Van Life: Denver to Utah, Where to take your Native Campervan.
Getting Started with Native Campervan
Native Campervans Is A Campervan Rental Service Located In Denver, Colorado, Las Vegas, Nevada, And Salt Lake City, Utah. They Offer 3 Different Type Of Vans To Rent:
The Biggie
It Has A Powerful Engine, A Customized, Fully Functional Kitchen With A Fridge, And Lots Of Head Space. In The Gravel Road Ready Biggie, You Can Hit Up Dispersed Camping Areas And Get Away From The Crowds. It’s A Stylish Converted Cargo Van With Super Discreet Branding, So Your Vacation Photos Are About You, Not Us.
The Squad
With A Modern, Log Cabin Interior And A Waterproof Rooftop Tent (Optional @ $20/Night), This Baby Has All-Weather Sleeping Quarters For Four. This Low Profile, Easy To Drive Van Seats Four And Comes With All The Camp Cooking Essentials.
The Smalls
This Small Camper Van Has Been Customized For All Your Camping Needs And Is Perfect For A Couple Or Solo Traveler. It Gets Great Gas Mileage And Comes With A Camp Kitchen, Lots Of Storage, And An Inverter To Keep All Your Gadgets Fully Charged.
I Went With The BIGGIE Campervan And It Was Stacked. Everything You Could Think Of To Bring, Native Had Already Thought Of — Including The Bluetooth Speaker I Didn’t Know I Needed. The Only Items I Did Not Bring That I Wish I Had Were A Towel For Showering — I Stopped At Gyms Or Rec Centers Along My Route But It Would Have Been Nice To Have My Own. More Books! Since The Van Is Equipped With Night Lights And You Spend More Time Than I Envisioned In It, I Didn’t Bring Nearly Enough Reading Material.
Getting Your Van
Book Your Van, Select Your Insurance And Pick Up On The Date, It Was That Easy. After Watching Natives’ “Van Tour” Videos Prior To Pick Up I Thought I Was Good To Go. The Staff At Native Gave Me A Quick Once Over Of The Van’s Features, How To Keep The Battery Charged, Change The Water Out And Answered Any Questions I Had.
Helpful Apps to Download
I Used A Few Apps On This Trip For The Most Part, IOverlander Was Definitely The Most Helpful But They All Had Different Things They Were Better At.
The Dyrt
This App Lets You View Camping Spots Along The Route You’re Traveling. It’s Super Helpful Because You Can Filter Out Spots By The Type Of Vehicle You’re Driving. I Also Typically Enjoy Finding More Dispersed Camping Spots That Aren’t In An RV Park Or By A Lot Of People So This Was A 10/10.
FreeRoam
Another App Showcasing Free Campsites Across The Nation. I Liked The “Plan A Trip” Feature Where You Can Route Stops And Plan A Full Trip Without Having To Search Every Day. This App Also Let’s You Know Where There Are Water Stations, Dump Sites, Free Air, Ect Along The Way (Which You Will Need).
IOverlander
Although This App Is Not The Prettiest, You Can Tell It’s Been Around Forever. This Is The OG Van Life App And For That, It Has A Lot Of Quality Reviews, Camp Spots, Free Water And Air, Etc That You Could Need. Since It’s Been Used For A While There Is A Remarkable Amount Of Social Coverage Around The Country, A Ton Of Users Have Made This Into A Very Robust Platform Sharing Everything From Cell Tower Strength To Vacant Parking Lots You Won’t Get Towed In If You Can’t Get To A Camping Spot.
The Route
Stop #1 Fruita, Colorado
Starting In Denver, I Be-Lined To Fruita, Colorado About 4 Hours Away. Fruita Is By Far One Of My Favorite Towns In All Of Colorado And Worth A Day Or Two Visit (If You Have The Time).
In The Spring/Summer/Fall Fruita Is Home To Some Of The Best Single-Track Mountain Bike Riding You’ll Ever Find. My Two Favorites Are The Kokopelli Trail System And The 18 Roads Trail System. Camping Is Easy And Free At The 18 Roads Parking Lot (Great For Vans).
Make Sure To Grab The Best Pizza At Hot Tomato, And Check Out Copper Club Brewery For The Best Patio And Brews.
Stop #2 Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
I Knew I Wanted To Spend Two Nights At The Bonneville Salt Flats So I Got Up Early And Made The 5.5 Hour Trip From Fruita To The Bonneville Salt Flats In One Take. This 12-Mile Long And Five-Mile Wide Salt Crust Is One Of The Coolest Things I’ve Seen In Utah. I Found The Perfect Campsite Just A 10 Minute Drive Away Here But Check Out Your App For More. There Was Plenty Of Service In The Area And I Was Able To Work Remotely From The Van.
Stop #3 Salt Lake City, Utah
Next, I Backtracked To Salt Lake City To Spend The Night And Get Up Early To Ski Brighton Ski Resort. I Had Originally Planned To Camp As Close As Possible To The Resort, But After Checking The Apps, Utah Has Made It Virtually Impossible To Camp Nearby A Ski Resort (Which, For The Sake Of The Tourism Industry, I Understand). I Parked At A Lot Right Off The Main Highway And Entrance To The Mountains Which Was Super Easy. I Woke Up Early And It Was Only A Quick 30-Minute Ride Up To Brighton In The Morning.
Since I Was Up Before The Lifts Opened, I Took My Time Getting Ready, Made Some Coffee, Got Some Work Done And Had Breakfast In The Van (All Before First Chair).
I Could Ski In Ski Out To The Van For Lunch And To Take Calls/Work… I Don’t Think I’ve Ever Had Such An Ideal Ski Set Up.
After That, It Was Back To SLC Where I Nabbed Another Remote City Spot Off The Apps And Dropped The Van Off In The Morning! Native HQ In SLC Was A Breeze To Find And My Uber Picked Me Up And Dropped Me Off At The Airport Where I Went Straight Back To Denver.
I Can’t Wait To Try This Van Out On A Summer Trip When It’s Warmer, Until Next Time!
