Winter Vanlife Adventures in Sedona, Vegas, and the Grand Canyon

After spending January and February on the road, traveling through the Southeast, we were back home in a excessively snowy Utah. It just so happened that as soon as we returned, the winter machine turned on and up full blast, which turned into a foot of snow every few days. Needless to say, after two weeks of it, we were anxious to get back on the road to chase some desert sun. That meant we were loading up the van again, and pointing it south, down I-15, with our eyes set on the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. With almost three weeks open in our schedule, we were going to play it by ear to see as much of Arizona as we could before having to head home for, of all reasons, a dentist appointment. With this much time free, I wanted to prioritize being able to camp on public land and be out in the wilderness after spending so much time in the density of back East. A goal we surely accomplished, but not without some very interesting experiences along the way.

Hurricane

Nearly every time we head south, down the west side of Utah on I-15, we inevitably camp out on the public lands near Hurricane, UT. It’s a perfect stopover near the highway, and best yet, the camping area is sprawled out within a ton of mountain biking trails.  So we spent the last part of our work week, finishing up all of our tasks, getting in a few trail runs and bike rides on the JEM trail And Dead Ringer that take you up to the Bluffs and Mesas to the south. Not only are these spots convenient, but they’re also surrounded by some of the most stunning redrock formations. But that makes sense because Zion National Park is just to the East of there, and those formations tower high above the open valley below, easily visible for miles and miles away.

Vegas

With our eyes set on the freedom of the weekend, we pointed the van even further south to Sin City. A spot we find ourselves coming to year after year, but having nothing to do with the casinos and gambling. With the year round warm weather, and enough hustle and bustle to get our fill, we love coming back here to wander the streets of Fremont, Main Street and the Strip to people watch and enjoy the spectacle that is Vegas. But on this trip, we finally did something we’ve been talking about for years, we got tattoos! There’s one tattoo parlor that advertises themselves as the home of the $10 tattoo, and we finally pulled the trigger and each got one. Choosing from their preselected tattoos that they already have stencils for, we waited along with the groups of other Vegas visitors to get their tattoos. Courtney got a Saguaro Cactus and I got a 3-peak mountainscape. To be honest, I was shocked how weird it felt. Somewhere between painful and stimulating. With our two new tattoos, permanently inked onto our bodies, we headed out to our camp spot which was out by Lake Mead, just east of Las Vegas. 

Neither of us had ever been to or seen Lake Mead in person, and it exceeded every expectation we had. But that might be because we had no idea what to expect. After following a pin on a map down to the northern shores of the much receded desert reservoir, we found a spot to camp amongst the other weary tourists in bigger RVs and obvious long-term travelers making camp for months. It set us up perfectly to have some amazing hiking the following day along Highway 147, where we hunted for fossils. Sure enough, with Courtney’s keen eye, we found a handful of fossil imprints within the fragile shale rock. But that wasn’t even the exciting part, because after we wrapped up our fossil hunting, we were off to Arizona/Nevada border to check out the Hoover Damn and the absolute marvel it is from a manpower and engineering perspective!

Sedona

With nothing on the agenda besides being in a warm place with internet service to be able to work, we were set on heading out to the public land camping just on the west side of the town of Sedona. We hadn’t been back there since January 2021, when we rented a Cruise America RV to ring in the New Year. Overall, we can say not much has changed, except for the important to us campsite access. In the past 4 years they’ve drastically reduced the number of public campsite options down to a handful of group, parking lot style campsites. Overall, we managed to find decent sites, moving every couple of days to a new site to change things up and see different areas of the Loy Butte Road. 

Seeing as we had a lot of to work, not much exploration of town happened, with the exception of a few days here and there. So in lieu of stopping into the shops and restaurants, we truly embraced the open desert landscape. For two weeks, we hung out at our campsites, taking in the magnificent view that seemed to be ever changing as the light would shift with sun’s movements. Parked at the same spot, we learned to be patient and relaxed for the first time since being in the van. The days seemed longer, as we had a simple routine that we practiced each and every day that centered around work and meals, with the highlights being the daily runs, walks, or bike rides across the desert. And as each and every day progressed, we had more and more appreciation for the warmth the sun would bring in the middle of February to this desert Oasis that we called our temporary home.

You’d think not moving to a new place for weeks on end that we’d get bored, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. This simplified life, staying out on public lands of the American west, was exactly what I had in mind during the endless hours of the van build process. During this time, I slowed down, with my camera never more than an arm’s length away from me, ready to capture the same bluffs, mesas, and rocks over and over again each day as they showed their true beauty with the varying winter light. At one point, we even had an afternoon snowstorm that transformed the walls of red rock into a canvas of warm tones hidden behind a white blanket of snow. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience to witness in the arid Arizona desert, and one that I’ll never forget.

Of course it wasn’t all sunny days and idillic van experiences. Due to the fire-ban and the winter sun setting at an absurdly early hour this time of year, we did not really get to interact with too many other folk. And it wasn’t like we were the only ones out there. The camping areas were full, and though most would head out all day to hike and wander, a few remained behind to spend their days working inside their vehicles. To add to the interesting time in Sedona, we saw all sorts of weather occurrences, from bright and sunny warm skies, to snow and rain covering the mesa slopes that surrounded camp. Looking back, I can’t complain, and the warm days, without being under feet of snow, was worth every minute in the desert down there.

Throughout the weeks, vacationers and campers came and went, but a handful of rigs stayed, with their StarLink satellites scattered about, assuringly working during the weeks as well. In hopes we’d run into them or have our dogs say hi, simply did not happen. Now, I’m aware that I need to do a better job of meeting new people as much as I just assumed this would come easy from all the #vanlife blogs and videos I’ve consumed over the years, but it’s tougher. And on the flip side, when we did meet new couples, they’d be heading off in different directions than us, and likely that we’ll never run into them again. Maybe at some point, we’ll have an open, fluid plan that will allow us to jump onto others itineraries, but at the moment, we have too many places we want to see and things to do, and that requires a plan that we have to stick to.

I’d be remiss to not mention how incredible the trails are in Sedona to both hike and mountain bike on. Hundreds of miles trails that can be used for both methods of off road human powered travel. But these trails are not to be taken lightly. I’ve ridden some of the most difficult trails in the west (definitely in Utah), and the trails in Sedona are no joke. I didn’t even come close to touching the Double Black or Proline trails, like Hiline or Hangover, but the technical features, steep climbs, and rocky, loose corners, it’s a challenge. Almost every feature I came across while there was able to be on-sighted or walked around, but be forewarned of the difficulties. And my last note, the worse shape you’re in, the Sedona trails only become exponentially harder.

Cottonwood

Even though the public land camping was really everything I could have ever imagined and hoped for, there does come a time where having running water and hot showers is the greatest thing. We reorganized the van for “driving mode” to head just 15 minutes west to the next town over, named Cottonwood. An arid desert town where we not only had a reservation at a real campground, but it was also a vitaculture region, home to a dozen wineries. That meant with a short pedal into town from camp, we could bounce around from winery to winery. But unlike most wine regions that are spread apart, Cottonwood had winery shops lining the Main street of town.

This town wouldn’t be a place I’d normally recommend, not fitting into the “adventurous” lifestyle or activities, but since turning 30, I’ve developed quite the affinity for quirky wine towns in places you’d never expect. First was Palisade, CO, then came Caldwell, ID, and now I can add Cottonwood, AZ to that list of awesome wine towns to visit. Plus, I heard during the spring time, you can float the Verde Rive right through town and even hit a winery or two. Plus the vintage vibes you feel from all the classic buildings being repurposed to modern shops and stores is hard to find these days. So add it to your list, and at under 2 hours drive from phoenix, why not check this place out.

Grand Canyon

The depth and the expanse of the Grand Canyon deserves an entire post dedicated. Fortunately, I did write one, best I could, to do the GCNP justice in our short time there. But this is a snippet from that weekend spent there!

First Experience in the Extraordinary Grand Canyon National Park

Saying the Grand Canyon is big, is to comically understate the size and immensity of this cavity in the ground. Trying to describe the feeling is quite difficult, but it nearly brought me to tears. You can see so much, all at once, that is it visually overstimulating. Canyons fold within canyons, pinnacles are hidden among massive protrusions, and the depth seems to go down into the center of the earth. Because there is no scale, you feel like you could throw a rock to the other side, until you realize the opposite rim is over 10 miles away. And the bottom of the canyon, where the Colorado River passes through from the Rocky Mountains on its way to Mexico, is somehow sitting a staggering 1 mile below. Unlike a mountain, that you can really only see one side at a time, unless you’re on the summit, you can see the entirety of the Grand Canyon all at once. And that was what made this easily the most beautiful vista I’ve ever seen, which is why we stayed out there until the sun set below the rim.