We've been living and traveling full-time in our EarthRoamer for over a year now, and we've slept in a lot of places. RV parks. State park campgrounds. A couple of Harvest Host spots. And yes, plenty of those fine-and-good overnight pulls. But a handful of camps have been something else entirely and have really stuck with us.

These are five of them.

We use OnX Maps for almost all of our route planning and camp-finding. It's genuinely one of the most useful tools we have — showing land ownership, dispersed camping zones, and road conditions before we ever leave the pavement. Everything in this list started with a pin.

Above Hood River, Oregon: The Campsite That Ruined All Other Views

We had actually scoped this spot out ahead of time, but it felt like a bit of a gamble. We didn’t know if the gate would be open, or if someone would already be there. But it sat right off a network of bike trails, and we had a feeling the views might be worth the effort. We made our way up the forest road, not totally sure if it was going to pan out, but boy oh boy did it. Mount Hood in one direction, Mount Adams in the other, and views of the valley below for miles.

It ended up being even better than we expected. We rode straight from camp, hung out longer than we planned, and didn’t feel much of a pull to leave.

If you're routing through the Columbia River Gorge, don't just pass through Hood River to refuel and keep moving. Get up high into the forest because the views up there are the kind that recalibrate your expectations for everything that follows.

Fishlake National Forest, Utah: Fall Colors That Rewired Our Brains

We had just come off the Rimrocker and needed to shift gears a bit. The weather wasn’t lining up with what we had planned next, and we still hadn’t really hit the fall colors we’d been hoping for. So we pivoted and headed toward Fishlake.

What we found was mile after mile of golden aspen groves cut through by deep-green pine. Fishlake offered some of the best dispersed campsites we've ever seen — tucked into trees, backed up against ridgelines, completely empty, and fall colors that had our jaws on the floor.

10/10 fall color experience. If you're anywhere in the Southwest in October, Fishlake belongs on the list.

Grant Lake, Eastern Sierra (California): The Reward at the End of a Rugged Trail

If you haven't been to Bodie Ghost Town, it's worth the trip on its own — one of the best-preserved (or rather, best-arrested) ghost towns in the American West. The buildings are held in a state of “arrested decay,” which means nothing's been restored, just stabilized. You walk the streets and the old assay office still looks like the staff just stepped out for lunch about 150 years ago. It's eerie and beautiful and genuinely worth the off-highway detour off Highway 395.

After that, we kept going and took a rugged trail out of the ghost town area and pushed toward Grant Lake, a high-altitude alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada. The trail required some navigation and a bit of nerve. When we reached the water, we were rewarded with off-grid quiet, sweeping Sierra views, and the particular satisfaction of earning a campsite. You could see the snowline on the peaks from where we parked. The lake caught the alpenglow just before dark.

If you're running Highway 395 through California (and you should be), it's one of the greatest drives in the country. Budget time to get off the main line. Bodie and Grant Lake together make one of the best single-day excursions we've done.

Rimrocker Trail, Colorado/Utah: Our Hardest Camp to Reach (and Worth Every Mile)

The Rimrocker Trail runs roughly from Telluride, Colorado to Moab, Utah — a mix of rocky climbs, shelf roads, creek crossings, and stretches of canyon country so dramatic you have to remind yourself to watch the trail instead of the view. It was our hardest off-road push to date in the EarthRoamer, and we learned more about this rig in a few days than we had in all the months prior.

The remote campsites along the Rimrocker are something else. Given that we wanted to drive a little further that first day we ended up at a campsite that wasn’t spectacular, but we passed campsites that we’ve marked and will 100% go back to because despite not sleeping there, they were some of the best dispersed spots we’ve come across.

The trail is challenging. It's not something to attempt without scouting conditions and knowing you and your rig's limits. It's one of the most satisfying things we've done out here and gave us the confidence to keep trying even harder trails.

Animas Forks, Colorado: High Alpine Camps Worth Slowing Down For

Just below Animas Forks Ghost Town, the road drops into a valley where a handful of dispersed campsites are tucked out of view. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. From the main road, you wouldn’t expect much, but once you dip down into those spots, the whole landscape opens up.

There are only a few sites, spaced out enough that you don’t feel on top of anyone. Each one sits low in the valley with a clear view out toward the surrounding peaks. It’s one of those setups

It’s not hard to get to, especially compared to other trails in the area, but a spot that made us wonder how it wasn’t completely packed. Easily one of the more memorable camps we’ve had.

The Common Thread

Every camp on this list came from a moment when we were willing to get off the main road, go a little farther, or make a left turn that wasn't on the original plan. We're still adding to this list. Every month out here brings at least one campsite that earns a “we have to remember this one” conversation. We'll keep documenting them as we go.

5 Wild Camps Across the American West We Still Dream About