How to Avoid Crowds and Find Solitude in the Outdoors
Bruce Leroy used to resemble Hannibal Lecter, in a muzzle, fully restrained by our arms. But regardless, people still wanted to pet our dog and take his picture. His cuteness was a curse!
Passersby would completely ignore his unmistakable urges to attack and stick their hands right in his face. He’d lash out at anyone that would pay him or us any sort of attention. If he’d been a pit bull, we’re pretty sure someone would’ve demanded we put him down. Our nickname for him was Vicious Teddy.
Bruce is less anxious about the world since he started going deaf. We haven’t seen him lash out in a very long time. When we watch his human interactions today, it’s hard to believe Vicious Teddy ever existed. I regret not getting him earmuffs during his younger years. Noises seemed to really piss him off. Or maybe he was fearful and just trying to protect us. We’re sure going blind didn’t help.
Owning a dog with no qualms about biting humans, we were always trying to find places on our days off to avoid people. Bruce could relax, and we didn’t have to continually look over our shoulder, worried someone would touch him. Kyle and I are introverts, so we didn’t mind finding a quiet corner of the universe anyway. Now that we’ve jumped full-time into van life, we’ve become experts at finding campsites, hiking trails, and other areas of exploration with solitude.
Tips for avoiding crowds in the outdoors
Use paper maps
I personally like the Road & Recreation Atlases by Benchmark Maps. We keep one of these in the van for every US state we travel. I also like National Geographic topographic trail maps.
On a map, focus on a radius in which you’re willing to drive. Within that radius, look for areas furthest from major cities, towns, and highways that sit within public lands or federal recreation sites. Focus on topography that may be most interesting to you like mountains, lakes, and rivers. If you’re using a recreational map, you should be able to spot hiking trails, landmarks, dirt roads, and camping opportunities. Take note of a few options for further research.
Use printed guidebooks
Pick up a guidebook in your area of interest. You can buy one online, at a local REI or another outdoor store, or check one out from your public library. I like books published by Wilderness Press, Falcon Guides, and Moon.
Guidebooks offer a level of detail not always found on the internet. Blog articles and other online resources that aggregate personal experiences are great if you’re looking for an overview. But guidebooks can include turn-by-turn, mile-by-mile information not found online.
When a guidebook focuses on a specific area, like Lake Tahoe, it’s not focused on the most popular hiking trails and camping spots that people frequently talk about online. Unless, of course, the title of the book is “10 Best Day Hikes in Lake Tahoe”. Guidebooks can offer a thorough account of options in an area, including spots that are generally overlooked. Our favorite trails and beaches in Lake Tahoe are overcrowded now during the summer months. But we can find solitude elsewhere with a paper map and a printed guidebook.
Do an online search
A paper map isn’t going to tell you the popularity of an area. A guidebook may not either, especially if it’s dated. The goal of the online search is not to ask where you want to go. If the internet is telling you where to go, that means it is also telling everyone else searching on the internet where to go.
Instead, research options you found on a paper map or printed guidebook. The goal is to find out if your choices are viable options. Use sites like the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for capturing current information such as accessibility, amenities, fees, permits, and more.
If your goal is solitude, what you don’t want to see online are blog articles or social media posts related to your chosen destination. It doesn’t matter if a blogger or influencer calls it a hidden gem. If you find it on the internet presented in an enticing format, it’s not a secret. The more your destination is shared online, the more likely you’ll be sharing that space with other people.
Camping and trail reviews are a reliable popularity indicator. Check reviews on sites like:
Consider it a bonus if your chosen campground or trail isn’t listed on these sites, or if it is, there are few or zero reviews.
Let’s look at a couple of search examples
“Alabama Hills”
This is a gorgeous area of rock formations at the base of the Eastern Sierras, sitting in the shadow of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48. If you do an online search, there are over 71 million results! And there are over 700 reviews on TripAdvisor. I see blog articles that say Alabama Hills is a hidden treasure. But sometimes it’s impossible to find a legal spot to boondock.
Alabama Hills is over 150 miles from cities like Bakersfield and Los Angeles, California, to the south, and over 200 miles from any significant populous close to Reno, Nevada, in the north. The local towns along highway 395 closest to where Alabama Hills resides, are far from over-developed. But this can be a pretty happening place depending on the level of solitude you’re seeking.
“Tonopah Nevada”
Tonopah is an unincorporated town with less than 3,000 residents in Nevada. The closest major city is more than 200 miles in any direction. When you do an online search, there are 1.6 million results. A million sounds like a lot, but it is far less than the 71 million for Alabama Hills.
But another critical thing to note is the first few pages of results. Some of the blog articles returned are about four years old, and the number of blog articles dies off after only a couple of pages. Alabama Hills search results return several blog articles written within the past year, and they continue across multiple pages.
We visited the Tonopah area during a year when Presidents Day and Valentine’s Day fell on the same long weekend. Tahoe wasn’t having a great winter, so we decided to forego a fight with tourists for limited snow at the ski resort, and head out of the area. We chose Tonopah after looking at a paper map and completing an online search. My popularity check also included searching for hotel availability for the holiday weekend. Unlike Tahoe, there were still plenty of rooms.
We used Tonopah as our base for exploring dirt roads that took us on a tour of old Nevada mining and ghost towns. We also discovered an empty campground and hiking trails without a single person in sight. On our way back to Tahoe, we chose secondary roads instead of the main highway and accidentally came upon dinosaur fossils.
Call the local ranger district, chamber of commerce, and visitor’s authority
Talking to a local expert will supplement the information you already found on a paper map, guidebook, and online. Some of the people you will speak to have lived and worked in the area for years and may have even grown up there. They can provide insight as to what to expect, and if your plans are feasible. They may have a better suggestion than what you found.
You can also walk into these places as you arrive in town during typical business hours. If you’re traveling on the weekend or during a holiday period, make sure they will be open.
Visit popular destinations during the offseason
I have a HUGE list of places I want to visit. The more we travel around North America, the longer my list grows. Parts of my bucket list probably aren’t too dissimilar from other people’s. I don’t want to visit my desired destinations only to be disappointed by overwhelming crowds.
Almost every location has a time of year when there are fewer people. Visiting in the offseason might mean the weather will be extremely cold or hot, visitor services may be unavailable, and certain sights may be inaccessible. But if you are willing to tolerate less desirable weather and other limitations, you can find solitude in your most coveted destinations.
Go on a weekday
Most of us have a job working Monday through Friday. But if you can create opportunities to visit places on a weekday, it’s worth it.
Go early or late
It surprises me how few people you see for sunrise and sunset, the most beautiful times of the day.
But the earlier you’re willing to wake up, or the later you’re willing to stay out, the more you will have special places to yourself.
Go farther
You may find yourself in a crowded place. But the further you are willing to go, whether it’s down a road or trail, you can probably find a piece of the universe you don’t have to share with anyone.
Skip the main attractions
Every destination has a must-do list. If the top attractions are on your bucket list, go early or late, so your experience isn’t minimized by crowds. However, you might discover the places you were dying to visit weren’t as spectacular as another quiet place close by.
Do ski resorts in the summer
Ski resorts are empty in the summer, especially if they aren’t operating lifts. You can hike and mountain bike and encounter few people while tourists flood other popular local trails.
Ski independent resorts
Our mission since starting van life is to ski and snowboard lesser-known mountains to escape the crowds we have experienced in places like Lake Tahoe and Colorado, and at ski resorts included with the Epic and Ikon passes.
Our winter travels have taught us numerous independent resorts have no lift lines and untouched powder for days. We don’t have to arrive at the mountain early because parking is never full. We can find a seat at the lodge during lunch hour or when we need to unfreeze our fingers and toes. We don’t have to wait in line for the restroom or at the water cooler. We don’t have to share a chairlift with strangers unless we want to. And we can take several runs without seeing another skier on the mountain.
Your responsibilities
Searching for solitude can take you places less traveled without services or other conveniences nearby. Be prepared!
- Carry a paper map and compass and know how to use them. You may end up out of cell range or without battery power.
- Note where you have cell service. In case of emergency, you may need to head in that direction to call for help.
- Tell someone exactly where you plan on going and when they should hear from you before they call authorities to start a search.
- Pack enough food and water to last the duration of your trip and bring extra in case of an emergency.
- Keep a first aid kit with you and know how to use it.
There are many ways you can prepare to have the best possible outcome in case of an emergency. The supplies and knowledge you bring may differ depending on your activities. Whether you plan on camping, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, off-roading, educate yourself! Even if it seems like a harmless scenic drive.
Conclusion
Areas of true solitude may not generally be places you would put on your bucket list like middle-of-nowhere Nevada.
But that doesn’t mean less popular spots don’t carry their own unique interests and landscapes. To find solitude, it helps to have an adventurous spirit. And accepting that where you hoped to find solitude may not be what you had in mind.
When you do find a special place, you’ll appreciate the reward after all your research and planning. You may even discover uncrowded spaces in your local town or home state you never thought could exist.
