Camping in Moab Somewhat Free of People

Wasatch Magazine

I had been working most weekends, hiking only when I could find time and otherwise living a torturous existence of indoor entrapment. Here is where my story starts: I had a couple days during fall break where I could go explore. I was in desperate need of a camping adventure and wanted to see something other than the Wasatch mountains for once. I could of course go north, into the mountains of Wyoming and Idaho, or go east into the Uintas. But doing my trip solo and not ready to freeze to the bone just yet, I decided to try my luck further south in Moab.

Moab, Green River and the area of the San Rafael Swell are all very good places to go camp this time of year, the weather is fair, and the temperatures are reasonable in some of the most stunning rock environments this country has to offer.

Moab, for all its beauty and character, is a zoo.

There are a lot of people who show up to Moab, some are there for the off roading, some for the climbing and a lot of bikers. But it seems to me that the large majority are the unwitting kind of tourist.

I genuinely dislike Arches national park, and most national parks in general.

That is quite a statement to make, since Arches is beautiful, and the vistas are incredible. I love these environments but so does everyone else, along with their extended family and camper van. Arches does not really require anyone to really go much further than a couple hundred feet from the -very crowded- parking lot. The level of accessibility makes it easy to bring the whole family along. While that’s great, and everyone should have an opportunity to see incredible natural environments, it’s not great if you’re trying to enjoy the natural environment. (Hate to say it, but I had to).

That being said, it’s not as bad as Zion National Park.

I was fortunate enough to spend a night this past summer in near total peace up on top of the horse pasture mesa overlooking the park. It was a different world. However, descending into the park I encountered a living nightmare of packed buses, screaming children, and herds of tourists on bikes. My mood towards such things might have been worsened by the fact that I wasn’t in that great of shape at the time, I had just hiked 15 miles and I was out of water, but I was still a little horrified.

The problem as I see it is this: we have these incredible scenic landscapes, yet they have become too popular, and too accessible for the general public. So, where could I go camp, recreate and otherwise enjoy nature while avoiding people? Especially during a week where there was a lunar eclipse.

Leaving Salt Lake with not much of any plan, or any idea where I would end up camping, I set out for Moab. Fortunately, I was armed with my camping equipment, a loaf of bread, some cheese, a cooler full of drinks and a Toyota truck. I could probably figure something out.

There are quite a few campgrounds close to Moab, yet there are several things I had to consider when finding a spot. The easier it is to access the campground the more likely you will be camping near RVs and other people. The harder it is to access, and the further you go the less people you will find. Seems logical but still not, as I would find out, entirely accurate.

There are a few directions you can go from Moab to find a campsite. You can pull off into a number of campgrounds off interstate 191 on the way into Moab, just above Arches National Park. You can even drive into the park if you have a 4×4 with good enough clearance. However, this runs into the issue of being too easy to access, similar to many of the campgrounds along the Colorado river. Here you have absolutely no privacy. You will be within smelling distance of your neighbors, not that I had to worry about this since there were no spots left by the time I got there.

Following UT-313 westwards towards Gemini Bridges and the northern entrance to Canyonlands National Park is probably the most viable option for dispersed BLM land camping. However, after wandering around a bit, doing some climbing and wasting time I decided to take a gamble and travel East along the Colorado River on UT-128 to go and see what I could photograph in Castle Valley.

My options were limited on this trip, since I thought it was stupid to drive up a safari road in a canyon at night. I opted for the first campground spot I could find just at the base of Fisher towers. Incidentally I couldn’t go camping in the wilderness this late, but I could definitely plan to head out and explore it at first light.

Expecting pleasant weather, I slept on the cover for the bed of my truck under the full intensity of the milky way. While I think this is an awesome experience to have, I really recommend that anyone who tries such a thing remembers to put their sleeping pad in their bag and makes sure their truck is on level ground.

Every single campground in this area has its spots too closely packed for comfort, and are probably full of people, so I recommend trying to set off up into BLM land if you can. The best road I have been on near Castle Valley to take out is Onion Creek trail, which travels up through a red rock canyon onto the plateau that is the base of the La Sal mountains.

Why go into the La Sals? What is so special about these particular mountains and why should you go see them? I think they’re a pretty unique mountain range which has some striking qualities. The transition from eroded red sandstone into high ponderosa forest and later a high alpine environment is really something to behold. I am definitely going back soon.

Alternatively, if you want to get into the La Sals a different way, you can take the Porcupine Rim Safari route, which is a pretty sketchy exposed road heading out of downtown Moab. You can also come in from Colorado, south from the town of La Sal itself. These mountains are crisscrossed with roads, so you can have quite a good adventure if you pick a good route. I am not recommending any of these roads without thorough research and the right equipment, but it’s a good way to get away from people and see some incredibly scenic landscapes. Read any literature you can find about these routes; there are many databases online which can direct you in regard to the requirements for vehicle clearance, cell coverage or simply guide you towards a cool spot. If you want to avoid the crowds, it’s a pretty good spot not too far from Salt Lake. Go check it out!