My husband and I were looking for a long term (14 day) spot to move to when the weather changed at our high-elevation spot, so we jumped on The Dyrt and found this one on Gubler Rd. Unfortunately we packed up a bit too late in the day and we ended up getting here right after dark. The road is fairly narrow (although it fits a Class A just fine) and slightly bumpy, and, because we've never been here before, I was worried that we might get stuck up the road and not be able to turn around. So as soon as we found a spot that looked like it would fit our 36' rig, we took it, even though it's not private (which we normally prefer).
About a third up the road, we found a (sort of) spot that fit our Class A, so we took it. It's at the beginning of the trailhead, right next to the cattle guard in the road, so I don't know that it's actually technically intended to be a camping spot, but like I said, it's the only one that fits our rig and it was nighttime when we got here, so we grabbed it.
So here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
• The road is well maintained, with some bumpiness, but no holes or deep potholes.
• There are quite a few spots that would be good for tents and a few that would be good for vans. We didn't go the entire length of the road, but we went most of it and the spot we took is the only one we've seen that would fit a Class A or larger Class C. There's a spot farther up the trail that would fit a standard Class C.
• It's a relatively secluded spot. There are houses farther up and down the road, but you can't hear or see them.
Cons:
• People ride by on their ATVs and motorbikes every couple of hours. Last night, a guy in a truck literally drove by our rig up and down the trail going about 45 mph twice in two hours, which made me really nervous, because the trail is only about 10 feet from our rig. And today, a guy drove by on his ATV and rode directly through our campsite, paused while sitting next to our rig, and craned his neck to try to see into our rig. It was weird and I almost ran out there to yell at him to get lost.
• No shade. There are a bunch of juniper trees and a lot of scrub brush, but nothing for shade.
• It gets HOT out here, because there's no shade. Even though the weather says it's only 93°, it feels hotter because the sun is beating down directly on you, so I wouldn't recommend staying here unless you have air conditioning or, if you're in a tent, a lot of water.
• It's EXTREMELY dusty here. When we came here, my husband was driving our rig and I was driving our toad behind him and he was kicking up so much dust, even going 5mph down the road, that I literally couldn't see the rig right in front of me.
• The spot we're at is literally right next to the road, so we notice every bit of traffic. There's usually someone going down there road every few hours, so if you're looking for a private spot and you have a Class A or larger Class C, keep looking.
• The road is pretty hard packed, but some spots are sandy and the whole place would probably be a mess in the rain.
• A LOT of regular traffic, with pickup trucks, atvs, etc. going by.
• People shoot out here and there are a ton of bullets and broken glass to show for it. 2 evenings ago, we were walking our dogs, when we came upon a pickup truck parked in a spot where no one had been earlier in the day. So we spoke loudly and announced that we didn't realize anyone was there and we were leaving. Literally 10 seconds later, a shotgun blast went off and my husband, our dogs and I all jumped. They were shooting just a few feet away from us. So if you have dogs, DO NOT let them run around off leash in this area.
I don't really feel comfortable here because I prefer really private and remote spots, but it seems safe. The light traffic probably wouldn't bother someone who doesn't mind camping around other people.
For our needs, this has been a good spot to rest for a couple of nights, but we'll be moving on tomorrow to find someplace that's more quiet and remote for long-term (14 days).
