Recommendations for SW Utah and Arizona

[rmacnichol]

Heading to Southern Utah and Arizona at the end of March for 3 weeks. Looking for recommendations for great campgrounds (dry camping) and RV campgrounds. We have a new 19 ft Flying Cloud pulled by a Tundra. Never been to the Southwest before but are looking generally at the Moab, Escalante, and Kanab areas. We love to hike. Any must-sees will be appreciated as well. Thanks.

[karenjude]

When we were in Moab, the campground at Arches NP was full. It looked nice though. We found a spot at some BLM campsites that are about a half mile out of town right on the Colorado River. Nice sites - no reservations though.

Last fall we went to Capital Reef NP. The campground was in a valley that had been developed by the Mormons. Very lush and pretty. They have orchards there that you can pick from if fruit is in season. Not sure if any of the fruits will be in season when you're there. We were able to pick apples and I made an apple pie. There's a tiny bakery thats a short walk from the campground that sells pioneer bread, scones and coffee. The pioneer bread is nothing to look at but was delicious.

It's a beautiful area - have fun!

[richg]

Try Dead Horse Point State Park just outside of Moab. Has electric no water hookup so fill your fresh water tank and go in with empty holding tanks. They do have a dump station. Beautiful park and location!

[deauxrite]

Kanab area hikes: Coyote Buttes is a must. There are hundreds of hikes around the Vermillion Cliffs..inquire in Kanab at the visitors center for a map and some local advice.

Camp Grounds in Kanab are RV Parks..all are OK, nothing real special. Camping outside of Kanab in the Paria Vermillion Cliffs is very special. Again,get a map at the visitors center and do a bit of exploring. I have camped in easy access areas where you will never see another person or hear another vehicle. Scouting before hand is pretty important because a lot of that area is sandy..very sandy..dig it out sandy!

[murreywalker]

Dead Horse Canyon State Park

Goblin Valley State Park. Hike down into the Great Gallery at the Maze District (Canyonlands).

Fruita Campground, Capital Reef

Bryce Canyon (Ruby's or Kodachrome)

North Rim Grand Canyon

Great campgrounds all over!

[TG Twinkie]

Look for Kodachrome Basin State Park in SW Utah. Some spaces have full hookups others have none. Many opportunities for biking and hiking.
Also there is BLM land east of Fruit, UT.
Capital Reef National Park near Fruita has limited space. You must arrive early to get a spot. Easy drive to visit Bryce Canyon. There was no entry fee to the park when we were there last year. Just CG fee.

[Rollster]

Like others, I would recommend Dead Horse Point State Park; lots of RV parks in Moab and plenty of hiking at Arches. We personally loved Zion, but never camped there.

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by rmacnichol

Heading to Southern Utah and Arizona at the end of March for 3 weeks. Looking for recommendations for great campgrounds (dry camping) and RV campgrounds. We have a new 19 ft Flying Cloud pulled by a Tundra. Never been to the Southwest before but are looking generally at the Moab, Escalante, and Kanab areas. We love to hike. Any must-sees will be appreciated as well. Thanks.

Check at the ranger station in Escalante, tell them you have an AS and that you want to camp for free. They will sort you out. The roads into some of these camping areas (I didn't say campgrounds on purpose) have roads which are great one year and impassable the next. There are wonderful hiking and mountain biking trails all around that area, I know because I built and repaired some of them for the NF. The Blue Spruce campground at the top of Devil's Backbone is my favorite campground anywhere, but the road is iffy, and the NF will charge you $6.00 a night. You can stay just outside the fence, however, for free and some people do. They use the restroom and the water faucet and then go back to their campground 50 yards away. Please don't be one of those people. The ranger station will tell you the road conditions and make sure you are comfortable and safe. spectacular scenery.

[idroba]

Also realize that secondary and college spring break campers tend to fill up the campgrounds in that area very fast at the time you are traveling there. I love the area but have found some issues locating camping spots at that time of year. All the recommendations in the other posts above are good.