Over 14 days in late April 2023, I drove 2,847 miles across five states — Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado — with a rented 2022 Toyota Camry LE (from Enterprise Rent-A-Car at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport for $49/day + $12.95/day insurance, totaling $763 for 14 days). No luxury hotels, no guided tours, no rental SUVs. Just a backpack, a $39.99 REI Co-op Flash 65L pack, a $24.95 Jetboil MiniMo stove, and a strict $1,842 total budget — broken down to $131.57 per day. This story documents every gas stop, campsite reservation, grocery run, and unexpected detour — from the cracked mudflats of White Sands to the vertigo-inducing rim of the Grand Canyon’s South Kaibab Trail.
Day 1–3: Phoenix to White Sands via Tucson & Las Cruces
I picked up the Camry at 7:15 a.m. on April 17. The tank held 13.2 gallons (EPA-rated 32 mpg combined), and I filled it at Circle K on 44th St and Thomas Rd for $3.89/gallon — $51.35 total. Driving south on I-10, I stopped at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson ($17.50 entry) — worth every penny for its native plant trails and javelina viewing. Lunch was two Sonoran hot dogs from El Guero Canelo ($9.50), wrapped in foil and eaten at the roadside pullout just north of Benson.
That evening, I stayed at the City of Tucson’s Himmel Park RV & Campground — not an RV park, but a municipal site with 12 primitive tent sites ($12/night, booked same-day via ReserveAmerica). No hookups, but clean vault toilets and potable water spigots. My Jetboil boiled water for instant miso soup and ramen — total food cost: $3.27.
Gas & Navigation Reality Checks
Google Maps overestimates EV charging times — irrelevant here — but underestimates elevation-related fuel consumption. Between Tucson and Las Cruces, NM, the Camry dropped from 32 mpg to 26.8 mpg climbing the 5,000-ft San Andres Mountains. I refueled at a Pilot Travel Center in Deming, NM: 11.7 gallons at $3.72/gallon = $43.52. Always verify station hours: the Shell in Lordsburg closed at 10 p.m., forcing me to backtrack 8 miles.
White Sands National Park opened at sunrise (5:30 a.m.) — I entered at 5:28 a.m. using the $25 America the Beautiful Pass (bought online 3 weeks prior; valid for all NPS sites through April 2024). The gypsum dunes stretch 275 sq mi — I hiked the 5-mile Alkali Flat Trail barefoot (sand temp: 72°F at dawn, 114°F by noon). No shade. No cell service beyond mile marker 12 on US-70. Carry minimum 3 liters of water — I used a Platypus Big Zip SL 3L bladder.
Day 4–5: Carlsbad Caverns & Ruidoso Detour
Carlsbad Caverns’ self-guided Big Room Tour requires timed entry reservations — I secured mine at 8:00 a.m. on April 20 via Recreation.gov ($15/person + $2 non-refundable fee). The 1.25-mile loop descends 750 feet underground; temps hold at 56°F year-round. My headlamp (Petzl Actik Core, 350 lumens, $64.99) ran 120 hours on low — essential for photo-free exploration.
Instead of pushing straight to Santa Fe, I detoured 47 miles east to Ruidoso for cheaper lodging. The Sierra Blanca KOA charged $38/night for a basic tent site (no reservation needed; first-come, first-served after 3 p.m.). Their free firewood pile saved $12. Breakfast was $2.99 coffee and a $1.49 blue corn muffin from Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery. Total Ruidoso spend: $42.47.
Food Budget Discipline
My daily food cap was $28. I hit it every day by combining three strategies: (1) Walmart grocery runs (e.g., $18.33 for 3 days: 12 eggs, 1 lb black beans, 2 lbs rice, 1 block cheddar, 1 loaf whole wheat bread, 1 bag baby carrots); (2) one sit-down meal every 3 days (e.g., $14.75 at Tia Sophia’s in Santa Fe for green chile stew and sopapillas); (3) free water refills at visitor centers and ranger stations — logged 17 stops across 14 days.
- Walmart Supercenters accepted EBT cards — critical for stretching funds in rural NM and AZ
- All national forest lands (e.g., Lincoln National Forest near Ruidoso) allow dispersed camping free for 14 days — but require portable toilet use (I carried a $29.95 Restop II)
- No fast-food drive-thrus used — too expensive and time-consuming; average meal prep time: 14 minutes
Day 6–7: Santa Fe to Moab via Four Corners
Santa Fe’s Hostel Santa Fe offered dorm beds for $32/night (booked via Hostelworld). Their communal kitchen had a GE microwave, two induction burners, and a shared fridge — I cooked lentil curry using dried red lentils ($1.89/lb at Smith’s Food & Drug). From Santa Fe, I took US-550 north — the ‘Million Dollar Highway’ — where speed limits drop to 25 mph on hairpin turns above the Uncompahgre Gorge.
The Four Corners Monument costs $8/person (cash only; no cards accepted). I arrived at 10:17 a.m. — 42 minutes before the 11:00 a.m. Navajo Nation cultural demo. The marker sits at 36°59′56″N 109°02′42″W, exactly where AZ, CO, NM, and UT intersect. No photo permits required — but drones are banned. I spent $6.50 on fry bread tacos from a Navajo vendor — authentic, filling, and far cheaper than the $14.95 ‘monument combo plate’ at the gift shop.
Moab’s Dead Horse Point State Park ($20 vehicle entry) delivered my most surreal sunset: 300 ft above the Colorado River, overlooking 2,000-year-old petrified wood fragments embedded in Wingate Sandstone. I camped at BLM’s Willow Springs Dispersed Site (free, no reservations) — coordinates 38.7242° N, 109.5217° W — found via Gaia GPS app ($29.99/year). Cell service vanished 12 miles west of Moab; offline maps covered 100% of the route.
Day 8–9: Arches & Canyonlands on One Tank
Arches National Park requires timed entry permits between 7 a.m.–4 p.m. — I secured a 1:00 p.m. slot for April 23 via recreation.gov ($30 vehicle fee). Delicate Arch Trail is 3 miles round-trip with 480 ft elevation gain — I completed it in 1h 42m wearing Merrell Moab 3 hiking shoes ($129.95, broken in over 47 prior trail miles). No crowds at 1:45 p.m.; the arch glowed amber against rust-red Entrada Sandstone.
Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky district charges the same $30 fee. I drove the 34-mile scenic loop in 2 hours 11 minutes — stopping at Mesa Arch (sunrise light hits precisely at 6:42 a.m. MT), Upheaval Dome (confirmed meteorite impact crater, 2.2 miles wide), and Green River Overlook (elevation: 6,220 ft). Gas consumption spiked to 22.1 mpg due to constant climbs — I refueled at Kum & Go in Monticello, UT: 10.3 gallons at $4.11/gallon = $42.33.
Vehicle Maintenance Notes
The Camry’s oil life monitor read 82% at Day 1; 41% at Day 10. I checked tire pressure every 3 days using a $12.99 Accutire digital gauge — front tires held 33 psi, rears 35 psi per Toyota’s door jamb sticker. At the Moab Chevron, I added $4.29 worth of Lucas Fuel Treatment to prevent carbon buildup on high-elevation drives. No breakdowns occurred — but I carried a $19.99 AAA Basic Membership ($59/year) for roadside towing (used zero times).
| Stop | Miles Driven | Fuel Cost | Altitude Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix → Tucson | 112 | $51.35 | +1,200 ft |
| Tucson → White Sands | 326 | $43.52 | +2,100 ft |
| White Sands → Carlsbad | 142 | $38.71 | -800 ft |
| Carlsbad → Santa Fe | 297 | $52.18 | +3,400 ft |
| Santa Fe → Moab | 412 | $42.33 | +1,750 ft |
| Moab → Grand Canyon | 357 | $61.94 | +2,200 ft |
Table: Verified fuel expenditures and elevation data across six major legs. All altitudes measured via Garmin eTrex 32x GPS unit.
Day 10–11: Grand Canyon South Rim & Flagstaff
I entered Grand Canyon National Park at 5:58 a.m. — 2 minutes before the 6:00 a.m. gate opening — using my America the Beautiful Pass. The South Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point (1.2 miles, 1,120 ft descent) took 58 minutes. Water stations exist only at the rim — I carried 2.5 L in my Osprey Talon 33 pack. At Phantom Ranch (bottom of canyon), overnight hikers pay $192/night — I opted for free rim camping at Mather Campground ($27/night, reserved 6 months ahead via recreation.gov).
Flagstaff’s Coconino National Forest offers free dispersed camping along FR 111 — I parked at 35.2217° N, 111.6702° W, 12 miles south of town. No signs, no facilities, but satellite imagery confirmed flat gravel pullouts. My $24.95 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite sleeping pad kept me off the 38°F ground. Dinner: dehydrated Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai ($11.99/serving) rehydrated with boiling water — total cook time: 12 minutes.
On Day 11, I visited Walnut Canyon National Monument ($25 pass covers entry). The 1-mile cliff dwellings loop descends 180 steps into limestone fissures housing 800-year-old Sinagua pit houses. Ranger-led talks occur at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. — both free and 45 minutes long. I skipped the $29.99 guided tour; the NPS brochure (free at entrance) included identical archaeological context.
Day 12–14: Sedona, Jerome & Final Leg to Phoenix
Sedona’s Red Rock Ranger District charges $8/vehicle for Red Rock Pass — required for all parking areas. I bought a 7-day pass at the Oak Creek Vista kiosk ($8, cash only). Cathedral Rock Trail (1.2 miles, 680 ft gain) rewards effort with 360° views of Schnebly Hill Formation sandstone. I timed my ascent for 4:15 p.m. — golden hour lighting lasted until 7:22 p.m. MT.
Jerome — a former copper-mining ghost town — has no gas stations. I filled up in Cottonwood (Circle K, $3.99/gallon) before the 14-mile, 2,000-ft climb to Jerome’s 5,100-ft elevation. The town’s 100-year-old post office still operates — I mailed a postcard to myself from there ($0.63 postage). My final night was at Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction ($22/night, booked same-day) — site #103, shaded by ironwood trees, 3 miles from the Superstition Mountains’ Peralta Trailhead.
Return to Phoenix Sky Harbor: I exited I-10 at 44th St, returned the Camry at 9:47 a.m. on April 30. Final odometer: 2,847.3 miles. Enterprise’s pre-paid fuel option would have cost $89.20 — I paid $57.11 for 13.7 gallons at a Valero near the airport ($4.17/gallon). Total rental cost: $763.00. Total fuel: $543.82. Total campsites & park fees: $287.15. Food: $322.40. Incidentals (coffee, postcards, gear repairs): $25.65.
- Enterprise’s ‘Weekly Special’ rate saved $112 vs. daily booking — booked 22 days ahead
- REI’s 10% member discount applied to Jetboil ($3.50), sleeping pad ($2.50), and pack ($12.99)
- Free NPS Junior Ranger booklets downloaded and printed pre-trip — engaged kids at every site
- No Uber/Lyft used — all transport was self-driven or walking
- Weather delays avoided by checking NOAA’s 7-day forecast each morning at 5:30 a.m. via offline WeatherPro app
The Southwest doesn’t reward haste. At Antelope Canyon’s Upper Slot (tour booked via Dixie Ellis’ Antelope Canyon Tours, $74.95), I waited 22 minutes for optimal light shafts — and watched one beam strike the sandstone wall at exactly 11:43 a.m. That moment cost nothing but patience. Same with watching pronghorn antelope graze at 5,800 ft on US-160 near Kayenta — no admission, no guide, no schedule. Just a car, a thermos of strong coffee, and 17 uninterrupted minutes of quiet observation.
My lowest-cost meal was $1.29 — a single beef-and-cheese empanada from La Fonda Bakery in Santa Fe, eaten on a park bench overlooking the Plaza. My highest single expense was $74.95 — the Antelope Canyon tour — justified by Navajo guides’ geology lessons and strict group size limits (12 people max). Every dollar was tracked in a Google Sheet updated nightly — column headers: Date, Location, Category (Fuel/Food/Camp/Park/Incidentals), Amount, Notes.
Cell service was absent for 412 consecutive miles between Cortez, CO and Kayenta, AZ — verified via OpenSignal coverage maps pre-trip. I downloaded offline Gaia GPS maps for all five states plus Bureau of Land Management land designations. When my phone died at 2 a.m. near Mexican Hat, UT, I navigated by starlight and highway reflectors — Orion’s belt pointed due south, US-163’s centerline stripes glowed faintly under moonlight.
Backpacking isn’t about suffering — it’s about precision. Packing weight: 22.3 lbs (pack + food + water + fuel). Gear weight alone: 9.7 lbs. I wore the same merino wool base layer (Icebreaker 200 Oasis, $129) for 11 days — odor-resistant, machine-washable, and dried overnight on a clothesline between two desert shrubs.
The real magic wasn’t in iconic landmarks — though seeing Delicate Arch at dusk ranks among life’s top three visual experiences — but in the unscripted moments: sharing trail mix with a retired geologist on the Bright Angel Trail, learning piñon pine nut harvesting from a Diné elder near Crownpoint, NM, and watching monsoon clouds build over the Chuska Mountains while boiling water for instant grits at 6,300 ft.
Final tally: $1,842.02 spent. $18.42 remaining — donated to the Grand Canyon Association’s youth education fund at the Tusayan Museum gift shop. No regrets. No upgrades. Just two weeks, one car, and the unvarnished arithmetic of affordable travel: 2,847 miles ÷ 14 days = 203.4 miles/day average. Fuel efficiency: 25.3 mpg overall. Sleep quality: 7.2 hours/night average (measured via Garmin Venu 2). And 100% of memories earned — not purchased.
