ATTENTION: William's Bottom Campground will be closed the first week of December 2020: 11/30 through 12/4 for maintenance. Shady campsites for tents and small trailers with beautiful views of the scenic Colorado River Canyon. Individual sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The campground is located between the Wall Street climbing area and the Poison Spider 4WD trailhead. Individual Sites: 17 (limited to 10 people & two vehicles per site) Water: No Toilets: Yes Hook-ups: No

Williams Bottom Campground

What a great find! We stayed at William’s Bottom Campground last September 2017, when we were visiting Arches National Park on a road trip. There were some major construction projects underway at Arches at the time that we visited, and because the park was only open from 7am - 7pm, the Devil's Garden campground within the park was closed.

When researching where to stay, we saw that there was a private campground in Moab that seemed to cater more to motorhomes and trailers - we are tent campers who would prefer to be out in nature. Besides the private trailer campground, the only other camping options in the Moab area are small first-come, first-served campgrounds provided by the Bureau of Land Management. There are quite a few of these BLM campgrounds scattered along the Colorado River, and during peak seasons, these campgrounds can fill up quickly. We were concerned that all the campgrounds would be full and that we would be without a campsite for the evening, but decided to chance it since it was a Wednesday evening after the Labor Day weekend.

The first small BLM campground on highway 297 that we came across was full, but the next one - William’s Bottom - only had a few campers in its 12 sites, so we stopped and set up camp for the night. The campground is primitive and unmanned, and the $15 nightly fee can be left in an iron ranger at the front of the campground.

The William's Bottom campground is and easy drive from the Moab area, under some beautiful red cliffs, and the Colorado River is right across the highway. Because it is so close to the Colorado River, the campground has some trees and shade - hard to come by in this area of Utah. Even so, an easy up or canopy would come in handy if you were to hang around camp in the afternoon heat. The campsite was quite sandy, and there were a lot of fire ants about; I would suggest knocking your shoes and checking for insects if you leave your shoes out at night.

Each site has a fire ring and tables, but there are no trash cans, so you have to pack your trash out. There is **NO WATER** available, so bring plenty of water! Arches does have water spigots outside its visitors center, if you need to refill water bladders for a day of hiking in the park. I believe there were pit toilets…but we were in and out of camp relatively quickly, and never needed to investigate. It is right off the to the side of a fairly busy highway, so there is some noise pollution. There is a small road running through the campground, so you are not _directly_ on the highway.

There are petroglyphs very close by on the cliffs along highway 297 and are worth seeing. Looking at maps, Williams Bottom is also close to hiking trails and popular climbing spots.

We had never camped in a BLM campground before, and were happy with the experience. Williams Bottom Campground is the perfect base camp for visiting Arches and Canyonlands NPs.

**CAMPSITE SPECS**

**Fees:** $15/night

**Plumbed Toilets:** NO - pit

**Drinking Water:** NO

**Showers**: NO

**Picnic Table**: Yes

**Firepit**: Yes

**Cooking Grates**: Yes

**Shade**: Yes - limited

**Cell Service**: NO

**Animal Bins/Food Lockers**: NO

**Trash**: NO

Hidden Gem in Moab, Utah - BLM site

This is a great camp just outside of Moab on Potash Road along the Colorado River. To the north of camp (towards Moab) is the climbing area know as Wall Street and to the south is the Poison Spider trail for mountain biking/ATV/Jeep.

**The campground fills up _fast_ on the weekends** so if you can get there on a Thursday, your odds of snagging a great site are in your favor. The sites have metal fire rings with grates for grilling and nice picnic tables. There are trees to set up your **hammock** in the shade too! Pit toilets are available as well. Pack out your trash and make certain you remember to bring firewood.

cost is $10-15 night (I can't recall) but it's cheep 👍🏼

Easy access to all the good stuff!

Perfect spot for accessing all of the Wall Street climbing area! Every single route can be reached from this campground with the longest approach being maybe a mile but that's nothing for climbers right!? If you don't feel like walking that far for a climb then ~70% of the routes can be reached within a half mile and there's even a couple routes right in the campground proper! There are pit toilets and water is usually available if there isn't a severe drought going on.

From this campground you can easily drive to and hike Corona and Bowtie arch and hike up to Jug Handle arch if the view from the road isn't good enough. Each of the trailheads for these arches are a little further west on the road. If you keep going past the Potash plant you will eventually pass through the back entrance to Canyonlands that will give you access to the lower reaches of the park that surrounds the Colorado River. Come here if you want to skip out on the typical crowds but you absolutely NEED a 4WD high clearance vehicle, no exceptions.

Along the Colorado with great climbing nearby

This camp had amazing Red rock Views and Shade! Named After the “ Father of the Arches” Doc Williams, this 17 site primitive campground was super cool! Since the campground is Located off Highway 279 it seemed a tad noisy at times. For those headed out for the OHV trails, it is located near the poison spider and Potash road  4x4 trails. 5.6 Miles from Highway 191 and about 20 Minutes from Moab. The sites are First Come first serve and owned by the BLM. There was 1 bathroom (Vault) and no water when we were there. Bring BUG SPRAY, with the Colorado River nearby we noticed increased bug activity in the evening when the sun disappeared behind the canyon walls. Not bad for $20 bucks a night! 

Quiet little camp on a busy Road

Stayed here during Easter weekend 2019. The campsite was full when we arrived but a few spots cleared out within an hour. No hookups, which was fine with us and pit toilets were clean. Payment is at the entrance, and a campground host is usually there for help. Extremely close to Poison Spider trailhead and the Wall Street climbs. Only downside we found is that they close proximity to the road resulted in lots of road noise from the 4X4s heading to/from Poison Spider, but it wasn't too bad. Also, probably no phone or Internet service here (also fine with us) Highly recommended. 

Great sites and excellent location

Wlliams Bottom is your basic campground. Sites are self-pay with picnic tables and firepits. No running water, just a simple outhouse.

Location is great - if you want to climb Wall Street it is an easy 5 minute walk from the campground. If you need supplies or a meal, Moab is only a little over 9 miles away. Arches National Park is 7 miles, the Corona Arch Trailhead is 4.4 miles, and Ice Cream Parlor for more climbing is 17 miles. The Colorado River is just across the road as well.

Walk to Wall Street

Well maintained and simple campground right off Potash Road in Moab. Ideal location for the adventurer! Located just beyond the famous Wall Street climbing routes, this was a great use camp for our weekend of climbing. The Colorado River is just across the road which is ideal for an afternoon dip. There are also really cool Petroglyphs on the canyon wall just down the street! 

  

We only stayed here one night, got in late and left pretty early the next morning. Overall the location was the best part of this campsite. Had a nice fire pit with a grill, picnic table, flat place for our tent, and parking for our car so it met all of our basic needs! Also was super clean (no trash to be seen!) and you can't beat the views of the surrounding canyon and river. Would stay here again for sure.

  

Be sure to make reservations though! We got really lucky with finding our spot last minute, apparently the rest of the campground was reserved all weekend.

Can't beat this location!

It’s a bit more primitive compared to Jaycee Park campground further north, but it was all but deserted and I could park my motorcycle next to the tent. Nice view across the river. Composting toilets and water.

Right off the Road

We just drove up and managed to land an amazing site along a giant rock face. No picnic table available, however there was a fire pit. Situated along the Colorado River, it was the perfect spot to call home while we explored Arches and the Canyonlands. Not too far from Potash Road (and the White Rim trail!), if you’re down to do a little overlanding. 

We were lucky they had an open site

Spots are all fairly close together. Great location with quick access to Arches/Downtown Moab

Great views!

The Colorado River is across the street but in a bit of a marshy area. The grounds are immediately next to the road, which is frequented by OHVs at most hours of the day. It’s not a wildly busy road, but with the off roaring and rock climbing nearby, it can contribute to a rough night of sleep if you’re in a tent. On the plus side, it’s so close to Wall Street climbing area, so the perfect spot if that’s you’re destination. Also very, very convenient to Arches NP, Canyonlands Island in the Sky division and Dead Horse Point state park.
There are some sites with a bit of shade, but in Moab summers, a lot of it feels exposed. The surroundings are beautiful red rock walls and Potash road is nice for biking along. The grounds are very affordable and you’ll get a picnic bench, fire pit and primitive toilets. The sites are really geared for tents and small trailers. These spots seem to fill up less quickly than the sites down Route 128 (based on our limited experience).

Primitive but cool

No frills. This was pretty much a gravel parking lot. We wedged our little camper in between a few scrub trees and suddenly felt secluded. A nice, free option far away from the crowded, loud spots in the parks. Longbow arch trailhead was across the street. 

  

Leave no trace

A parking lot, a river and a great view

First off, I had read other reviews and knew what I was getting myself into when we found our spot here, so we had no surprises.

This campground sits right next to 279 which is a super popular road for climbers, hikers, 4-wheelers and many more outdoor enthusiasts. It is not quiet! The road does get quieter as the night progresses but people drive it throughout the night and not always quietly.

This campground does offer convenience in its location. Moab is a short drive away, as is Arches, Dead Horse Point SP and Canyonlands - Island in the Sky. We also drove to Capitol Reef and the Needles district from our spot. Wall Street is just up the road and Corona Arch is a short drive through the canyon. We loved the accessibility but did get woken up from time to time by someone blasting through the canyon.

We were also aware water and firewood were not available here and we packed our own in. There are several businesses in Moab that have free potable water for refills, which was nice because we were there for a week.

The campground was clean and the vaults were immaculate. My girls had fun exploring the rock faces for pictographs.

Overall the campground was a nice place to put our heads after exploring all day, but I definitely wouldn't come here for quiet getaway.



Location can't be beat! 

This spot was excellent. No water on site but they do have bathrooms. Very close to Arches national park and downtown Moab. Just down the road was the parking for the Corona Arch hike as well. 

Great spot

This is a nice little spot nestled on the river. Given the landscape, it’s not super private but we liked it for the convenience to town and the national parks. We had no problem finding a site    late at night in October but I imagine it fills up other times of year ￼

Great spot close to town 

Right by the road. Easy access. Multiple pit toilets. No cell service for T mobile or Verizon. Fire pits. 

Roadside Campground

Easy to access campsite just off the road. Scenic views across the river and good shade from cliffside made for a comfortable evening outside. Plenty of restrooms, and trash receptacles. Fire pits have built in grills. Permit system takes Apple Pay. Attendant onsite during my stay. 

Easy access and good shade

$20 a night, little bit of road noise being next to a 4x4 trail, large, well spaced sites. Camp hosts were lovely