Convict Flat Campground
MVP
Tepui Kukenam 3—This rooftop tent has made it easy for me to setup and pack-out while camping. Because the pillow and blanket stows inside the tent enclosure, all I have to do is to unfold the tent and it’s ready for sleeping. Because I wanted to pack up quickly in the morning, it came in really handy.
Camp Review:
Convict Flat Campground has only basic amenities—vault toilet and a wooden bench per site. There was also a small trashcan inside the bathroom.
Sites 1-3 (I didn’t check out the others) are leveled, which was really nice.
The vault toilet was clean, with plenty of toilet paper.
I wasn’t carrying any food that smelled, so I wasn’t worried about bears. There were no bear lockers.
During my one night stay, there was zero car traffic between 9:30pm-5am, and the campsite was nice and quiet starting at 10pm.
There was zero cell reception, at least on T-Mobile.
What I Learned:
Sometimes, taking a chance on fellow campers can pay off in the most beautiful ways. Because I offered to share my site with strangers, I was treated to an amazing acoustic guitar session, and a really fun conversation. The conversations were doubly appreciated since the next day, there were so few hikers on the trail I was on that I spoke less than 26 words the whole day (5 on the trail, 21 at Taco Bell).
A rooftop tent is nice, but the tent itself can soak up and retain heat from the day. I actually planned to go to sleep right around 9pm, but it was so hot in the tent, that I ended up engaging in conversation and music with my fellow campers (though that worked out well).
What Happened?
I grabbed the last available spot when I arrived at 8pm. Around 8:15pm, another car came along, and after checking out the entire campground, they drove back. I figured that there were no vacant spots, so I walked up to them and offered to share my spot with them. I felt that there was more than enough space for me to share, and if they were loud, I had my ear plugs. They turned out to be a terrific couple and I ended up having a great time with them.
I ended up going to bed a bit later than I’d liked and it took me a little bit to time to calm down and fall asleep. I ended up sleeping around 12:30pm and waking up around 5am. I got up around 5:15am, and was out of the campsite by 5:30am. I was very happy with how quiet I packed up and headed to the Lewis Creek Trailhead.