Adventuring out west with a Four Wheel Camper Hawk Flatbed Camper

The nation’s first national park, Yellowstone, remains an awe-inspiring place with geysers, mud pots, and wildlife. However, a unique attraction presented itself in the parking lot outside Mammoth, Wyoming: the Four Wheel Campers (FWC) Hawk Flatbed Camper. Tourists gawked and took pictures of our adventure vehicle/camper. The Hawk Flatbed Camper, mounted to a Norweld aluminum tray, and sitting on a 2021 Ram 3500 made this the ultimate Yellowstone attraction. Ha! It creates the ultimate adventure vehicle.

 

“Hello.”
“What’s this?” A tourist asked.
“It’s a Four Wheel Camper.” I replied.
“A what?” Another tourist remarked.

Much of the exchanges followed that pattern as my family and I adventured for a few weeks in the states of Wyoming and Montana. And lucky for us, the FWC Hawk Camper and Ram 3500 (on loan from FWC) was our home for this western adventure.

We entered Yellowstone late in the day when the rest of the traffic was leaving the park. Immediately, we noticed the grandeur and beauty of Yellowstone. The Ram 3500, equipped with a diesel engine, motored along the Madison River. We noticed a few buffalo nibbling the tall green grasses.

Our site at Mammoth Campground proved ideal. The camper’s pop top erected easily; and before long, Louise and Lilly were cooking dinner. A few campers approached to inquire about the truck/camper combo. A bull elk wandered through camp.

The FWC Hawk Camper can transition to “travel mode” in a matter of minutes. The following morning, I dropped the top, locked the latches, and we were off. We stopped at Mammoth Springs and hiked through the numerous hot springs and boiling pots. Afterward, we returned to our adventure vehicle. We traveled east were to “America’s Serengeti.”

The Lamar Valley of Yellowstone is home to numerous species of wildlife. We scanned the landscape as the Ram 3500 cruised the park road. A black bear showed itself along a small stream. This 200-pound, black bear foraged on numerous wild berries along the banks. We sat quietly in amazement.

We continued eastward. Bison herds of hundreds ate the wild grasses of the valley and crowded the road. We slowed and eased through the herds listening to their snorts and watching some of them roll in the dirt. It was a show! Bison, which numbered in the millions one hundred years ago, are protected within the park. These massive animals “talked” (i.e., snorted) to us as we inched past. Their heads, used for clearing snow on the ground during winter to eat the buried grasses, are simply massive!

I turned off the main park road and onto the dirt road of Slough Creek. The Ram and FWC Hawk traveled the rough road with ease. The Ram’s American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) three-inch suspension absorbed the large bumps and rocks. Once at Slough Creek, we grabbed our fly rods, ready to catch some Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout.

“Fish on!” Louise called out. We all turned our heads and watched Louise land a gorgeous trout.

“I got one, too.” Lilly called. The fish hit the flies aggressively and with some anger. A summer feeding frenzy was upon us. The towering Absaroka Mountains were our backdrop, and the sheer beauty of the place made me pause for a moment to appreciate it all. Louise lost a fish and landed a few more. Lilly and I made a few more casts before we realized the summer heat sent the fish to deeper water. We packed up and motored through the northeast gate of Yellowstone.

In the small town of Cooke City, tourists wandered the streets to shop. We continued on Highway 212. Traffic was light, which allowed us to soak in the views of this tremendous landscape. Every which way, mountains, rivers, and valleys surrounded us. I kept my eyes focused on the road and noticed a few “Warning-Grizzly Bear Country” signs as we climbed into the mountains.

“Look! Pull over!” Louise pointed to a large building aside of the road. I eased into the parking lot and realized that there was a store here, close to the top of Beartooth Pass. It was named “Top of the World Store.” Fitting. Of course, we had to check it out. Small shops and stores depend on tourists’ dollars. After making a few purchases, we continued northward and descended the steep road to the town of Red Lodge, Montana.

We walked Main Street and wandered into a few shops. Our stomachs growled, so we decided to eat at Red Lodge Pizza Company. With our appetites satisfied, we jumped into the truck and headed into the mountains via the West Fork of Rock Creek Road. The truck and camper motored up the dirt road which led us to the base of the Absaroka Mountains. At we our campsight took turns using the Hawk’s outside shower and felt refreshed. Long shadows formed over the forest, and we called it a night.

The following morning after breakfast, we decided to hike along the West Fork of Rock Creek Trail. The valley had been destroyed by a wildfire years ago, but the forest was naturally return into its natural beauty. Flowers and grasses grew through the charred logs and down timber. The trail weaved in and around the large “matchsticks” that covered the valley floor. After a few miles, we crested a small hill to view a picturesque, cascading waterfall. Oh, Montana!

The Ram 3500 purred westward skirting the base of the Absaroka Mountains. There were valleys to explore and rivers to fish. Adventures yet to be discovered. The Ram 3500 and FWC Hawk Camper took aim at it all. So did we!

Editor Note: Expect a full, detailed writeup on the Ram and Four Wheel Campers build in a upcoming edition of OutdoorX4

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