Dirt Roads & No Coffee

City of Rocks to Great Basin National Park

Related campgrounds: Baker Creek, Cathedral Gorge, Grey Cliffs, Smoky Mountain, Wheeler Peak, Upper Lehman Creek

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.