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Dispersed Camping

Capitol Reef National Park Dispersed Camping

40 Reviews

About

Bureau of Land Management

Capitol Reef National Park

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Location

Capitol Reef National Park Dispersed Camping is located in Utah

Coordinates

38.32626857633916 N
111.3641268022697 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Dispersed

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Phone Service
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Big Rig Friendly

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

Linda J.

Traveler

Reviewed Nov. 7, 2023

Near town & CRNP

Plenty of campsites available in the off season with stone campfire rings and hiking trails nearby. Close to road so you can hear vehicles go by but there was very low traffic in late October. Has cell phone reception and great views. No toilet, picnic tables or garbage bins. Very primitive.

Month of VisitNovember

Ben H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 4, 2023

Quick stay close to Capitol Reef

Not a bad place for a quick overnight stay right outside of Capitol Reef. A good number of spots. Close to the road, so you do get a little road noise. Very buggy during the summer

Month of VisitAugust

Lauren G.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 2, 2023

Good

Pretty decent camp spot right outside of the park. Can be pretty close to other camps but for how cheap, it’s good

Month of VisitAugust

Sophie

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 2, 2023

Pros and Cons

Stayed there over memorial day weekend and it was PACKED.

Pros: close to town and equidistant to the NP entrance. Cell phone reception. Clean portapoties at the bottom.

Cons: barren dust bowl above the highway which can get pretty crowded.

There are plenty of beautiful secluded spaces to camp in this area which I discovered by driving around and which shall remain undisclosed lol.

Month of VisitJune

Alysha C.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 24, 2023

Crowded but spaced

Further apart than you would’ve been at an established campground, sometimes. Established fire rings ONLY. Scattered potterpottys. Pack it in, pack it out. TENT & RV

Month of VisitJune

Leah

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 4, 2023

Great Spot!

There are plenty of spots around the rocks and closer to the road. Went in early April and was one of the only people there. Lots of fire rings and only a few minutes from the park. It was beautiful and rocks helped shield the wind in a tent. A fun spot to adventure and climb on the rocks. Beautiful views too!

Month of VisitMay

Noah E.

Legend

Reviewed Mar. 30, 2023

Awesome spot near Capital Reef

Great area near Capital Reef NP. Plenty of level spots with fire rings and amazing views. The road is pretty packed and easy to navigate (RVs, trailers, ect). There are a few rocks here and there poking out, but you can drive around.

There are a few areas, and you can space out pretty well for privacy. There is an awesome spot if you turn left and go all the way back into the rock walls, where you are surrounded by the cliffs. Not a lot of level ground at that spot, so it's better for tent campers. But plenty of other great spots for RVs, trailers, and other campers.

No services. Pack in, pack out. Verizon service was good. There is an awesome hike to the top of the cliffs for a sunset. You can find the route on alltrails.

Month of VisitApril

(7) View All

Juliana J.

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 5, 2022

Great views, rough but good spot to park

Bit rough getting in and finding a spot, lots of deep dents on the road. I’m in a big Campervan and was struggling a bit to move around and finding a flat space which is important to sleep and cook inside the van. Very quiet even though it’s so close to the road. Pretty great for a free super close space to the park. You’re basically in it. The sunset and rise views are fantastic.

Month of VisitJanuary

(6) View All

Roberta P.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 4, 2022

Convenient to Capitol Reef!

Great spot right outside of the park. We arrived in a rainstorm so quite muddy and challenging to figure out sites. Found a decent site with great views. Able to get into the park early for hikes and avoid any crowds. Quiet at night. No other amenities. Water at the park visitor center and dump station at Fruita campground for $5.

Month of VisitNovember

Laura M.

Legend

Reviewed Jun. 3, 2022

Great Spot! Free Dispersed Camping on USFS Land.

We came here because the campground inside the park was full, and were so glad we did. It’s a smallish area with many many sites designated by a rock fire pit. Normally we avoid dispersed camping areas with so many other campers in sight, but for being so close to the park with such incredible views, and so many nearby hikes, it’s completely worth it. Besides, we are further away from neighbors than we would have been at the campground, and for free.

Amazingly there was no generator usage, and it was nice and quiet other than the road noise, which wasn’t too bad. Easy access, right off the road, and there were many spots accessible to larger RVs. Just watch for the ruts and bumps and rocks, and good luck finding a level spot.

Zero amenities, no trash service or toilets, so please handle your waste and help keep this area clean so we can continue to enjoy it.

Dump station available at the campground in the park for a $5 fee. There’s also trash dumpsters and plastic and aluminum (no glass) recycling there.

Most amazing of all, there was great cell reception here, even for T-Mobile.

Site38.326925, -111.365594

(5) View All

Evan

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 20, 2022

Nice spot, a tad crowded

Camped here while doing some hiking in the park, can’t beat how close it is. it’s a decent spot, not exactly the prettiest, but lots of sites though. There’s also a nice little hike (cooks mesa) that’s trailhead is nearby.

I was here during easter weekend so there were a dozen RVs and a group of somewhat noisy car campers, but maybe it’d be more peaceful another time.

The area is literally right off the road, however the dirt road that goes through it is a bit rugged so i’d be careful without high clearance/awd, should be okay though.

Free, but no bathrooms so bring a trowel and some tp ;)

Sitetoward the end

Month of VisitMay

Taylor S.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 6, 2022

Great Place Close to NP

This was a great spot near the entrance of the National Park. Lots of spots available. It was very windy the night we were there, but otherwise great, quiet place with beautiful star gazing at night.

Month of VisitMay

C G.

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 13, 2022

Cold night at Capital Reef

Plenty of spots, & more than enough space to keep distant if that's what you're looking for. Good cold night.

Month of VisitApril

T&J R.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 24, 2021

Plenty of sites

Capitol Reef campground was full🙁 No problem not too far away you’ll find plenty of space. Approx mile marker 73

Siteflat easy for 22 ft Van

Month of VisitNovember

Beka M.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 25, 2021

Sunset Views!

This site had clean porta pottys and plenty of sites to pick, however was pretty busy as it is very accessible to the entrance of the park. Amazing sunset views over the canyons. Plenty of flat options.

Month of VisitOctober

Greg L.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 30, 2021

This is not NPS

The location of this pin is on tiny corner of a section of Fishlake NF land, there is NO dispersed camping on the National Park in this area.. This site is likely In wrong location and is actually the area at top of rise on the hwy where the cell signal comes in from Torrey.

Month of VisitSeptember

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Danielle

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2021

Convenient for Capitol Reef

This spot was very close to Capitol Reef. There was room still for a few more folks when we arrived on a weekday around 8pm.

It was extremely windy so we stayed in our car. Most other folks were in their cars or rigs as well. There were some spots amongst trees though that may have been a bit less windy. Big rig friendly. Dispersed camping - no amenities except a porter potty, which was clean! The landscape here was beautiful. It is right off the road, so there is some noise but not too much.

Favorite hike was Grand Wash to Cassidy Arch. We arrived early and had no parking problems at Grand Wash, and enjoyed extending the Cassidy Arch hike and not dealing as much with the crowded lot. Another one you want to hit early due to sun and heat. Gorgeous! Another tip - attend a ranger talk! We really enjoyed the geology one we went to, and it completely changed how we viewed the park from thereon out.

No reliable service here. To work during the day, we drove down to the visitor center in Torrey. Was able to work off of our mifi, Verizon.

Month of VisitJuly

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Kailey S.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 28, 2021

Easy to get to and beautiful spot

Wicked east to find right off the highway, can’t beat the convenience to Capitol Reef. Plenty of room to feel spaced out but not isolated, absolutely gorgeous views of the surrounding area!

Month of VisitJuly

Shani H.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 11, 2021

So perfect

It’s the best place to camp that’s not Fruita. Gorgeous views. Really easy to spot. It’s never empty so it helped me feel more safe. It has service which is so convenient. So many spots to park. Although there is no shade.

Month of VisitJuly

Cyndee F.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 7, 2021

Red dirt but beautiful

Very easy to find! Right off the road however we did not hear any sound all night from the road. Great sites and a lot available! Never use the Porta potty‘s but saw them. A lot of red dirt is my only complaint if I had one. We were here on a Sunday afternoon and evening.

Sitehigh up!

Month of VisitJuly

(6) View All

Rachel

Scout

Reviewed May. 21, 2021

Great Spot, beautiful, easy to find

I have camped a lot of BLM sites and this was definitely one of my favorites. Easy to find. Right outside of Capitol Reef and even had portopotties! Got in late on a Sunday night and still plenty of spots also.

Month of VisitJune

DesertR@T

Scout

Reviewed May. 16, 2021

Not the best, not the worst

Good views, seems to get more crowded every year so if you don’t mind being right next to your neighbor, go for it. Better spots out there.

Month of VisitJune

Lord J.

Guide

Reviewed May. 15, 2021

Paradise 💜🙏💜

Only one night but words fall short for the beauty of the area.

Site🤷‍♂️

Month of VisitJune

(9) View All

Angela G.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 23, 2021

Perfect & Accessible Dispersed Camping

If you’re visiting Capitol Reef, do yourself a favor and stay here! It’s super close to the park and the landscape is absolutely gorgeous. Tons of room and gets fairly crowded, there were, at the very least, ten other groups at this site in mid-June 2020 during the week when we visited. It is fairly close to the road, but due to minimal traffic, it’s still peaceful and quiet at night.

I would definitely stay here again, but try to arrive very early to secure a secluded spot. There were a couple spots right next to a cliff face that were ideal, and a little further back into the campground. Otherwise, you will be staying fairly close to other campers, as there isn’t a ton of brush to separate sites.

We climbed the little foothill right next to the campground for sunset and it was lovely. Capitol Reef is probably my favorite of the Mighty Five, in part due to the fact it isn’t nearly as crowded as a park like Arches or Zion, so if you’re considering visiting, please do!!!

Meg

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 25, 2020

Convenient spot for easy access to the park.

Stayed here in April 2019. Great spot to set up camp for the night if you want to have easy access to Capitol Reef. Beautiful views. Main downside is it is didn’t feel very secluded from the road or from other campsites.

tiffany T.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 11, 2020

free, beautiful sunset and 10 minute drive to capital reef visitor center

We were hoping to camp in the Fruita Campground but was full, so the park rangers recommended dispersed camping, Just outside of the park gates, about 10 minutes from the visitor center. Plenty of campground spaces with fire rings. No amenities. Awesome dark sky views and wonderful hiking at capitol reef.

Month of VisitApril

Carrie C.

Legend

Reviewed May. 16, 2020

Beautiful and FREE

We camped here the night before heading into Escalante area. It’s a great place to get to from the upper SLC area on a Thursday night for a 3 day weekend adventure in southern UT. It’s very sandy and no amenities. There are quite a few spaces for camping, we camped in a group with 5 tents. There are rock fire rings identifying the spaces. I will definitely camp here again!

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Katie M.

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 23, 2020

Great Place to Rest

We drove 16 hours from WA and needed someplace to sleep so this dispersed campground was a great find. We pulled in in the middle of the night only to wake up and find ourselves among the red rocks. There are absolutely no amenities here, but there are several established sites with fire pits. Good views and a good spot close to the park if you're okay with going without water and plumbing for the night.

Month of VisitApril

Suzanne Y.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 10, 2020

Near west entrance to park

Easy park and sleep spot with gorgeous sunrise views. We were just off the 24 no amenities. Photo taken as we were leaving the spot.

Elizabeth D.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 31, 2019

Free & close!!

Great dispersed camping right outside the west side of the park in a beautiful area next to a small canyon. Plenty of room, accessible with low clearance car. There are porta potties on site that we’re cleaned the morning we got there! I also had service which was nice.