Glossary
The definitions here explain either terms we use on the pages, and/or explain what appears under certain headings and how we obtain the information.
On a scale of 1-10, how clean is the campsite or trail?
| Value | Campground Meaning | Hike Meaning |
| 1 | So dirty I would be afraid of catching a disease just from being there. | So dirty I would be afraid of catching a disease just from being there. |
| 2 | Beer cans, paper plates, etc. everywhere. Broken glass is common and may be hazardous. | Lots of litter all along the trail. |
| 3 | Beer cans, paper plates, etc everywhere. There might be some broken glass. | Wherever we were on the trail, we could see litter, including large pieces. |
| 4 | Lots of trash such as beer cans, paper plates, etc. Most campsites contain large litter. | Wherever we were on the trail, we could see litter. |
| 5 | Several pieces of litter such as beer or soda cans, paper plates, etc are scattered throughout the campground. Or, most of the campground is clean, but one or two campsites are full of litter. | Around 100 pieces of litter per km. |
| 6 | A few pieces of litter such as beer or soda cans, paper plates, etc are scattered throughout the campground. A given campsite may or may not have large litter in it. | Around 50 pieces of litter per km. |
| 7 | In the whole campground, there are a few large pieces of litter. Small pieces are common. | Around 25 pieces of litter per km. |
| 8 | Without looking hard, I was able to find a few small pieces of litter. There were no large pieces of litter. | Around 5 pieces of litter per km. |
| 9 | Looking hard, I was able to find a few small pieces of litter. | Around 1 pieces of litter per km. |
| 10 | Looking hard, I was unable to find any litter. | We saw no litter on the trail. |
Our goal is to leave our campsite or trail cleaner than when we found it. We request that you also do the same.
This data covers two types of trail conditions:
| Surface | If not mentioned, then it is dirt. However, if the trail is paved, especially rocky, or is otherwise notable, we will mention it. |
| Erosion | If not mentioned, then the trail is not eroded. However, some trails take water when it rains, or the level of traffic compacts the soil such that you are walking in a trench. |
The organization responsible for the campground or hiking area. Usually this will be one of the national forests, national park or monument, Bureau of Land Management, or a state park or monument. If we know of a web page for the agency, we link to it.
A place to put a fire, designed primarily for cooking. We call something a cooking grill if it is on a stand.
See also fire pits.
Someday there will be a picture here.
Our elevation values come from one of three sources. First, and true for all newer waypoints, if we have a good GPS signal then we use our Garmin eTrex Vista to obtain the altitude. The elevation data (if any) on older waypoints is from either a USGS topo map or from a controlling agency publication.
A list of one or more of the following that are available at the trailhead: water, trash cans, toilets (of any type), and/or a picnic area.
Some hikes have a special reason why you might want to hike (beyond the obvious of getting outside and seeing the world). The ones we note are:
Since many controlling agencies charge for using the campground or trailhead facilities, we list the fee that was charged when we visited. Since fees do change, having a few extra dollars with you is probably a good idea. Many campgrounds and trailheads allow you to pay your fee with a check.
The fee we list is per night for camping/day use for hiking, and does not include any discounts, for example Golden Age, annual pass, etc.
These are areas designed to safely contain a campfire. They may also contain an area for cooking; if so, you will probably be leaning over to cook on it, since it is not on a stand.
See also Cooking grills.
Someday there will be a picture here.
For determining accessibility, we have two criteria. First, we look for signs indicating that the restrooms are accessible, and we also look to see that they appear to really be so (space, handrails). We also look at a campground from an accessibility standpoint regarding slope and reasonable routes from campsites to the restrooms.
We have gotten better over the years at noticing these features, so the more recent data will be better than the old data.
The length we report for a trail is one of two:
The location is (normally) divided into two parts: the region is one of Central, North-central, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, West-central. The area in the region is the park or forest or other area where the hike/campground is.
We do not have an RV; we camp in the back of our pickup truck which has only a shell over it. Kenneth's opinion is that you went camping to be outside, so why are you bringing your whole house with you?
However, knowing that not everybody shares this idea, and some people may not be able to climb into and out of a truck on a regular basis, we try to collect information that might be of use to someone with an RV. In the past, we did not collect this information at all, so old campground RV data will be light or missing. As we re-visit places, we update the information.
This is the total time it took us to do the hike. Note, that as we hike, we are stopping to take photos, to identify wildflowers, and to take notes about the hike. Therefore, you should consider our listed time as an upper limit. Most people will find that the hike takes less time that what we list.
We have run across three types of toilets so far:
We count the people we see as we hike, and divide this by the time it took us to do the hike to produce a "people per hour" rating. The idea here is that if it takes you less time to hike, you will see fewer people.
The only problem with this rating is that unless we hike a trail frequently, this value is based on one observation, which any statistician will tell you is insufficient to make any claims from.
This refers to potable (safe for drinking) water. We also will mention other sources of water, but the Forest Service recommends treating all surface water before drinking it, and we believe that this is good advice (one of us having had giardia before).
Note that sometimes water systems break; it is always a good idea to have several gallons of water, even if there should be water at yor destination. We never travel with less than two gallons, and often have seven or more.
When using a GPS, you can assign a name to a certain location. This name is called a waypoint. At ExploreNM.com, we have a database of waypoints, and various pages have links into a search of the database for a specific waypoint. The information stored with a waypoint includes the latitude and longitude, which allows you to enter it into your GPS and thereby find the same point (within the error of both the GPS we used to record the point and the error of your GPS). We have a WAAS-capable GPS now, so the error in our newer waypoints can be be less than three meters (about 9 ft); the actual accuracy depends on the satellite geometry, the view of the sky, and several other factors.
We hike and camp year-round. Our advice is to head north and up in the summer, south and down in the winter. We have had great experiences in the Gila and at the state parks in the southern part of the state in winter.
Due to budget constraints (and, we are sure, other considerations), many agencies close campgrounds and trailheads for the colder part of the season. In some cases, they simply stop providing services, and you can camp as long as you have your own water and you pack everything out. In other cases, they lock the gate to the campground or trailhead. If we are able to determine what they do (either by asking, or through something published), we will note it on the page.
A locked gate preventing you from driving to a trailhead does not necessarily mean that the trail is closed---however, you may hike a longer distance as a result of the hike from the gate to the trailhead. Beware that parking in a manner that blocks the gate may get you a ticket or your car towed.
Note that weather conditions may cause the camping season for a campground to be different from that published. Additionally, budgets change, so closing dates may change. If you are near the end of the season, calling the controlling agency is a good idea.
The visual density is a measure of how isolated the campsites are. To calculate the visual density, I sit on or stand near the picnic table for a campsite. I then slowly turn around, counting all of the other sites I can see. If I can see five other campsites, then the visual density is 5. The larger the value, the less isolated you can expect to be. I try to check three different campsites and provide the average. If a campsite is notable for being isolated or right in the thick of things, I will provide its value separately.
The visual density is somewhat affected by whether or not a campsite was occupied when I checked, and if so, how. I am more likely to see a large RV than a small two-person tent.
This value is also affected by the amount of trees in a campsite. Lots of trees mean it is harder to see your neighbor. The trees also help muffle sound.
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