Backroad itinerary building: ideas worth trying

What to take away

• Part paved routes let you commit gradually. Drive the surfaced section and decide at the transition.
• Use a backroad as a connector between two paved days rather than as a destination.
• Numbered dispersed sites give you the freedom of dispersed camping with a known place to sleep.
• Plan a bail out at every junction, and you will use the route more confidently.

Most backroad plans are built the same way every time: pick a route, drive it end to end, come home. These are six alternatives that use the same roads differently, and several of them make a marginal route usable.

Idea one: let the pavement end mid route

A route that starts paved and turns to dirt gives you a natural decision point. The BLM's page for the Cottonwood Canyons Scenic Backway in Utah describes 46 miles running south through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument from Cannonville to Highway 89, with the road paved for the first nine miles between Cannonville and the turnoff to Kodachrome Basin State Park, and dirt beyond it.

That structure is useful. Drive the paved section, look at the surface where it changes, and turn around without having wasted the day if conditions are poor.

Idea two: treat the route as a connector

Instead of driving a backroad and returning, use it to get between two paved days. It removes the return leg, which is usually the part nobody enjoys, and it makes the unpaved section feel purposeful rather than optional.

There is a practical benefit too. A connector has a destination with services at each end, so you arrive somewhere with fuel and a bed rather than retracing forty miles of gravel in failing light. Where the route is passable but slow, that structure is what makes it worth driving at all.

Idea three: use numbered dispersed sites

Some areas offer the freedom of dispersed camping with a little structure. The BLM's page for the Mojave Desert Joshua Tree Road Scenic Backway in Utah describes 18.9 miles through the Beaver Dam Mountains by way of Bulldog Pass, and says dispersed camping is permitted on BLM lands bordering the route while camping within the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area is limited to 39 numbered campsites with a metal fire ring, first come first served, with occupancy limited to 14 days in a 28 day period.

The same page warns that the route often requires high clearance vehicles, receives only intermittent maintenance, may become impassable during heavy precipitation, and has no services. Numbered sites are a comfort. They are not a substitute for preparation.

Three more worth trying

• Drive it in the other direction. Landmarks, grades and light all read differently, and a familiar route becomes new.
• Split a long route across two mornings. Mornings are cooler, quieter and better lit than afternoons on most surfaces.
• Plan a bail out at every junction. Write down which way leads to pavement from each one, and the route stops feeling committing.

Where to go next

The order these ideas fit into, from route designation through to placing the sights, is in the backroad itinerary process. To decide which shape of trip suits your week, the comparison of route types sets the two options side by side.

Common questions

Is turning around at the pavement change wasteful? No. It is the cheapest good decision available, and the paved section usually justifies the drive on its own.

How do I find numbered dispersed sites? They are described on the site or route page, and the managing field office can confirm current availability.

Are two half days better than one full day? On rough surfaces, frequently. Fatigue causes more trouble on gravel than any other single factor.

What makes a good bail out? A junction with a signed route to pavement, and enough fuel in the tank to reach it comfortably.