We waited until Sunday the 5th of July to move spots, knowing we would likely run into holiday crowds if we moved on the 4th.
First we went to Kendall Camping Area which is a free camp spot in the San Juan National Forest and it was still mobbed with holiday campers. There were people arriving in line to take spots from people leaving. We found a place for ourselves next to the vault toilet that smelled like it was full.
We unhitched and drove down the road and see what our options were. There were two more “camping areas” similar to Kendall that sit across each other along a river. We ended up in Sultan Camping Area (pictured at the top of this post).
The weather has been overcast almost every day with rain in the afternoons. Even so, the roar of the river has made this a particularly cozy campsite.
Dinner Last Night:
Tomato Nut Roast with Buckwheat and Seeds. This was really good, though the serving size is wrong. It serves 4 along with a big side salad.
2015 Cost of Camping:
86 night paid camping
99 nights free camping
185 days this year
Total spent: $1593.31
Daily average cost: $8.61
6 Comments
One reason it was probably so crowded is that Silverton is known throughout the area as having the best fireworks show west of the Mississippi. It is spectacular and lasts well over an hour. They spend a fortune on fireworks each year to attract tourists from miles around each 4th. When you are a small mountain town that is cut-off from the rest of the world 6 months of the year and make your living off tourism, you have to do something to attract customers.
Glad you liked the nutroast–and thanks so much for sharing! I will let Johanna know that the serving size is off (or maybe vegetarians just eat extra-large slices of nut roast??). 😉
Ha! Though we were hungry later in the evening, so maybe the serving size was right!
Aw, sorry to hear that! (Time to make another). 😉
Interesting! I had no idea! Thanks Greg.
The Kendall camping area looks exactly the same as it did when we arrived last year on July 5th. We didn’t think to check out farther down the road though because our cell signal was already iffy (of course that’s about when our booster crapped out on us). Looks like an awesome spot. If you have time (and if it’s open late enough) be sure to visit the Silverton Heritage Mining Museum. It starts in the old jail and takes you under the building to a recreated mine. The whole thing is packed with mining and town artifacts including an entire room of minerals. A very cool place!