Sedona has so many trails in and among the brilliantly colored buttes that the choice of what to hike can be daunting. There are the classics—like Broken Arrow and Devil's Bridge—but the popularity of these shouldn't negate the many other trails. In fact, popularity and small parking lots can be a compelling reason to focus on alternate trails, especially later in the day.
Like any tourist destination, finding a place to stay is a challenge. Most campgrounds are booked out in advance. But, if you have 4-wheel drive and a willingness to rough it without facilities, there are undeveloped campsites with amazing vistas along Forest Road 525C.
Our friends in Tuscon, Arizona are adamant: you should go camping in Coronado National Forest. To our surprise, the entry point for their particular camping area is the same we took nearly a year ago to the day when we visited Kentucky Camp.
We are not ones to spend the night in developed campgrounds. This is the closest we have parked to a fellow RVer in quite a while. Still, we have friends to visit in Tuscon so we decide to get in position to see them tomorrow by camping out in Picacho Peak State Park.⠀
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge sits between Quartzsite and Yuma, Arizona. From certain parts of the refuge, you can hear the explosion of ordinance from the neighboring military proving ground. This time, however, we intent to explore the heart of this 665,400 acres of Yuma desert and the refuge's namesake.
We pull into a deeply graveled parking lot and park next to a fellow truck camper. Only a vehicle with 4-wheel-drive could possibly navigate this lake of gravel. We watch several sedans and small trucks get dragged out while chatting with our fellow truck campers about campgrounds, storage, and cabover sleeping.
When we pull off I-40 for Petrified Forest National Park, I expect to be looking at rocks. Yet, it takes us a while to get to the rocks. We are so distracted by the breathtaking views! The Painted Desert is result of the Chinle Formation. It is a mineral deposit from river beds over 200 million years ago, during the Late Triassic Period.
Seven miles down a moderately managed dirt road in the Ouachita National Forest is the Little Missouri Falls. The drive is pretty doable for any car in the proper conditions—there is a creek crossing that could cause trouble after a heavy rain—but the reason to drive this road is the swimming hole at the end.
There is something about old ghost towns that attracts oddities. Last year, we stayed overnight in Bisbee, Arizona—an old mining town that was resurrected by a group of artists. Today, we took a pit stop at a neighboring town where all that is left is one street, Erie Street.
All we wanted was a view. And a place to cook. We had intended to make it out to some hot springs in Truth or Consequences, but after wandering through the Biosphere 2 and shopping for supplies for the night, we looked at the sun and were determined not to have another night like the Great Kofa Compromise.