hello eveyone...some tips and advice for beginners please !

[f1nuts]

glad i found this forum before the weekend comes round.....

so the wife,myself and 2 young boys 5 and 13yr old, decided we couldnt afford a small junker rv !

so we now own a tent, and somewere near to getting what would be essentials together ( only 2 nights ! ) in order for us to survive !

i am hoping vegasdesertfox will chime in here as we are also in las vegas . although we are from the u.k but in vegas now for 3yrs, having seen many of his adventures here, no doubt could point us in the right direction

forgot to mention the small yorkshire terrier will be coming !.

so we would like to find somewere within lets say an hour or so drive from l.v ( kids + travel = why did we do this ! )

we would love somewere that is not crowded/not loud/no wild parties

we would like to be able to fish, maybe bring a kayak , have bbq
facilities , toilets.

trees would be good too !....

well lake mead of course seems like the obvious but been there so many times , we would like to venture a bit more .

having also lived in california we were spoiled by the fantastic areas we day visited like yosemite, shaver lake and surrounding areas , and we may well opt for a drive thatway instead..... so any great places or ideas would be much appreciated...

any tips for the essentials also ?....as my list looks a bit thin !...will get the man vs wild reccommended flint and sharp knife incase of emergencies !

requirements are : no bears !

also off road will not work due to family van !

cheers

[renodesertfox]

Howdy f1nuts,
This be your lucky day my friend, ye found me lurkin'!

Cottonwood Cove, lower or upper cg would be my 1st recommend! There are flush potties for the lady's in your life. There be Lake Mojave (the correct spellin' is Mohave); it is managed by the Lake Mead NPS people so fees fer campin' are the same just no, I repeat no entrance fees. Cottonwood Cove is 1 1/2 hours from my driveway and I live in the far northwest part of town. There are also trees, and a playground, houseboats to rent etc...

Take 93/95 south to Boulder City. As soon as ye get pass Raildroad Pass and before you git into Boulder City, turn right and follow 95 south to Searchlight for 52 miles.

In Searchlight, slow way down cause the smokies can be hot to trot. Right past the only casino in town turn left. Speedlimit in Seachlight be 25mph. Follow that road to Cottonwood Cove! 13 miles! Beautiful spot in the desert. If you think you have forgot to pack something there is a small store down there but there prices can be steep. It's only 1 1/2 hours from Vegas and never really fills up till the Memorial Day. It should be good weather there too. 100-105 degrees this weekend. No turblent storms to speak of. Don't worry there will be signs. If ya need more gas there is a Terribles in Searchlight that don't charge too much, like in Vegas.

There are plenty more places to camp, cheaper some free and other more expensive up at Mt. Charleston and in the Mojave National Preserve. Mt. Charleston isn't opened yet and Mojave Desert Preserve would also be glorious but the road in(last 15 miles) is dirt. You don't need a 4x4, your van would make it. But it isn't a place for newbys, gotta be prepared and after awhile you will be a prepared camping family, after this first test!

Cottonwood Cove, great place fer fishin' and ka-yakin' too. If ye camp at the lower campground there is more activity at night because fishing just seems better at night. The upper campground is further away from the water and is therefore quieter. We have stayed in both and perfer neither, cause we like solitude! I fly fish via a tandem kayak and once the water warms the trout are always good to my flies and strike them good always!
Fishin' is better at Lake Mojave than Lake Mead.

Another great place on Lake Mead is Temple Bar, but you have to go over Hoover Dam to get there. It is never crowded there(Temple Bar). If you take alittle time look at my photo albums in camping southern Nevada and Lake Mead. They are in our members pages. Trees, potties, snackbar, store, marina, nice cg. After you get over the Dam continue for just over twenty miles. When Hwy 93 widens and turns into a divided highway, drive another mile and there will one sign that will say Temple Bar-1Mile. Turn left there and drive another 26 miles with no services(trust me) and follow the paved road to Temple Bar. That is better than Cottonwood Cove because you will be a thousand feet higher than Cottonwood Cove. Lake Mead is at 1300' elevation and Lake Mojave is at 630' elevation. Good Luck! Let us know how you did. I'm going to send you a private message if you have a page set up so you can git a hold of me if ya want to, easily! Now go campin!

PS: Ain't no bears in the desert only harmless coyotes and they howl! Beautiful sound!

[f1nuts]

vegasdesertfox :

many thanks for the speedy info !

the info you have given will be greatly appreciated by me and the missus, and your directions were included also which is a bonus !.

we were scratching our heads about were to go .

i think cottonwood cove sounds about right to me for gettin our toes wet .

thanks very much , will hope to make it back and let you know how we got on ....

cheers mates

[renodesertfox]

If you be thinking of those nice places in California up north, that is a ten hour drive. But there are other places closer, say 4 to 5 hours away i California that can be cooler too and higher like the south eastern mountains of the Sierra's. The shortest way there is through Death Valley so if you auto isn't in the best of shape I'd put that off fer now. There is also places closer to San Diego in the Mountains of Gorgonio that are just breath-taking too, but the drive is through the hot desert which is best done at night the day before. I can fill those areas in to in a few more posts. Thanks for getting me out of the kitchen and back to talkin' camping!

[renodesertfox]

Howdy again f1nuts,
If your oldest likes campin' and does okay, this first trip, you might want to invest in a small pup tent to give him his privacy. I'd say, once he has shown his willingness to help is younger. It will also give you privacy too!
Wal-mart has good camping stuff to begin...but the internet is cheaper all the way around, some places even have free shipping. When I first started my family out I prepared for a big weekend...of course we had problems and the organized cg that we first stayed at was Cottonwood cove some 40 years ago...I took them all out to eat at the snack bar and bought everyone ice cream. After that they loved camping.

[f1nuts]

well we got a 10x9 tent coleman brand onsale at big 5 ....

we picked up some stuff at the local thrift....if it looks new i am on it !

obvious sleeping bags etc will be new .

so we will all bundle in there for now.

but yes i am certian he will be wanting his own tent after that ....hoping to try and buy a boat ( canoe ) or kayak x 2 used of the c/l but no luck yet...

so we may give that more thought after our first trip .

how cold is it at night out that way ?.....do you build a fire ?....( and eat beans ! )

[renodesertfox]

If you go to Temple Bar, it is best to get over the dam(Hoover) traffic before 9 AM. There are 7 crosswalks that cross the dam(Hoover) hwy! And after awhile traffic can be backed up for hours over the damn dam. Once it took me 3 hours and a backup of some 14 miles to get over Hoover. Either early in the morning or very late at night are the best times to deal with Hoover Dam either too Arizona or back into Nevada. What makes Temple Bar so great, is that people are either in a hurry to get to Vegas to loose their money or they just want to get home as fast as they can, most don't even know it's there.

Lake Mead is down nearly 200 feet and there is a white ring around the lake. Lake Mojave is down too but only by 25 feet so the ring effect isn't noticable. Also since Las Vegas is close to Lake Mead the NPS at Mead have a bigger drug problem at Boulder Beach CG. I have never like Boulder Beach, campsites are too close together and they have just begun enforcing their quiet hour rules. People that go to Cottonwood Cove go for the fishing! And those that go to Temple Bar go for the fishing and semi-solitude. And if you go where we go it is solitude first fish second. I can always buy fish in the store but you can't buy solitude unless you're very wealthy!

[f1nuts]

good stuff.

will be running this by the wife tonight .....what about bugs ...scorpians etc....no doubt they will be present !....any repellents you might suggest , like a perimeter around tent etc.

i personnally have only ever pitched a one man tent , at a few motorsport events in europe and the u.k....no bugs, tarantulas, scorpians etc, just a lot of drunk germans to put up with and bad weather !

you've been a great help already......thanks agian

[renodesertfox]

Howdy again, sorry I was havin' diner and things!

Bugs...there ain't no big bugs to woory about. If you keep your tent zipped up. Yes, they like shade, don't make shade available to 'em. Zip your tent! If your boots git in the tent then then you will have dirt. Do you like dirt in your house, I don't think so! I don't! No boots in my tent. I take them boots off or sandals or thongs, whatever and put them on the chair I was sitting on! Don't leave them on the ground! Kids gotta be reminded twice but thrice works even better. Don't get mad at them we are all human, we share the same trees and we share the same bugs, we just don't give in to bugs! Do noy give them the edge, they are critters that have no sense, if they see shade they will take. I like that, they see the shade of my boot and they are dead!

What is a campin' experience without a campfire. If your vehicle can not handle equipement plus wood, don't fret! Cottonwood Cove is a prepared place. They have wood down there for sale that is cheaper than 7/11. It is very dry stuff and won't last long but it is wood! Gol-darn-it! wish I could go and almost hold your hand! Hey, you never heard me say that! I ani't that way and my flag don't fly strange I just like to camp! I know you'll have fun! The snack bar has good hotdogs and burgers and their soda water is very good! They also got good trout dinners at the snack bar. There is a campground host on duty 24/7 at either the upper or lower cgs. There is a Great Horned Owl that lives in the lower campground in a weeping willow tree(the one I photographed) he is about 13 years old. I know he is still there. I've been down there the last couple of weeks to camp at 6 mile, mid-basin and 9 mile cove roads you need 4x4 to get there but I have stopped at the lower cg and have seen him! If you get a chance to look, don't look to high. Just look about 10 feet up on the right side of the center willow tree and he'll be there! He is always there.

I'll tell you what you should fear more than critters is the strange people you might meet. Don't become to friendly up front, but I'm sure you are already use to it being in Vegas for 3 years. Lot of strange characters here, by golly! If you forget something go to the store to buy it, don't rely on them that might camp next to you. You can after they prove themselves to you in your own way. People see me set up and want to come over an ask for butter or eggs or even salt...I tell them there is a store at the marina, what do I look like a friggin' 7/11(they leave me alone).

Hey, I'm out here for my family and that is the priority! It is the Vegas attitude! - Don't give nobody nothing for free!

Better have that campfire and make smores for the kids! You will have fun or if something else you will have a first experience! Good luck! Don't be afraid to look the gift horse in the mouth! Right now you can call me so the whole wide world don't have to listen. I'm a fare and square man, and I take nothing for granted! Pass it by and I'll never steer you wrong, so long as you camp where I know it's like! Good Luck!

[renodesertfox]

Howdy f1nuts,
The night temps for camping in the desert is just like living here. Very nice, but can become cool by morning's light. Once past the month of March, the weather begins to warm up and the need for heavy apparrel slips away. However, it is always a good idea to have a bag stashed in your vehicle with warm jackets, flashlights, first-aid kit. For kids, most of the time it's just bumps and bruises.

Staying hydrated is the most important thing to do when in the desert, any time of year. Humidity here like you have found out is very low, it's the same in the sand and rock. Drink plenty of fluids like good ole water. Water is the best thing to drink. Soda pop or beer or any of them finer drinks for adults is okay, but water is the best and easiest way to go. If we drink a glass of wine(4 ounces) then my next is at least 8 oz of water. A person can and actually should drink a gallon of water a day. Out here, or anywhere for that matter water is great medicine. After morning espresso and then tea(yes, we love tea-without sugar) then I start hittin' the water bottle. Those adult drinks I often refer to don't get brought out till have the kids go to bed and now since my children have grown up and gone their separate ways, I don't start those adult beverages until after dark or sometimes wine with lunch. One should always eat some food with spirits of anykind, especially when camping. As it gets hotter here in the desert, then we start camping where it is cooler, central Nevada or out-of-state.

The last item is the best...one should camp as often as a person can. For the man in the family it might seem like a lot of work to set-up the tent, do all the stuff that a man is suppose to do, but ain't that why a man has a family in the first place. My wife and I will go camping for just one night, jest to get away...and sometimes when her hours become long and weekends get busy sometimes just a drive in the desert country will revive us, but the best medicine is camping! The longer a person camps the easier time you will have at it. Experiences build on experiences, and learn from mistakes...hey like I said before, we are all human and I haven't found one book that has all the secrets, we all make mistakes, and when I first started camping with my family I made up my mind to give up what I liked like watching sports and chasing lady luck to just being the best dad that I could be to the ones that love me the most.

PS: Go to your local big bookstore and slap down 30 dollars for a Road and Recreation Atlas of the Nevada and California to start. Each state has its own book. Then you can, at your own leisure arm-chair explore National Parks, State Parks lake, river and plan any trip anywhere you might want to drive to. Take a long day trip to Zion National Park in Utah, it's 2 1/2 hours from Vegas(one way). There are campgrounds there, it just takes a little planning. Cedar Breaks National Monument is 3 1/2 hours north in Utah and at 10,000' it is still closed till Memorial Day, nice and cool up there, always! There is even a campground very close to Red Rock Canyon just outside of Vegas too. Have some fun, go campin'!

[f1nuts]

guess i didnt reply in time to your last message here for me , excellent info above, thankyou

well we just got back from our first trip,

cottonwood cove !

zion was too far for just the 1 night trip......

anyways i did start a new post in the were to go section, not sure if i did it right as i do not see it , i added some pics too. hopefully you will have better luck than me finding it ?

i will try to add agian tommorrow if i cannot locate it somewere here ..

but agian thanks for the heads up on cottonwood, we will certianly visit agian

[renodesertfox]

Howdy f1nuts,
Happy that you had a good time at Cottonwood! As of the present I am only a moderator of three sub-titles here and they are: General Chat & Ideas, Tent Camping & general receipes. I am being groomed to be a moderator of the entire forum by JohnJohn. So you might have started a new thread in another area, that is good. However I do not have the authority to approve anything other than those three subs that I mentioned. I know it seems slow, but a person here has his threads & posts moderated for the first four but no more than six times. After that then it is smooth sailing. Please be patient, JohnJohn is a very busy gentleman with a few other URLs under his wing. He usually gets things done here by mid-afternoon. Go ahead and start another thread or go to "tent camping" and start on there too. JohnJohn is very cautious and by doing so it is better than getting on here and seeing porn, which has happened once or twice already.