Do people trailer/van camp in December? West to Northwest edition.

November 6, 2020 2:45 PM

I'm considering renting a camper (van) in Denver and going to pick up my college student in Seattle to fetch her home for the holidays, and having never done that sort of travel/camping... really don't know a thing. Questions inside...

Pardon my greenhorn questions:

1. Is early December too late in the season?... to cold or are campgrounds closed?
2. Would there be toilet and shower facilities in December?
3. Does it get crowded? Reservations?
4. Any thoughts on COVID cleanliness of campgrounds?

I figure I'd stop two nights each way - Ogden, UT and maybe Umatilla, OR.

posted by ecorrocio to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh one more...
5. Do rental places charge mileage?
posted by ecorrocio at 2:48 PM on November 6, 2020

If I had to do this ... I'd drive the interstate and stay in Wal-Mart parking lots. The Allstays Camp and RV app will show you where they are and how friendly they are to RVs. You'll need a way to keep yourself warm, though. If you rent something with a propane heater (external, of course) you should be toasty. But you might not have running water since the RV will be winterized. I don't think many campgrounds will be open.

I wouldn't go sightseeing on backroads in winter up there. Even on I-84 you've got Deadman Pass, and it's worse going the other direction.

It won't be much fun. I would drive in a regular car, use a portable toilet, and just stay in AirBnBs that are COVID-safe.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:59 PM on November 6, 2020 [5 favorites]

Most campgrounds that are off the beaten path (i.e. not by a highway) will be shut down for the season or may have no services (i.e. running water). That does leave KOA campgrounds and other RV-oriented spots, which are a bit nicer than a Walmart parking lot and usually have showers.

In my estimation, the COVID risk is about equivalent to what you would be exposed to using any public bathroom. Reservations probably won't be necessary?

If you go in December, you'll be spending most of your daylight hours driving. Even with a van, camping in the dark and cold might not be the most enjoyable. It does sound like a very fun trip to do at the beginning or end of a summer vacation!
posted by .holmes at 3:31 PM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Fulltime RVers and vanlifers do travel in winter, though most do flee to warmer climes since they CAN. This year is such a weird unpredictable crapshoot you should probably get on the big RV forums (just google, you'll find them), and do some searching for RV parks along your planned route and get on the phone with them and ask what happens if X lockdown or Y travel restrictions happen while you're mid-trip. Reservations will be your best bet or possibly required for contact tracing purposes, though in slow season you can probably make them up to a couple hours in advance, or a day or two if you know for sure where you'll be.

Note that some RV parks won't take conversion or camper vans, it has to be a motorhome or trailer. Note that many Walmarts are not allowed by city/county ordinance to allow overnight parking anymore, and some will take RVs and semis but not vans (this is also true of Cabelas/Bass Pro Shops/Cracker Barrels - they generally won't take vans or truck caps or similar), and some of them are entirely at the whim of the manager you get on the phone when you call and ask.

Yes, most rental places charge mileage, and a lot of rental places have restrictions on where you can take the vehicle. (Like here in California, most of the cool conversion camper vans you can rent can only go to neighboring states and some of them have additional restrictions because of the type of heater they use.)

You are talking about significant mountain travel as well, which I don't know if rental places are even going to go for that, nor that you should take that on in an unfamiliar tall heavy vehicle.

There's an entire youtube industry on this advice, but this year most of that advice may not be usable. I understand entirely why you want to do it, I just would advise you start first with considering your possible routes and then see if you can even get a rental, and in the grand scheme of things - because you could die in a number of ways if something goes wrong - it may be safer to send your daughter high-quality PPE and put her on Southwest or Alaska to get her home as quickly and efficiently as possible.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:57 PM on November 6, 2020 [4 favorites]

So mostly the answer to your question is yes, but driving from Denver to Seattle in December requires chains or 4WD or both and most rental camper vans will not have/allow these. I would say the issue is less the camping and more the dangerous highway driving conditions.

Signed, a guy who did a 180 spin-out on an icy Idaho highway and rolled his car over in the snow in December
posted by GuyZero at 3:58 PM on November 6, 2020 [16 favorites]

Am going to nth Guy Zero. You will have to over at least one mountain pass and maybe more. You will need proper snow tires/chains and be prepared for the possibility of closed passes.
posted by brookeb at 4:26 PM on November 6, 2020 [2 favorites]

I'm gonna "no." An unfamiliar vehicle on an unfamiliar trip with weather that could be perfect or could be white-out snow squalls with closed highways is not the kind of "lets roll the dice on life" holiday excitement you want.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:32 PM on November 6, 2020 [6 favorites]

Is your goal here to reduce covid risk? Driving that route could be quite stressful that time of year, given the mountains and unpredictability of the weather. Assuming your kiddo is doing some kind of self-quarantine in the few weeks before she leaves town, I'd think a direct flight from Seattle to Denver would be a better way to have her travel. I also wouldn't book anything that's non-refundable, if you can't afford to lose the money. Things are getting so bad right now.
posted by bluedaisy at 4:49 PM on November 6, 2020 [4 favorites]

Consider a minivan with seats folded down and either mattresses or cots, minivans are pretty roomy; I RoadTripped in one, and way better in poor conditions. Also, campervans are booked solid these days in many places. I'm wary of air travel and Covid, but campers are beasts and not made for snow or ice.
posted by theora55 at 4:56 PM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

My son lives in Seattle. I live 150 miles from him and must cross one mountain pass to reach him. I am never 100% certain that I will be able to spend Christmas with him because, due to snowstorms, I can never count on the mountain pass being open. I have driven over the pass many a time in the snow, and have witnessed spin-outs and vehicle crashes, have fish-tailed like crazy, and have had to stop to put chains on. I don't know how many passes there are between Denver and Seattle, but knowing how difficult it can be to get over one in the winter, I can't imagine attempting multiple passes - especially in a large, unfamiliar vehicle. Sorry, but my vote is that such a trip would be too risky.
posted by SageTrail at 5:03 PM on November 6, 2020 [5 favorites]

I have a camper van like one youre talking about, it has all-weather (ie m+s with the snowflake) tires, and im in the vancouver area - same weather as seattle. better weather than denver.

the van will need to be winterized (antifreeze in the water lines) so even if its equipped, you probably wont have water or a very usable toilet.

KOAs and the like are still open, but most campgrounds close for the winter - when things freeze, their facilities are often winterized too. If you dont need services, just a place to park, youll be able to find that. But toilets/showers/washing up is going to be hard.

Itll be cold. Vans are not typically insulated well. you may or may not have electricity in the van (batteries or a generator) which can power heaters, but they take a lot of power. (obviously if you do have solar you get considerably fewer hours of usable sunlight in the winter) You may have propane, and it does heat well and is usually a good option if used properly (ie you have a real rv heating system)

Me, id do it with really good tires but id drive from first light, setup camp by 4 (doing this in the dark sucks at the best of times) and this would not be a vacation, its just a means to get from point A to B. But i know what im doing. As someone unfamiliar, Id be a no. my first campervan trip in the peak of summer was hard enough to figure out all the things. I hate the mountain passes in the summer so winter would stress me the hell out - Id do it in winter only because i know my van and because i had to, not because i want to.
posted by cgg at 5:10 PM on November 6, 2020 [2 favorites]

No don't camp in December in Utah, even in a van. But I know a place in North Salt lake, that lets campers hook up, it is reputable and clean. You could have a heater in your camper if it has hookups. No don't do this, rent a 4 wheel drive comfortable suv and stay in motels, or hotels. Ogden has some nice hotels, there is one on 12 th street, with a huge breakfast business. I am sure they have figured out about room cleaning by now. 12 street is an exit on the road north to Boise, and you would go East on 12 th it is a big Inn on the south side of 12 th just off the Highway.
posted by Oyéah at 7:48 PM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can rent full size van RVs designed for winter camping (EG: I found Native Campervans with about 2 minutes of googling; they even include chains.)

It is very possible to camp, especially in an RV, year round. Up here in BC lots of people camp all over during the winter; often to go skiing. The resort I worked at has electric only sites right on the ski hill.

Too cold is a matter of opinion/point of view; people after all go tent camping in the winter. Winter RVs are going to have heaters even if you aren't into sleeping below zero.

If it was me I wouldn't even mess with campgrounds but I'm not sure how easy/safe guerrilla camping is in the US. Here there are all sorts of wilderness access roads off the highways one can pull into and camp for the night. Shower if you absolutely have to at truck stops or gyms (if you have a membership many gyms will offer reciprocity). At worst you end up sleeping in a parking lot at some industrial park or rest stop.

You know your limits on driving in the winter. I wouldn't give it much thought at all past being prepared to be stuck on the side of the road someplace for a couple days but obviously it isn't for everyone.
posted by Mitheral at 8:27 PM on November 6, 2020

I've done winter drives from Olympia-SLC with a driving buddy a few times. With two experienced drivers I aim to make it in a single push but half the time it takes a day longer due to weather. It's a rough route for any kind of consumer trailer or personal truck. Oregon and western Idaho have perpetual dense fog while the sun is down. This often freezes onto the roadway. I-84 from where it splits with I-86 has constant high wind with inconsistent directions all the way south to the aptly named Snowville. This all is still arguably better than taking I-90 with an RV, though, because 84 has a more even grade and more people living along the route in case you need help. Campgrounds will be closed at this time of year.

It's a beautiful route. It can also be terrifying. Every trip, any season, I see at least one freshly wrecked camper on a downhill stretch. Use caution, have multiple stopping point options for each day of driving, have studded tires or chains you've practiced installing, and consider putting your kid on a plane instead.
posted by VelveteenBabbitt at 9:34 PM on November 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Experienced RVer here, and I grew up in the Rocky Mountains as well. I know the challenges of both.

IMHO, the trip you are planning is NOT a good maiden voyage for someone with neither RV nor mountain winter driving experience. With careful planning, you may find some campgrounds open, but most in the northern states have April to October seasons. The pandemic has cut even that short in many areas.

Walmart lots aren't the reliable stop-offs they were a decade ago. You couldn't pay me to spend the night parked in a rest area -- I know truckers who "nope" right out of that idea.

If I were you, I'd explore alternatives. Assuming your regular vehicle gets decent mileage, I think you'll find a motel-based trip would be safer, cheaper and faster.
posted by peakcomm at 6:11 PM on November 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Denver here. Those passes are not to be played with, and this sounds like an expensive and unnecessary quest. Your risk (and your daughter's) of COVID, accidents, etc., is much higher than having her quarantine, mask up, and do a nonstop flight. Have her avoid too many liquids so she doesn't have to use restrooms (especially the one on the plane).
posted by cyndigo at 1:37 PM on November 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

Drive in a comfy car with snow chains in the trunk that you’ve already learned how to put on and stay in hotels along the way. The passes are unpredictable and the high desert is cold as hell. Plus, no campgrounds will be open.
posted by noiseanoise at 11:15 PM on November 9, 2020 [1 favorite]