There's something magical about the open road, where every mile holds a new adventure and every curve brings a fresh perspective.
In the summer of 2022, I embarked on an unforgettable road trip from the East Coast of Florida to the rugged landscapes of Utah and epic mountains of Colorado. My journey spanned over five thousand miles, weaving through diverse terrain, vibrant towns, and breathtaking natural wonders.
I only had fourteen days to complete the trip which meant long hours on the road to allow maximum time in Utah and Colorado. I wanted to stay off the beaten track as much as possible and seek out the hidden gems and lesser-known landscapes that make America's heartland so special.
Day 1: Florida to Jackson Mississippi
On day one I completed an 870 mile drive to Jackson Mississippi where I stayed in a hotel for the first night.
I had an early start on day two and was able to cross the mighty Mississippi river just after sunrise.
My plan was to cover as many miles as possible in the first three days and try to make it to Colorado by day four.
On day two I covered 607 miles through Louisiana and Texas and managed to make it to Oklahoma where I discovered the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge area.
I was excited to setup my first camp at Doris Campground. The campground is in a beautiful location but was pretty busy and the vaulted toilets were in a very bad shape though. Luckily I travel with my own amenities.
Day 2: Jackson Mississippi to Oklahoma
I hit the road early the next morning and ran across a herd of American Bison just as I was leaving the campground. This was the first time I had ever seen roaming Bison and it was a real treasure to be so close to them.
The Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge area boasts roaming Bison, prairie dogs, longhorn cattle, elk and deer. There seems to be a lot more to explore in this area and I would like to return someday to spend more time here.
Day 3: Oklahoma to New Mexico
With less miles to cover on day three I decided to take as many backroads as possible and made my way to Elk City and drive on a section of Route 66.
I continued west and crossed back into Texas and made my way to Amirillo. From there I headed north-west to New Mexico.
I did not know where I would be camping for the evening. After a couple of hours driving through the plains in New Mexico I discovered the Kiowa National Grasslands park and the map indicated that there were some campsites.
I plotted the Mills Canyon Campground on my GPS which led me on some awesome dirt roads and through some farm gates to reach the Kiowa National Grasslands park. I was a bit confused about the Canyon part as the area was pretty flat and there were no mountains or hills to be seen.
A little further I stumbled across the canyon. The Mills Canyon remote campground is part of the Canadian River Canyon.
There were some dispersed campsites near the rim but it was pretty windy up there so I decided to make my way down into the Canyon and towards the Canadian river to find a campsite for the night. It was a beautiful drive heading into the canyon with some interesting switchbacks and amazing scenery.
The Canadian river level was extremely low but there were ample flood warning signs around. There were some other disconcerting warnings posted as well. I especially enjoyed the Bear country warning with the instruction to “Fight back aggressively!.
Mills Campground is a must visit location. I was the only person there and was lucky enough to see some wildlife. The campsites and views are amazing. It was a great way to end day three after completing 387 miles of driving.
Day 4: New Mexico to Colorado
After a quick breakfast I headed out early towards Colorado. The plan was to try and make the 350 mile drive to Durango and find a campsite in the mountains for night four. After a quick stop at Russell’s Truck & Travel Center on the I25 I continued west towards Taos.
Taos, New Mexico was originally founded in 1615 and is well know for its history. The World Heritage Site Taos Pueblo, which borders the north boundary of the town was built between 1000 and 1450 AD and is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. Unfortunately I did not have time to stop in Taos on this trip but will definitely be coming back.
Just outside of Taos I crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I had time for a quick stop to take in the breathtaking views before continuing the trip to Durango.
It was exciting to cross into Colorado after four long days on the road.
I did a quick drive through Durango and was lucky enough to see the 19th-century Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad steam train cross the road.
After leaving Durango I entered the San Juan National Forest in search of a campsite for the night and discovered the La Plata Canyon road that had a number of campsites next to the La Plata River.
I managed to find a great site and was ready to set up camp and have a decent dinner.
It was amazing to wake up to the sound of the river down in the gorge below.
Day 5: Colorado to Utah - The Rim Rocker trail
The plan on day five was to complete a 300 mile drive to Moab Utah via a portion of the Rim Rocker trail. The Rim Rocker trail stretches a 160 miles from Montrose to Moab and passes through Nucla where I decided to jump on the trail. The first section of the trial was fairly easy going. The were a couple of shelf roads and switchbacks to navigate that yielded amazing scenery. I stopped for a quick lunch and continued the journey through the everchanging landscape.
The Atkinsons creek and Hanging Flume Canyon section was especially beautiful.
I enjoyed the many climbs and tricky descents on this trial. I passed by the Buckeye Reservoir and Pioneer Campground just before crossing over the Colorado Utah state line which was was a pretty unique Stateline crossing.
The next part of the trip turned out to be the most difficult with endless rocky and bumpy downhills.
It took a couple of hours to complete but I eventually made it to Moab where I headed down the Colorado river in search of a campsite for the night.
The campsites close to the river were all pretty busy so I decided to head up the Chicken Corners Safari Route where I discovered some amazing campsites and there was not a soul around.
I made it…5 days and 2,300 miles later. It was time to settle in and take in the breathtaking landscape.
Day 6 and 7: Moab Utah - The White Rim Trail
On day six I headed out to the Canyonlands National Park near Moab to spend two days on the White Rim Trail. This is the only part of the journey that I had to reserve campsites ahead of time. Day-use or overnight permits are required and reservations should be made well in advance. Be sure to check out the National Park Service website for more details.
The White Rim Trail trail started with the steep, exposed sections of the Shafer Trail winding down into the canyon with sharp switchbacks. This might not be a trail for those that are afraid of heights.
The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island in the Sky mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Four-wheel-drive trips usually take two to three days. I planned to spend two nights on the trial. The first was at the Airport Campground which was pretty close to the start of the trail.
I had a long day ahead of me on day seven to make it to my second camp site which was closer to the end of the trail.
Most of the trail is fairly easy to drive but there are some technical sections to navigate
Like Lathrop Canyon Road, Murphy Hogback, Hardscrabble Hill, and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks.
The sandstone formations and steep drop-offs are spectacular and reminds me of all the western movies I used to watch.
The White Rim Road has long rocky stretches, deep sand, and little shade. Make sure you bring lots of water along as there is no potable water along the way.
I eventually met up with the Green river and it was great to see some greenery after spending many hours driving through the desert.
I made it to Hardscrabble Bottom an made my way to the second camp site. The location was amazing and close to the Green River.
There is so much to see on this trail. There are hiking trails and other offshoots that can be explored. I will definitely be back and will probably stay for 3 nights so I can take in more.
Make sure to check the trail conditions and obtain detailed maps of the trail beforehand as cellular coverage is minimal.
Day 8: Heading back to Colorado - Imogene Pass
The plan for day eight was to leave Moab and make my way back to Durango to meet up with a friend of mine who will travel with me on the next leg of the trip. After a refreshing beer at a local brewery in Durango we made our way towards Telluride. We camped just outside of Durango.
Day 9: Imogene Pass
The plan for day 9 was to explore Imogene Pass which runs from Telluride to Ouray. The landscape and scenery was so much different than what I just experienced in Moab.
We passed through the social tunnel which is where miners would meet single women from Telluride in the late 1800s as they were not allowed near the mine.
After airing down we continued up and pretty soon ran into the various ruins of mines dating back to the early 1900’s. There are a number of old mines to look at like Smuggler Union mine that dates back to 1875.
We were up there in the middle of June just after the snow melted so there were many little streams and waterfalls along the way.
The Tomboy townsite dates back to 1890. This is one of the highest ghost towns in America and had nearly 1,000 residents. In its heyday, Tomboy hosted a store, stable, school, and YMCA in addition to the residences for local miners.
A little further up we unfortunately discovered that the roads were still snowed in and were not passable so we had to turn around and head back down to Telluride.
The views of Telluride and Black Bear Pass were amazing coming down the mountain.
We decided to find a place to camp near Telluride for the night and planned to head out to Ouray the following morning. We found a great camp site with some awesome views on the Last Dollar road.
Day 10: Ouray to Lake City via Corkscrew and Hurricane Pass
I must say that Ouray was probably my favorite town on this trip. After a nice lunch and beer at the Ouray Brewery we jumped on the Corkscrew and then Hurricane Pass making our way towards lake City.
There were still thick layers of snow everywhere which was great to see for someone coming from Florida.
We made a quick stop at the top of Hurricane Pass for some photos which was at almost 13000 feet.
The next section of the trip took as over the California Pass and part of the Alpine Loop. This was definitely a huge change from the desert landscapes I experienced only a couple of days ago.
The view of the Alpine lake at the top of California pass was breathtaking.
Our next stop was at the historic ghost town of Animas Forks which was established in 1875. In 2011 the townsite was listed on the National Register of Historic Places which opened up opportunities for additional funding to assist with preservation and restoration efforts.
Today there are a couple of restored buildings to explore including the old school building, some houses and the old jail. I even spotted some old newspapers mentioning President Roosevelt.
The buildings are well maintained and I had a great time exploring the area and taking a trip back in time.
From there we made our way up Cinnamon pass and then decided to start looking for a campsite for the evening.
The is so much history in this area and many artifacts along the road tell stories of difficult times and prospects of a better life.
We found a great campsite near a creek which would be my last official camp before heading back to Florida. It was an awesome way to end an amazing journey.
Day 11: Lake City to Fort Worth TX
The next morning we headed out to Lake City and made a quick stop at the general store for some supplies and a nice lunch at the Packer Saloon.
Here we split up as I had to start heading back home. I did take a detour to see the town of Creed on the way back. I had a long day ahead of me but made it to Raton, New Mexico where I spent the night at the Holiday Inn.
Day 12: Raton, New Mexico to Fort Worth Texas
I headed out early working my way through the various small towns and winding backroads. I stumbled across Folsom, a small historic town in New Mexico. The museum was still closed as I arrived just before 6 am but some quick research about the town revealed the heroic story of the telephone operator Sally Rooke who lost her life in her heroic act of staying at her switchboard to warn others about the 1908 Dry Cimarron Flood.
From Folsom I headed to Texas and stopped for authenic BBQ soon after crossing into Texas.
I arrived in Fort Worth late but had enough time to enjoy a great meal and cold brew at one of the local saloons.
Day 13: Fort Worth TX to Jackson MS
I had an early start and a lot of miles to cover on my second last day of my trip. I stopped in at the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush museum in Gibsland, Louisiana which was an unexpected treat.
The museum is in a building that used to be Ma Canfield's Cafe where Bonnie and Clyde stopped on May 23, 1934 to buy a fried baloney sandwich and BLT to go just before heading down the road in their "Death Car" in which they died as the drove into the police ambush.
From Louisiana I made my way to Tallahassee Florida where I spent my last night at a Marriott hotel to freshen up before finishing my trip home the next day.
This was a trip of a lifetime and I only wish I had more time to explore the amazing locations I was able to visit. I hope to return soon.
Thank you for reading this blog post. See you on my next adventure!
.
Comments