Written by Rex Vogel, RVing with Rex explores North America one meaningful place at a time through destination guides, history, slow travel, and thoughtful storytelling. Drawing on years of RV travel and firsthand experience, the site helps readers move beyond simply seeing places to truly experiencing them.
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As we approach the New Year, RVingwithrex.com would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. To celebrate the past year, here are the most popular articles from 2024.
1. Quartzsite: Here’s the 2024 QZ Show Schedule
Every January something happens that is hard to believe—unless you have seen it.
The winter season is go time in Quartzsite. With winter temperatures hovering in the 70s, people flock to Quartzsite from colder climates to relish the warm weather and fascinating shopping. Thousands of vendors gather during these months to showcase items ranging from rocks, gems, and minerals to jewelry, apparel, home decor, and more.
2. The Ultimate RV Travel Bucket List: 51 Best Places to Visit in North America
Are you looking for travel bucket list ideas for your next RV trip? Running out of ideas or looking for fresh ones? From epic classics to exciting newcomers, we have selected the 51 most amazing places to visit or things to do in the U.S. and Canada. Of course, there are many more than 51 places worth visiting.
3. 2024 CDC Dog Import Rules Impact RVers Crossing the Border with Dogs
Are you and your dog RVing to Alaska this summer? Are you a Canadian who snowbirds with your dog in the U.S. Sunbelt? Or an American RVer who visits Mexico with their dog? A new Dog Import Rule by the Centers for Disease Control is about to make your trip more complicated.
Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco and as RVers we also get to fall in love with attractive destinations and off-beat attractions. No matter where you love to roam, the U.S. and Canada have many spectacular road trips and terrific destinations.
5. UNWRITTEN Rules for Overnight RV Parking at Truck Stops
What every RVer NEEDS TO KNOW about rules and proper etiquette for parking overnight at truck stops.
Is it okay to park your RVs overnight at truck stops? Technically, yes, it is okay, BUT only if you follow these UNWRITTEN rules. These rules may be UNWRITTEN but an angry truck driver will be more than willing to shout them at you. Or worse, show you!
Of course, most truck drivers are kind and patient and will either tolerate any UNWRITTEN rule or nicely ask you to address the issue. But you don’t want them to have to do that nor do you want to push anyone beyond their patience level. The key is respect!
California and five other states have a controversial regulation in place that will effectively ban the sale of most large motorhomes starting January 1, 2025. How could this happen?
Looking to buy a new diesel motorhome? If you live in one of six states, you may find you can’t. A new air quality regulation issued in California has effectively slammed the door on new diesel motorhome sales, not just in California, but in five other states as well. The other states are Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.
7. The Complete Guide to Arizona Spring Training (Cactus League)
Are you a baseball fan who is craving a warm weather getaway? Then you need to check out spring training in Arizona—aka, the Cactus League.
A spring training trip is the perfect excuse to watch your favorite baseball team play a few no-stress games all while enjoying an amazing RV road trip somewhere warm and sunny while you’re at it. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
It’s every baseball lover’s dream and this Complete Guide to Arizona Baseball Spring Training will help you plan the perfect getaway to sunny Phoenix without a hitch.
8. When you need to get out of the Phoenix Heat, Cool off with These Getaways
When you’ve had it with 100+ degrees, plan a trip to one of these cooler destinations.
Summer is so hot in Phoenix. You’re desperate to escape. But … you are out of ideas.
If you need inspiration on where to flee the oppressive triple-digit temperatures, you’ve come to the right place. All of these destinations can be done in a recreational vehicle.
Here are six cool getaways, complete with mileage from central Phoenix and typical summer temps. (Don’t blame us if you hit traffic.)
For many RVers, having a reliable internet connection while camping is crucial. Here’s what you need to know to find the best RV Wi-Fi solution for you.
10. UNWRITTEN Rules for Overnight RV Parking at Cracker Barrel
Parking overnight at Cracker Barrel is a great convenience for RVers looking for a free place to park for the night. However, there are UNWRITTEN rules every RVers should follow.
If you’re dreaming of where to travel to experience it all, here are my picks for the best places to RV in January
And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.
—Rainer Maria Rilke
Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke found his resolve for a new year while standing on a rooftop. In a letter to his wife, Clara, Rilke described the first morning of 1907 as shining “from a brand-new, never used year.”
He’d taken a walk the night before observing “an earth of moonlight, of moon shadow, that keeps still while with strange meaningfulness New Year’s midnight strikes.” In a pensive mood, the author of Letters to a Young Poet chose to climb up above the streets of Capri, Italy, to seek a more expansive view. “I had gone back again to my little house and stood up on its roof and wanted to see a good end in all that and to find a good beginning in myself,” he wrote.
Rilke’s rooftop reflection reads almost like a benediction encouraging us to take the time to seek out new perspectives and find the good beginning in ourselves when faced with an untouched year.
Planning an RV trip for a different time of year? Check out my monthly travel recommendations for the best places to travel in November and December. Also check out my recommendations from January 2024 and February 2024.
Although it’s not exactly a lay-out-and-tan kind of beach escape in January, this scenic natural preserve off the coast of Georgia is still warm enough to enjoy leisurely strolls through unspoiled nature. The island doubles as a state park where you can enjoy the mid-60s temperatures as you explore coastal wetlands, spotting rare birds like crested flycatchers and black-and-white warblers.
Birds aren’t the only thing visitors can search for in Jekyll Island as January also brings the traditional two-month treasure hunt. Artisans from across the country design handmade glass orbs and small replicas are hidden in the island’s nooks and crannies. Find one and you can trade it in at the Guest Information Center for the real thing.
The rock pinnacles in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park are magical all year round but the orange pillars or hoodoos are especially otherworldly with a dusting of fresh snow under bluebird skies. Paved roads are open through the winter so you can drive from the visitor center to viewing areas such as Sunset Point, Sunrise Point, or Inspiration Point.
Trails can be icy with snowmelt after a winter storm so be sure to pack traction devices for your waterproof shoes if you plan to hike. Consider the moderate 3-mile Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop for a variety of stunning canyon vistas.
Pro tip: Pack plenty of layers and bring a face covering for cold days. And don’t forget, you’ll want sunscreen for that high-altitude sun too!
Name two U.S. cities that split a national park. You can’t, because there’s only one: Tucson, Arizona. Flanked to the east and west by Saguaro National Park, Tucson offers classic Southwest desert scenes—the saguaro is that iconic, arms-waving cactus that can grow up to 60 feet tall. The city sits in the heart of the Sonoran Desert with five nearby mountain ranges ready for a little open-air, 4WD exploration.
After you’ve got your national park stamp, scout out spots like Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, Catalina State Park, and Madera Canyon. All provide surprisingly lush desert scenes—even waterfalls are possible as on Sabino Canyon’s Seven Falls Trail.
Tucson is the United States’ first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. El Charro Café, the oldest Mexican restaurant in the U.S. and the birthplace of the chimichanga is the obvious spot for gaining a deeper appreciation for this part of the country.
Tip: Tucson houses the headquarters of Dark Sky International. Come nightfall, drive the 27-mile Sky Island Parkway National Scenic Byway to the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory—at the summit of Mt. Lemmon, some 9,150 feet high—to gaze at the cosmos through the region’s largest telescopes.
4. A snowy side of the world-famous canyon few have seen
Arizona’s mighty Grand Canyon is the second-most popular national park in the United States so it’s unsurprisingly one of the top hiking destinations in the National Park System year-round. But despite its immense popularity few hikers realize that the Grand Canyon is an impressive destination for winter hiking.
This isn’t too surprising. After all, the Grand Canyon is located in Arizona, a state hardly known for its snowy weather come wintertime.
But strange as it may sound, the Grand Canyon does get a good deal of snow in the winter months. And these snowy conditions showcase a side of the iconic Grand Canyon that’s much different from its well-known red visage in warmer months.
As beautiful as the canyon is when decked out in snow, the national park is not 100 percent accessible. Sadly, the Grand Canyon North Rim and its many amazing hiking trails are closed in the winter season. But the more popular South Rim remains open year-round and winter hikers can explore the cold-weather side of the canyon on one of the South Rim’s exceptional trails.
Well-known hiking routes like the South Kaibab and Hermit Trails are terrific destinations for hikers to explore the Grand Canyon’s complex winter beauty. And hikers who want a challenge can head over to the 8-mile Grandview Trail for a precarious but rewarding, trek along on rugged paths and steep climbs around the canyon rim.
Some of the best hikes in Texas, according to AllTrails are right in Big Bend National Park. Unfortunately, the park becomes unbearably and dangerously hot as early as May.
The remote national park sees fatalities every year due to heat-related emergencies so avoiding heat stroke and opting for a January or February visit is a popular choice. With temperatures ranging from the low 40s to mid-60s, the exposed terrain of Big Bend is much more comfortable before spring.
The cooler temperatures do nothing to temper the incredible views of the Rio Grande, abandoned mines, and unusual rock formations found along Big Bend National Park’s best hiking trails.
With its desert scenery, hiking trails, rock climbing routes, hidden oases, scenic drives, and trees that look like they have been plucked from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, Joshua Tree National Park is a joy to explore.
Hike the Arch Rock Trail, learn about the plants that thrive in the Mojave Desert on the Cap Rock Nature Trail, see Skull Rock, and go hiking in Hidden Valley. A favorite experience is hiking the Hall of Horrors and searching for the hidden slot canyon.
This national park is located in southern California so even in January, temperatures are relatively warm. Park visitation tends to be high from November through April but crowds thin out just a little bit in January making this month a great time to visit if you want mild temperatures and slightly lower crowds. You can also combine a visit to Joshua Tree with Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Julian, and/or San Diego (all great spots to visit in the winter).
Boasting a population of just about 3,400 residents, Port Aransas is a sleepy fishing village that has served as a nostalgic winter getaway for decades. Port A, as locals call this Texas charmer hosts the non-profit Amos Rehabilitation Keep—whose mission is to rescue and rehabilitate sick or injured birds, turtles, and tortoises found along the South Texas coast before returning them to their native habitat. A visit here may reward you with the sight of the Kemp’s Ridley, the rarest and most endangered sea turtle in the world.
Minutes from town, Mustang Island State Park features beautiful dunes and a large array of wildlife, including deer, sea turtles, and 400 different bird species. For staying, one may opt for Cinnamon Shore, a welcoming beach community where families plot adventures and make long-lasting memories.
Every winter, ocean temperatures plummet rendering the water too cold for manatees. To escape the cold these large mammals migrate up into Crystal River, a natural spring-fed oasis continuously emitting water at 72°F. Finding the temperature just right manatees huddle around the source of the spring by the hundreds. It’s the perfect opportunity to experience one of the coolest things to do in Florida: snorkeling with manatees!
Quartzsite is a small town that welcomes up to two million visitors each winter. Located just 17 miles from the California border at the intersection of I-10 and U.S. Highway 95, Quartzsite has been a rock hound’s paradise since the 1960s. Thousands of acres of dispersed BLM (Bureau of Land Management) camping draws upwards of a million RVing visitors a year. Snowbirds enjoy the warm winters while camping in over 70 RV parks and 11,000 acres of BLM Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) plus five 14-day free dispersed camping areas.
With over a thousand vendors arriving each winter, Quartzsite is also known for its RV and ATV friendly atmosphere. Off Road Vehicle (OHV) trails lead in all directions from town with beautiful desert scenery along the way.
With the influx of RV snowbirds, there’s plenty to do all winter long. Seasonal restaurants, multiple swap meets and shows, gem and mineral shows, live music, OHV trails, art/quilt/arts and craft shows, bingo, rock hounding, gold hunting, gem and mineral classes, dancing, RV show, and more!
Worth Pondering…
Always maintain a kind of summer, even in the middle of winter.
The most dangerous National Park to visit in winter? It’s not Glacier, Denali, or the Grand Canyon.
What is the most dangerous National Park to visit in winter? Put this question to the average person and they might guess avalanche-prone Glacier, towering and windswept Denali, or the treacherous Grand Canyon which is the most dangerous in summer. However, a new survey reveals that the Grand Canyon is the only one of those three to even make the top 10 most dangerous parks in winter list—and has named a quiet California park the most menacing.
According to new findings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are the most dangerous National Park sites to visit during the winter. Located east of Fresno, Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two contiguous National Parks that are managed as one unit.
Together, these parks saw 12.19 deaths per 10 million visitors between 2007 and 2023. That’s a 315 percent higher rate than the national average of 2.94, according to a review of data on all 432 National Park units by Atlanta personal injury lawyers John Foy and Associates.
Of the 22 deaths recorded over 17 years, falls were the most common cause of death accounting for nine fatalities and motor vehicle crashes accounted for a further five. In a single week this May, three people died inside the parks with two climbers succumbing to winter conditions when climbing Mt. Whitney while a third was later killed by rockfall.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Hot Springs National Park are two of the safest locations in the US. However, for several different reasons including dangerous wild animals some national parks in the US are more dangerous than others.
Together, Sequoia and Kings Canyon share many of the same wonders as nearby Yosemite with the largest living tree on the planet and the tallest mountain in the lower 48 but with less than half the number of visitors.
The presence of Mt. Whitney within park boundaries no doubt elevates the parks’ danger level. In addition to the three deaths in May, in October two climbers spent 18 hours dangling on a rope awaiting rescue after making “a series of bad decisions” and last month two unprepared hikers required rescue after waking in their tent to discover their shoes filled with snow.
The National Park Service reminds visitors that you are responsible for your own safety and well-being at the parks.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon aren’t the only California parks to have made the grim list with Death Valley, Yosemite, and Mojave National Preserve all proving among the most dangerous in the colder months. The following are the top 10 most dangerous National Park sites to visit in winter, each with at least four deaths per 10 million visits:
1. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California – 12.19 deaths
This place has a combination of pretty much everything which is why it is vastly more dangerous than any other park. The different areas have different dangers so it is important to be well prepared before visiting.
2. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington – 8.55 deaths
The sheer amount of snow that the mountain generates in the winter can be lead to dangerous situations. Hiking has much lower visibility, tracks can be lost easier, and the snow can simply get too high to travel through. Altitude sickness will also be worse.
3. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada – 6.23 deaths
The water in Lake Mead can be deadly cold during the winter. After falling in, some could fall victim to hypothermia within minutes.
4. Death Valley National Park, California – 5.87 deaths
The quick change from the heat during the day to freezing temperatures in night can lead to hypothermia. It is slightly safer to visit because of the lowered temperatures in the day but it is important to be prepared to either leave on time or bring the correct gear for night.
5. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: 5.45 deaths
The Grand Canyon is one of the most dangerous in the summer. It has a similar issue of ice but also has vastly fluctuating temperatures depending on the time of day.
6. Yosemite National Park, California – 5.23 deaths
Similar to others, an uptick in black ice can make walking trails much more hazardous in the winter. It is extra important not to travel alone incase something happens.
7. Mojave National Preserve, California – 4.36 deaths
One of the main reasons that this is dangerous is simply the unpredictability of the weather in the area. Even if it is fine during the day, the temperature can drop drastically at night. That can make it hard to plan a safe trip.
8. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina – 4.35 deaths
Winter storms can make the ocean more dangerous. It is not recommended to surf here in the winter for this reason despite how great of an area it is in the summer.
9. Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Tennessee – 4.24 deaths
The river area can be dangerous any time of year due to being slippery and wet. The winter adds in the mix of ice and black ice making it even more of a slip hazard.
10. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan – 4.04 deaths
The lakeshore can be dangerous any time of year due to being slippery and wet. The winter adds in the mix of ice and black ice making it even more of a slip hazard.
Sequoia National
56-year-old man passed away at Sequoia National Park after falling 500-feet from Mount Russell
Among the recent deaths include a 56-year-old man from San Jose, California back in 2021. Part of a three-person hiking group, the park visitor fell to his death from the summit ridge of Mount Russell in the park. A misstep caused the hiker to fall 500 feet. His hiking partner also fell at the same time but was able to self-arrest 30 feet below.
The National Park Service writes, “At the time that the call was received, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ Helicopter 552 and other rescuers were already engaged in rescuing an unconscious hiker from the Big Five Lakes area so the search and rescue team and Helicopter 551 from Yosemite National Park responded to the Mount Russell emergency.”
The NPS continued, “The Yosemite technical short-haul team rescued the injured woman from the ledge and transported her to Bishop where she was admitted to the Northern Inyo Hospital. Later, she was transported by air to a hospital in Reno, Nevada where she underwent surgery. Prior to the rescue, the Yosemite team was able to confirm that the 56-year-old man died in the fall. Today, a Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks team retrieved him from the Mount Russell area and he has been transferred to a funeral home.”
A terrible tragedy and yet another fall-related death at the park!
Worth Pondering…
The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.
California motorhome sales ban hinges on upcoming EPA and Supreme Court decisions
Supreme Court hearing could shape future of motorhome sales ban
The Supreme Court and motorhomes? Is there a connection? Possibly, because the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the authority of a California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation. While the regulation is not specific to the one that will effectively shut down the sale of new motorhomes in California, decisions in the case could have a bearing on motorhome sales.
The Supreme Court December 13 ruling to hear the case stems from a decision handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This past April, the lower court essentially ruled that CARB’s Advanced Clean Cars regulations were within the state’s power to be put in force.
In its challenge, Ohio wrote, “The Golden State is not the golden child. Yet in the Clean Air Act, Congress elevated California above all the other States by giving to the Golden State alone the power to pass certain environmental laws.”
The suit challenges the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act. It hinges on whether the agency has the authority to grant waivers that enable California to enforce greenhouse gas emissions limits more stringent than federal regulations.
The lower court ruled that Diamond Alternative Energy, Ohio, and multiple other parties in the suit lacked standing. Because the parties to the lawsuit had no standing to challenge the EPA, the merits of the case were never examined.
The plaintiffs have requested the Supreme Court to decide on both the standing and the merits. However, the Court chose to hear only the standing issue.
Should the Supreme Court rule that the plaintiffs do have standing, the case will go back to the lower court for a hearing. If Diamond Alternative Energy’s case proves true then the CARB regulations specifically Advanced Clean Cars could be thrown out. Should that happen the Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Fleets regulations could be likewise tossed out on precedent. These two are the ones the RV industry now says will effectively shut off the sale of new motorhomes in California and other states.
The Supreme Court and motorhomes decision is definitely an issue up in the air. There’s a lot of “ifs” in this entire equation. A big one says a trucking media group is the lower court’s track record when it comes to the EPA’s lynchpin regulation. Landline writes, “Historically, the D.C. Circuit Court has ruled in favor of the Clean Air Act. If the Supreme Court affirms the lower court’s decision, the case is more or less dead.”
EPA backs California plan to restrict sales of RVs, cars and pickups
Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted California approval to move forward on two regulations. They are sure to hit RVers hard. These regulations are in addition to the rule that some say would effectively ban new motorhome sales. Tow a car? Pull your trailer with a pickup? Hang on these other regulations will put the brakes on. By 2035, sales of these vehicles if not “zero emissions” will be turned off in California—and other states across the country.
EPA California waivers allow tougher emissions standards
An EPA news release published on December 18 summed it up: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting two requests from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for waivers to implement and enforce its Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulations for light-duty vehicles and its ‘Omnibus’ low-NOx regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines. Under the Clean Air Act, California is afforded the ability to adopt emissions requirements independent from EPA’s regulations to meet its significant air quality challenges. The state must seek a waiver from EPA for new motor vehicle emission standards.”
Boiled down, the federal government is granting California the ability to enforce vehicle emissions standards more stringent than those under federal law. The EPA press release explained it this way: “California has longstanding authority to request waivers from EPA to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution coming from mobile sources like cars and trucks,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Today’s actions follow through on EPA’s commitment to partner with states to reduce emissions and act on the threat of climate change.”
Sales of some pickups and towed cars shut down by 2035
What could affect sales of passenger cars, pickup trucks, and lighter motorhomes is California’s ACC II program. It’s a package of requirements for model year 2026 through 2035 and beyond. Essentially, the regulations will gradually reduce sales of these rigs that are not “zero emissions” and will shut them down completely by 2035. This applies to both gasoline- and diesel-fueled rigs.
The EPA also granted California permission to implement its Low-NOx regulation. This will affect heavy-duty rigs—those with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 26,000 pounds or more. That regulation forces engine manufacturers to produce engines with significantly reduced engine NOx (nitrogen oxides) and reduced particulate emissions. For big motorhome buyers, it might not make a great deal of difference if the RV industry is correct in its argument that they can’t get big motorhome chassis anyway.
Big Class A units aside, what about the regulation that could spell major issues for pickup trucks and cars? Three car companies are meeting California’s standards: Honda, Ford, and Volkswagen. However, industry group Alliance for Automotive Innovation says the states that have adopted California’s rules are falling way short of the 35 percent of zero-emission sales mark required in 2025. It observes that the 100 percent goal to be met in 2035 is highly unlikely.
Some might argue that the whole thing is a tempest in a teapot—or, for my readers, perhaps a Tiffin in a teapot. Major players affected by the heavy-duty vehicle regulations are commercial truckers. Commenting on the EPA ruling allowing California to move ahead is Todd Spencer. He’s the president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
“EPA’s credibility outside of radical environmental circles would have been better served by working with regulated industries rather than ramming through last-minute special interest favors,” Spencer said. “We look forward to working with the Trump administration’s EPA in good faith towards achievable environmental outcomes.”
Yes, therein lies what some might call the Trump card. The new presidential administration could swiftly change the rules again. While it cannot rewrite California regulations, it could rescind the waiver just granted by the Biden EPA. In a political game reminiscent of ping-pong, Trump yanked California’s authority on emissions in 2019 in his first presidency. When Biden took on the new role in 2022, his EPA restored that authority.
In addition to opposing California’s ambitious climate policies, Trump stated in October that if he was re-elected as president, no state would be permitted to ban gasoline-powered cars or trucks.
Trump also said in August that he planned to end the EV tax credit. “When I’m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it—no way,” Trump said during a Michigan rally. “You’re going to make them right here,” he added.
Should the President-elect Trump EPA return the serve by reversing the EPA California waivers, here’s an easy guess. Lawsuits will fly. Just how it will all play out remains to be seen.
Just in time for those planning their New Year Eve getaway, here are some of the best small town destinations that will provide an unbelievable evening to remember and welcome the year 2025
Whether counting down to the New Year in Times Square and enjoying the fireworks from one of the best rooftop bars to celebrate New Year’s Eve in New York City or bringing in the New Year with a party like no other in Las Vegas, there is certainly no shortage of US cities that will give you an unbelievable New Year’s Eve to remember.
However, small towns across America provide a magical escape for those seeking a refreshing alternative to the hustle and bustle of big-city New Year’s celebrations. These hidden gems blend charm, community spirit, and unique traditions offering unforgettable ways to welcome the New Year.
From fireworks sparkling over scenic harbors to cozy gatherings with live music and festive dining each town brings its flair to the occasion. Whether ringing in the New Year with friends, family or as a solo traveler, these small towns in America promise a memorable New Year’s Eve with a great big atmosphere combined with small-town warmth and wonder.
In the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, Helen, Georgia, the alpine village known as the “Bavaria of the US” is a Bavarian-style village that radiates charm and warmth especially during New Year’s Eve. Its timber-framed buildings and festive ambiance create a story-book winter getaway.
On New Year’s Eve, The Helen Festhalle comes alive with a huge celebration held by the Chamber of Commerce featuring live music, dancing, party favors, and tasty hors d’oeuvres. At 11:45 pm guests make their way outside to witness the dropping of the Edelweiss.
A tradition in Helen on New Year’s Eve and modeled after the iconic ball drop in Times Square a large illuminated image of the Edelweiss flower—a symbol of the Alps and a nod to Helen’s Bavarian roots—is lowered on a flagpole to ring in the New Year! Ticket costs for this celebration are:
Adults: $30
Children 6-12: $15
Children under 5: Free.
Helen’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebrations offer a cozy, community-focused way to bring in the New Year steeped in local tradition making it a delightful alternative to big city festivals.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: New Year’s Eve at Valhalla featuring music, dinner, and fireworks
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: Explore the Bavarian-inspired downtown area, ride the Georgia Mountain Coaster, and camp and hike at Vogel State Park
A beautiful mountain backdrop to your New Year cheer
Tucked in the scenic San Juan Mountains Durango combines breathtaking natural landscapes with festive celebrations offering a vibrant and unforgettable New Year’s Eve experience. Start your New Year’s Eve celebrations downtown where twinkling lights, live music, and cozy restaurants set the scene for a festive celebration.
Despite being a small town, Durango has more restaurants per capita than San Francisco so visitors certainly won’t be short of choice! Then, head to Purgatory Resort for their spectacular Torchlight Parade where ski instructors and mountain patrol put on a magical light display as they ski down the mountain, torches in hand.
After a fantastic firework display when the clock strikes midnight illuminating the surrounding mountains head inside the Purgatory Resort to grab a drink and cozy up by the fire closing the year in style. With beautiful traditions surrounded by natural beauty, Durango offers a remarkable New Year’s Eve.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: NYE: Legends of Rock, perfect for dancing into the New Year
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: Take a scenic ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, enjoy world-class skiing and snowboarding, or visit Mesa Verde National Park
A New England New Year’s Eve in a Winer Wonderland
Stowe, Vermont, nestled within the scenic Green Mountains is not only a small-town ski hotspot but is a quintessential location for a snowy New Year’s Eve. Spruce Peak Village is the place to be in Stowe on New Year’s Eve. At the base of the snowy mountains, visitors, athletes, and locals gather to join the celebrations.
Party-goers will be treated to incredible ice skating performances (as well as to take to the ice themselves), dance parties, a torchlight parade, and a stunning fireworks display over the mountain’s peak. Visitors are also spoiled for choice regarding food with treats such as gooey raclettes and delicious s’mores on offer. Stowe offers a memorable, snow-covered party to see in the New Year.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: For a different way to spend New Year’s Eve, head to Stowe Bowl for a party on the lanes
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: World-class skiing and snowboarding, visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory, or Van Trapp Lodge of Sound of Music fame
In the heart of Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg offers a perfect blend of small-town charm and lively celebrations to bring in the New Year. Fredericksburg was founded by German immigrants in 1846 and the German influence can still be seen throughout the town in its architecture, food, and, of course, beer!
For an unforgettable New Year’s Eve, visitors can visit one of the town’s famous breweries such as the Altstadt Brewery for an exciting insight into the beer-making process and, of course, to sample some of the delicious products in the scenic beer gardens! Visitors can then head to the Marktplatz, the main square in Fredericksburg for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Boasting a huge amount of festive activities and performances such as games, live music, dance performances, face painting, and fun inflatables with plenty of food and drink for sale, Marktplatz is the center of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Fredericksburg. With its abundant festive activities and unique heritage, Fredericksburg will give visitors a New Year’s Eve they won’t forget quickly!
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: Grab your dancing boots and kick up your heels at New Year’s Eve at Albert, Texas Dancehall with Cody Widner and The Lone Star Souvenirs
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: Ring in the New Year from the summit of Enchanted Rock. Join park rangers on a guided hike where you can enjoy the outdoors and miles of dark starry skies. Once at the top, count down to midnight and ring in 2025 from the top of the rock!
Santa Fe rings in the New Year by honoring its one-of-a-kind cultural traditions offering visitors a spirited and economical holiday celebration. The city hosts the unique Burning of the Zozobra ceremony where a large effigy is set ablaze to bid farewell to the troubles of the previous year.
Native American and Spanish influences shine through in live music and dance performances around cozy bonfires. With its artistic spirit, magnificent skies, and wealth of free events, Santa Fe provides an unforgettable and affordable New Year’s experience.
The high desert climate keeps hotel and RV park rates reasonably priced in winter, too. For an uplifting New Year’s getaway brimming with community, culture, and ceremonial flair, Santa Fe lights the way.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: A free New Year’s Eve festival in the Santa Fe Plaza with live music, free hot chocolate, and New Mexico’s official state cookie, biscochitos. Free festivities begin at 8 pm; at midnight, a hand-crafted and colorful Zia symbol will rise to welcome in the New Year.
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve thousands of farolitos (luminarias) light up Canyon Road in a free annual event.
Unique blend of Southern charm and festive atmosphere
With its antebellum architecture draped in Spanish moss and festive community spirit, Savannah emanates southern charm ideal for ringing in the New Year affordably. Visitors can join the lively no-cover street party on River Street and watch dazzling fireworks over the Savannah River at midnight.
The annual Tybee Island Polar Plunge invites revelers to take a refreshing dip in the Atlantic to start the year off boldly.
Many restaurants feature special New Years Eve menus at reasonable prices. From its romantic horse-drawn carriages to the festive Moon River district countdown, Savannah provides quaint hospitality, revelry, and history for a New Year’s to remember without overspending. It’s the perfect destination for an enchanting yet economical holiday celebration.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: Live outdoor music continues throughout the evening and City Market’s restaurants are open late to help revelers celebrate and ring in the New Year right. Just be sure to make a reservation.
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: Take a tour of some of the Savannah’s historic homes. Savannah boasts numerous mansions and grand estates that have been transformed into museums.
100,000 twinkling lights transform the River Walk into a dazzling wonderland
San Antonio rings in the New Year by honoring its cross-cultural heritage blending Mexican and Texan influences into one festive and economical celebration. The city hosts Celebrate SA, a free event with live music, food trucks, and a dazzling midnight fireworks display.
With its River Walk illuminations, Historical Market Square merriment, and welcoming hospitality, San Antonio provides charming scenery and festivities for the holiday. For an authentic taste of Tex-Mex traditions, exciting countdown events, and vibrant history without overspending, San Antonio offers an ideal setting to welcome the New Year.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: Celebrate San Antonio features live music, food vendors, and a fireworks display over the Tower of the Americas. The event is free to attend and takes place at Hemisfair Park in downtown San Antonio.
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: Hop aboard the Old Town Trolley Light Tour for a 45-minute ride through San Antonio’s most dazzling holiday light displays. This guided tour highlights the city’s top festive spots letting you enjoy the view without the hassle of driving or parking.
Saranac Lake is a picturesque small town in the scenic Adirondack Mountains perfect for ringing in the New Year. Known for its natural beauty and historic charm, Saranac Lake offers a cozy and intimate setting for a memorable celebration.
Saranac Lake hosts the annual North Country New Year’s Eve festival each year. Visitors pay a single admission fee of $20 for an adult and $15 for a senior (children under 18 are free) and are granted access to all the activities the festival boasts including live music, dance lessons, ice skating, make-and-take craft sessions, fire dancers, and rides on the Adirondack carousel.
Plenty of activities also help the kids celebrate New Year’s Eve such as balloon animal-making, face painting, and performers putting on amazing displays. As the New Year draws in, a dazzling firework display over Lake Flower lights up the night sky. The town provides guests with a New Year’s Eve with community spirit in gorgeous surroundings, as Saranac Lake is one of New York’s most scenic regions.
Other New Year’s Eve celebrations: NYE Bash at the Waterhole Music Lounge with bands rocking you into the New Year View the Ice Palace built by local artists every year (in January) and the Saranac Laboratory Museum
Attractions outside New Year’s Eve celebrations: From thrilling downhill adventures at Mount Pisgah’s ski, snowboard, and tubing runs to the tranquil trails at Dewey Mountain and the Paul Smith’s VIC, every kind of winter sport is right at your fingertips
Tip: The fireworks display which concludes the North Country New Year’s Eve Festival often occurs before midnight so children can enjoy them. If visitors plan a trip to Saranac Lake for New Year’s Eve check online for the exact timing of the day to avoid missing the fireworks!
Worth Pondering…
I close my eyes to old ends. And open my heart to new beginnings.
It’s time to address the deferred maintenance backlog within the National Park System
America’s national parks are without equal. The National Park Service and its system comprise more than 84 million acres of parks and historical sites that attract 330 million visitors annually. They are all treasures to be preserved.
The problem is that when people head to the parks, they might find things are a little run-down, whether it’s crumbling bridges, leaking visitor centers, or closed trails. Why has this happened? It’s because while every year Congress has provided funding for the day-to-day activities of the parks, they haven’t provided enough money to keep up with all of the maintenance needs.
Over time they’ve allowed these maintenance projects to build up meaning that many buildings, infrastructure, roads, bridges, water systems are deteriorating to the point that a lot of them are completely unusable. It’s a widespread problem of deferred maintenance that, over the decades, has gradually grown to become a huge backlog of more than $13 billion at the national park sites.
When a water line broke last month at the Grand Canyon, thousands of visitors had their lodging reservations abruptly canceled. The 12.5-mile pipeline supplies water from the canyon’s North Rim to its South Rim where about 90 percent of the park’s 6 million annual visitors enter. The line has broken 85 times since 2010 forcing facilities to close, upending vacations, and even causing restaurants to use paper and plastic because of lack of water to wash dishes.
Rather than replacing the line, the park has regularly done expensive repairs by helicopter costing $25,000 a pop. But now the park is finally addressing the problem for good with a $208 million investment partly thanks to recent landmark legislation devoted to fixing national parks.
In 2020, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act to provide $1.3 billion a year for five years to fix long-neglected park maintenance projects such as the Grand Canyon water line. The act is helping reconstruct seawalls at the capital’s Tidal Basin, renew the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road at Glacier National Park, improve utilities at Acadia National Park, make seismic reinforcements at Yosemite and support countless other repairs from coast to coast.
Despite the historic funding for repairs and improvements, park maintenance backlogs have continued to grow rather than shrink. Clearly, Congress and the park service under the incoming administration and likely Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum need a better approach.
When the Great American Outdoors Act passed, the National Park Service estimated that it needed $15 billion to address all of its “deferred” maintenance meaning repairs and fixes that weren’t done on time. The following year the agency’s estimate ballooned to nearly $24 billion. This reality drew the ire of many in Congress damping prospects that legislators will reauthorize the act before it expires next year.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine has called the surge in the backlog “disheartening” adding that he’s concerned “we’re still deferring maintenance … instead of digging out of the hole.” In the House, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark. has lamented the lack of progress. “Instead of thinking we’re more than halfway through and on pace to another five-year reauthorization to wipe out the maintenance backlog,” he said earlier this year, “we find we’re actually in worse shape” than before.
Part of the increase in maintenance estimates was because of the park service applying a blanket 35 percent markup for inflation—a blunt accounting decision that federal overseers have questioned. Part was also because of staff deciding to finally tally the amount of repairs needed, something long neglected, once they saw a huge amount of maintenance-earmarked funding was up for grabs.
Deferred maintenance is a big issue because delaying repairs can shorten the life cycle of infrastructure and make it even costlier to fix eventually.
But the root cause of the problem is neglecting routine maintenance. Infrastructure in many parks dates to the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930s or the agency’s Mission 66 construction push of the 1950s and 1960s. Much of it has reached or exceeded its anticipated lifespan without being repaired or replaced, partly because of incentives.
“It’s fun and sexy to add a new unit to the park service,” former Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah was fond of pointing out. “It’s not fun or sexy to talk about fixing a sewer system.” Most park funding comes from congressional appropriations meaning it is inherently political. And for years, politicians chose not to prioritize activities like fixing wastewater systems.
Over the past couple of decades, the maintenance backlog swelled so large that politicians finally decided to stop ignoring sewers. But in the process “deferred maintenance” became the be-all-end-all. The Great American Outdoors Act specifically earmarks funding for “deferred” maintenance and long-standing agency policies have required parks to prioritize overdue projects rather than giving flexibility to the on-the-ground superintendents and staff who know their sites—and needs—best. The problem with fixating on deferred projects is that it takes attention away from the routine work that prevents repairs from becoming past due in the first place.
Now that parks across the country are finally improving pipelines, visitor centers, trails, and thousands of other assets the National Park Service must address its fundamental maintenance flaws for good.
The agency should get rid of its broken approach to maintenance and reframe the challenge more logically. It’s in the process of updating its system to estimate and track maintenance using quick and inexpensive visual checks known as “parametric condition assessments.” It should complete that overhaul and then give on-the-ground park staff the flexibility to prioritize their own needs rather than deferring to arbitrary measures of what’s overdue.
To give individual parks flexibility, Congress and the agency’s bureaucrats must get out of the way and stop tying funding to “deferred” projects. When funds can be spent only on overdue needs the message is that things must be falling apart before they can be repaired or replaced. It’s a costly and illogical policy rendered even more foolhardy given that there’s no uniform standard for “deferred.”
The park service should also explore ways to harness visitor fees that can complement the Great American Outdoors Act as is happening with the Grand Canyon water line. The bulk of the money to replace it is coming from visitor fees—an important revenue source at high-profile destinations given booms in visitation over recent years.
Empowering parks to be creative with fees can generate additional funds to help steward parks. One low-hanging idea is to implement a surcharge for overseas visitors which would likely double or even triple revenue at the highest-profile parks.
The Grand Canyon water line was built in the 1960s and expected to last only 30 years. It’s finally getting the fix it deserves. It’s also time to fix the fundamental maintenance strategy and properly care for all of our national parks.
Worth Pondering…
Better to fight for something than live for nothing.
The short answer is yes—Utah’s Mighty Five parks are each open 24 hours per day, year-round. However, the activities and trails available in the parks may be different from other seasons. Here are some things to know before heading to the parks this winter.
Arches National Park is located near Moab, Utah. The park is generally open year-round with its busy season usually lasting from March through October, according to the park’s website.
During the winter, Arches does not offer ranger-led programs like guided walks or hikes. However, those programs are scheduled to resume in the spring. Restrooms, outdoor exhibits, and drinking water are available in the park 24 hours a day.
Before heading to the park, check its weather page for current conditions as the park says “even small amounts of snow or ice can make local trails and roads impassable.” In addition, the park said certain roads may be closed after winter storms and snow and ice may make some trails more difficult.
Campsites at Arches are also open during the winter on a first-come, first-served basis. During the winter season, timed entry and entrance passes are not required for Arches National Park but will be required beginning in April 2025.
From December 1, 2024 through February 25, 2025 the park’s visitor center observes its winter hours. During that time, it is open daily (except for December 25) from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. On Christmas Eve, the visitor center will close at 1 p.m.
Need more info about Arches? Here are my guides for first-time visitors:
Bryce Canyon National Park in Garfield County is also open 24 hours a day throughout the year but certain trails are closed in the winter.
For a map of winter closures in the park, check the park’s website. Visitors are encouraged to wear snowshoes on the park’s trails after fresh snowfall and to use other traction devices when the trails are icy.
Before visiting the park, check the current weather conditions online. The park will post road alerts on the weather page as well.
The visitor center at Bryce Canyon began observing winter hours on November 3 and will continue to do so until April 6, 2025. The center is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. but will be closed on Christmas Day.
First time at Bryce Canyon? Here’s what you need to know:
As with the other parks in Utah, Canyonlands National Park—in southeast Utah—is open 24 hours a day throughout the year.
“You can avoid crowds and the heat of summer but visitor services are reduced,” the park says online. “You will need to be more self-reliant when visiting Canyonlands in winter.”
The visitor center at Island in the Sky is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from November 26 until March 2. It will be fully closed on Christmas Day and will close early on Christmas Eve. The visitor center at the Needles will be closed from December 10 through February 15. The visitor center at the Maze is open daily but may be closed occasionally because of “staffing limits.”
Drinking water is available in the park only when the visitor centers are open so visitors are encouraged to plan accordingly and bring the water they will need.
Paved roads in Canyonlands may be closed while plows clear the snow but unpaved roads may be closed for longer periods of time. Check road conditions on the Canyonlands website.
Before visiting the park, check the seven-day forecast for the park, available online.
Want to see even more of Canyonlands? Here’s what you need to know:
Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah is open throughout the year along with the campgrounds in the park.
In Capitol Reef, the Gifford Homestead has been closed for the winter. It is scheduled to reopen in March 2025.
The visitor center at Capitol Reef is observing winter hours from December 1 until March 8 with the center closing on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
The current conditions page on the Capitol Reef lists current closures, information, and road conditions in the park. Visitors are encouraged to check that page before visiting the park.
Hanging around in Capitol Reef? Here’s what to do there:
Zion National Park located in southwestern Utah operates a little differently in the winter than in other seasons.
One noticeable difference is that the free shuttle service won’t run for a brief period (from December 2 until December 19). The shuttles take visitors to various locations and sights within the park.
When the shuttles are running, private vehicles are not allowed on the road. For more information on the shuttles including the schedules, visit Zion’s website.
While the roads are plowed after snowfall, the park said certain trails may be closed because of winter weather. The park said inclement weather regularly closes access to Kolob Canyons. Current conditions in the park can be viewed online.
The Zion Nature Center and the Kolob Canyons Wilderness Desk are closed for the season. Operating hours for other facilities are available online.
Christmas is the day that holds all time together.
—Alexander Smith
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the RV, We were snug and all right, a warm sight to see. Stockings on hooks, a festive view in sight, Our RV secured, safe through the night. No pests stirring in our bright, cozy glow, As holiday spirits in our RV flow. In this RVing with Rex post, find delight, With tips to make your season bright!
The Nat King Cole Trio recorded The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) in 1946 and turned it into a Christmas classic one year after Bob Well and Mel Torme wrote it. The song is also commonly subtitled as Chestnut’s Roasting on an Open Fire due to its opening lyrics.
Multiple song arrangements have been recorded throughout the years but the most notable version has to be Cole’s which includes the warm sounds of a small string section. The lyrics are filled with warm Christmas feelings and sweet holiday imagery including: “Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe/ Help to make the season bright…Yuletide carols being sung by a choir/ And folks dressed up like Eskimos.”
The popular Christmas song has been covered by many artists including Christina Aguilera for her 2000 album, My Kind of Christmas and Michael Bublé on his Let it Snow EP.
Check out the full lyrics below to get in the Christmas spirit.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at your nose Yuletide carols being sung by a choir And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe Help to make the season bright Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow Will find it hard to sleep tonight They know that Santa’s on his way He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh And every mother’s child is gonna spy To see if reindeer really know how to fly
And so I’m offering this simple phrase To kids from one to ninety-two Although it’s been said many times, many ways Merry Christmas to you
And so I’m offering this simple phrase To kids from one to ninety-two Although it’s been said many times, many ways Merry Christmas to you
It is Christmas Eve and I hope you are reading this someplace cozy, surrounded by friends and family, your partner, your dog, your cat…
I hope there’s a soft chime of Christmas music playing in the background and something delicious cooking in the oven. I hope you are warm, healthy, and grateful for everything mentioned above.
If this year looks different for you, if you are not warm, or healthy, or surrounded by friends and family, this space is for you too.
This year, much like the past two, has presented new challenges. Prices are high, gifts may be fewer, and miles traveled may also be fewer.
Things that are always free to give: love, kindness, a smile, a wave, a hug, your favorite book off your bookshelf, a phone call…
I’ve been working hard to try and define ourselves here at rvingwithrex.com. Who are we really? What’s the point of all this? Why do I do what I do? Much of it boils down to my love of the RV lifestyle and a desire to share my years of experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
If you have an RV whether it’s a big Class A that you live in full-time, whether it’s a small teardrop trailer that you and your family take out on the weekends, or whether you live in an RV because it’s your only option or place of shelter, it doesn’t matter. One thing I’ll always say: We’re all RVers. Our community is for everyone.
As usual, I will post a newsletter tomorrow and I wish you the Merriest of Christmases—and, to my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah.
Whatever your day may be, wherever you are and however you’re spending it—may your day be merry and bright.
The Salton Sea’s lithium deposit is estimated to be equivalent to 382 million electric vehicle batteries
It’s the dream of many a metal-detecting young child to stumble upon a buried pirate treasure filled with gold coins, rubies, and pearl necklaces. But not all that glitters is gold and not all that’s treasure is gold either.
In fact in this unusual California lake the most valuable treasure hidden in the water’s depths is a different kind of metal that can prove much more useful in our modern world than gold coins. In a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy scientists have located a mine of “white gold”, aka lithium, at the bottom of the Salton Sea.
The Salton Sea has an unusual history of tourism-turned-eco-nightmare. But it appears the lake’s noxious nature was hiding an undiscovered deposit of wealth that has major ramifications for industry: a natural deposit that’s valued at over $540 billion in California’s largest inland body of water.
Just how was this vein of natural wealth found? And what does this mean for the Salton Sea?
There was often a lake here as the Colorado switched direction
Over the last hundreds of thousands of years, the Colorado River would alternate between emptying into the Gulf of California and emptying into the basin where the Salton Sea is today. When it would empty into the basin a freshwater lake formed but when the river switched back to the gulf, the lake would dry up and become desert.
The most recent freshwater lake was Lake Cahuilla (or the Blake Sea)—it once covered an area of over 2,000 square miles, around six times the size of the Salton Sea.
According to archaeological sites and radiocarbon dates, the lake was filled three to four times over the last 1,300 years. When it was full, it attracted Native Americans to its shores where they would fish and hunt birds and other animals coming to the lake. Today there are hundreds of these archaeological sites to be found along the ancient shores.
According to an oral history of the Cahuilla people, the last lake existed in the 17th century and dried up after 1700.
It was once a burgeoning resort town that turned toxic, literally
The present Salton Sea was created by a massive ecological disaster in the early 1900s. It was formed in 1905 after floodwater from the Colorado River escaped an irrigation canal that was under construction in the county and flowed into a deep basin in the desert.
The size and volume of the lake has historically, then, been fed by irrigation runoff from the Imperial Valley and the Coachella Valley (yes that Coachella of music and Palm Springs fame) serving as a “sump” for agricultural runoff as described by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
By the mid-1900s, the lake had become a haven for migratory birds and in the same era developers were intrigued by this newly formed lake-in-the-desert. Soon, luxury resorts popped up along the shores of the Salton Sea lined with palm trees and a golf course.
The resort area was a hit and celebrities from Frank Sinatra to President Eisenhower to the Beach Boys would visit for a holiday in the sun. It attracted people from all walks of life quickly becoming a vacation destination for fishing and swimming.
However, by the 1990s the sea was changing and it was no longer safe to recreationally enter the waters anymore. Since the lake was largely sustained by agricultural runoff it was filled with the refuse of the farms including pesticides and nitrates. These undesirable elements when mixed with the salt naturally formed in the lake bed increased the salinity of the water dramatically.
The salt content was so high (and noxious fumes became so bad) that masses of fish quickly began dying in droves and toxic algae blooms popped up in the water. The resorts and vacation homes were abandoned and the Salton Sea’s thriving destination enclave soon became another one of the many great American ghost towns much like the famous Bodie in California.
People can still visit the Salton Sea and explore the remaining ghost town left behind. There is a gift shop on site and previous visitors reported that the odor is bearable for a bit while visiting the lake. Just beware that local residents are known to suffer from asthma due to the smell so if you have any breathing issues perhaps steer clear.
What once was a popular family vacation spot akin to the beautiful resorts at Lake Tahoe quickly turned toxic and noxious. The increasingly unbearable heat of the Imperial Valley coupled with water rights conflicts has also drained the area of much allure and currently threatens the health of local populations.
Despite its modern un-attractiveness as a tourist destination the lake is now being re-evaluated for something much more valuable, however. Researchers discovered that the lake bed of the Salton Sea was actually composed of geothermal aquifers that housed “lithium-infused” brine deposits.
A UC Berkeley Lab confirmed this discovery quantifying in their extensive report that 3.4 million tons of pure lithium is located at the bottom of the Salton Sea of which some 2.6 million tons are considered mineable based on current extraction technologies. This makes the formerly abandoned lake the home to the largest lithium deposit in the entire world.
In 2020, the state established a lithium extraction commission which was tasked with researching and analyzing the possibility of the mineral’s extraction from these geothermal brines in the Salton Sea.
It is a challenging process to extract lithium and technology has been and is needed to be developed to make extraction possible—and safe. But the payoff could be absolutely massive for not just the state of California but the country and in a very macro sense, the world.
In a world that is attempting to become less reliant on fossil fuels, lithium is the absolute mineral king in achieving that transition. Lithium is used in many pieces of modern technology from smartphones to laptops to tablets and most importantly lithium is a key component of batteries used in things like electric vehicles and RVs.
The Salton Sea deposit could craft batteries for more than 380 million electric vehicles removing the reliance on lithium extraction from other deposits overseas like those near Chengdu in the Sichuan Province of China. This is in essence what makes lithium so valuable; much like oil is considered “black gold” as an energy resource, lithium is fast assuming the mantle of white gold for the very same reason.
Worldwide, only about 200,000 tons of lithium is consumed yearly meaning that this Salton Sea deposit could significantly contribute to American energy resources for years to come. However, the extraction process can and will affect local populations around the Salton Sea significantly.
In an area with already contested water issues the extraction plants would use massive amounts of water from the Colorado River. Residents of the area are further worried that the economic benefit will not actually reach the locals but rather will support an economy built and propagated by multi-national companies.
Naturalists are also concerned about lithium extraction’s impact on the migratory bird population that still calls the Salton Sea home despite its toxicity. In the face of all of this, construction began on a new extraction plant earlier this year and researchers and state officials are hopeful that this new hotbed of ultra-valuable material will positively impact the community.
250,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium is expected to be mined yearly, enough to support over 400,000 electric cars a year. Let’s just hope that this is a turning of the tide for the Salton Sea and its community, human and avian.
Worth Pondering…
Apparently Bolivia is the key source of lithium in the world. So we’re gonna trade the Saudis for the Bolivians.
Sand Hollow State Park offers a stunning red sand beach, crystal-clear water, and many fun water activities such as swimming, boating, and kayaking
Visiting the Maui Ocean Center, attending Te Au Moana Luau, and enjoying the sunrise at Haleakalā are some of the most iconic bucket-list experiences to have in Maui. This highly touristic Hawaiian Island also boasts unique beaches to explore, from Honokalani, or Black Sand Beach, to Kaihalulu, or Red Sand Beach.
While the latter certainly looks otherworldly, it can have dangerous currents and violent waves making it unsuitable for swimming or other water activities. And you can’t drive your RV to Maui! Fortunately, Sand Hollow State Park near Hurricane, Utah is a safer and equally beautiful alternative not only to Zion National Park but also to Maui’s Red Sand Beach.
Here’s all you need to know about this stunning park and its eerie red sand beach.
It’s Utah’s most-visited state park clocking 1,415,555 entries
There are many unusually colored beaches in America be it Shelter Cove’s Black Sands Beach, Hawaii’s green Papakolea Beach, or Big Sur’s violet Pfeiffer Beach. For those with a predilection for the Martian hue, Sand Hollow’s beach is better indicated and it’s surrounded by striking red rock formations.
Officially designated in 2003 the park is close to the city of St. George, a hikers and bikers’ paradise. It features a 1,322-acre reservoir with water that’s warm, clean, calm, and clear enough for swimming, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, fishing, or diving, mainly from May through September.
The combination of blue water and red sand in the middle of the desert is striking especially in the afternoon and around sunset.
Address: 3351 South Sand Hollow Road, Hurricane, UT 84737
Elevation: 3,000 feet
Size: 20,000 acres
Hours of Operation: Summer, 6 am to 10 pm; winter, 7 am to 9 pm
Day use fees: $15 weekdays; $20 Friday to Sunday; annual pass: $125
Note: A permit of $15 is required to fly drones within the park.
Not only is the beach easily accessible but there are also many activities to enjoy in the vicinity from photography to picnicking, camping, and ATV and OHV trails. Furry friends are welcome provided they’re on a leash.
Note: Wildlife to observe or look out for includes rabbits, roadrunners, quails, lizards, and snakes.
Sand Hollow State Park is located 297 miles south of Salt Lake City, 15 miles east of St George, and seven miles east of the I-15 Hurricane Exit.
Per the official website, “From I-15, take the Hurricane exit (Exit 16). Travel east on Hwy 9 for about four miles to Sand Hollow Road and turn right. Travel south for about three miles and turn left at the park entrance.”
According to Visit Utah, even though the park is open all year long, it’s important to keep in mind that temperatures may exceed 100 degrees in July and August and that sand temperatures have been known to reach 165. Carrying enough water, wearing sunscreen and quality shoes, and taking cover are therefore primordial in late spring and in summer.
As for the coolest period, it generally spans December and January and features an average daily high of 55 degrees and a low of 28.
Variety of camping options from modern RV sites to primitive camping
Westside campground offers full hookups with water, sewer, electricity, barbeques, firepits, and covered picnic areas at each site. Restrooms and showers are available.
Sandpit campground offers 6 partial hookups with water, electricity, and barbecue firepits. Sandpit also offers 5 large group sites with picnic tables and fire pits and 19 dry camping sites. Restrooms and showers are available for Sandpit campers.
Lakeview campground offers full and partial hookups with water, sewer, electricity, barbecue firepits, and picnic areas at each site. Restrooms and showers are available for all Lakeview campers. The primitive campground offers disperse camping on the east side of the lake after the Lakeview side campground. Fires are prohibited in the sand, surrounded by rocks, or any other material that is NOT in an approved fire pit.
Beachside Cottages offers modern comfort for up to six people right on the banks of Sand Hollow Lake. Also, included is a full hook-up site for an RV.
Reviews and tips from users on Tripadvisor and Yelp
Sand Hollow has nailed 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor based on about 300 reviews. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the positive comments bearing in mind warnings like “watch for swimmer’s itch,” the “parking lot holds way too many boats for the size of the lake”; so, “don’t go on a weekend,” and the “picnic tables are made of metal; yikes!”
Lake is great on a low-attendance day
The best place to spend a hot day in Southern Utah
Refreshing clean and clear water to swim in
Fantastic views of the mountains and the sandstones
