Using HipCamp’s Roadtrip feature to get from Denver to Los Angeles
Screenshot of Hipcamp’s Roadtrip feature on desktop.
I’ve been using Hipcamp since 2018. It’s how I’ve found hidden patches of land where someone lets you sleep under the stars for a few bucks. You avoid the crowds, the “campground full” signs, and the elbow-to-elbow picnic tables. I had seen their “Roadtrip” feature floating around the app, but I had never used it. Until our plans fell apart.
We were heading from Denver to Los Angeles. The usual route through Utah looked good until two wildfires, Forsyth and France Canyon, started the week of our travels. No containment. Not worth this risk. We needed a new plan.
Planning a new route
Screenshot of Watch Duty fire maps in Utah taken on July 1, 2025.
If you’ve ever tried to book a traditional campgrounds days before the weekend, you know a particular feeling of shame. Every National Park ad Forest Service site was booked solid through the weekend. This was expected. I opened the Hipcamp app, switched from “Destination” to “Roadtrip,” and started exploring Hipcamp listings along a new route on the map. Utah was out. Arizona was in.
The “Add a Stop” feature let me reroute our entire road trip through southern Colorado and into the Arizona desert. This feature only works on the app. Not desktop. Learn from my confusion.
Night One: Salida, Colorado
We left Denver a day early to break up the drive. Salida was the first stop. Three hours on the road. Just enough time to shake off the city without pushing into nightfall.
We booked Tent Site 3 at Monarch Spur RV & Campground. Furthest from the others. Tucked near the South Arkansas River. We passed RVs, a laundry room, and the bathrooms before reaching our patch of dirt. A fishing pond and direct access to a trail along the river were right there. So were the mosquitoes. And a field mouse picking flowers beside our table. A solid start.
Luckily we treated our go-to camping gear with Permethrin Insect Repellent and use Picaridin Repellent Lotion or OFF! Insect Repellent when needed.
We cooked dinner, cleaned up, crashed early to the sounds of the river.
View of the South Arkansas River from the trail with direct access to our campsite. Photo by David Wong.
One small mistake
I set an alarm for sunrise, but my phone died overnight. The alarm didn’t go off. We realized that we slept in and shrugged it off. It felt silly since that was completely avoidable with our new Anker SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station and even wrote a blog post about it. Oh well.
We made coffee and breakfast and continued to pack up. Still feeling good.
One big mistake
After moving the car off our ALL-TOP Mini Traction Recovery Boards, I tossed the keys on the front seat. Shut the door. Walked to the hatch. Locked. Tried the driver’s side. Locked. Looked at Hannah. Her keys were in the car.
First time ever locking myself out of the car. I have no idea how it happened. But it happened. And now it’s on the checklist: always keep the keys on you.
Of all the gear and redundancy plans we have in place, like a NOCO Boost GB40: 1000A UltraSafe Jump Starter in case our car battery dies, and an Anker SOLIX C1000 Portable Power Station in case the NOCO dies, locking myself out of our car was never a thought that crossed my mind.
At least I had my phone in my pocket. Win. Phone still dead? L. Zero service? Of course.
Saved by the host
The campground office was open, so we made the walk of shame over from our site. I explained the situation like a kid who broke the neighbor’s window. The staff handed me a charger and let me borrow their phone and Wi-Fi. Two locksmiths didn’t answer their “24/7” lines. Then our Hipcamp host went digging around and found a business card. Mr. K Lock & Key. Kory answered. Said he’d be there in an hour.
We waited by the pond, watched other campers reel in some fish, and continued packing up what was left at our site. Not a terrible way to kill time. Kory showed up early. Got us back in within minutes. Made a spare key and didn’t charge extra. If you ever get locked out in San Luis Valley, this guy is your ticket home.
The business card for our locksmith that the Hipcamp host had on site.
Night Two: Ash Fork, Arizona
Back on the road. We rolled through Pagosa Springs and past the Four Corners Monument. Into New Mexico for a moment, then into Arizona. Southwest Colorado was beautiful. The kind of place that makes you want to pull over every five minutes. If we hadn’t been behind schedule, we would’ve stopped at Mesa Verde, Treasure Falls, or any of the Navajo trading posts in Arizona along the way.
We arrived at A Spark in the Dark Campground well after dark. I messaged the host through the Hipcamp app ahead of arriving and they offered us a site near the gate for an easy setup. We were exhausted. We accepted.
We originally booked the “Drive to Your Site” option, which lets you explore and pick any spot on 40 acres. There were also “Hike to Your Site” and “Park & Snooze” choices. The host clearly understands what the people want.
We followed the dirt road to the gate. Leveled the car. Popped the rooftop tent. Inflated the mattress. Set up the iPad. Ate a quiet dinner. Skipped the heated blanket. Warm night, open windows. Coyotes howled and barked in the distance like they owned the place. They probably did.
A Porta Potty Worth Talking About
On the door someone had written “Stinky but clean :)” which felt honest. Inside was something else. A small Bluetooth speaker playing music just loud enough so that you couldn’t hear it from outside. Notes from the host scribbled on the walls. A guestbook on a tiny shelf. I’ve used every kind of bathroom outdoors, but this one stuck with me. It was weird. It was personal. It was kind of perfect.
A personalized porta potty in the middle of the desert with a speaker playing music under the stars while you’re just stopping for the night is a new kind of vibe.
Next stop: Los Angeles, CA
We didn’t set alarms for our next morning. We slept in. The desert sun blinded me in my sleep and warmed the tent, letting us know it was time to move.
We hit the road listening to Betrayal Season 4. Followed by Season 2. Wild stuff.
By evening, we were pulling into Los Angeles. Hot showers and clean clothes. Welcomed by family with a perfect coastal dinner of crab cakes, grilled corn, herb salad with granola, and fresh watermelon.
Final Thoughts
Things go wrong. They always do. Fires burn. Alarms fail. Keys get locked in the car. But this trip reminded me that even a last-minute scramble can turn into something worth remembering.
Thanks to Hipcamp’s Roadtrip feature and a few good humans along the way, we found our rhythm in the middle of a questionably sober drum circle. If you’re driving long-distance, want more than a motel with buzzing lights and sticky floors, and have a specific route in mind, this feature is worth using.
You won’t get perfection. But you might get something better. Coyotes under the stars. A musical porta potty. A spare key from a stranger named Kory.
Not a bad way to travel.
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