Car camping out of a Kia
Written by: Lauren Fisher
Car camping is evolving with the hashtag #vanlife gaining popularity on Instagram. People are buying old vans and fixing them up so that they have both a way to get around as well as a place to live. Besides the price of the van and the maintenance there are a lot of perks to living in a van. Sometimes you are able to dodge campsite fees, you always have all your belongings with you, vans are also usually warmer than the outdoors and are better at protecting you against bugs and animals.
Van life has always been my dream, but sadly I do not own a van and I’m a college student who can’t afford to get one. So, I came up with my own idea and I turned my Kia Soul into a camper. Converting the Kia was very simple. I put the back seats down, and threw a mattress pad on top, and used the space between the seats for storage. The Kia is well insulated, so it’s great for staying warm throughout night.
The first time I ever I used my Kia as a camper was on a spontaneous trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with my fiancé Ashley. Originally, we had planned on going to Yellowstone, however, when we got to Jackson we decided to pull over and check out the area.
Jackson Hole is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Logan and is a small tourist town much like Park City. It’s about 10 minutes away from Grand Teton National Park and an hour away from Yellowstone. Downtown Jackson was one of my favorite places we visited. The streets are lined with small shops that sell outdoor gear as well as local goods.
After dinner we walked across the street to the town square, where Jackson’s famous antler arch is located. The arch was built between 1966 and 1969, the original antlers have since been replaced with newer ones. If you go, make sure to take a picture in front of the arch to prove to everyone that you went to Jackson.
We decided to find a camping spot before it got too dark and ended up in Curtis Canyon Campground, about 15 minutes east of Jackson. While driving on the bumpy dirt road we saw that a lot of other people were car camping as well. We saw all sorts of cars and some vans; however, we were the only Kia Soul up there.
We found a secluded camping spot off the side of the road in a little grove of pine trees and we quickly fell asleep in the back of the Kia. Around midnight we were rudely awakened by a group of loud people shining their lights in our car. Besides that interruption, sleeping in the Kia was pretty nice and we were so tired from the day’s activities that it wasn’t hard to fall asleep.
One thing Ashley and I love doing when we travel is checking out local coffee shops. So, in the morning we drove back to Jackson and ended up choosing to stop at Persephone’s Bakery. We ordered our usual caramel lattes, and they were some of the best lattes we have ever had. If you love coffee, I highly recommend checking out this cute shop when you’re in Jackson.
Next we headed to Yellowstone National Park. Driving through the Tetons during the fall was a site to see. The yellow leaves mixed in with the green pine trees were beautiful. Due to lack of planning we didn’t have as much time as we would’ve liked in Yellowstone, and ended up choosing to focus on the geysers because of how unique they are. We reached Old Faithful right as it was erupting and it was beautiful.
This adventure in my Kia was so easy and amazing, I can’t wait to see where else it will take me.