About to hit the road on Monday.. Going to start in/around Bannf.. Any suggestions on parking in town?
About to hit the road on Monday.. Going to start in/around Bannf.. Any suggestions on parking in town?
Camping overnight in regular lots at major resorts is a big pain in the ass nowadays, as most employ dickhead rent-a-cops who will wake you up and tell you to move on (unless you have a windowless van).
Strictly for getting that early chair and first tracks in the morning, I've camped on various service roads that aren't used by snowmaking crew. The dirt maintenance roads are often pretty quiet the whole night with the exception of endless snowmaking noise. Scope out a few decent options in the daylight and then go there after nightfall....after the hot-tub and pub.
With a 4x4 camper-box rig like in the O.P....who in the hell needs plug-ins??? You're in absolute LUXURY compared to a damn rental car corolla with not even a hatchback !!!!
We had 2 trucks camped out at an unused helipad for like a week one time....we had the best view on the whole mountain.
Just don't forget to put your boots in the bottom of your sleeping bag for the night, so they'll be nice and toasty in the morning. :)
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In-town Banff sucks and the cops are assholes.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher0411
Head to Canmore....MANY more camping options outside of Canmore. In fact, there is a 4wd trail that leads off the main road before you get to Canmore in the vicinity of Mt. Rundle, but closer to the train tracks, that leads up toward the cave area. Excellent camping prospects there if you have 4wd anda set of 4 chains (you'll need all 4 chains for that trail in winter).
If no 4wd....plenty of quiet rural side-road options just outside of Canmore...scope them out in the daytime. Great people in Canmore...MUCH more easy-going than Banff.
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I stumbled onto a campground that was open on the outskirts of Banff. You are probably looking for someplace free to park, but if you want to give it a shot it's on the east side of town. Take Tunnel Mountain Road from the north end and you can't miss it. It will be on your right. I was there in late December and it was still open. Sorry I don't have more details but I really just drove by it while checking Banff out.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher0411
Hold on. I just did some quick research and this looks like it. http://www.banff-on-a-budget.com/tun...ampground.html
Or you could try staying in this little lot. It was plowed, and the bathrooms were open, but I'd imagine that you wouldn't make it through the night before you got a visitor.
topher, I stayed in 2 lots a couple weeks ago, both in the Castle Junction area.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.190...num=1&t=h&z=17
This was some unexplained little plowed area off the Bow Valley Parkway. Right off the road so no privacy but there was virtually no traffic. No-one bothered be here.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=51.190...num=1&t=h&z=17
Next night crashed here. Small trailhead. Said no parking from 2300 to 700 but I wasn't bothered, but did get a violation notice because I didn't have a park permit displayed (didn't think they applied in the winter cause i never saw a place to buy one). Sat morning several cars started arriving, but overnight was dead.
Course those are both a few km from Sunshine if that's your target. I suspect it would be easy to find a similar spot on the east end of Bow Valley nearer to Banff town.
All that said, if like me you are constantly fighting your batteries as the furnace drains them on a cold night, the $28 RV site at Tunnel may be well worth the money. Gotta love having a decent hot shower and included dump and fill facilities.
BC
Whitewater: Overnight RV parking allowed in Nordic lot
Sugar bowl on Donner summit has a small dirt lot just outside of the gondola garage that they will let you overnight in. All you have to do is leave your name and cell number in case of an emergency. The only downside is that it is right next to their dumpsters so there is a lot of noise from the clean up crew duping trash.
I was at Whitewater last week in my truck camper and after 2 nights parked in front of the day lodge they asked me to move for plowing purposes to the parking lot near the shop. There are plug ins there but I didn't inquire about a plug in, I just used my generator.Quote:
Originally Posted by frEEk
BC
Red: has RV spot right at the base, and $10 a night includes power. Sweet deal.
ID
Schweitzer: Yes, at $20 a night (no power, no facilities)
MT
Whitefish: yes, lower lot, 1 min walk to lifts.
Big Sky: no (guest services told me yes, but the day lot sign and security guy say otherwise)
Update on Big Sky. While officially you cannot park here, and I have heard stories from another frequent camper that people do get shooed off and even get a boot, seems enforcement is inconsistent. Was there on a busy weekend at the back of free lot and was left alone. Also the overfow lots are not private land I'm told and thus may be fair game.
WY
Jackson Hole: no. Told no by parky in the $5 lot. Got away with one night in the upper lot but got a notice on my window the next morning. All nearby spots that looked good from satellite were private property. Late arrival/early departure spots in town likely the best bet, or possibly the commuter lot
ID
Sun Valley: although guest services say no, I tried the upper River Run lot as the OP suggested, saw no signs against it and wasn't bothered.
UT
Snowbasin: Official word from security is Lot 2, as far down as possible (H level?)
Having an epics trip. Leaving slc and heading to Jackson hole in our rental 26ft rv. Any tips on parking at Jackson hole. Free or pay.
Any one try Mt Rainier National Park in the spring? Like when Cayuse Pass first opens? or stevens way down by the tatoosh?
See my post 3 above you. Ninja the $5 lot after the parkies are gone (late afternoon seems to be good enough) or even the main ($15) lots seem to be safe bets for short stays. I just did Snowbasin today and am now at Solitude. If you haven't already, I would do Snowbasin tomorrow (since you're heading north, if you haven't passed it already). It dumped today and at the end of the day there was good fresh lines almost everywhere. Tomorrow will be awesome if the visibility holds up (it sucked for much of today).Quote:
Originally Posted by topher0411
Thanks for that. We had an epic powder day at peak city. Hit solitude on Sunday and it was pretty sweet as well. Looks like the next few days in SLc area will be awesome, to bad we need to get northbound.
Looking at your original list I see you are doing SUn Valley. Unless you are doing it for completion or historical interest, skip it. Hardly any snow, generally hardpacked, and not much interesting terrain. Nice place in its own way, but more fairweather ski vacationer than Tetonhead. Do Snowbasin or maybe Schweitzer on the way back instead (west of WHitefish)
Yeah we bailed on sun valley. Off to Jackson the. Big sky. Whitefish. Castle. And drop rv back in Calgary late next week. What size rig did you get away with in the $5 lot? We are coming back SLc for a week late march non rv and will get snow basin. Thanks for the tips. See how Jackson goes. A bit nervous as we have no backup options there, not even a single pay rv resort up there.
Toph, Check out Beaver Mtn on the way to Jackson. Camping is allowed in lot and a very cool little place. Is on 89 at the east end of logan canyon on the way to Jackson. FYI I got rousted by security in the JHMR lots and parked on some side streets in town near Snow King.
In Wilson there is a place - Jackson Hole Camp grounds that has camping and RV maybe closed but may be worth a try calling to see if they have a slot plowed out.
toph, I got a 26' too. If you got it from canadream then it will be the exact same unit (cept i bought it... too much $ to rent for 3 months). I actually parked in the upper $15 lot. The $5 lot i pulle dinto when the parkies were there and they turned me away (probably could have just stayed anyway but who knows). There were a couple campers parked right next to the parky's booth in the lot next to the hostel that had clearly been there a couple days.
Backup, yeah there are places in town. Someone mentioned Albertsons. THere are some commercial areas where u coudl easily arrive late and leave early.
There is a campground advertised to be open, tho I could never get thru on the phone. And they're $60 a night according to their website. Forget that.
Jackson was easily the toughtest RV spot on my trip so far.
UT
Solitude: Yes, in the lot by the village (no in the larger daylodge lot). Scanning your ticket on the way out covers the pay parking fee.
Alta/Snowbird: No. Country ordinance says no overnight parking in the watershed, and the nigh security guy at Alta said it IS enforced. The rule doesn't make snese to me though, as there is an RV park there in summer, so how is that OK but parking in a lot in winter for a night isn't? Anyone ever tried parking in Altabird and got away with it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by topher0411
Yeah, we got away with camping one night in the Ranch lot. But a parking attendant asked my girlfriend if we were planning on staying another night he just said ok. They are pretty friendly, guess rules are rules though. Not sure about parking in town, could be tricky. Probably setting up late and leaving before people start arriving to work is your best bet.
UT
Alta/Snowbird: there is a trailhead shortly before the canyon road starts that has appears to allow overnight (and no-one bothered me) here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.57...13672&t=h&z=18
Canyons: allowed in the lot by the Silverado hotel.
In SLC in general there are a ton of places you can do (not counting the Costco and Walmart lots).
UT
Park City (the resort): nope
Deer Valley: ditto
Park City (the city) in general is pretty tough. All the public lots at parks etc say no overnight. Info lady at Deer Valley said it is a city ordinance (they always talk like they would LOVE to let you stay in their lots but its out of their hands... really wish they wouldn't insult my intelligence like that). The Walmart jut north of Park City doesn't allow overnight in winter either. Best bet is clearly the Canyon's Silverado lot, though don't know if they would take kindly to more than a couple nights. I ended up finding dead ends at stalled real estate developments for a couple nights. There is on fairly reasonable RV park on the I-80 but they have restrictions on what units can be there, and even then they can't get their info straight as to what is and isn't. The few spots that don't have restrictions (hidden away from public eye in the valley) are full.
CO
Vail/Beaver Creek: by the tracks just off the Minturn turnoff worked for me, but that may just be cause there is no snow in the valley. Avon Walmart doesn't appear to enforce the no overnight parking signs.
CO
Aspen: the intercept lot worked for me for a night, but as I was leaving the next morning I was told that the lot is for commuters only (a fine example of douchery really... the place is 90% empty, I'm not disturbing anyone or getting in anyone's way... why can't skiers park there overnight? they're spending money there to ski and eat after all)
Crested Butte: guest services lady mentioned she thought the lot by the tourist info center in town was allowed for up to a week (not confirmed though)
Telluride: $25 in the parking structure in the mountain village. Or free in the town in the RV lot. Bit confusing here though: the rep on the phone told me ok to stay in the town lot, and the town map suggests so too, but there was a sign on the lot saying no camping allowed. I was undisturbed for a night though.
Mammoth: no, though I'm told people just leave in the eve and come back late (after midnight?).
Kirkwood: yes, $25 a night in lot 7 only, and fri/sat night are normally not allowed (tho there seem to be many exceptions)
Have I mentioned yet how much I hate that the RV parking rules are so hard to find out (calling and asking usually requires a call back) and especailly how the official word is so often not the same as the reality/unofficial rule? Works fine for a season pass holder who comes back all the time, but sure makes it hard for someone just visiting for a few days, and that's the RV that's actually bringing some money into town. I really wish resorts would just adopt reasonable rules and post them accurately (which should of course be somehting like, must be well behaved, must be ready to move at X oclock for plowing every day, 7 nights max if worried about people living there). And offer power for $10 a night.
At Kirkwood I complained that they are providing nothing for the $25 and should at least provide access to the community association gym/hot tub. The junior assistant manager was: "Well parking is at a premium here". Me: "parking is not in demand overnight". Anyway the hot tub is $10 for members and resort guests. So I insisted that my $25 overnight parking fee made me a guest, so another $10 got me in the hot tub.
CA
Heavenly/South Tahoe: no parking in lots, but a few miles south is an empty paved lot just off the highway with nothing posted against camping, and a USFS ranger mentioned no-one is entirely sure who even owns that land: google maps
CA
Squaw Valley: yes. just confirmed with security. at the back of the "tennis court" parking lot, which is by employee housing, just past the fire station (if I understand correctly).
Moonlight by Big Sky offers overnighting in the lower Pony lot which has a chair to & fro the hill. Maybe can ski to the lot normally.
Trying to collect some info on Teton Village for this upcoming winter, as I hope to be spending some time there. Reading through the thread, doesn't look like there are manny, if any options available. My usual method is to sleep in hotel parking lots, but after a bit of research most of the resorts seem to have valet. Anyone have any ideas about stealth Teton Village urban camping?
Regarding a car camp in the Squaw area:
I had luck with a spot Monday night (03.25.13). The Alpine Meadows Transportation Center lot. 303 Alpine Meadows Rd.
Tucked myself along the left side of the lot against a long stand of trees between it and the road. There were two other cars there, also skiers.
Didn't get any notice until I got out of my car around 6 AM and riled a dog who was hanging with the arriving workers at the end of the lot. The workers swung through in a van, checked myself and the other cars out and returned to the AM garage area without a peep. Didn't even roll down their window.
The lot abuts what looks like a row of rental cabins so it's definitely a spot to just pull in and bag-up. No hanging around outside the car at night.
What about steamboat? Would the wallyworld work?
Bump for a new season.
Possibly the first big storm of the year tonight at Wolf Creek and I have the next week off.
What's the latest in regards to camping in their lot? Car camping on the pass? I am probably headed down solo tomorrow so I need to dirtbag it.
Any other updates to any other resort policies?
WolfCreek told me they'd welcome the RV right in their parking lot. I asked about up to a week. I think they said I could stay a week. Just ask them. Have fun. #jealous
The info Wolf Creek sent me.
"We do allow overnight camping provided that you stay with your vehicle all night so that you can move if we need you to for snow removal. And obviously, please follow Leave No Trace principles.
If you arrive in the middle of the night, there will only be one lot that isn't gated, so park in a spot that is out of the way. If you arrive during business hours, please speak to a parking attendant and they will tell you where to park. If you can't find one, stop by the ticket office."
I did a couple of weeks at the end of the Alberta lot. It was early season and they pointed me in that direction. Very sweet. Hike over the berm and it was basically ski in ski out set up. Noice. Don't forget Kips in pagosa springs. Great food and live bluegrass some nights. Always a hangout for good local skiers.