Update – COVID-19 Travel: During this trip (June 24-July 15) we found a wide variety of how COVID-19 was being handled in various States, but by the number of motor homes and RV’s we saw along the way, it appears it is the preferred way to travel this summer.
Most campgrounds and parks are offering contact-less check-in and require masks to enter the office or camp store. At parks and attractions, we found many indoor visitor centers, museums and other buildings closed, so we made sure we checked before driving any distance. Restrooms and some gift shops were open, with someone usually monitoring the number of people inside at a time.
We found most restaurants open; some for takeout only and some had outdoor seating and/or indoor seating at 50% capacity. Wyoming and Montana were the least restrictive, likely reflective of the low number of cases in their states. For the most part, we observed people following guidelines, including the wearing of masks where recommended or required.
We continued with our routine of hand washing/hand sanitizer; lots of Clorox wipes, social distancing, masks, and gloves (especially when pumping fuel). Everyone’s situation is different, but we felt comfortable traveling during this time with the above measures in place and being in a self-contained RV.
Summer 2020 Trip: A familiar destination seemed fitting in this uncertain time, so heading west felt right. We left Michigan mid-June for favorite and familiar Colorado, traveling I-80 through Iowa and Nebraska, to I-76/I-70 into the Denver area. We spent three days on the road and arrived at Clear Creek RV Park in Golden, CO where we have stayed previously.
On a tip from friends Steve and Marie, we checked out St. Mary’s Glacier west of Golden and about 25 miles north of Idaho Springs off I-70.
Signs direct you to a parking area and it is a 1.5 mile round trip hike with a 1200′ elevation gain on a rocky incline up to St. Mary’s Lake and the snow field. Very much worth the effort!
This year Dan, Christie, Megan and Anna met us in Golden for a few days. It was so much fun having them there, showing them around as much as time and COVID shut downs allowed.
Rocky Mountain National Park was open but required a ticket purchased in advance for date and time specific entry to the park. The ticket had to be purchased through www.recreation.com. They honored the Senior Lifetime pass, however, you still needed an entry pass and they are only valid for one day. (Normally, when you pay an entrance fee, it is good for 7 days.)
The entry pass system was put in place to control the number of people in the park and seemed to work as planned. Our entry time was 2PM and we found the park easy to maneuver and plenty of parking available.
Trail Ridge Road was open, so we made that the highlight of the day in the park. From the Alpine Visitor Center parking lot, we hiked up the trail to an elevation of 12,005’ for spectacular vistas.
As far as I could tell, Rocky Mountain National Park was the only park that was using this advance entrance system and it is scheduled to run through August 31st; but may be extended further.
In addition to showing Dan and Christie around Golden, we made sure we drove up Lookout Mountain, visited Echo Lake and Evergreen, and drove the 22-mile Guanella Pass byway (elevation up to 11,669’) south out of Idaho Springs.
We were hoping to drive the nearby Mt. Evans scenic byway, however, Colorado DOT decided not open this road for the 2020 season due to COVID and repairs, but driving through Guanella Pass was new to us and very enjoyable.
Jim and Anna enjoyed tubing down Clear Creek near the RV park. The water was still pretty cold, but was offset by the warm sunny day.
Tubing and kayaking is very popular on Clear Creek.
After Dan & Christie left us, we spent a few more days doing some short hikes, including the Look Out Mountain Trail from Windy Saddle Park to the top of the mountain (Lookout Mountain Park).
This is where Buffalo Bill’s grave is located, along with a museum and gift shop; and nice views of Golden, Denver and the Rocky Mountain front range. We also got to visit nearby Red Rocks Amphitheater Park that had just reopened.
Leaving Golden, we headed north on I-25 to I-80 and drove west to Rock Springs, WY for a couple of days. The Rock Springs/Green River area is located on the north end of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. flaminggorgerecreation.com
From Rock Springs, we drove south on Hwy 191 and chose a dirt road that ran along part of the 91-mile long Flaming Gorge reservoir. We gradually worked our way back to the main road taking us to the Red Canyon area and the Flaming Gorge Dam built on the Green River.
The highlight for me was the turn off and four-mile dirt road drive to Dowd Mountain Overlook. Panoramic views of the gorge were beautiful, especially here at the south end that includes Red Canyon. Flaming Gorge is a large area stretching from southern Wyoming into northern Utah, with hiking and some camping options. If you want to get away from it all, this is a good place; very few people.
On to West Yellowstone, MT from Rock Springs, we decided on a route that took us into Idaho to avoid some not so friendly RV roads and came into West Yellowstone from the west via Highway 20 off I-15 at Idaho Falls.
Unlike Flaming Gorge, we found the town of West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park more crowded and with more relaxed COVID precautions. Our reserved spot at Yellowstone Cabins & RV http://www.yellowstonecabinsandrv.com was within walking distance to town and 2 miles from the West entrance to Yellowstone N.P.
Yellowstone Cabins & RV has a unique set up with mostly rental cabins and 6 RV spots along the perimeter of the property. Enjoyed our stay that included a meal from Firehole Bar-B-Que, featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives in 2018.
For our trips to Yellowstone National Park, we took the advice of the park’s website, waiting to go until around 3PM in the afternoon. As cars were streaming out, we were going in and the plan worked great.
With plenty of daylight left, we were able to get to the areas of the park we planned on seeing with no problem. This is such a huge park with so much to see; I think you could easily spend a week or more here and still not see everything.
I found the Golden Gate Bridge interesting since it was first built in 1885; rebuilt in 1900, 1933, and 1977. Stagecoaches traveled on the first wooden bridge.
What I marvel at with Yellowstone is the diverse landscapes; lush green meadows, rocky mountain passes, and of course the numerous thermal features from bubbling mud pots to steaming blue pools and of course geysers (Old Faithful still draws a crowd!).
For us, our favorite is The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River flows over the upper and lower falls through the Canyon; Artist Point on the south rim is the best viewing area. There are numerous viewing areas and paths along both the north and south rims of the canyon.
Lots of wildlife in the park. We saw several bison and lots of elk. We talked to people who saw a couple of bears (at a distance), but we had no bear sightings.
There are warnings everywhere to stay away from the wildlife and take special precautions if hiking in the park.
From West Yellowstone we started our four day trip back to Michigan. We traveled north on Hwy 89 through Big Sky, MT to I-90 , west through southern Montana, northeast Wyoming and through South Dakota. Lots of beautiful country through this area, including Devils Tower National Monument north of I-90 in NE Wyoming. In Sioux Falls SD we took I-29 south to I-80 around Chicago and through Indiana to I-69 back to Michigan.
Is going west becoming an annual trip? Sure is a lot more to see and we still haven’t made it to Glacier National Park – someday! We are closing in on three years and counting on this crazy full-time-RV lifestyle with hopefully lots more to come!
Life In The RV Lane 