Share Event
Google Map Link | USDA Information Page
We will be in the Coconino National Forest in the O’Leary group campground at about 7,000 feet elevation. This is a dry camp with pit toilet facilities, no water for filling tanks, and no dump station. Come prepared with your water full and your holding tank/s empty. We have all three loops of the group camp area with room for 15 rigs. We must stay on the paved asphalt, parking will be end to end, with space in between for hooking and unhooking tow vehicles. There are three nice Ramadas for our use, but our group activities will be in Loop 3 which has the largest Ramada. Each Ramada has an open grill - bring your own charcoal and grilling needs. Ice and firewood will be available at the campground host location.
Cell service is nonexistent in O’Leary, for your information. Service is available nearby.
If you wish to extend your visit, look for the Bonito Campground next door which has spaces reserved through Recreation.gov.
Explore and More! Bring your US parks passport (there are several versions such as Golden Age). We are camped right next to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which connects to Wupatki National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument is not far away. The NPS Visitor Center near our campground has maps and suggestions for your adventures. Sunset Crater area offers hikes, flowers and birding, and its dark sky conditions are optimal for star gazing. The park rangers often have programs when night viewing is optimal. Wupatki is famous for its pueblos. The most famous, Wupatki Pueblo, has a wide, user-friendly 1/2 mile trail which takes you around the ruins of a large community which farmed the surrounding land in the 1100s. After checking out the Pueblo, stop at the Doney Mountain picnic area where you can sit in shade and enjoy spectacular vistas of the land below. Walnut Canyon has views of cliffside puebloan living and features viewpoints along the canyon rim Links: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)https://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm. (Wupatki) https://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm (Walnut Canyon)
The Flagstaff Wool and Fiber Festival is scheduled for May 31 - June 1. Events are still being planned, so watch their website, Flag Wool & Fiber Festival for more details. Other places to enjoy are the Museum of Northern Arizona, the wonderful open trails at Buffalo Park, and the amazing Lava Tube west of Flagstaff accessed by graded unpaved forest service roads. This 3/4-mile-long cave should only be explored with a buddy and each of you should have a reliable light source. It is 45° inside, so layer up. There will be a BYOB Happy Hour from 5-6 pm daily starting Thursday for whoever would like to come mingle and meet. Please wear a name badge to all our group activities so we can get to know one another by name. Because there are so many places to see and explore, this rally is mostly free of planned meals and activities with exception of one morning and one evening event.
Friday morning at 9 am: Geocaching. Vivian and Lee will give an explanation and demonstration of geocaching, followed by a short drive to an area which has some cell service as well as some caches to discover. If you would like to participate, please download the Geocaching app on your smartphone, and sign up for either the free membership or the premium (39.99/year). We like the benefits of the premium membership which allows us to download caches for offline (no cell service) use, and to find caches which have been designated premium by their cache owners, but if you are undecided, sign up for free. You can always upgrade your membership later if you choose. Remember you will need a geocaching name. You will use this name every time you sign a physical log sheet, so our advice is to keep it short and pronounceable, as that is also how you will be addressed by other cachers. FYI Lee is wanablee and Vivian is Lakegal44.
Saturday evening, what rally would be complete without a potluck? Bring something to share or just bring your own supper and join the fray. There will also be L-R-C on Saturday, so bring your singles!