One of the first questions people ask me about my Chevy Astro camper van build is, “How much did your build cost”? This really depends on a few things… will you be doing all of the work yourself? Do you have all of the necessary tools already, or will you be buying some/all as you go? The easiest way to discuss the total cost of my build is probably to just list the parts & materials, and take tools out of the equation. So without further ado, here’s my complete parts & materials spreadsheet for my Chevy Astro camper van build:
All of the parts and materials used in my stealth camper van build are listed in this spreadsheet
As you can see, my total cost for all parts and materials in my Chevy Astro camper van conversion was around $7500.
For for written instructions on the build process with photos, parts/materials/tools lists for each phase of the build, see my Astro/Safari Camper Van Conversion page.
You’ll notice I didn’t list a cost for a lot of the wood I used, and that’s because I had a lot of it on hand already. Figure around $300 for the high end of what the wood and lumber should cost in this build. Lumber prices were quite high in early 2021 when I built my van, and should be lower now. Besides the lumber, the list is pretty complete and should give you a good idea of what kind of cost is involved to build out a camper van like mine.
Other costs not calculated in this van build spreadsheet are maintenance costs. If you’re building out an Astro or Safari van, chances are, it will need some sort of mechanical work done before you hit the road… tires, tune up, suspension work… something. Or maybe your van needs a LOT of work. But that’s a cost that varies from van to van, each one will be different. If you aren’t taking care of the mechanical work upfront, before starting your build, it would be wise to set aside a generous budget for maintenance work after the conversion is complete.
Another cost to factor in is paying others to do parts of the build you can’t. Most DIY van builders try to do as much of the work as they can themselves, but you may run into projects that you need to sub out. For example, welding is something most DIY’ers aren’t going to be able to do themselves, unless you just happen to be a welder by trade. Or perhaps you aren’t comfortable with the electrical wiring aspect of your van build, and decide to pay an electrician. These jobs can quickly become expensive when you rely on others, so make sure to set realistic expectations for your van build based on your abilities, and your budget.
Building your own camper van is a huge project, but you can do it. Do your research, ask questions, watch youtube videos (like mine!) and learn all you can about what you want out of your van and what your options are for achieving that vision. Good luck with your build, get out there and make it happen!
Zion is a madhouse. If you are used to visiting National Parks, the sheer amount of people here and the quasi-Disney World vibe may be normal to you. It can be a bit overwhelming if you are used to avoiding the crowds, visiting places like BLM land and Wilderness areas. But this is Zion, remember? Zion!
Here’s the deal: you can’t drive in Zion. Huh? Yeah, crazy, I know. The visitation to this park is so high now that they have visitors park their cars outside of the park itself, and take shuttle buses into the park. Well, you CAN drive through part of the park, but public access ends at the Canyon Junction. Visitors must either take the shuttle up the canyon or go on foot, bike, or horseback. This is supposed to help reduce traffic congestion. So, you have to find a place to park outside of Zion. Fine. Where? There are a few stores that allow you to park on their property if you buy $20 worth of items from the shop. For many, you were likely going to spend $20 somewhere, so might as well get a parking space out of the deal. There are other paid parking lots and spaces throughout the town of Springdale.
Now you walk or take a shuttle bus to get to the entrance of Zion National Park. This is a free shuttle. Here, you will need to purchase your entrance pass, if you don’t already have an annual interagency pass. Then, you wait in line to get another shuttle bus that takes you into the park. This shuttle is also free. Buses come every 10-15 minutes.
Shuttle stop map of Zion National Park
Once in the park, the shuttle bus drives around and makes stops at 9 preset locations. Get off at the stop you wish to explore. When you are done at that location, you can hop back on the shuttle which will take you to any of the other stops along the shuttle route.
There are not many dispersed camping opportunities outside of Zion National Park and the surrounding communities of Springdale, Rockville, Grafton and Virgin. However, we did find a suitable spot for my camper van along Kolob Terrace Rd a few miles before the Zion park entrance.
When I hiked Angel’s Landing in 2021, there was no permit needed. Now, new for 2022, a permit is needed to hike Angel’s Landing. It’s a lottery system, with a seasonal and “day before” lottery. It costs $6 to enter the lottery. Read more on this here: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/angels-landing-hiking-permits.htm
Hiking The Angel’s Landing Trail
We rode the Zion shuttle bus into the park and stopped at The Grotto, stop #6. Angel’s Landing Trailhead is across the street from the shuttle parking lot.
First view of Angel’s Landing
Zion Canyon
We walk across a bridge that spans the Virgin River. It’s late August, and the flow is quite low. On the other side of the bridge is a paved pathway. Paved! Only the finest for the Angel’s Landing Trail. There are many other people hiking in both directions. The view quickly opens up to a view of Angel’s Landing’s sheer south side. Impressive.
Switchbacks begin here
Easy hiking on the paved path and gentle grade
The pathway leads us to the base of a sheer rock wall, which would be pretty much impossible if it weren’t for the switchbacks cut through it. The mad-made path snakes it’s way up the rock wall at a very easy-to-hike grade.
Refrigerator Canyon
At the top of the climb, we enter Refrigerator Canyon. Here, the trail runs through a deep and very straight canyon for a half mile. Then, another set of switchbacks begin.
The route up Angel’s Landing
After climbing the switchbacks, we reach Scout Lookout. A ton of people are gathered here; resting, or perhaps, not going any farther. The views are excellent, overlooking Zion Canyon, the Virgin River and a 360 degree view of incredibly beautiful mountains. Along with the deeply carved canyons, the color of the mountains in Zion is what makes them unique. They seem to display a rainbow of colors, from red, orange and pink to white and green.
The “knife edge” section of the Angel’s Landing Trail
View over Zion Canyon
Scout Lookout is basically the saddle along the ridgeline before the big ascent to the top. The perspective here, the angle at which you see Angel’s Landing from, is truly incredible. Everything about it is attractive; the sheer rockface, the knife edge, the backdrop, everything.
The knife edge section
Final push to the summit of Angel’s Landing
Now the trail gets funneled down to an occasional knife edge. There’s a chain to hold onto along the way, if needed. Even on this thin knife edge, there are still trees growing from the rocks, eeking out an existence here. Remarkable.
Angel’s Landing Summit
Angel’s landing summit view
The summit of Angel’s Landing is a broad, flat top. Many people are congregated here. The views are excellent, and this is the obvious spot for a lunch break. Great views of Zion Canyon. It’s a bit of a shame to have such a beautiful place marred by the existence of the road through Zion Canyon though. The buses can be see and heard pretty much non-stop from Angel’s Landing.
After 20 minutes at the top of Angel’s Landing, we start the descent down. We make good time going down, following the same trail back to the trailhead at The Grotto.
Hiking The Narrows
Leaving The Grotto at shuttle stop #6, we ride the shuttle to stop #9, The Temple of Sinawava. It’s early afternoon now, and it’s a Saturday… there are a lot of people here, seemingly even more than Angel’s Landing. Many people have these special water shoes on, the kind the tourist companies rent. Save your money, these are not needed here. Just wear your normal hiking shoes in the water (you wear trail runners, right??), and a pair of gaiters helps keep the debris out of your shoes.
Hiking The Narrows
The canyon, well, narrows…
It’s a short walk from the shuttle stop down to the Virgin River. Zion Canyon begins to narrow here, and the name “The Narrows” suddenly comes to life. We take our first steps in the water, which is surprisingly a pretty comfortable temperature. There is no “trail” to follow, you simply hike upstream. Walk through water, rocks, sandbars and outcrops of dry land.
Waterfall down the cliff walls
Not far upstream, the canyon walls narrow considerably and the walls become “slabby”. Waterfalls pour down these slabs right into the Virgin River. That’s pretty cool.
Around each bend in the river, the lighting changes. Sometimes we’re in the sun, sometimes the shade. The top of the cliffs are 1,000ft above the river, more if you include the summits behind them, out of sight. It’s a stunning place to be.
We pass Mystery Canyon, Mountain of Mystery, and reach the junction with Orderville Canyon. It’s getting late in the afternoon, and this is where we decide to turn around and head back. We’ve hiked 2.8 miles to this point, so it should be 5.6 total round trip.
Hiking The Narrows was cool, but crowded. Too crowded. It makes me want to explore some of the lesser visited parts of the park if and when I make it back to Zion.
CDT Section Hike August 2021 – Rocky Mountain National Park, Never Summer Wilderness & Parkview Mountain, Colorado
Hike Location – Rocky Mountain National Park, Never Summer Wilderness & Parkview Mountain, Colorado
Land Administration – National Park, National Forest
Hike Type – Point to Point
Fees & Permits – No fees or permits needed (unless camping overnight in RMNP)
Start Trailhead – Shadowcliff Hostel, Grand Lake
End Trailhead – Forest Rd 104
Length Of Time Hiked – 3.5 Days
Miles Hiked – 60
Route Difficulty – 4.5
Scenic Beauty – 7.5
Solitude – 8
Pre-Hike Planning Notes
I’ll be joining my friends Alex Maier and Amy Robin on their 2021 CDT thru hike as they walk from Grand Lake to Steamboat Springs. I’ve hiked this before myself on my 2018 CDT thru hike, and know it probably isn’t the highlight of the CDT. But, I wanted to join Alex and Amy for a section of hiking this summer and logistically, this is where it worked out for us both. I’ll have a friend pick me up along FR 104, south of Little Haystack Mountain. He’ll take me back to Grand Lake to get my van, where I parked it at the Shadowcliff Hostel, and I’ll follow him back to his place in Colorado Springs afterwards.
You’ll need a permit if you plan on camping overnight in Rocky Mountain National Park. But the RMNP section is only a few hours walk out of Grand Lake, and much of it has been burned recently in a fire, so you wouldn’t want to camp here anyways. Recent fires have also burned sections of the CDT south of Parkview Mountain. Much of this section has good trail and is a relatively easy hike.
Map of my CDT Section Hike:
Caltopo map of my CDT section hike from Grand Lake to, well, not quite Steamboat Springs
Video: CDT Section Hike: Grand Lake to Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Day 1 – August 2nd, 2021
Miles Hiked – 12.92
Elevation Gain – 2973′
Route Hiked – Grand Lake to Upper Bowen Gulch
My newly-built Astro Adventure Van in northern Utah, a few weeks earlier
It’s pretty comfy inside!
Let me start by backing up a bit. Two nights ago, my friends Alex Maier and Amy Robin hiked into Grand Lake. They have been hiking since April on the Continental Divide Trail, having started at the border of Mexico and New Mexico. This puts them roughly 1300 miles into their hike, with another 1700 remaining to the border of Canada. I completed the CDT in 2018, and now it’s my privilege to join Alex and Amy for a section of their hike this year. I had been touring the west for the past 6 weeks in my newly built camper van, and it’s here in northern Colorado that our paths cross this summer.
Alex Maier and Amy Robin
Alex is a documentary film marker, best known for his “Figure It Out On The Hayduke” movie. I really enjoyed Alex’s take on the benefits of being in the wilderness, and his ability to put profound concepts into clear, distinct words. So I was very interested in his latest project, “Mind Body Soul“. This project follow Alex and Amy’s 3,000 mile hike on the Continental Divide Trail, with a goal of exploring the effects hiking has on the mind, body and soul. Alex also has a youtube channel called Wilderness Mindset, where he shares high quality videos of his outdoor adventures and thru hikes.
Rocky Mountain National Park
We started the hike out of Grand Lake at Shadowcliff Hostel. Alex and Amy are also hiking with their two service dogs, Echo and Minnow. From here it’s a short walked through some burned forest. This had all burned since my visit here in 2018 on my CDT thru hike. The route I took before had us continuing north for a few more miles, but the trail was closed and we had to detour west. This led us back to HWY 34, the main road north/south running road in the area. And now it’s a few miles of road walking through Rocky Mountain National Park.
The mighty Colorado River
North of Onahu Trailhead, we leave the paved road for a dirt one. Life is suddenly more quiet and calm away from the traffic. We cross the Colorado River here, not all that far from its headwaters just 10 miles away, as the crow flies. We stop here for a lunch break along the banks of the river. This is nice. This brings back memories.
Never Summer Wilderness
We leave the Colorado River behind and hike towards Bowen Gulch. We hike uphill though the the forest for a while and enter the Never Summer Wilderness. The trail is good and the grade is excellent for those long, continuous pushes uphill. This makes a 2,000ft climb like this one much easier.
Upper Bowen Gulch
The trees break as we reach the upper Bowen Basin area. We see a few moose in the area, and I remember seeing them here in 2018 too. This is their turf.
Campsite in upper Bowen Gulch, Never Summer Wilderness
We found a pretty nice campsite with good tree cover not far off trail. The clouds moved in and out rapidly as the evening progressed.
Day 2 – August 3rd, 2021
Miles Hiked – 13.75
Elevation Gain – 2411′
Route Hiked – Upper Bowen Gulch to Willow Creek Pass
Last night we had a lot of animal activity. By the sound, they were large animals, and they were close by. We assumed moosr, since we saw several in the area lst night, and there were little trails leading through our general campsite area. One animal was probably only 4ft from my tent at one point.
Hike up to Bowen Pass
Looking back down Bowen Gulch
After leaving camp, we still had a few hundred feet left to climb to reach the top of Bowen Pass. We saw a few more moose down lower in the valley. They really like this area.
West side of Bowen PassThe top of Bowen Pass was a bit of a let down, with all the fog around. This pass separates the Arapaho National Forest and Route National Forest though, so that’s something.
Coming down the west side of Bowen Pass. Entering the Routt National Forest
On the way down form Bowen Pass, we stop at a small creek for water. I remember stopping here for water too on my 2018 hike. I don’t remember the miles ahead being very memorable, though.
These clouds never left all day
My memory served me right; the rest of the day was not that interesting. It had been raining on and off today, quite a bit in the afternoon. We were pretty wet and when we stopped, it was cold. We kept our breaks short and kept moving.
Later this afternoon, we hiked through several large burn areas. I didn’t take any photos here, apparently. It was pretty bleak looking, but very easy to walk. The terrain was pretty open and free of vegetation, and some erosion was starting to occur as a result.
We found camp above Willow Creek Pass. Nothing special, but campsites on the CDT seldom seemed special to me. This fits my recollection of CDT camping perfectly; a subpar campsite that looks a lot better at the end of a long day.
Day 3 – August 4th, 2021
Miles Hiked – 14.26
Elevation Gain – 4523′
Route Hiked – Willow Creek Pass to Poison Ridge
We got clobbered with rain last night. It was coming down heavily. Probably heavier than any single rain event on my entire CDT thru hike in 2018. But it barely rained at all on my 2018 hike. Now, I’m getting the full Colorado experience here.
Beginning the hike up Parkview Mountain
We pack up camp wet this morning and hit the soggy trail. We emerge from the forest and find ourselves at the bouldery base of Parkview Mountain. We skirt this base and begin our ascent of Parkview as we punch through the clouds.
Clouds rolling in fast. Like, really, REALLY FAST!
CDT, this way…
The weather is weird today; low clouds that rapidly come and go, alternating periods of high winds and total silence. Once we gain the crest of our first ridgeline, we get above the clouds for the first time. Well, we’re hiking in them now, too. It’s sunny and clear blue skies one minute, and within seconds, a big cloud blows in and visibility goes down to mere feet. It’s wild, and pretty damn cool.
Our four legged friend making it look easy
The hike up the ridgeline is great. I enjoyed it in 2018, when the views were wide open and vast. But I enjoyed this more. Alex and Amy hadn’t had any days like this either on their CDT hike this year up to this point.
Cloud blowing over the ridge… wait 10 seconds…
10 seconds later, and the ridge looks like this!
Optimism has my tent on the outside of my pack today, hoping it will dry out after last night’s rain
Conditions continue to change second by second and keep us on our toes. But, there seems to be no threat of rain. We take our time heading up the mountain now, as the 3 of us are all photographers. We are sidetracked with the constantly changing lighting, mood and landscapes!
Alex emerges from the cloud on the final approach to Parkview Mountain
Final push to the summit of Parkview Mountain
Shelter on the summit of Parkview Mountain (12,300ft)
We reach the summit of Parkview Mountain mid-day. For northbound CDT thru hikers, Parkview Mountain is the last 12k peak they will encounter. Unless you do the Wind River Range High Route alternate, and you’d be a FOOL not to! Just saying. We take lunch inside the shelter and enjoy the wind break. I’m sure the rodents would be an issue if one tried sleeping in here. The dogs were going nuts trying to get at them while they scurried around underneath the shelter.
Descending Parkview Mountain
Looking back up Parkview Mountain
We begin the descent down Parkview Mountain by doing exactly what I did in 2018; taking a wrong turn here and walking down the obvious looking ridgeline. While there is good trail leading this way, and good views too, the correct route was to take the ridge to the west. This was a dumb mistake, and even dumber because I made it twice.
Looking back at Parkview Mountain
Descending this ridge
Alex with a backdrop of Parkview Mountain
Back on trail now, CDT signs and posts lead the way. The hiking here is excellent, just as I remembered it from 2018. It’s not the most scenic place you’ve ever been, but it has a simple beauty to it. It’s mot going to wow you, but it’s extremely pleasant. You just feel good being here.
Awesome perspective of the landscape
Follow the CDT posts…
Oh yeah! I dig it. I can walk ridges like this all day 🙂
We get some distance from Parkview Mountain and watch it become smaller on the horizon. It’s also an excellent backdrop now to the scenic ridge we’re hiking.
Haystack Mountain ahead. These mountains have a different feel to them. Wyoming is getting closer…
Next, we hike around Haystack Mountain. The trail drops down off the ridgeline about 450ft and contours around the east side of Haystack at the 10,200 mark. This section had a few downed trees and minor obstacles, but nothing too bad.
Woof, maybe
Nice campsite on Poison Ridge
We cross Troublesome Pass and keep hiking towards Poison Ridge. The sun is getting lower in the sky and it’s time for camp. We find a pretty nice spot with an elevated view over Sheep Creek. With the full sun of the afternoon, we have been able to fully dry out our gear. What a great end to a day that started out wet and dreary.
Day 4 – August 5th, 2021
Miles Hiked – 15.47
Elevation Gain – 3075′
Route Hiked – Poison Ridge to FR 104
This morning’s hike was nice. Clear skies and sun, good trail and good views. Again, this area is not spectacular. But it’s enjoyable. I felt good being here. However, today is the day I’ll meet up with my friend who will pick me up somewhere along FR 104. And so, after a few hours, I say goodbye to Alex and Amy and hike ahead. I’m slightly behind schedule now, and increase my pace to make up for the time. I don’t want to keep my friend waiting any longer than he has to, he drove quite a long ways to meet me out here.
The ridgeline hike continues to be enjoyable. Eventually though, it’s time to drop down to Middle Fork Arapaho Creek near Hyannis Peak. It’s here that I run into another moose along the trail. Fortunately he went on his way, and I could keep running down the trail. And that’s what I was doing now, jogging where possible.
I climb out of Middle Fork Arapaho Creek to the ridge on the south side of the canyon. This is FR 104, the 4×4 road I have been shooting for. The spot my friend and I chose was a little farther downhill, so head that way. The road looks pretty good here, but I have a feeling it’s rough lower down the mountain. I get a brief moment of cell service and call him. He’s about 6.5 miles downhill from here, but the road is really rough. I get going to try and knock out these final miles as fast as possible.
I hike another hour or so, and was surprised to see my friend’s Subaru coming uphill. He was able to keep driving since our last call, but as rough as the road was here, I was not expecting him at all. So that saved me about 3 miles of the 6.5. But I would not recommend driving on this road without a high clearance vehicle!
That’s it for this hike. What’s next? I have a killer Wind River Range hike planned for next week!
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"His breathing is measured as he narrates his journey, describing the personal allure of the great outdoors, the difference between mere hobby and real passion. He discourses on his own mortality, about getting too old to have such adventures, and striking your own path in life while you still can." - John Glionna, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail
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