Features:
Restrooms (Outhouse style)
Trashcans (“Bear Proof”)
Cell Phone Signal (not 100% reliable)
Picnic Tables
Fire Pits
RV Campsite
Group Campsite
Hiking Trails (Numerous, leading in all directions away from campground)
This is actually our second time staying in Stockton pass, though the previous time we only stayed for a night.
The campsite itself is quite nice, and, judging from the times we have stayed there, doesn't seem to get many campers. (This is generally preferable to us, A) because it gives us some privacy and B) because, with a baby, and kids and dogs we can get noisy and we don't feel good about disturbing our neighbors.)
Of the three campsites we have been to, Stockton pass has the most amenities. There are picnic tables, fire rings, bathrooms (outhouse style), (“bear proof”) garbage cans, and, the most exciting “amenity”, cell phone signal! (The signal is spotty, but there is a cell tower at the top of a nearby mountain, and we can get up to 4 full bars of EDGE depending on where we stand. lol)
Stockton Pass is on Mt Graham where there is a large observatory, which can be seen from many miles away.
This time out, we actually met many hunters, not camping, but just checking out the area. The ranger informed us that it is turkey hunting season, and apparently Stockton pass is right in the middle of prime turkey hunting area! One person made mention that a friend of theirs saw 33 turkeys there the week before we got there. We spread the legend of the 30 turkeys to the hunters we met that asked if we had seen any. lol
While we didn't see any turkeys in the first few days we were there, Vallori did hear some, and we saw one roaming around in the nearby town of Ft Grant. We also saw some beautiful bluebirds, some animal with white fur and shiny eyes slinking around one night, and a cute pocket gopher digging out part of his burrow. We got video of our rodent friend that you will soon be able to check out on our UStream and YouTube channels. We also saw many different types of scat, and heard many different animal and bird calls during the day and night, so, while we may not have seen much wildlife, it is certainly all over the area. Stockton pass is also known for black bear sightings.
Linus and Nikon had an incredible time exploring, and even came across a skeleton! We think it might have been a small mule dear, judging from the hoof and skull. We didn't get to see the whole skeleton, the dogs were very careful not to let anyone know exactly where their find was, but they kept running off and then coming back with different parts of the animal. The skeleton had obviously been sitting around for a long time before they got it, it was just dry bones, but dry bones are an exciting find for dogs!
While the dogs generally don't go much out of eyesight and usually come back soon after leaving (if we let them off the leash), one morning they ran off, and no amount of calling or whistling brought them back. We were getting pretty worried and were about to go on a hike to find them when some hunters came to check out the area for turkey and use the rest room. We wanted to wait until they left before we left, and while they were there, we chatted with them for a few minutes. We mentioned that our dogs had gone missing, and the hunters said they hadn't seen them on the nearby road, which was some relief. After the hunters left, while we were about to go looking for the dogs, the hunters came back into the campsite and they had found the dogs! Thank goodness, and Thanks again guys! Apparently they had been running down the road, but, being friendly dogs, they came easily when called to the hunters. Linus also made quite an impression on one of the guys, which is how Linus is, always making instant friends for life. LOL.
For the first couple of days we got to use our tent without the rain fly since the weather was dry and warm, which was a nice change, though due to the full moon, we didn't get to see the stars. During the times we have gone camping previously, the weather was too cold and windy to go without the rain fly. The weather did turn, though, and we had to put the rain fly up for a few days. We didn't get any rain until the last day while we were packing out, though it sprinkled in the nearby towns, but we saw a lot of wind with temperatures near freezing at night and not warm during the day. It was uncomfortable, but we snuggled around a campfire, and then snuggled in bed with 3 layers of clothes, 2 blankets each, gloves, winter caps, 2 pairs of socks, and hand warmers in our gloves, socks, and hats. LOL. It might be considered going overboard for some, but we are not used to cold temperatures, and found it very very unpleasant. Luckily, things warmed up a bit the next day, and we were ready for the cold the next night.
To make matters worse, Vallori also got to experience her first migraine while camping, which was extremely unpleasant, thankfully, it only lasted one night.
Atari had a great, time, as usual. He loves being outdoors and loves camping. He crawled for the first time one day in the tent, and also made his first ASL (American Sign Language) sign; “eat”. We didn't set up his outdoor play tarp this time, not only was there no great place for it, but we think it might be a little too small for him, now that he is more mobile, but, with the older kids not here, there was plenty of room in the tent for him to play with his toys and crawl around.
A lot of people have wondered if it is very difficult to camp with a baby, but, from our experiences, it isn't any more difficult than living in a house with a baby. There seem to be a similar amount of concerns, but just different ones. We don't have to worry about socket covers and cabinet latches, but do have to worry about bug spray and sunblock. At times, it even seems easier to camp with a baby than to deal with the concerns of a baby in an apartment or house, because the precautions we need to take for him are the same ones we need to take for ourselves. (Whereas, in a house, you don't need to install socket covers, cabinet latches, and the like for yourselves.)
Overall, our experience at Stockton Pass was probably the best camping experience we have had so far. Even with the weather not being totally incredible, Stockton Pass is a beautiful and interesting place to camp. Hopefully, next time we go there, the weather will be better and we will get the chance to explore some of the many hiking trails around the site.
