arrive at
Cracker Barrel for Breakfast.
·
9:00am Leave for Great Sand Dunes National Park (GSDNP). GSDNP is home to the tallest dunes in North
America and are the centerpiece in the diverse landscape of Grasslands,
wetland, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes and tundra.
·
12:00pm estimated
arrival time at GSDNP
o
GSDNP is 235 miles
from Denver and will take us under four hours to get their.
o
Cost: $3.00 per person
·
Play time!
o
Be mindful that Medano
Creek is the main attraction at the park. Flip-flops are useless agents the
current of the creek. Its better to go barefoot and sport shorts or a swimsuit.
o
The park does not have
showers. It does have a rinse of station to get the sand of your body, but no
showers.
·
Leave by 2:30pm to head
to Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP).
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green, table, offers a spectacular look into the lives
of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it there home for over 700 years, from
A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological
sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable
and best preserved in the U.S.
6:30pm estimated arrival time at MVNP. The park is about a
four-hour drive from GSDNP. On this leg of the trip we will cover 209 miles. We
will need to Stop and get some items from the grocery store so we will need to
be mindful of this.
o
Entrance cost: $15.00
for the whole car
o
Campsite coat $29.50 per
night
·
Upon arrival we will
need to find our campsite and set up.
o
The park is very large
and pending on how we are feeling we might be able to see a ruin, but I would
not count on it.
·
Ideas for that night
would be to attend at Park Ranger presentation
Saturday
·
Enjoy the Park … Many
of the parks experience cost extra and take time. We will spend the day in the
park, hiking and learning about the people who lived there.
o
Things we can do:
§ Long House: Cost $4.00. On this
90-minute tour you will ride a tram to and from the trailhead. In the site you
will climb two 15-foot ladders and experience a 130-foot elevation change to
exit. The round-trip hike is ¾ mile. Tour begins at the Wetherill Mesa Information
Kiosk. Times: 10a, 11a, 12p, 1p, 2p, 3p, & 4p.
§ Balcony House: Cost $4.00. On this
one-hour tour you will climb a 32-foot ladder, crawl thought an 18ince wide and
12-foot long tunnel, and climb up a 60 foot open cliff face with stone steps
and two 10 foot ladders to exit. The tour begins at the north end of the balcony
house parking lost. Times: Every half-hour 9:00 am to 5:00pm.
§ Cliff Palace: Cost: $4.00 One this
one-hour tour you will descend uneven stone steps and climb four ladders, with
an elevation change of 100 feet. The
tour begins at the cliff palace. Times: Every half-hour 9:00 am to 5:00pm.
Sunday
·
Enjoy the Park …
·
This would be a great
day to head to see Hovenweep National Monument (HNM) or take in one more tour.
HNM is 12.3 miles from MVNP and would be a 30-minute drive.
·
The cost of this
monument is not known at this time
·
After HNM we can head
back to MVNP and continue to explore the park.
Monday
·
9:00am leave for the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
(GNP). The Black Canyon of Gunnison exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs,
oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. With two million years to
work the Gunnison River, along with the forces of weathering, has sculpted this
vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky.
·
1:00pm arrive at BNP
pending on if we stop and visit Telluride. Upon arrival we should find our
campsite and get that set up.
o
Entrance cost: $15.00
o
Camping cost: $15.00
·
Spend the rest of the
day exploring the park and enjoying the experience
Tuesday
·
10:00am leave for Denver, this leg of the trip will take about 5 hours and we will
travel about 267miles. It is estimated that we will make it into Denver about
3:00pm.
·
After arriving in
Denver we can unload the car and order in dinner and relax with a movie.
Wednesday
·
Angie Departs at 8:30am
