Costs
Part of Backroad itinerary building: how the process works
Backroad itinerary building: costs and budget
Costing a backroad trip: cheap nights, expensive miles, the water you must carry, and the booking windows that decide where you can sleep at all.
What to take away
- Backroad nights are cheap. Backroad miles are not, once tires and wear are counted.
- Facilities listed on a page may not be working. Water in particular needs confirming.
- Some campgrounds book months ahead, which turns a cost question into a calendar question.
- Budget the self reliance: containers, fuel margin and a spare, all bought before the trip.
The money on a backroad trip moves in the opposite direction from a normal holiday. Sleeping costs almost nothing, and the vehicle costs more than you expect. Build the budget around that inversion and it stays close to reality.
Nights are the cheap part
Developed sites on public land are inexpensive, and the pages give exact figures. The BLM's entry for Bennett Peak Campground in Wyoming describes a fee site with eleven campsites, a vault toilet, boat ramp, day use parking and bank fishing accessible to people with disabilities, sets the fee at ten dollars per night per site, and notes that each site has a picnic table, fire ring, sandy tent pad and parking space with no pull throughs. The elevation is given as 7,200 feet, with a use season predominantly from 1 June to 15 November depending on winter conditions.
The line that matters for planning is easy to skim past. The page states that the hand pump water well is not operable at this time. Ten dollars a night is excellent value, and it comes with an instruction to carry your own water.
Booking windows can outrank price
Where a site takes reservations, the deadline can matter more than the fee. The BLM's page for the Baker Dam Recreation Area in Utah describes a campground managed by the St George Field Office that welcomes campers year round, with picnic tables, fire rings and nearby vault toilets but no potable water available, and says camping reservations are necessary up to six months in advance through the federal booking system or by phone, with same day reservations possible through the mobile application if sites are available.
Six months is a planning horizon, not a budget line. If your route depends on a site like that, book it before you cost anything else.
Where the money actually goes
| Line | Typical weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Largest | Consumption on gravel, not the highway figure |
| Tires and wear | Second | One tire per rough trip is a fair reserve |
| Camping | Small | Often under fifteen dollars a night |
| Water and food | Small | Bought in town, carried in full |
| Permits | Occasional | Only where the route requires one |
The self reliance budget
- Two large water containers, filled before the remote section.
- Fuel margin, which sometimes means a shorter route rather than a can.
- A serviceable spare, a plug kit and a compressor.
- Enough food for two days beyond the plan.
None of these are large costs. All of them are cheaper than a recovery from a place with no phone signal.
Where to go next
The order in which these decisions should be taken is set out in the backroad itinerary process. For the wider budgeting method, including a contingency with a defined purpose, see budgeting a road trip without fuzzy numbers.
Common questions
Is dispersed camping free? Generally yes on public land where it is permitted, subject to stay limits and local rules. It supplies nothing, which is the trade.
Should I budget for a recovery? Budget to avoid one. Margin, a spare and a turnaround rule cost far less than a tow from a remote road.
How much water is a day? Plan a gallon per person per day for drinking, plus a reserve you do not touch. In heat, more.
Do I need a permit for a back country byway? Usually not for driving it. Specific rivers, canyons and caves along the way may require one, so check each site.
