All the planning has come down to this day. Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Trip officially begins today. We are packed up for our practice trip to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
School for Big E ended just three short days ago. While the rest of the country was out traveling for Memorial Day weekend we were cleaning, prepping, and packing, getting ready for this journey.
When this day came I thought I would feel all excitement, but to be honest I’m still caught in “Get ‘er Done” mode. Did we pack everything? Did we forget something important?
I thought it’d be good to interview the Mountain Fam crew to see what they think about this National Park to Park Highway Adventure.
Sorry to disappoint you Little G. We’re not headed to California just yet.
Packing for a seven week road trip is a daunting task. What will I wear when we visit the Grand Canyon in July? I don’t think they’ll let me in the visitors center in just a swimsuit. What about Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks in the Rainy Pacific Northwest? How will I fit all of those layers into one backpack?
Since we’re living out of our truck on our National Park-to-Park Highway tour, we’ve adopted a backpacker mentality.
Each family member gets one backpack for all of the clothes they will need for the entire National Park to Park Highway Trip. Those of you who have thru-hiked the Appalachian trail may think that one backpack just for clothes is a luxury, but for a mom with dirt loving children, it’s not much space.
I will be wearing my outdoor essentials, and plan to bring those for my tots too.
Psst…See exclusive photos from our National Park-to-Park Highway journey by getting the FREE ebook Mountains to Ocean. Just sign up in this box:
Comfortable Cotton
I believe in layers for me and my kids. Leggings, wool socks, shorts, t shirts, fleece sweatshirts, jackets and hats will all be along for the ride, but my go to outfit will be a comfy cotton dress.
I wrote about this in my 6 Tips for Style in the Wild post, so you may already know that I’m a fan of the outdoors skirt. That’s why I approached Synergy Organic Clothing to be a trip sponsor. They have a wide variety of soft, easy to wear skirts and dresses that look great.
The Leaf Flame Boatneck Dress from Synergy Organic Clothing is my favorite. The leaf pattern on the sleeves makes me feel classy while the cotton spandex blend fabric moves when I do. I love the ease of movement while still feeling stylish.
Looking at their website you may think you need to be a supermodel to wear their clothes, but take it from me the clothes are as comfy as they are chic. They also have great womens leggings, tops and jackets and all of their applique is done by women in Nepal for a living wage. I like that my clothing choice can do some good in the world.
Foot support
Hiking outdoors requires a good set of shoes. And we’ll be doing a lot of hiking. We’ll be packing waterproof sandals and comfortable tennis shoes for each of us (except Baby L who isn’t quite walking yet).
I’ve always been a fan of regular tennis shoes or trail runners for hiking instead of clunky hiking boots. That’s why I approached Vionic to sponsor our National Park to Park Highway Trip. They have well designed shoes and sandals that help with body alignment and the ones I’ve tried are all light and comfortable.
What’s unique about Vionic is their orthaheel technology. With arch support designed into every sandal, your feet are working for you for proper body alignment. It took a while to get used to, but after a few days of wearing Vionics it felt like my back and legs were creaking into the places they’re meant to be.
I really like their Muir Sandal (love the name!) as an outdoor water hiking option. With the Vibram outsole for traction I’ll be set to go. I also like the orange and pink pair Sunset Mary Janes they sent. No surprise. I’m not shy of color.
Outer Wear
The big question in packing clothes for the family is how warm we will need to be. It is summer on this trip, but we’ll be sleeping in the mountains in several places. I’m bringing a winter hat and mittens for each of us – these are essential, but should I also bring winter jackets?
Next week on Stage 1 of our National Park to Park Highway Tour we’ll be camping at 10,000 feet in Cedar Breaks National Monument. We’ll be there the very first day the campground opens. A local ranger said there’s still snow on the ground. For that trip I will bring winter coats, but for the rest of the trip I’m hoping rain jackets and warm fleece sweatshirts will suffice.
I’ve already mentioned that I’ll bring a winter cap and mittens for each of us, but what about when the weather is beat down hot and sunny? For that we also have hats.
Little G got a Kid’s Rambler Sombrero Hat from Outdoor Research that’s UPF 50. I like the wide brim for shade protection and the strap to keep the hat from flying away. Plus the brim floats in case she drops it in the water. Pretty cool.
I’ll be wearing this Maldives Hat from Outdoor Research. Not only is it stylish, it’ll protect me from the sun, hides unwashed and uncombed hair, and it doubled as an umbrella for Little G when we were caught hiking in the rain.
Sierra Trading Post
Last week I was invited to a blogger party celebrating the grand opening of Sierra Trading Post in Salt Lake City. I’d never been in one before so it was fun to see what all the fuss was about.
Sierra Trading Post is known for having awesome prices on quality outdoor gear and I saw that for myself. Clothes, shoes, packs, camping gear, even pet supplies were all available at 30% off the regular retail price. Pretty good deal. If we end up needing an extra fleece on this trip hopefully we can pick one up at a Sierra Trading Post along the way.
We’ll obviously be doing laundry on this trip too, but I’m wondering if I’m missing something. If every piece of clothing you’d wear for the next seven weeks had to fit inside a backpack, what would you put in? Leave a comment or contact me ontwitter, instagram and facebook. I really do want to know!
Thank you to Synergy Organic Clothing, Vionic Shoes and Outdoor Research for sponsoring our National Park to Park Highway Tour. Check out all our sponsors on our sponsor page. This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links.
When I tell people I’m taking a seven week road trip to follow the National Park to Park Highway one of the first questions they ask is, “Where are you going to sleep?”
Other than a visit to Togwotee Mountain Lodge near Grand Teton National Park, we’ll be sagebrushing along the route like many early travelers did.
Why Would You Do That?
My brother-in-law is NOT outdoorsy in any sense of the word. To him anywhere without air conditioning is the equivalent of a prehistoric cave. So when I said we would be turning our truck into the ultimate camping vehicle for this trip his response was:
“What’s the appeal of Voluntary Homelessness?”
Normally sleeping in your car is considered a bad thing, but we’re excited for the adventure of camping on the National Park to Park Highway this summer.
See how our National Park-to-Park Highway tour went in this FREE photo ebook:
Campsites
We’ve reserved campsites in many of the National Parks through recreation.gov. This website is the one stop shop for reserving camping spaces on federal lands. There are some great resources there, including an article with Tips for Camping with Kids.
Reservations are important, especially at popular National Parks like Yosemite. Sites there are snatched up six months in advance, the instant the dates are made available on recreation.gov.
I found this out when trying to reserve a campsite there last month and finding ABSOLUTELY NOTHING available.
If you’re like me, just a little spontaneous, don’t worry. Every campground in the National Park system has a First Come First Serve option, with campsites set aside for those last minute travelers.
Ultimate Camping Vehicle
When we first dreamed up this trip, Mountain Dad and I debated about where we should sleep. Normally we are tent campers, throwing sleeping pads and bags into a nylon and mesh shelter that gives the illusion of protection through a thin fabric cover.
But setting up and taking down a tent every night for seven weeks straight wasn’t what we wanted.
Nor did we want to tow a camper 5,000 to 6,000 miles. The logistics of towing, parking and maintaining a vehicular accessory was not what this National Park to Park Highway Tour was about.
Instead of buying or renting an RV we decided to turn our current truck into the Ultimate Camping Vehicle.
Shelter
Our newest sponsor, Sam T Evans Trailers of Salt Lake City, hooked us up with a discount on a LEER DCC Truck Cap. It’s a commercial truck topper normally seen on construction sites that we are converting into a sleeping shelter for me, Mountain Dad and Baby L.
We decided on a truck cap so we could leave our beds unmade and not have to take so much time setting up and taking down camp every day. We want enough head room that we can sit up comfortably and something that might be useful after this trip is over. Hence the commercial series.
Big E and little g will have the option of sleeping on the bench seats inside the cab or in a nifty popup tent from our friends at Lucky Bums. It sets up instantly, but can be tricky to fold down. And since it’s not waterproof we’ll only use it when the chance of rain is minimal.
Baby L will have her own little baby tent attached to the tailgate as well. The KidCo PeaPod is the perfect size for a little one and with its easy popup feature it’ll be great for our littlest camper.
Storage
Since we’re sleeping in the back of our truck the next obvious question is, where will you put all your stuff? I’m glad you asked.
First we got a discount for a DECKED Truck Bed Organizer. Pullout drawers in the truck bed keep our tools/gear/food all organized. The waterproof top can support 2,000 pounds so we can still use it as a regular truck bed too.
Second, Yakima sponsored the perfect bike storage solution with the SwingDaddy 4 Bike Hitch Rack. With space for four bikes mounted to a swivel arm, the rack moves out of the way for easy access to the back of the vehicle WITHOUT UNLOADING THE BIKES EVERY TIME. Can you tell I’m excited about that?
We’ve thought through how we want our National Park-to-Park Highway trip to go, but who knows if it will turn out how we expect. Camping is always an adventure whether it’s in a tent, an RV or in the Ultimate Camping Vehicle.
We’re always open to suggestions and tips.
Have you ever camped in your car? What worked and what didn’t?
This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links. Thank you to our 2016 National Park to Park Highway Tour sponsors, several of whom are listed here. Check out our Sponsors page for more info about them.
I posted Friday about Subaru’s Zero Landfill Initiative in Grand Teton, Denali and Yosemite National Parks. Since we’ll be visiting two of those parks on our National Park to Park Highway Tour, I thought you might like to know how we’ll camp without producing trash. We’re not perfect no waste campers, but these top ten Zero Waste Camping tips will reduce the garbage we put in the National Park bin.
1. Refill Water Bottles – Instead of buying water bottles at gas stations along the way I refill our reusable bottles in their soda stations. At camp we set out the five gallon water container we bring from home as a water station and refill our water bottles at the spigot. Several National Parks including Zion and Grand Teton no longer sell disposable water bottles at all. Instead they’ve installed prominent water refill stations throughout the park.
2. Pack the Pantry – Bring your food in the containers you use at home instead of buying convenience snacks and treats. A jar of Gummi Bears from the bulk section of the grocery store is just as tasty as a bag you’d buy at a gas station.
3. Be Cooler Conscious – Instead of buying ice wrapped in plastic, make your own or use reusable ice blocks. Pack meat frozen to keep it cold longer and make sure to put other food in waterproof containers. Soggy egg cartons and wet butter aren’t very appetizing.
4. No Pain Propane – Most camp stoves require propane tanks to function, but used tanks are some of the hardest waste to properly dispose of. Instead of using the green 1 lb throwaway tanks we have a small refillable propane container and a conversion kit hose. Not only does it last longer, we can refill it every time we camp.
5. Double Duty Food Prep – This BioLite Wood Burning Campstove turns wood into energy so you make your food and charge your devices at the same time. It’s really cool. We’ll be using it on our National Park to Park Highway trip this summer.
6. Compost on the Go – If your campsite doesn’t have a critter problem try burying your food waste. Some campsites won’t allow this, but I’ve done it at primitive sites or on BLM land. Or refill an empty glass jar or food container with your compost and put it in your pile at home.
8. Bandanna Like a Bad Guy – It is surprisingly convenient to keep a handkerchief or bandanna in a pocket or day pack while camping. I use it to wipe off just about anything – hands, face, table, utensils and even a kids bum. Don’t worry, I put it in the dirty laundry after that one. We used to use baby wipes and paper towels A LOT while camping, but the switch to cloth has been relatively painless.
9. Camp Towels – We like having lightweight, packable, quick dry towels like the Sea to Summit DryLite. They’re good for drying people, dishes or wet gear, plus they dry out fast. But my favorite camp towel is actually a LUNATEC Self-cleaning Travel Washcloth. They’re rough enough to scrape out food but soft enough to wash just about anything and when you’re done you just rinse it clean.
10. Stuff Recyclables in Stuff Sacks – People often throw out easily recyclable items like drink containers because the recycling bin isn’t conveniently located. Keep those recyclables separate from your garbage, by repurposing a sleeping bag or camp chair stuff sack.
And here’s a bonus for all of you daring parents of babies:
11. Cloth Diaper – We have a bed wetting situation in our household. It is not fun as a parent (or as a child) especially when out in nature. But we’ve found that camping is just an extension of our every day life. So in addition to Baby L’s cloth diapers we have bedwetter training pants and waterproof sheet protectors that we use nightly, even when camping. It is more difficult to use cloth diapers when flush toilets and running water are limited so sometimes we go disposable, but over all I try to use cloth. Pioneers did it. So can we, but I’m bringing along a waterproof dry bag dry bag to use as a laundry hamper.
Spending time in nature should help us think about our environmental impact, but often the stress of traveling causes more impulse buys, more convenience packaging and more waste. Since last Octoberwe’ve been trying to reduce our waste at home so it makes sense to extend that mentality to our travels.
Now that I’m aware of the massive trash issues the National Parks has to deal with, I can’t go back to how I was before. I guess that’s how it is with all change.
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This post includes affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase something by clicking through these links. Thank you Sea to Summit and BioLite for sponsoring gear for our 2016 National Park to Park Highway Tour.
. It sets up instantly, but can be tricky to fold down. And since it’s not waterproof we’ll only use it when the chance of rain is minimal.
. Pullout drawers in the truck bed keep our tools/gear/food all organized. The waterproof top can support 2,000 pounds so we can still use it as a regular truck bed too.
to mount on top of the truck cap for all of those cumbersome items that won’t fit in the 
turns wood into energy so you make your food and charge your devices at the same time. It’s really cool. We’ll be using it on our 
dishes. Not only are they reusable, they pack flat and the 
is really cool. See how the bottom is metal but the top is foldable silicone? Seriously awesome. See 
. They’re good for drying people, dishes or wet gear, plus they dry out fast. But my favorite camp towel is actually a 
and 
that we use nightly, even when camping. It is more difficult to use cloth diapers when flush toilets and running water are limited so sometimes we go disposable, but over all I try to use cloth. Pioneers did it. So can we, but I’m bringing along a 
