Utah Camping Spots For Your Wild West Road Trip

Sheep Bridge Road– 15 min from Zion off of Rt. 9. Very easy to find. FREE.

This was one of our favorite locations that we camped and one of the first. The site is a primitive camping spot (meaning no water, no toilets, no anything), but landed at the top of our list for sheer beauty. The reason we wanted to camp was to enjoy nature and this spot made the experience surreal. Waking up to this view was so worth it!

Zion Canyon Campground– Showers/toilets, tables, fire pits, grills, pool (I think), access to river. $89/night??

Although Zion Canyon Campground has a few amenities, it was the least favorite place we stayed. It has some amenities and it’s right next to the river, though you can’t really see it from the camp.

However, the reason this campground lands at the bottom is because the sites were almost on top of each other. You could hear everything your neighbors said and were sleeping tent to tent almost. This really was an issue because we got stuck next to a group that wanted to play drinking games all night and didn’t abide by the noise curfew. Basically, we paid $39 to feel like cattle shoved in. Plus, $39 to camp?! I’m new to this, but that felt overpriced and not worth it.

I recently checked the site and it is now listed at $89 to camp with a TENT. That just feels like robbery. Like, you could maybe find a hotel for that price.

Ruby’s Inn and Campground– campsites are spread out, tables, fire pits, showers, pool and a hot tub. $31/night for tents when we went.

Ruby’s had nice large campsites but lacked with the view. There were bathrooms, showers, sinks and water stations. Each campsite had a table and fire pit. It also had a pool and a hot tub that campers could use which was a big plus since the weather was really cold when we went. Ruby’s is also the only place that I forgot to take a picture of, probably because I was so cold and just ready to get out of there.

Capitol Reef East – Dispersed camping, FREE

There are places all around for dispersed camping once you leave the national park. A popular spot is along the Fremont River but we found an area along a dirt road that was behind some rocks and already had several fire pits built by different areas. I don’t think there was a name, but it was just off of UT-24 once you leave the park. We used the website Free Campsites to find a lot of our primitive camping spots.

Lone Mesa Campground– Near Arches NP, walk-in. FREE.

This is another primitive camping spot near Arches National Park. It had great surrounding views of mesas in the distance and flat areas to camp on. Not a soul there but these were our favorite types to find.

Sand Flats Campground– no reservations. 5 min from center of Moab. $15/night.

Sandflats had a great location. It was just 5 min from the main street in Moab and had really cool scenery. It was quiet, peaceful and the campsites were large. There were toilets available, tables, grills and fire pits. Hardly anyone was there and we thought the location was beautiful!

Goulding’s Campground– $68/night? Fire pits, tables, grills, showers, pool.

Goulding’s is quite a large production in Monument Valley with a lodge, convenience store and gas station nearby. The campsites are a little tucked behind a rock, so you may or may not get a good view. We ended up switching sites because of a family that was taking up several spots (including ours) and actually ended up with a nice view.

The honest part: the bathrooms are a little far (although there were outhouses closer). The sites had tables and fire pits but were fairly small and some had very little shade. The showers were nice but oddly located behind the check-in desk. There was also a pool for use but the temperature was freezing and the smell of pool chemicals would knock you out.

And apparently prices can jump depending on when you visit.

Lone Rock Campground– You can camp anywhere on the beach, toilets. $14/night.

Lone Rock is a somewhat primitive spot that has toilets spaces out across the way. You’re free to pick a spot anywhere along the beach or on the way down to the beach. The view and location were really nice. However, the traffic was busy. So busy, that we weren’t able to get a spot on the beach and had to find a spot a little ways back, which was fine. There were cars, campers and RV’s lined up next to each other all the way down the edge.

Antelope Island – On a large island on Lake Powell, access is by water craft.

There’s a large island across the lake where you can actually camp along the shore. But you have to have a water craft to get there. We ended up renting paddle boards from a shop and putting our camping gear on the paddle boards to go across the way where we found a small shore to camp at. The highlight is being on the water in the early morning and exploring the canyons while there’s no-one out yet!

Mathers Campground– located in Grand Canyon Village. Access to shuttles, Visitor’s Center, laundry, showers. Reservations and walk-ins. $18/night.

Mathers also had really large campsites, tables and fire pits. Each campsite had its own section of the woods and place to park. It was quiet and peaceful. Since it is located in Grand Canyon Village, there is access to the park shuttles and a convenience store is close by. The toilets and water station could be a little walk depending on where your site is. There were laundry and showers available but you had to drive to a separate location for that. Also, Mathers has a large raven problem that are notorious for stealing things!