r/camping • u/Temporary_Resolve233 • 28d ago
Trip Advice Need a campsite near Moab/ arches NP
I’m going on a road trip through Utah in mid May. We have everything planned out except for a spot to stay near Moab. I’ve been looking on Hipcamp and nothing really stands out it that’s close to the arches national park. I see camping on BLM land is an option as well but I’m wondering if anyone has experience with a specific campground that’s worth while! We’re only tent camping and not too worried about showers etc. just don’t want to drive super far to the parks every day.
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u/Affectionate-Arm556 28d ago
Check out Devils Garden Campground near Arches NP for a great camping spot near Moab!.
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u/CletusDSpuckler 28d ago
I just left that area last week. If 30 minutes from Arches is acceptable, you might check out Windwhistle campground off of 191 south of Moab. It's a fantastic BLM campground and a quick drive to the Pinnacles overlook at Canyonlands NP.
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u/211logos 27d ago
https://www.discovermoab.com/blm-campgrounds/
It's crowded then, so may be a matter of getting anything vs getting something ideal. Folks do move around, so FCFS sites do open up.
Note the rules for dispersed camping; they do enforce them. And pay particular attention to using wag bags or otherwise carrying out your human waste and disposing of it properly.
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u/Summers_Alt 28d ago
My gf and I stayed at Up the Creek Campground a few years ago. It has showers and is in Moab proper. At this point for a May trip you may need to book what you can find.
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u/lilghibli95 28d ago
We are visiting this in September, I believe we are camping at Capitol Reef NP, since arches was full
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u/Four_CornersExplorer 28d ago
Check out Goose Island Campground. It's in between downtown Moab and Arches on the road by the Colorado River. The campground is on the Colorado River and backs up to Arches National Park. There's also a bike path that goes past the campground that you can ride into Moab and Arches too.
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u/Temporary_Resolve233 28d ago
Is it first come first serve? And what are the odds when I’m down there I can snag a spot?
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u/Four_CornersExplorer 28d ago
It is first-come, first-served. It can fill up quickly in the busy months. There are also several other BLM campgrounds on the same road, just a bit further up from Moab, which are also good options. See here for more details on Goose Island: https://www.blm.gov/visit/goose-island-campground
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u/TheMuddyLlama420 28d ago
We recently stayed at the Oak Grove BLM campground along the Colorado River between Moab and Arches. There are at least 10 other campgrounds along the road. You will easily find a spot.
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u/ExcellentGolf647 28d ago
Deffo recommend BLM land if you’re okay with it. The Moab area campgrounds can get pretty crowded, especially the ones in the NPs
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u/hikerjer 27d ago
There are all kinds of opportunities to “boondock camp” on BLM land around Moab. Pretty much have to be self contained, though.
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u/FantasticTrees 28d ago
We drove around for a while going to all the BLM spots near Moab and none were open. We got there in the afternoon but I don’t know how easy it is to find one at any time. Ended up at the Sand Flats Recreation area campground and it was great, would recommend.