Taking a three week, 12 state, trailer camping trip. We start by beelining from MN to Texas panhandle. After three days there we head West to Grand Canyon area, North thru the high plains and along the Rockies to Devils Tower area, East to Badlands, and then back to MN shade, lakes, and rivers.

The trip will be June/July (dictated by available vacation time). We have an Aliner Classic camper, a pop up shade, and a 4x4 SUV to haul it all. We plan to stay in out-of-the-way places when possible and hike the trails all day.

I know we will need to carry more water than we are used to on the trails, but how much? We hiked the Badlands two years ago and we are planning to do that again. I'm told that even if you find water in the Badlands, it cannot be made safe to drink.

Have any of you hiked the trails at Palo Dura or Dead Horse Point? What did you carry with you? Are fires permitted? What advice you you have for shade, bothersome critters, portable first aid, trail food, proper clothing, etc?

Should be a neat trip. Lots of interesting country ahead of you. You will see temps around 100F in the lower elevations of AZ and New Mexico at that time, and afternoon thunderstorms during that period. I would recommend having some sort of light weight rain gear (upper body only) handy.

I would also recommend a full brim, light weight hat, preferably cotton for routine wear. You will appreciate the costant shade. If it gets really hot, soak the hat for cooling effect. I prefer lightweight, full sleeve shirts for these conditions.

I would carry a minimum of two liters of water on just about any excursion (you can make an exception for the 1/4 mile trail next to the Visitor Center, but that's about it) and pack more for longer trips, especially if there are no known water sources. You will be new to the arid conditions and will need more water until your body adjusts. It is better to be safe than sorry! Be sure and tank up in the evenings - it is easy to become chronically dehydrated and that isn't any fun.

If you are looking for out of the way places, I would recommend the area around Harrison, Nebraska - Fort Robinson, Toadstool Park, and a good gateway to the Black Hills (where I will be in July, digging away - drop by if you like).

I would also recommend Canyon de Chelly in NE Arizona, one of my all time favorite places. Sorry, no info on Dead Horse Point - I am a vast void of ignorance - all I know about DHP is what I have seen in the movies.

Even in the summer, Northern Arizona and Norther New Mexico can get cold at night in the higher altitudes. i was in Flagstaff last summer and it was down in the 30s at night at times.

Hikermor is right, it is a beautiful area and much to see. Have fun and good luck.

The only thing between Flagstaff and the North Pole is a barbed wire fence.....

This may not apply to where you are staying, but one lesson I learned when I was camped out near the southern entrance of Yellowstone close to the Teton's is apparently there is a weather event where a gust of wind comes down from the mountains, it only lasts a couple of minutes, but it's really pretty strong. It shredded my Inlaws awning (bent/broke the metal supports as well), and anything that wasn't secured got blown around pretty good. I'd never heard of this phenomenon before, but thought I would pass it along. If I recall, it happened around mid-day, and was a fairly common event in that particular location.

Don't know if your route North from Grand Canyon will take you through Nevada, but if so I would recommend a stop for hiking at Red Rocks, near Las Vegas. We really enjoyed a trip there a couple of years ago. We aren't casino people so we avoided the Strip like the plague, but there is some nice hiking at Red Rocks. From there you could easily head East past Zion, where there are more awesome hikes to be done. Both areas will be hot when you are there, however, so you will want to plan your hikes for early morning. Also beware of slot canyons when there are thunderstorms about.

I would follow hikermor's advice, he knows a lot about the desert country. One thing I would add is that in my few trips to that part of the world I've found that a fanny pack with suspenders was a good set up. I used one of the Mountainsmith Lumbar models. I put a water bottle on each side and a collapsable water bottle inside. Still room inside it for a lightweight rain jacket, some snacks, a small FAK, and odds and ends. Not having a pack on the back was a much cooler way to hike.

AKSAR and Montanero bring up a really key point to understanding this area - altitude is critical to anticipating the temperatures you will experience. At 7000 feet and above, you will be back in Minnesota. Below 4000, it will be like the inside of your furnace back hone - at least during midday. Since humidity is generally low, there are amazing swings in the daily temperature curve. If you are really talented and unfortunate, you can expose yourself to both hyper and hypo thermia in the same 24 hour period.

This will be less of an issue as you proceed north, but at the Grand Canyon, you will see an extreme example. I remember one trip, a rim to rim run, where we dodged snow drifts on the North Rim and ran into 100 + at Phantom Ranch, along the Colorado River, just three hours later.

An important addendum: When you get to South Dakota, you will be in buffalo burger country and they are not o be missed. With several summers in SD, I have made an exhaustive and rigorous survey of the offerings and the winner is the BB at Mt Rushmore National Memorial. Their buffalo stew is really good as well. A close second is the Homestead, near the Hudson-Meng site, just north of Crawford, Nebraska (but that's out of the way, why would you go there?) Also recommended is the BB at the Mess Hall at Fort Robinson (it is not standard army rations, by a long shot).

Combine the BB with rhubarb pie and root beer floats, and you have Hikermor's South Dakota Diet, on which you can live happily ever after.

If you mean the SD badlands, in summer, bring a lot of water! It's hotter than heck and dry as a bone. They're not huge but you'll sweat gallons over the course of a day.

Right now, the heat sounds really good. We just got another 9 inches of heavy snow last night. Pine tree branches are hanging low from the weight. It would be beautiful if it wasn't Springtime. My typing here is a 'delay tactic', as I have to go out and shovel the driveway and roof edges before work.

Somehow, my wife acquired the belief that scorpions can pop up out of the ground virtually anywhere, and do so for nefarious reasons. As we hike, I'm sure she will be laser-focused on ground dwelling critters.

We are looking at our water carry options, and based on your advice, we may go with our Kelty Oriole lumbar packs. I think we can pack two liters of water in each of those. We have a few backpacks already including a Redwing already outfitted with reservoir, and we were teetering on purchasing a generic Camelback with 2L reservoir, but you all confirmed that those would be too hot to wear comfortably. It looks we will pack the Kelty Redwing and two Kelty Orioles for this trip to give us carry options.

Buffalo is on the menu! At home the only red meat we eat is venison and grass-fed beef. Buffalo fits right in with our lifestyle. If we can get to some of the places that Hikermor recommends, we will definitely stop in for a BB.

Good advice also on temp swings. We will be in the Flagstaff area as we check out out the meteor crater, and we're going to Homolovi, an archaeological site featuring the ruins of Native American and Mormon villages. Heavy hooded sweatshirts are now on the list.

Thanks for the advice and well-wishes. When we get back, I'll post some pictures here.