Do you like camping off the beaten path? Or do you prefer more civilized places to stay with your RV, perhaps near a small town? That’s our question today. Specifically, how inclined would you be to drive 3 miles on a dirt road to get to where you will camp? Is that par for the course, or is it something you are not inclined to do?
Let’s assume that the dirt road is in okay condition, not one that requires a four-wheel drive or other off-road vehicle to negotiate easily—so most RVs wouldn’t have a big problem.
Remember, the poll may take a moment to load if you have a slow internet connection. But it will be along, we promise!
We hope you are having a wonderful day!
One lane dirt road, appears no way to get around someone coming the other way? No way! Yet we have done many a dirt road for miles that were wide enough to squeeze around someone coming the other way! That usually means we were very familiar with the territory.
If the place was near where I wanted to be, I’d have no problem staying there!
Stayed in campground in Arizona after riding down dirt and bumpy road. It was great.
We don’t plan on ever driving our motorhome on a dirt road to go camping!!
Was camping in North Dakota last year and many of the county roads were dirt/gravel. No problem as long as they are well maintained and are wide enough for two way traffic.
We once stayed at a campground that had about a 1 mile dirt road. It was a single lane road and had ‘pull offs’ about every 100 yards, which meant meeting someone coming in the opposite would require one of them to back up to a pull off. The road was not in the best of condition and trees lined both sides. Never again.
We spent the first 2 years of our fulltiming lives doing the off road dirt driving thing. Our rig can’t take too much more of that. Neither can we.
These kind of campgrounds are the best kept secrets. Don’t be misled by the dirt road. Never know where beauty can take you. We love adventure.
Would love to, but with a large DP it’s probably not a good idea. There are times I wish I had a pickup camper or small class C again! Every type of RV has its +s and -s.
Have driven the DP two miles on a very dusty but well maintained gravel road though.
As long as it’s wide enough to pass on-coming traffic, we’re fine. We have a 17′ travel trailer these days. One of our favorite campgrounds is about a dozen miles on various dirt roads. It’s amazing to see what makes it up that far, including huge horse trailers, and the occasional dump truck, etc. (there’s an agricultural dam and reservoir).
Some dirt roads can be intersting at best, the road to Chaco Canyon NP is one.
It would depend on the dirt road. We just took our 45ft DP with toad down a mile dirt road. It was a wide, sort of maintained state park dirt road. I think when you call to reserve a site and they ask about your rig, they would tell you whether your rig is or isn’t a good fit for the road. Also, reading reviews gives us an idea whether we can make it. We’ve gone down a few dirt roads that were wide and have been thrilled with what’s at the end! If it was a dirt road like the one pictured with the survey, we wouldn’t even try.
That’s when the tow’d comes in to play.
Scout it out first!
I’d do it…
Our younger son had a home 2 miles up a VA mountain dirt road. It varied from pleasant to rough depending on the recent weather – and state grading schedule. Sent my wife up ahead in the tow’d to warn of traffic. As a result we are used to taking our 36 foot DP on “interesting” roads. The road from Terlingua TX into Rancho Topanga Campground is ISTR 16 miles of dirt. We have driven on many other dirt roads to get to destinations we are seeking.
Happens all the time in fed campgrounds in wi. Go forever and find campgrounds closed or full. I’d be glad to make a sign they could post way back at the highway but who’d put it up?
Yes, as long as it would not be too rough for our MH. We have done it before, for even longer distances to get to a great site.
We would travel a “dirt” road if it was well maintained, personally I don’t think a DP is designed for off road ruts and rocks. Have driven stock and hay trucks “off road” but that’s different equipment.
it all depends. 2-lanes? low tree canopy? any small bridges that can’t support our weight? what’s the campground like?
We stay at a place where you need to drive on 15 miles of forest service roads in any direction to even get to a paved highway. We have been going there for 30 years
Nope. Some place unique and special a mile in, maybe. No way 3 mile.
Depends on the condition of the dirt road.
If the road was in the condition the one pictured and there were pull offs then yes. I won’t drive my MH on a washboard road or one I would have to pull off into the grass for a passing vehicle.
Been there, done that, got lost doing that, loved that. Our 1963 VW bus Westfalia got us lost on roads less than that and we had great times. Unfortunately we grew up, at least my wife did, and now a little tamer in our Roadtrek. I miss driving to nowhere, but my wife’s thinking has probably kept me alive. BUT still RVin’ . Actually RVin’ a little faster these days as the Roadtrek moves faster than our old 36 hp VW.
Nope! Not for me. I’m not driving my 54000 GVWR motorhome down any dirt road. I doubt if I’d drive 3 miles on a gravel road. With just a few exceptions, I won’t even stay in a campground that has dirt/grass sites. I’ve seen too many become mud pits after a heavy rain and RVs having to be pulled out.
If the place is nice and the road was in good shape, sure. Some paved roads are rougher than the dirt ones.
Our 2004 Arctic 5R routinely travels 40-50 miles of very bad dirt roads in CO, NM, and WY for our hunting adventures.
Try driving the roads in the New York City Metropolitan Area! To include Rockland and Westchester Counties. The roads in Bosnia(1997-1998) were about the same.
Been down dirt roads to get to BLM sites during the pandemic lock-down. Would do it again. The good part about dirt roads, no one gets upset when you drive slow. Now,…washboard roads? That’s not going to happen.
If the price per night is right, the sites are large so you’re not packed in like sardines, and it’s near something I want to see, then yes. I get irked when the next camper is right on top of mine. The cheaper it is, the more I put up with in shortcomings; if it’s pricey, I expect everything else about the campground to be ‘nice’.
I actually look for narrow dirt roads that go to nowhere after 10 or more miles and park my Jeep unload and set up with no one around, no phone and real camping.
👍
Three miles is nothing… I’d be hesitant to stay there. Much prefer a lot further down the dirt roads.
I’ve done that once. It was worth it.
So where is this place?
I’m sure there are lots of those locations “out there” somewhere. In this case, it’s found in the “land of hypothetical.” (It’s not crowded, either.) 😆 Have a good night, Robert. 😀 -Diane
Facebook.com/triplecreekrv
http://WWW.triplecreekrv.com. we are down at the end of a 3 mile dirt road. Life is quiet here.
Maybe a long time ago when we were in the tent or pop up but not in the Ventana!
In a heartbeat when my husband was alive. Still now if I wasn’t going alone! I’m a grandma with a few health issues that say “stay closer to civilization” but I would love it otherwise. The road has nothing to do with it even for my little camping van.
I don’t know where you’re from but I’m an older guy and if you ever need someone just to get a second campsite beside you while you go camping just let me know I’ll definitely go I own my own cattle ranch but I’m always willing to go out and go camping
U sir, Larry Culiver, ARE AWESOME.
I’m a 63 year old great grandma, as of last month, maybe we should start an old lady wilderness camping group. Then we can still go but not alone 😁
Where do we sign up !
There are older women groups that camp most are living in their RV or Van life but they join together for safety reason while camping and traveling. These groups are also a good place to find a someone as a travel buddy in case of breakdowns to your next destination. I don’t remember the names of these groups but I’ve seen videos on YouTube of these groups. Some are groups of retired people single women, men and married retirees some at just women.
I’m 58 single women I plan on living in my RV and traveling. so I just started looking for these types of groups so Im sorry I don’t remember the names of these groups or contact info but if you Search YouTube I’m sure you can find them. I do know they are out there, I hope this helps.
I am really thinking about doing this as my husband has appeared to lose his motivation.
Sign me up!
I would be happy to join you
❤️❤️❤️
A 30,000# RV and dirt roads are not a good mix.
We have 80,000 lb logging trucks go down our dirt road. Come join the fun.
Carp Lake is easily a 30 km gravel,dirt road in. Best fishing lake ever! Always worth beating up your rig for.
100%
Do it every year. We call it deer camp.
Are you kidding? No idiots, barking dogs, cranky children? I have driven further than that on logging roads to attain it.
If the road in the picture is considered “dirt” then sure, no problem. If it’s covered by two inches of fine powder dust then probably not.
Go? I’m already here! 🥰 Pine River National campground in Michigan. Got it all bears,cougars,rattlesnakes etc. Come prepared 😉😁
Our campground really is 3 miles down a dirt road. Full hookups on 70+ sites. Check out our activities on Facebook. Facebook.com/triplecreekrv. People come down that dirt road for a good reason.
I dont do Facebook. What city state
We don’t do FB either. Can’t wait to learn. We prefer Boondocking and if this place is an open large spaces, we would go.
We are in East Texas, just outside of Woodville, Texas. Triple Creek RV
East Texas town of Woodville, Texas
We even post road signs making fun of our road. Our claim to fame is music. People come from near and far to jam in our Jam Shack. This goes on year round.
Where is this magical place?
In AZ 3miles off of rt66. A glorious camping spot 928 3030376 24hrs is $20 or discounted for more than 2days. Two massive caves in front of my property about 500′ high. Near Oatman AZ
I’ve lived on a dirt road for 37+ years! Where???
I don’t do Facebook.
Do you have a WEB site?
Love to boondocks or isolated campgrounds
Three miles? Is that all? We do 120 miles each way down a dirt road every couple of years. The Denali hwy is dusty (or muddy) and rough most of the time.
Only if there was zero chance of rain or you would soon regret the choice
I live 3mi off of rt66 in Golden Valley arizona & let people park here for $20 a for 2.35 acres with a million dollar View.928 303 0376 let me know.
We routinely drive for three hours (not miles) along a mountain logging road to reach the nearest town to where we park when we’re not touring (concerts). We’ve been doing this for circa thirty years! We used to own a cabin in this gold rush era ghost town, but we let that go several years ago.
There’s nothing quite like the wilderness!
Love and All Good Things,
Jesse.🌹
Try Burro Mountain R V in Silver City Mexico , horrible 7 mile washboard and hole filled road drive in .Dust filled weird place , not friendly unless your a full-time resident. AVOID
New Mexico, not Mexico
I do it to boondock. Not sure I would want to pay over $10 for no hookups after making the drive though. The place would have to have amazing reviews on the camping apps.
22 miles on a wash board red rock road to reach a BEAUTIFUL place in the mountains with a natural spring…It was WONDERFUL… I was worried that the road would shake the 5ver apart…
Funny you ask. We have almost 3 acres in the Colorado mountains, just west of Pikes Peak. Rugged and scenic but a 3 mile county maintained gravel road that winds through the terrain, up and down and with drop offs. Been thinking of looking for something less difficult to get to with our 5th wheel. There have been delivery trucks and garbage trucks, passenger SUVs and Jeeps run off this road. Treacherous and washboard but very beautiful area once you arrive.
Since I have already done this many times when tent camping, and even a couple times tentless camping, and also while backpacking, the answer is yes. I pull a 17 ft molded fiberglass trailer that weighed on a truck sscale as ,2,436 lbs(or 2,346-memory is hazy) We owned a bare property (no house) on an old, old farm on the Chesapeake Bay when I was a kid, which meant camping tentless under trees in the midst of snowy winter, and also meant my brother and I had lots of experience driving-years in fact- before drivers ed class. The secret to driving a washboard road is to proceed VERY VERY slowly and steer around the worst of the tank traps.(what my dear dad called BIG potholes) I remember several 1 car accidents on that road that made the newspapers- including young men who drove sportscars way too fast for the conditions. So I have a modest trailer, and a modest SUV, and PATIENCE, perhaps most importantly.
Been there, done that once. Never again.
Ditto.
I have a camp at more than 3 miles down a dirt road. Off grid, secluded is why I like it and people on Atvs and trucks still come by .
last stay was at a campground that required a 1.5 mile drive down a single lane gravel/dirt road that was worse than any road I’ve ever been on. Then the CG was all dirt and after rain on day 2 of a 5 day stay it was awful. Actually stained our nylon woven camp rug but being with friends and camping is still better than not! ☺