Star Gazing in Idaho

Bruneau Dunes State Park : The tallest single-structured sand dune in North America rises to 470 feet high above small lakes in the high desert south of Mountain Home. The state park includes desert, dune, prairie, lake and marsh habitat with opportunities to observe nocturnal species. Activities include fishing, birdwatching, camping, hiking, swimming and viewing the stars at one of only two public observatories in Idaho.  Bruneau Dunes Astronomical Observatory is open to the public Friday and Saturday evenings at dusk from mid-March through mid-October, weather permitting.

5 hours from Jackson, WY

backcountry shuttle

Our Backcountry Shuttle Service can carry up to 6 people, gear and boats to backcountry drop-off locations and campsites on Yellowstone Lake.

Set up a base camp from which to explore remote locations (by paddle or foot) of Yellowstone. Use the service to get you to a better starting point for your backpacking trip. With this service, you can have a true Yellowstone backcountry experience with all the conveniences of car-camping.

Bridge Bay Marina is 20 miles from Grant Village.

Drop off points include: Eagle Bay, Wolf Bay, Plover Point, Promontory, Columbine Creek on the east shore of the mouth of the Southeast arm. The shuttle can be booked one way, round trip or for any point-to-point service from the five mentioned drop off points as well as to and from Bridge Bay Marina.

$152 for the shuttle, but we could try to meet up with some other people and share the cost since the shuttle can take 6 people.

Camping gear

I like this tent, 3 kilos $240.

Possible camping route

Vis Camping Trip i et større kart

Lava Hot Springs

2.5 hours from Yellowstone, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.  Plenty of mediocre camping nearby.  Or we can stay in a cottage or a barn for $100 a night.  The barn is on a working farm so you can feed the animals, child friendly.

Camping in Yellowstone

Reservations for campsites must be made by phone if we want to stay inside the park.  Showers are only available at Canyon and Grant Village campsites!!  $20 and walking distance to good stuff (restaurants, sites, trails).

Otherwise we can stay 6 miles outside the Yellowstone West Entrance at a KOA site that has a pool.  Camping costs about $40.  Or, for under $100 we can stay in a cabin inside the park (shared bathrooms) if booked a few months in advance.  The cheapest are $66.

Reservations for everything should be made about 2 months in advance, or as early as possible if we want a campsite in the park within walking distance of a shower.  Some campsites in the park are first come first serve so even without a reservation we stand a chance, but in July and August they fill up by 8am...

Solar Power Institute

Lots of good classes to take at the Solar Living Institute in Ukiah (2 hours from San Francisco), including:

July 17: Raising backyard goats

July 29 - Aug 6: Photovoltaics Design and Installation (certification course, exam follows)

Aug 7: Raising backyard chickens

Aug 28: Urban Beekeeping (in San Francisco)

Aug 29 - Sep 3: Off-grid Systems

Sep 9 - Sep 12: Electricity, Plumbing, Carpentry

Onsite camping $10 per night

25 mile hiking

Lost Coast 3-day "serious" backpack trip very near Humbolt Redwood State Park.

The hike follows The Lost Coast Trail between Orchard Camp and Usal Camp, a strenuous trek best done in three days. For being along the coast, there is virtually no level walking on this hike: the trail constantly encounters sheer creek canyons, descending quickly and ascending steeply hundreds of feet at a time. The two ends of The Lost Coast Trail are far apart by road (2-3 hours driving time) and two vehicles are required for transportation to and from the trailheads. While the hike can be done in either direction. Those wishing to dayhike from the north trailhead should turn around at Wheeler Camp, making a round trip of 9.4 miles with an elevation gain / loss of roughly 1000 feet.

Do this hike from north to south, so that you have the brisk north winds at your back, not in your face.

Redwoods

Humboldt Redwood State Park, camping must be booked in advance.  Easy hikes on well maintained trails.

Park headquarters and the Visitor Center are located on the Avenue of the Giants, State Route 254, between the towns of Weott and Myers Flat. This is 45 miles south of Eureka and 20 miles north of Garberville off of Highway 101. Weott is 228 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 101. The 32 mile long Avenue of the Giants runs roughly parallel to Highway 101 from Phillipsville in the south to Pepperwood in the north.


Latitude / Longitude: 40.3225 / -123.9928

4 hours from Redding and 4 hours from San Francisco

Mommy says...

"Sharon, with the 4 month old twin adopted boys, and Dan have a cabin, which would be more like a shelter or shed on some land near Ridgeway. You could probably stay there for free."

Ghost Town

Super nifty state park, the best preserved ghost town from the gold rush era of California, 3 hours from Lake Tahoe/Reno: Bodie State Historic Park (picture right).  No camping.  Maybe a good place to stay is Mono Lake Tufa State Park(picture left)?  Less  than 20 miles south of Bodie

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Third stop, Dinosaurland KOA camping site

Dinosaur National Monument, KOA camp site with heated pool near Vernal, UT

3 hours (150 miles) from Grand Junction

Second Camping Spot, Colorado

James M Robb, Colorado River State Park, Island Acres

I-70 to Exit 47, five miles east of Palisade.  $16 camping, $6 day pass ($60 for a year pass)  Booking can be done at reserve america.

Two hours from Ridgway, 100 miles

First Camping Stop

Colorado State Park : Ridgway

3.5 hour driving from Farmington, $16 per night camping plus $6 daily park entry fee.  Pa-Co-Chu-Puk campsite, site 291 looks best, furthest from bathrooms in loop H