Today we camp at Chiricahua National Monument - in the southeast portion of Arizona. At Bonita Canyon Campground, we tour the facility, explore the Visitor Center, and show you what it is like camping in this remote but stunning area of Arizona. Bonita Canyon Campground is located within Chiricahua National Monument. The campground offers 25 sites as well as one group site. Due to the remoteness of the campgrounds, ground fires are not permitted, however, standing grills are included on every site for cooking purposes. The open season at Bonita Canyon Campground runs from early October to early July, closing for summer months during monsoon season when flooding is potential. There are some tricky areas to navigate within the campgrounds and as such RVs, motorhomes, and trailers are limited to a length of 29 feet. The campground has no nearby general store and the nearest town of Willcox, AZ is approximately 37 miles away so it is best to be prepared and bring supplies on your way in. Bonita Canyon Campground is located in bear and mountain lion country. Food, utensils, cooking appliances, pet items, coolers, and scented items must be stored when not in use. If campers arrive in a closed hard-sided vehicle, that may be used to store items or campers should use the National Park Service storage containers which are provided at every site.

Chiricahua National Monument is one of our favorite places in the American Southwest, if not the entire world. It is a mesmerizing land of "standing up rocks", as the native people call them. It is often referred to as a "wonderland of rocks". It truly is just that! In order to fully experience the beautiful landscape of Chiricahua and get up close and personal with the hundreds of rock spires, or "hoodoos", as they are often called, you will need to hike into the heart of the wilderness area. On a recent trip to Chiricahua, we hiked almost every trail in the park with the exception of a few and experienced most of what Chiricahua has to offer. We felt that the Heart of Rocks Loop trail represents the best of Chiricahua. It certainly contains many of the most famous, named rock formations, such as "The Old Maid", "Thor's Hammer", "Punch and Judy", and "The Kissing Rocks". In addition to some of these more well-known formations, hiking the Heart of Rocks loop will immerse you within one of the densest collections of beautiful rock spires in the park. You truly will feel like you are at the heart of it all when you hike this iconic trail. Not only will you get to walk deep within the hoodoos, but this trail also offers several beautiful views of Chiricahua from pretty high up. You will be able to see out to the desert beyond Chiricahua and get a good feel of why Chiricahua is referred to as a "sky island". You will also see some great views of the park from other angles. The only way to experience the Heart of Rocks is to hike to it. It is not accessible by vehicle. There are multiple trailheads you can begin from, and multiple ways you can configure a hike. We included this destination as part of a larger hike known as the "Big Loop", which we will be releasing another video on soon on that. But for those looking for a more casual experience, you can hike to Heart of Rocks from the visitor center, taking the Lower Rhyolite Trail to the Sarah Deming Trail, to the Heart of Rocks Loop trailhead, and then back the way you came. If you don't want to do an out-and-back hiking experience, you could also consider catching a daily hiker shuttle from the visitor center at 9:00 AM that will take you to the top of the park, so you can configure a hike through one of several trails down to Heart of Rocks, for a mainly downhill experience. No matter how you do it, if you have never visited Chiricahua, and especially if you are not sure you will have a chance to return and it is a once in a lifetime experience for you, we feel strongly that the Heart of Rocks loop should be the focal point of your Chiricahua itinerary.

McWilliams Campground, near Las Vegas, offers a cool forested retreat with Ponderosa pines and Yosemite-like scenery. Further along, Rhyolite's ruins and nearby Goldwell Open Air Museum showcase Nevada’s gold rush history and surreal art. The adventure begins at the McWilliams Campground, nestled in the Spring Mountains just northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sitting at an elevation of over 8,000 feet, this serene forested oasis offers a cool escape from the sweltering desert heat below. Ponderosa pines tower over the campground, filling the air with their sweet, vanilla-like aroma. The rugged gray peaks in the background evoke a Yosemite-like ambiance, creating a stark contrast to the bustling Las Vegas Strip just a short drive away. For campers, McWilliams provides spacious, well-maintained sites, complete with unique fire rings and paved areas. Whether you’re seeking a peaceful retreat or a staging ground for high-altitude exploration, this site captures the quiet beauty of Nevada’s wilderness. Further along the journey lies the ghost town of Rhyolite, a relic of Nevada's gold rush era. Founded in the early 1900s, Rhyolite was once a bustling hub supported by the Montgomery Shoshone Mine and the investments of Charles Schwab. Today, visitors can explore its iconic ruins, including the Cook Bank Building and the railroad station, which once symbolized the town’s brief but ambitious rise. Nearby, the Goldwell Open Air Museum offers a surreal juxtaposition of art and history, featuring sculptures like "The Last Supper" and a prospector accompanied by a whimsical penguin. Together, Rhyolite and its surroundings paint a vivid picture of the highs and lows of Nevada's mining boom, offering an unforgettable stop on the road to Death Valley.

Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona, is one of the most iconic geographical features of the landscape. It offers excellent hiking, amazing scenic views, and an opportunity for visitors to seek the mystical energy of a vortex. Today we put on our hiking shoes and set out to explore more of Sedona, Arizona and see if we could experience one thing Sedona is well known for - vortexes! We headed out to Bell Rock for a nice morning hike, stopped to take in some amazing views, conducted a few small experiments, talk about some vortex information we found on our research and overall had a really fantastic day! Bell Rock is a popular attraction in Sedona. The roughly 1.5 miles out and back trail is considered a relatively easy hike along the northern face of the butte. While cairns mark the trail, many can be seen climbing up the rock face elsewhere and finding their own personal space. Visitors may climb as high as they feel comfortable; there isn't a bad view anywhere. Vortexes are thought to be an area of concentrated energy where electromagnetic ley lines intersect. It is believed that there are different types of vortexes - feminine, or magnetic/downflow energy, useful for introspective reflection; masculine, or electrical/upflow energy, useful for increasing intentions and resolve; and balanced, which are thought to be a combination of the two. Meditation and self-reflection are often common goals for people visiting Sedona vortexes.

We roll from Yellowstone into Grand Teton for another CampVue filming day! A stop at Headwaters Campground, scenic glimpses of the Tetons, and more behind-the-scenes campground work. 🏕️⛰️ In this episode, we leave Yellowstone behind and head a little farther south into Grand Teton National Park, continuing the behind-the-scenes rhythm of our CampVue filming days. It’s a shorter travel segment but packed with those satisfying moments of crossing into a new landscape — forests opening up, mountains shifting shape, and the Tetons slowly revealing themselves on the horizon. Our first task of the day: checking into Headwaters Campground at Flagg Ranch, our home base for this leg of the journey. We show the layout, the vibe, and the surroundings before getting back on the road to film the NPS-run campgrounds throughout the Grand Teton area. Between work stops, we grab brief but beautiful views of the Grand Teton range, those jagged peaks slashing the skyline in a way that never really feels real. Even these quick glances remind us why this park has such a gravitational pull. It’s a quieter episode — more focused on the road, the work behind CampVue, and that slow shift from one legendary national park into the next. But sometimes those are the days that feel the most grounding.

We explore Virginia City, Montana — a perfectly preserved gold rush town where history lives on through its storefronts, museums, and the charm of the Fairweather Inn. In this episode, we continue our exploration of Montana’s storied mining towns with a visit to Virginia City — once the heart of Montana’s Gold Rush and now a beautifully preserved time capsule of the 19th century. We stroll up and down the historic main street, peering into the old storefronts and museums that still tell the story of a bustling frontier town frozen in time. Through the glass of weathered windows, displays recreate the daily life of miners, merchants, and townsfolk who once chased fortune in these rugged hills. As in neighboring Nevada City, Charles Bovey’s preservation efforts again take center stage — his dedication to saving these structures from decay allowing us to walk through history instead of just reading about it. Each creaking board and faded sign feels like an echo of those who came before. After a long day of exploration, we check into the Fairweather Inn, a historic lodging that still welcomes guests in true old-west fashion. It’s the perfect way to end the day — surrounded by history, quiet streets, and the feeling that we’ve stepped back more than a century in time. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to walk through a living museum, Virginia City offers that rare experience — part ghost town, part preservation triumph, and entirely captivating.

Valley of Fire State Park has many nooks and crannies off the beaten path for the visitor to explore and enjoy. I discovered one such place, full of interesting and colorful rock formations, behind Parking Lot #1 off of White Domes Road. If you've been to Valley of Fire State Park, perhaps you've stopped at a parking area off of White Domes Road simply named, Parking Lot #1. There is a sign there describing some of the common plants in the area, and a beautiful vista with small sandstone domes, beehive-like formations, and colorful rusty-red mountains in the background. You may have also noticed hundreds of footprints in the sand behind the lot hinting that there might be something to see in the region beyond the parking lot. This video explores that area, most likely more deeply than the average adventurer would be willing to do. What we discovered back there was some of the widest range of color present in the sandstone than most any other place in the park that we know about. You will also see some very unique rock formations and exquisite geometric patterns in the stones. One of our particular favorites is a small sandstone arch we found that was striped and layered. For whatever reason, this area really called to me. I visited it around three or four times while there, and this video represents one of my last adventures back there when I decided to dig a little deeper. So glad I did!

Welcome to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and the Gila National Forest. You may not realize it yet, but if you are planning a visit here, you'll soon find out that this is a remote and hard to get to location. Not for technical reasons, as the road is good and well paved... but simply due to there only being one way in and one way out, and it takes about 2 hours of driving each way. So, we think the best way to visit here is to include an overnight stay at one of the nearby campgrounds like Upper Scorpion or Lower Scorpion Campgrounds. Both are within walking distance of the cliff dwellings trailhead too! And perhaps best of all, both are free!. They are first come, first served, and may fill up at prime times, although during our stay, they had plenty of vacancy. Just note they are both rustic sites, with sparse amenities. This video will give you a tour of both, and we'll look at every single site on foot, so you know where to focus when you arrive. Chances are with this video, you'll learn exactly which site suits you best!

Welcome back to our 2025 Campvue Northern Tour on the Cactus Atlas. In this episode, we continue our journey through the forests of Montana, following scenic dirt roads north toward the Canadian border. Along the way, we stop to admire crystal-clear creeks, mountain views stretching toward Glacier National Park, and the quiet beauty of the Flathead National Forest. After reaching the border area, we make a stop at the legendary Polebridge Mercantile for one of their world-famous huckleberry bear claws — the perfect treat to end a long day of exploration. We return to Big Creek Campground, where the evening calm and riverside views wrap up our time in this unforgettable part of Montana. Be sure to catch up on previous episodes of our Northern Tour if you missed them — there’s plenty more scenery, history, and adventure to enjoy.

Hole in the Rock Road winds through Utah’s remote desert, leading adventurers to stunning sites like the surreal Cosmic Ashtray, the unique rock formations of Devil's Garden, and the historic Batty Pass Caves. Hole in the Rock Road is an iconic, rugged backcountry route that takes explorers deep into Utah’s Escalante Desert. Originally blazed by Mormon pioneers in the late 1800s, this unpaved road now invites adventurers to discover some of the area’s most unique and remote attractions. Stretching over 60 miles, Hole in the Rock Road is surrounded by sweeping vistas, colorful desert formations, and landmarks that offer a fascinating look into both natural and human history. Along the journey, visitors can hike to incredible sites like the Cosmic Ashtray, a surreal, crater-like sandstone formation that appears almost alien in its design, carved by millennia of wind and water erosion. Further along, Devil’s Garden showcases a striking collection of sandstone hoodoos, arches, and towers that feel like stepping into a natural sculpture garden, offering plenty of opportunities for exploration and photography. The Batty Pass Caves add a touch of mystery; these man-made caves, carved into the cliffs, were used by the Batty family as a unique homestead in the early 20th century. Hole in the Rock Road is more than just a drive—it’s an adventure that promises solitude, spectacular scenery, and a glimpse into the past. Its many side trails lead to secluded wonders, perfect for those seeking to explore Utah’s lesser-known desert marvels.

A bumpy dirt road, no coffee in sight, and tiny towns flashing by as we cross northwest Utah toward Great Basin National Park. We land an incredible campsite, then head toward Weaver Peak to film CampVue and catch our first jaw-dropping views. In this episode, we finally leave City of Rocks National Reserve and begin the long push toward Great Basin National Park. The route takes us along sometimes bumpy dirt roads, cutting across the northwest corner of Utah through wide-open country and tiny towns that seem to disappear as quickly as they appear. With no luck finding coffee in Almo before setting off, the search for caffeine becomes a running joke as we roll through near-empty stretches of road, soaking in the quiet and isolation of this part of the West. It’s a travel day defined by movement, small moments, and the humor that comes from unmet expectations. We eventually arrive at our campground near Great Basin National Park and quickly realize we may have landed one of the best campsites of the entire 2025 CampVue Northern Tour. After getting set up, we head out toward Weaver Peak to continue filming for CampVue, where we’re rewarded with our first real glimpse of the stunning landscape that defines this region. This episode marks the transition from travel to discovery, setting the stage for what’s to come in Great Basin.

Ever wonder what it would be like to camp on a slightly terraformed Martian Landscape? If so, we've got something for you! At Valley of Fire State Park, with very little imagination, you can live out your dreams of spending a night on the red planet. Or at the very least, your dreams of camping in an iconic desert landscape. In today's episode we venture off to explore a park in a new state for us - Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada! We stay at Arch Rock Campground and tour the area, provide a review of our campsite as well as visit many of the other sites to give you an idea of what camping is like in this natural wonder. Valley of Fire is unlike any other location one could possibly visit on planet Earth. With its Mars-like rock structures and breathtaking striped sandstone, there is a lot to explore! Camping at Valley of Fire provides a chance to be truly enveloped by the landscape and sleep up close to history. Two campgrounds offer this opportunity for visitors - Arch Rock Campground and Atlatl Rock Campground. Arch Rock Campground is the more primitive campground of the two - offering 29 sites butted up against deep red sandstone providing plenty of privacy. Each site has its own potable water source, tent pad, a stand-up barbeque grill in addition to a fire ring, and covered picnic tables. The campground features dry camping so it has vault toilets rather than flushing toilets and no showers. However, the nearby Atlatl Rock Campground is more developed and offers amenities for use by campers at Arch Rock. Each site can accommodate tents, trailers, campers, or RVs. Arch Rock Campground does not, however, provide RV hookups but there is a dump station.