My Favorite Spring Campsites in the West
Spring is here and what better way to celebrate than to get outdoors! While not all areas are accessible yet, you can find great spring camping from the coast to the desert. Here are a few of my favorites from this year!
Mud Lake Trailhead
As soon as the snow clears, we head straight for the forest. I arrived in Lassen National Forest in early April, and was expecting the forest roads to still be covered in snow. To my surprise, there was almost no snow on the ground at all. While cold at night, the temperature was in the 60’s during the day. This tiny campground is located on highway 44, a few miles before you get to Old Station. It’s also located along the Pacific Crest Trail, so you can hike along one of the world’s most famous trails, and if you’re lucky you might meet a thru-hiker! There are 5 designated spots around a vault toilet, which was locked when I visited. Only two of the sites have fire pits, and only one of those has a picnic table. This was my second visit to Mud Lake Trailhead, and both times I’ve had the place to myself. It’s only 20 minutes from the National Park, where you can hike Lassen Peak, the park’s active volcano. The campground barely has service, so it’s a nice place to go if you want a peaceful spot in the woods. There is occasional car noise from the nearby road, but not enough to keep me from coming back in the future.
Cost- free!
Alabama Hills
This was my first visit to the Alabama Hills and I absolutely loved it there! The Alabama Hills are a recreation area in the Eastern Sierras, just outside the town of Lone Pine. It’s a Bureau of Land Management area (BLM), which means its protected, public land for you to enjoy. The area is covered in large, rounded rock formations, at the base of snow covered mountains. There are nearly 30,000 acres of wilderness for you to explore here, and dispersed camping is allowed for 14 days.
There are several maintained dirt roads that you can choose from; I went down Movie Rd. Smaller roads branch off the main roads, and lead to campsites throughout the hills. I drove about a mile in until I found a branch on the left side that appealed to me. I followed it for another mile until I found a campsite surrounded by large rock outcroppings. It wasn’t too busy in mid-March, so we pretty much had the area to ourselves. During the day, Sophie and I would climb around on the formations around us, just seeing what we could find and how far we could go. The Alabama Hills are like a giant playground on another world, I’ve never seen anything like it. The rock formations are a bit rough, however, which took a toll on Sophie’s paws. Next time I might put her in dog boots.
An incoming storm chased us out after just two nights, but I will definitely be going back to the Alabama Hills soon!
Cost- free!
Snowbird Mesa
Located just outside the Valley of Fire state park near Overton, Nevada is the Snowbird Mesa. This area is also BLM land, and was a busy campground, but for good reason. This mesa sits above a small town and has 360 degree views of the surrounding canyon. The sunrise and sunsets are incredible, and the cell service is great. If you’re approaching from the Valley of Fire, there are two road options on the right; I took the second one that went up the dirt road. This road was slightly less busy, but I still had neighbors on three side, all about 150-200 feet away. I did, however, have cliff side parking and canyon views. Generally BLM land has a 14 day dispersed camping limit before you have to move to a new area, but there seem to be many permanent campers here. The area is very clean and fairly quiet, besides the occasional hum of a generator.
There’s no shade coverage which probably makes this an unpleasant summer spot, but I definitely recommend this campground for late fall to early spring!
Cost- free!
Virgin Dam
On the way to Zion National Park is the small town of Virgin, Utah, and this site is just a few miles from there. The campsite is located on BLM land, and there are a few dirt roads off to the right that will take you into the area. The landscape is covered in mesas and canyons, and the elements that have eroded this region have also eroded the dirt roads. They are definitely on the rough side, especially for a van with low clearance like mine. There are several spots just off the highway, but I was feeling adventurous and probably went a little further down the dirt roads than I needed to. There were several moments where I muttered every bad word that I know, but luckily it all turned out okay. I found a perfect spot with incredible views and not a person in sight. Sophie and I enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, and the added bonus of cell service.
Being just 20 minutes from the entrance to Zion means this spot probably gets pretty busy during summer, but during the low season you can find beautiful camping in a great location.
Cost- free!
With mild temperatures and nature in bloom, spring is one of the best times to go camping. Beautiful, free spots are all over the place if you’re willing to find them. Campendium and Allstays are great apps that can help you find free campgrounds all over the country. Pack your bags and go see what you can find out there!