Dixie National Forest
This is one of those trips that requires a bit more skill to plan. Check out my last post for information on how I planned this trip!
It was finally Friday and I could not get off work fast enough! Take off was at 3 pm Pacific Standard Time and, after getting home and packing up the car, we were on our way. This drive in particular is one of my absolute favorites and only took about two hours! Harvey, why do you drive so fast?? My friends also brought their two dogs and I got to spend the whole drive with Sunny in the back seat.
Sunny and I hanging out.
Outside of Leeds, Utah, I mapped out two locations that looked like they’d work for our primitive campground within Dixie National Forest. We were super happy to drive up the mountain roads looking for our perfect site. We found a small wash that had four established fire rings, and even some leftover firewood from previous campers. It was super windy when we got there, but we knew the wind would be dying down as we set up our spot. After a few heated wrestling matches with our tents, we settled for the night, had dinner, drank, and enjoyed each other’s company. The dogs did well out here and neither one roamed too far. Beau even found himself an old tennis ball to play with.
Tiny Map of The Wash
Lat: 37.2740
Long: -113.3996
The forest was full of families and individuals, all looking to enjoy a relaxing weekend in the wilderness. We were only about four miles into the forest and almost every camping location was occupied! When in a national forest, you can select a pre-designated camping area or you can set up in a dispersed location. When creating your own campsite, be mindful about disturbing any nests, animal burrows, or plant life, and remember that it is illegal to cut down a tree within a national forest. Oftentimes, areas that look like they would make great camping spots have already been used as such so feel free to take advantage! Usually, these locations will be recognizable by cleared tent pads, free of any debris, and established fire rings.
While helping my friends set up their tent, we almost lost it to the wind! Luckily, we caught it before it blew away. My tent is small and stakes easily so I was able to get it set up mostly alone. Inside my tent, I set up my sleeping pad and bag, as well as my extra blanket. I try my best to keep my tent clean and organized by keeping my shoes in a plastic grocery bag when in my tent and I hang a light inside to help me see at night. Due to the wind earlier in the night, we kept the rain-flys off. This is anxiety-inducing the first few times you have it off. You might feel slightly exposed, but in all honesty I haven’t had many issues with this. Being able to lay in bed and see the stars, as well as awake to the sunrise, reduces any potential anxiety!
See the full blown away moment here.
While a one night trip like this one only calls for my sleeping pad for cushioning, a two night trip would warrant my cot or air mattress. There was a decent amount of sand in this area so I used sand stakes to make sure my tent was secure. When camping, I could easily spend the whole trip laying inside my tent as I love how peaceful it is to appreciate the wilderness while laying in bed. During field camp, I always loved to go to bed early specifically to enjoy this.
Wind gone, we stayed up enjoying the fire and some hilarious rounds of Catchphrase. If you’ve never played Catchphrase, it’s kind of like charades, except you can talk. You describe the word on the screen and hopefully your teammates can guess it. I first played this game when I was a freshman in high school at astronomy camp. (Yes, I was that nerdy. No it wasn’t the NASA one.) It’s always laugh-inducing and it’s interesting to see how people may describe a particular word or phrase.
Around midnight, we decided to call it quits and head to bed. Drenching the fire, we poked through the remaining logs to ensure that the fire was out. Be careful that all of the embers are fully extinguished. I have, on more than one occasion, thought that a fire was out only to see the flicker of a flame from my tent half an hour later. I use my spade to poke through the logs and embers, burying and squashing any light.
The weather was perfect to sleep without a rain fly. It was roughly fifty degrees when we settled in for the night, and the wind was no longer. I pushed my fleece blanket into my sleeping bag and zipped it all the way up around my face, although I woke up sweating at one point, and had to unzip the bag a bit.
As the sun began to rise, I woke up and relished in the quiet of the fresh morning light. I pulled my blanket back over my head for maybe half an hour more, before hearing the rustlings of my friends and their dogs. We started a morning fire to warm up and to burn off the last couple of logs that we had with us. I like to leave extra wood behind for the next camper if we have too much left. Whenever possible, purchase your firewood as close to your campsite as you can. This helps prevent pests and infectious disease from wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem.
With camp packed up, there was nothing else to grab but some trash that had been left behind by previous campers. There were shotgun shells, some bullet casings, and a few bits of paper here and there. Leaving camp, Harvey rode his bike down the mountain while we followed behind. We even saw quite a few cars driving up as we left.
Our initial destination was the Red Reef Recreation area. There was a beautiful slot canyon that has flowing water pools that look absolutely incredible! When we arrived, the parking lot was FULL. We found a spot that would have been great to leave the car at, but with so many people in the area, we felt that this wasn’t where we wanted to be. Sometimes being around loads of people is great, but other times, I would rather go somewhere a bit less exciting for the peace and quiet.
Directly across from I-15, Quail Creek State Park pokes through a gap in the mountains. We could see beautiful blue water and knew this was where we should spend our day, especially since the park is only a few minutes away from St. George, Utah. Upon driving in, we saw the large reservoir full of boats, fishers, and swimmers. We drove down to see the dam and marveled at the impressive engineering that goes into damming auch a creek or river. There’s a water treatment plant down here too, but we now turned around to find a nice spot on the beach to hang out.
The beach itself isn’t sand, but rather, shale and other small rocks. I wore my Fit-Kicks and Chacos at various times of the day. I have a weird thing about my feet not being covered in sand, dirt, or mud so variety plays yet another important role in my outdoor adventures. The water felt amazing! I’m not sure exactly how warm it was, but the website says it might have been in the seventies. Either way, I’m mad I didn’t bring my bathing suit down from the car to go for a proper swim! While Sunny loved playing with her Frisbee in the water, Beau did not enjoy the water at all. This was made worse by the fact that, after getting covered in dirt and sand, was given a bit of a bath before the sleepy drive home. After spending a few hours here, we left to get lunch in St. George and return to Vegas.
Overall, this was a great trip to Utah for an overnight in Dixie National Forest. Such a different experience when you find your way off of the beaten path.
Have you found this to be true in any of your adventures?
