At the end of a glorious seven-hour drive through Arches National Park on Day #28 of our 40-day trip, we move on to our next destination, Needles Outpost. This campground is located a little over a mile outside the entrance of Canyonlands National Park.

This overnight stay gives us the opportunity to see the Canyonland rock formations while not taking another day to tour another park. I’m beginning to calculate the mileage/days home and now seems a good time to quicken our pace. And besides, I’m overwhelmed by the scenery and unable to process more.

Needles Outpost is a privately owned business operating completely off-grid. The campground is right outside the entrance of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.  Proprietors Amber and Caleb have owned Needles Outpost since inheriting the business from a close personal friend a few years ago. They can accommodate both RVs and tents as well as specialty listings such as teepees, glamping tents, and tentsile tents in the trees. The specialty listings are found on both Hipcamp and Airbnb.

This is the Wild, Raw, Dirty Desert

Needles Outpost campground fits perfectly into my idea of a great nature RV site – rugged and yet -with WiFi – if you park near the office. It’s warm and with no hook-ups, however, so we use the generator to cool the RV for our afternoon siesta.

Before dinner, we explore the grounds as is our custom. As night fell, we could hear coyotes in the distance. Red dust seemed to cling to us and find its way into our little RV apartment no matter my best efforts to keep it tidy.

Cleo was rescued by FurEver Friendz, Inc. in Spring Hill, Fla. This great local rescue raises money to fund their work re-homing and getting medical attention to sick pups. If you are enjoying this blog, please consider making a donation in Cleo’s honor.