Roadtrip Roads Series: San Juan National Forest, FSR 629

Ever wanted to take a trip into a national forest, but are unsure if your car can make it?

Are you intimidated by forest service roads and going into the backcountry?

Have you been thinking about buying a new car for roadtrips, but aren’t sure what works best?

This series is for you.

I’m going to delve into the roads I’m traveling and let you know how my Subaru Forester handles the forest roads.

We’ll also look at some of the highways I drive and how the views stack up – roadtrips are about the drive, aren’t they?

Roadtrip Roads: Forest Service Road 629

Since I arrived on a Saturday, I didn’t get to stop at the ranger station to find a camp spot. Thankfully, I downloaded the MVUM for that district ahead of time and knew where I was headed.

I drove down County Road 600, also called Piedra Road, until it turned into a dirt road across a cattle guard. FSR 631 is just past the Turkey Springs trailhead, then FSR 629 turns off of that.

These roads are super easy to drive on, if not slow moving. It’s a compacted dirt & rock road. You can easily take a car down these roads a bit, it’ll just be a slow trip!

There is plenty of dispersed camping out there, and we only had to drive a few miles down the road to find a place to camp. We had a great spot, minus the bees!

San Juan National Forest Dispersed Camping

We had a rough trip this time.

I thought I forgot my laptop charger, only to realize after I got home that I did pack it. I needed it because I planned on writing on this trip.

I forgot my pillow and water, so I had to stop at a Walmart that was sold out of most water. I did buy a pillow, though!

The bed we built broke during my first afternoon nap.

I started my period two weeks early, and was totally unprepared for it.

I ran over and killed a chipmunk. That was the worst.

Our camping spot was home to a swarm of bees, but thankfully I didn’t get stung. Fun fact: I’ve never been stung by a bee so I have no idea if I’m allergic!

My dog accidentally gouged my thigh when she was barking and growling at an off leash dog in our camp site.

I decided to take my dog to the Great Sand Dunes and she hated it.

We came home a day early because I needed to get work done. That’s when I found my charger. So cool.

Anyway, we still had a great time. It was a bit hot, but we learned a lot on this trip. The bed needs to be fixed, but I’ve got someone that can help with that.

Miranda & Violet’s Travel Updates

Our next trip is to… Montana! We’re going to visit my best friend for Thanksgiving. We’ll get a hotel for this trip, though. I can’t wait for this trip. I’ve been wanting to visit Montana, so naturally I was thrilled when my BFF moved there. It’s a long drive, but it’s going to be so great!

Safe travels, friends!