Coyote Camping in the Southwestern Deserts II

September 19, 2009

By Bob Difley

In last week’s blog I described how to find dispersed boondocking campsites (coyote camping) in the American deserts. Now that you know how to find coyote camping spots, the following tips will help to enhance and expand your desert boondocking experience:

The best way to find dispersed campsites in the desert is to explore first in your tow or toad, checking the road surface for soft spots, lethal potholes, and muffler-killing rocks.
Try to find roads that follow the less-eroded high ground rather than up a wash, where the surface could be sandy and soft. You can often find “desert pavement” on the higher surfaces, a naturally occurring tile or cobblestone-like surface that is very hard and supportive of even heavy rigs. And you are likely to have better views from the higher ground.
Choose a spot, if available, that has been camped in before, rather than destroying desert plants in creating a new site.
Haul as much water in Jerry Jugs or inflatable blatters (available at Camping World or RV and boating supplystores) with you as you can carry. Dump these into your fresh water tank as it goes down to give you extended staying time.
Buy the type of sewer cap that has a fitting for a garden hose, which you can then lead off away from your site for your gray water to drain into (dig a deep hole and cover outflow with a layer of sand after each use). Never dump your black water except into an approved dump station).
Solar panels work great in the desert, even with the shorter winter days and lower angle of the sun. Try to situate your rig so that the panels aim toward the south to about where the sun will be at noon.
When you go exploring, be watchful for cacti (with nasty thorns), acacia (also called devil’s claw, tear blanket, and wait-a-minute bush–you’ll understand if you brush against one of these), and mesquite trees—all with pesky thorns, and hidden underground small animal burrow networks that can trip you up when you collapse into them.
Also mark your trail, either with arrows drawn in the sand, GPS coordinates, or rock cairns, so you can find your way back. You will be surprised how easy it is to get turned about when you start following dry washes and narrow arroyos. If you do get lost, climb the nearest knoll and look for your rig or other landmark to orient yourself. But by all means, explore. It is one of the most enjoyable activities while boondocking out in the open desert. You will be amazed at the bird life, jack rabbits, cute kangaroo rats, near-sighted javalinas (a pig-like mammal whose real name is collared piccary), coyotes, kit foxes, and other critters that live there, not to mention the cacti, wild flowers, and flowering shrubs that paint the desert in vivid colors in the Spring.
If you are a snowbird (winter resident), remember that just because it is the desert does not mean it will always be warm. Desert nights can drop close to and below freezing, but the days warm up rapidly. Wind will be a factor also. Close your windows that face the wind when you leave your rig or you may come back to find a layer of sand covering every available interior surface.
Have fun. Once you get used to the desert, it is a wonderful place to explore, and the long views, blazing sunsets, and clear star-filled nights will constantly remind you why you came to the desert rather than spend the winter in Minnesota or Saskatchewan.

For the complete guide to boondocking, check out my eBook, Boondocking: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands on my Web site.