When The Mountains Call, We Answer

Overview

This August, we're setting out on a 2.5 week long vanlife road trip from Northern California through Nevada, Utah, and into Northern Colorado, in pursuit of the everyday mountain adventures we all dream of experiencing and capturing those moments via photo, words, and video. This road trip will embody the freedom of the mountains mixed with the spirit of a classic American road trip. Taking full advantage of the access vanlife provides combined with the traveler’s mindset, we will create a daily recap distributed to an audience of 155k monthly viewers, bringing them along for adventure.

This project is a great opportunity for brands looking to reach an adventurous audience as well as receive marketing assets.

What Will This Mountain Vanlife Road Trip Be Like?

Imagine waking up, making a cup of coffee with the van door open, and watching the morning alpine glow on the distant mountains. Once properly caffeinated, packing the running vest and setting off for a full day on the mountain trails. While not every day will look like this, we’ve planned the road trip to give us as many days as possible to adventure and create stories on the road. Some of our planned adventures include rock climbing, hiking 14ers, backpacking, SUPing, sharing stories around campfires, and discovering hidden lakes and rivers just warm enough to swim in. Overall, the trip can be broken up into two types of days; driving days and adventure days.

Driving days are filled with micro-adventures like taking short hikes to stretch our legs and indulge our curiosity with spontaneous detours, because that inviting swimming hole we just passed might be the perfect spot for a midday dip. Swimming, and bathing, in fresh bodies of water remind us that it's summer. Capturing images of those random dirt roads with scenic views that can lead to the perfect trail runs.

Adventure days start one of two ways: either we’re lacing up for a big hike or taking it slow with pancake mornings to fuel a full day on the wall. Some days are jam-packed with big pushes like climbing 14ers and getting after some solid routes. Other days are all about cooling off in lakes perfect for SUPing, finding swimming holes, and sending it off the biggest cliffs we can stomach.

Timeline

  • All Gear Must Arrive: August 11th, 2025

  • Departure: August 14th, 2025

  • Return: Sept 1st, 2025

  • Assets Delivered: Mid-September, 2025

The Route

  • Start: South Lake Tahoe, CA

  • Stop 1: Steamboat Springs, CO

  • Stop 2: Estes Park, CO

  • Stop 3: Loveland, CO

  • Stop 4: Boulder, CO

Planned Adventures

  • Climb a 14er: Summit one, maybe more, of Colorado’s iconic 14,000-foot peaks—legs burning, lungs working overtime, and spirits high. This will be one of the trip’s physical and visual highlights, summit selfies, and that well-earned mountain-top snack.

  • Log 50+ Trail Running Miles: Track over 50 miles of dirt, dust, and elevation gain. We’ll use scenic runs to explore mountain towns, remote valleys, and high-alpine meadows.

  • Rocky Mountain National Park: From alpine lakes to wildlife sightings, this park is a playground for mountain lovers. We’ll spend several days here hiking, shooting sunrise over jagged peaks, and testing our luck to (safely) record a lightning storm roll in over the Divide.

  • Rock Climb: With climbing gear in the van’s garage, we’ll tackle both single-pitch and multi-pitch routes—aiming for classic lines that blend adventure and aesthetics. Think big views, splitter cracks, and mid-route commentary perfect for a UGC video.

  • Stand-Up Paddle Board or River Raft: Cool down with a float session—either on a stand-up paddleboard at a calm alpine lake or charging rapids on a river. Water-based adventures offer a contrast to summit days, perfect for wide-angle drone footage and capturing the joy of summer.

Want to Advertise On “The Travel Journal” Throughout this Road Trip?

Check out our Media Kit to understand which marketing opportunities we offer.

Want Content From This Trip? We’ve Got You Covered

Quick Note: These packages are guidelines. If you have specific deliverables, let’s talk about it.

  • Silver: $1,250

    • 10 lifestyle images

    • 5 b-roll videos perfect for creating a UGC video

  • Gold: $2,000

    • 15 images specific to your brand

    • 10 b-roll videos perfect for creating a UGC video

    • Inclusion in trip reports written for a monthly viewership of 155k+

  • Platinum: $3,000

    • 20 images specific to your brand

    • 10 b-roll videos perfect for creating a UGC video

    • 2 finished UGC videos, 20-45 seconds long

    • Inclusion in trip reports written for a monthly viewership of 155k+

    • Shout-out in “The Travel Journal” newsletter with 39k weekly readers and a direct link to your product

  • Custom Package: Starting at $2,500

    • Hop on a discovery call and let’s create your own package

**All content is licensed for 1-year organic web and social

Mood Board:

Meet The Dream Team

Dalton - The Creative Guy

Skillset:

Creating something from nothing, espcially with a camera and words

Socials:

Fun Fact: I’m not blind, but solar shades are great for people who wear glasses (if you don’t get this, look at my profile picture)

Kristin - The Lovable One

Skillset:

Being freak’n cute and trying her hardest to take on any adventure that comes her way

Socials:

Fun Fact: I’m motivated to try-hard by candy, compliments, and the promise of a chill day by the water

Chestnut - The Comic Relief

Skillset:

Eating, burping, getting dirty, creating REALLY smelly farts

Socials:

Ummmm, about that, was I supposed to do that? I thought my pawrents were going to do that. They probably just forgot or didn’t think I was mature enough to handle something like that…

Fun Fact: I’m named after a road sign

Together, We Are The Dare Dreamers

Instagram | YouTube

We Will Be Taking Our Converted Van: Click Here To Tour Our Van

Thank You 🙏