Dispersed Camping vs. Campground

When planning this roadtrip, Grayson and I knew we wanted to mostly camp, but neither of us are "professional" campers by any means, so we also knew we had a bit of a learning curve (which should never stop us from doing what we want...everyone is a beginner until they aren't anymore). Grayson's mom mentioned "dispersed camping" to us, which was a term neither of us knew at the time. Maybe we were just ignorant, or maybe dispersed camping is a well-kept secret, but we found out that dispersed camping is just basically free land that you can use to set-up shop and be one with Mother Nature. Almost every national forest in the United States allows dispersed camping unless there is a sign telling you otherwise. Can you believe?! We were like, "free?!," we'll take it. This knowledge makes vacationing (if you're OK with roughing it a little bit) SUPER inexpensive. Not to mention, it really feels good to connect with nature in this "more extreme" way.

The first dispersed experience we had was just outside of Boulder, CO. at a piece of land commonly referred to as "Gordon Gulch." It has 15 numbered campsites that anyone can claim and use for up to 14 days at a time. When we arrived, it was a late Tuesday afternoon, and we drove all the way through the land, and ended up choosing one of the very last campsites. It was at the top of a mountain, and had a beautiful cluster of rocks that made it feel like we hit the jackpot of campsites. There weren't a ton of other camps set up along the other sites, maybe three total, and they were very spread out and secluded. Essentially, we were absolutely alone, in the woods, on the top of a mountain. It was absolutely beautiful, and slightly terrifying (because of the "beware of bears" signs everywhere, and my own non-irrational fear of humans), but I worked through my fear throughout the night, and am happy to say: nothing crazy happened.

No wild animal attacks, no human attacks; just sweet birds singing, and stars like you wouldn't believe. I realized pretty quickly that my fear was only present because most of us aren't used to being so alone in the wilderness like that. We fear the unknown. Setting up camp was a breeze. It was spacious, and private, and again, free. We were cookin' with gas (literally - dinner was a sweet potato and fajita-veggies hash with some chicken sausage), and it was delicious. The second dispersed spot we found was in the Roosevelt National Forest, outside of Estes Park, and again, we rolled up a dirt road, and chose a campsite with ease. There are obviously no bathrooms, or other common "amenities," but there are usually little fire-pits already built, and lots of space to roam. If you're looking into dispersed camping be sure to look up the "no trace" rules, so we can all keep our national forests clean and safe for the wildlife.

We decided after a few nights in the car and dispersed camping, we wanted to really "ground down" at a more "public" campground for a couple nights, so we booked two nights at a KOA in Dubois, WY. "What's in Dubois?" You might ask, and the answer is, not a whole lot. Beautiful mountains, a really cute river, with tons of autumn colored bushes, and "a giant jackalope," which I did of course ride. The great things about stopping at a campground like a KOA are the amenities (flushing toilet, shower, wifi, etc), and the potential for human interaction. There's something that feels a little safer (though I'm not sure that feeling is actually "true") about being surrounded by other humans. We were able to build an actual fire for the first time on this trip (due to very understandable fire bans in Colorado), and make s'mores, so it really felt like true camping. We also took showers for the first time in 7 days (felt SO good), and did laundry - both very necessary things. We checked-in on Friday and left Sunday - for two nights at the KOA it was $78 (which is still affordable) and we appreciated having the amenities.

Truthfully, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do a camping trip (or really anything, but that's getting deeper than we need to). We've loved both experiences, and will continue to do campsite camping and dispersed camping, during this trip, and afterwards. I just felt like quickly sharing my thoughts on the different experiences we've had, because, as I said, I didn't even know dispersed camping was a thing until this month. I literally thought it was illegal to just camp anywhere, which simply isn't true. If you've ever felt like going on a long, inexpensive, camping trip: DO IT. It's been so amazing, in so many ways and surprisingly, I'm not even feigning for a real bed yet.

~You growth and peace are within reach~