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Stealth van living in SLC from Aug to Nov?

Original Post
Jerimiah Gentry · · Eugene, or · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50

Hello peoples:

Traveling climbing couple ISO our next destination. I am a travel ER nurse and next contract will be from mid Aug to Mid Nov. Considering SLC for there are many contracts and lots of rock crimbing.

First of all: Is Aug-Nov a good season for climbing in SLC area? Looks like lots of the climbing is higher in elevation. It's seems like there are lots of crags "close" to SLC?

Is it feasible to live in a van in or near SLC?

Thank you,

Jerimiah & Tiffany

Name · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 25

SLC has great climbing that time of year. Van living in the valley would be tough though. Think KOA or Walmart parking lot. If you were willing to commute 30 minutes or more you might find something west out by Tooele or east past Park City area. Short term apartment or house would be way easier in SLC.

a.l. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2008 · Points: 5

I used to do the low profile van living thing in Salt Lake for weeks at a time as a way to pocket per diem when we were working in the area. It is doable, but never going to be super convenient. There are huge parking lots, especially around the Union Park area, that were fairly quiet and unmonitered. For awhile there were a few of us occasionally van camping in the Black Diamond parking lot and we never got hassled-we just made an effort to be up and out of the lot before the day shift showed up-that may have changed by now.
I also used to park on streets on the east side occasionally, but I was super low-profile (curtains pulled,lights off, no doggy, etc.) and always up and gone early to work or play.

Fall is the best time for climbing around SLC as far as I'm concerned. By September temps will start to drop and fall days in the canyons are unbeatable.

Donovan Allen · · Soft Lake City · Joined May 2012 · Points: 356

Jeremiah, the weather will just be cooling off in August and than its tits. Feel free to hit me up if you ever need to use an actual shower. I'm sure the roommates wouldn't mind if you camped outside our house for a bit. Also overflow parking lot by ferguson could be doable for a few days. Shouldn't be too hard once you find that gypsy rhythm. There are many parking lots and if you have out of state plates you can plead ignorance. Pm if you need any more stealth spots.
-Dono

Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711
DoNstamos wrote:Also overflow parking lot by ferguson could be doable for a few days. Shouldn't be too hard once you find that gypsy rhythm. There are many parking lots and if you have out of state plates you can plead ignorance. Pm if you need any more stealth spots. -Dono
I wouldn't suggest that Ferguson lot...as tough as it was for parking there for years for climbers. The residents keep an eye on overnight traffic there. Trail is closed from 10pm to 6am.
ddriver · · SLC · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 2,084

There are tons of opportunities for van camping I would think with all the canyons, trail head lots, and parks in the area. Should be easy so long as you don't get too attached to one spot.

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
ddriver wrote:There are tons of opportunities for van camping I would think with all the canyons, trail head lots, and parks in the area. Should be easy so long as you don't get too attached to one spot.
Most of those are very heavily patrolled/observed. Many of the trailheads are in residential neighborhoods. The canyons are particularly sensitive due to watershed concerns, which is why dogs aren't allowed in LCC or BCC.
John Butler · · Tonopah, NV · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 115

If the Uintas are in scope, there is some "dispersed" camping available on Mirror Lake highway. Its free. Mostly just use existing privative campsites and don't stay more than two weeks in one place.
And if you move your van someone else will likely snap up you spot.

See rules here : fs.usda.gov/activity/uwcnf/….

madskates · · Oakley, UT · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 140

Base of the cottonwoods is good, but my favorite is the foothill walmart parking lot. Both are pretty good. Hope that helps you out.

Andrew Gram · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,725

What do you mean base of the cottonwoods? you'll certainly get a ticket in the park and ride lots at the base of the cottonwoods. i wouldn't even consider trying to van camp at a trailhead or anywhere in the cottonwoods, ferguson, mill creek, etc. Wal Mart is your best bet without a really long drive.

webdog · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 0

Well you're not really stealth if you're asking on the interwebs...

B Jolley · · Utah · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 172

I would think you could easily get away with living in van in SLC. Your a nurse, park at hospitals. I live near a hospital and I frequently see RV's and vans parked in the parking lot for extended stays. You could move your van every other day from one hospital to the next.

The climbing in Aug-Nov is great, Aug is still pretty hot, temps start dropping in Sept as we get closer to winter. More enough crags within 30 min of SLC to keep you busy during your time here.

Alicia Sokolowski · · Brooklyn, NY · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 1,781
webdog wrote:Well you're not really stealth if you're asking on the interwebs...
I thought MP was part of the Darknet?
Jerimiah Gentry · · Eugene, or · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50
Alicia Sokolowski wrote: I thought MP was part of the Darknet?
Oh no I thought I was using TOR! I guess I shouldn't have purchased all that black tar heroin and robot/sea otter porn in the WANTED/FOR SALE section. C'est la vie.
Jerimiah Gentry · · Eugene, or · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50

+100000000 for MntProj!

A digression:

As we've sought our next destination, Mountain Project - the community in particular - has been so helpful. It's amazing how in the upper level, most public sections of the internet strangers can be so spectacularly retched to each other, but in some corners total strangers are so freaking helpful. Thank you! I was first on the internet in 1993 through BBSes and one of the first Freenets. MntProj reminds me a bit of that.

Ok, so this is very useful! We may wind up in Seattle (for combined reasons besides climbing) but SLC will be in our future. Is the Spring nice?

ddriver · · SLC · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 2,084

duh

Jerimiah Gentry · · Eugene, or · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50

Fair enough. Some places are impressively windy and/or rainy in the Spring.

Ryan Hamilton · · Orem · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 5

Spring is a crapshoot here. This year we had a totally dry Winter/Early Spring, then it just started raining for 3 strait weeks. Last year the Spring climbing was great, and 2-3 years ago we had snowstorms constantly until late May.

Andrew Gram · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,725

The Wasatch is usually nice in the spring. This year has been weird - sunny and beautiful from January to early April, then cold and rainy until early June, and hotter than hell ever since. Even the desert got pounded by rain this spring, which is very unusual.

The nice thing about Salt Lake is that by moving up or down a few thousand feet or driving a few hours to the desert, you can just about always find somewhere in good condition.

madskates · · Oakley, UT · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 140
Andrew Gram wrote:What do you mean base of the cottonwoods? you'll certainly get a ticket in the park and ride lots at the base of the cottonwoods. i wouldn't even consider trying to van camp at a trailhead or anywhere in the cottonwoods, ferguson, mill creek, etc. Wal Mart is your best bet without a really long drive.
Not sure what you mean get a ticket, I spent a couple weeks sleeping in the lcc parking lot in my car. Overnight parking is allowed this time of year till nov.
builttospill · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 0

There is also (well, 5 years ago) free camping in American Fork Canyon that would generally be closer than going to the Uintas. There might be a stay limit, can't remember.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern Utah & Idaho
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