Goosenecks State Park – Live Laugh RV

We’ve enjoyed the past four days camped at Goosenecks State Park in Utah, but the itch to move on has set in. With Moab a mere two hours up Highway 191, hubby and I hit the road but not before taking one final look around camp. We find ourselves doing a quick recap of our stay at Goosenecks State Park and what made our stay so enjoyable;

Socializing with our RV neighbors, Linda and Mike

Exploring Valley of the Gods

Touring the Trail of the Ancients

Discovering how the town of Mexican Hat got its name

Fearlessly enjoying inclement weather and high winds camped on an open, exposed mesa

Enjoying sunrises and sunsets with a view that stretches endlessly.

It was such a positive and fun experience that Al and I feel this may just become a regular stopping point as our travels take us between Colorado and Arizona. I will add it is very remote country; perhaps some might even use the word desolate to describe it. Thus, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. However, it’s hard to dispute the beauty of the landscape.

After an uneventful scenic drive (we like uneventful), we arrived in Moab, Utah. We originally planned to stay at Ken’s Lake Campground where we stayed last fall, but changed our minds wanting to explore new territory. However, I would definitely recommend this BLM campground. There are a bunch of sites that can accommodate almost any size RV and the internet connection was relatively good.

Hum, wherever shall we stay? We found a large parking lot in Moab to park the RV while hubby and I set out in my truck….the “scout vehicle”…..and scout we did. We already knew we didn’t want to stay in any of the BLM campgrounds along Highway 128 and thus we didn’t even bother checking them out on this trip.

Hwy 128 meanders along the Colorado River in a canyon and is very scenic. However, the campgrounds are designed more for tents, pop up trailers, or small RV’s. Of course, there are always a few sites that might accommodate larger RV’s, but they first need to be available. Spring and fall are very popular times to visit Moab, Utah, and the BLM campgrounds fill up fast. Finding an open site isn’t always easy.

Most of the campgrounds along Highway 128 are very tight and almost impossible for us to maneuver our truck pulling a 31 foot 5^th wheel around. That said, we skipped the BLM sites and ventured further north along U.S. 191 toward the Moab airport in search of a boondock spot. I’m looking for a home with a view! FYI…….. Moab offers a ton of RV Parks with full hook-ups and lovely accommodation’s as well as plenty of hotels.

We found a great spot about 15 miles north of town on state land with beautiful views in all directions. This is popular Jeep and ATV country so one needs to embrace dirt, dust, and the vroom, vroom of engines to fully enjoy. With amazing views and a nightly fee of nada, we were a couple of happy campers and most of the four-wheelers were rather respectful. Yep, I found my home with a view and now it’s time to explore………

Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting

Woodall’s RV Owner’s Handbook, 4th Edition

Time for me to step away from the photo challenges and return to our travels…… After our grueling, nightmarish, eleven hour travel day, we arrived at Goosenecks State Park and quickly found a level area perched high above the San Juan River to park for the next four days. It was a brutal day and we were glad to finally make it to our destination.

That said, we went to bed early that evening and fell into a deep, exhausted slumber. We awoke the next morning to a stunning sunrise that lit up the canyon. It was a beautiful morning with a clear blue sky. Yes, yesterday was in the past and a new day was unfolding.

The stunning scenery before us was exactly what we needed to forget about the previous day’s mayhem….that and a little visiting with a fellow blogger.

Camping near Mexican Hat Utah — Camped near Mexican Hat, Utah…..guess where the towns name came from 😉

First, a little bit about Goosenecks State Park. The park is located in southeast Utah eight miles north of the town of Mexican Hat. To use the term State Park is a tad of a misnomer in my book. It’s predominately a scenic overlook with free dispersed camping. There are a couple of picnic tables, a vault toilet, and a few garbage cans. That’s it, but the view…..oh my gosh, it’s all about the view here; an endless view, one that seems to go on forever.

As you enter Goosenecks State Park, there’s a paved parking lot. Since this park is located along the Trail of the Ancients, this parking lot usually has a steady stream of vehicles coming and going. Thus, it’s not a good place to camp. The parking lot does expand with gravel past the restroom and that’s where we stayed during our first visit here 2 years ago.

This time we took a left at the parking lot and slowly drove over a very rocky, bumpy, dirt road, embedded with large rocks. We knew the further back we went the worse the road would get and after that blown tire we were a little apprehensive to venture down this road too far. We found a nice level spot near the edge (well, not too near) with a comfortable distance from the other RV’s already parked….a little boondock etiquette…..keep some distance.

We do use a generator and as a courtesy to others, we make sure we’re parked far enough away from those using solar or folks sleeping in tents. One day we hope to go solar and be generator free, but the budget just isn’t ready to go that route yet especially with new trailer tires on the horizon.

There’s plenty of room to find a spot and spread out. The majority of folks are just passing through and spending one night. However, our neighbors to the east and Al and I were planning on spending a few nights. And just who are those neighbors?

boondocking etiquette — Linda and Mike’s motorhome in the distance

Linda and Mike from Bear Tracks Blog. We weren’t totally sure if they’d be here or how much of our travels would overlap as each of us kept changing our schedules based on weather. Don’t ya love that freedom…..freedom to come and go on a whim? This gal is forever changing her mind……not – it was the weather changing it for us this time. High winds, snow, and rain kept us in Phoenix an extra couple of days. Linda and Mike rearranged their plans as well due to high winds.

We had a feeling our paths would cross a few times during the month of April since our travels had us going to some of the same places, but we weren’t exactly sure where or when. It was fun seeing them camped just down the road from us.

Did I already mention, there’s practically no internet connection here? There’s cell service providing you’re standing in the right spot, “Can you hear me now?” and we did manage to get a channel or two of TV via the antenna. Entertainment? No problem. These kids found activities to occupy themselves.

building a fire ring — Ingrid builds a fire ring

happy hour Utah style — happy hour at Linda and Mike’s place

As we hike around the area we discover rock art by ancient civilizations – or rather a previous camper engaging in another form of entertainment

As beautiful as Goosenecks State Park is, there is a downside and that’s the weather. You see, we’re sitting on a mesa 1,000 feet above the San Juan River. There’s nothing protecting us from the grueling winds. We ended up leaving the fifth wheel connected to the truck for extra stabilization and Linda and Mike pulled in two of their slides when a storm rolled through. This location is NOT for the faint of heart. The weather can turn quickly and it’s a long way down.

ominous skies — Ominous skies have us calling happy hour quits and we retreat to our rigs.

After a very relaxing and uneventful (the gale force winds rocked us to sleep) four days, we bid farewell to Bear Tracks Blog and Goosenecks State Park. Until we meet again.

Oops, I almost forgot about our scenic drive through Valley of the Gods……. that’ll be next!