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Lots of sites, all free, primitive. GREAT views of the Mexican Hat geological features. Good for 2wd cars.
The beautiful Cedar Mesa sandstone monoliths, pinnacles and other geological features of this enchanting area are known as a Miniature Monument Valley. These sandstone sentinels were eroded by wind and water over eons of time. The 17 mile loop through the Valley of the Gods is a graded gravel and clay surface road (San Juan County Road #242), that has a few sharp turns, and crosses several washes. Driving time is approximately one to two hours. It is suitable for passenger cars when the road conditions are dry. However, road conditions vary throughout the year with regional weather conditions. Local inquiry should be made during and after periods of inclement weather. There are several car camps along this route. However, no campfires are allowed.
Ranger
Free dispersed camping on BLM land. If you don't want to back track and are continuing south, the only road down is very steep and winding and you'll want to take it slow. Well maintained dirt road is the only way to get there. To get your vehicle closer to the edge for a better view may require 4WD vehicles.
Legend
BLM land. Plenty of open space. Gravel road with potholes. Difficult entry off the main highway immediately down a steep but short grade and across a creek bottom which may or may not be full of water. The creek bottom is hard pan so not as scary as it sounds unless of course there's rushing water or a flash flood which is rare. But once through that first obstacle, the road is not too bad at all. The views here are incredible. Not crowded at all. Just pick a spot with the view you like and make it home.
TravelerWe only stayed for one night, but we would’ve stayed much longer if it wasn’t so windy/cold. Definitely our fault for visiting in November. We want to come back at the end of summer. The views here were second to none. It was the quiet you would expect from a dispersed camping spot, perfect.
GuideValley of The Gods is truly an amazing place. The dispersed camping is some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Every campsite is amazing. Do yourself a favor and spend at least one night in The Valley of The Gods if you're passing through Utah.
GuideFree camping in stunning location. Excellent biking.
ScoutEasily one of my favorite places to dispersed camp. 17 mile gravel road which my outback did fine on, just very bumpy. There are campsites everywhere, some just off the road and others have small roads going to them. Incredibly beautiful views camping in the shadow of monuments. It’s always the nice mix of occupied enough that you don’t feel like if something happens that you’re screwed, but with enough distance between campsites that it feels like you’re the only one out there. Also gorgeous views of the stars if the moon isn’t too bright.
ScoutWords can’t describe the beauty of this place, mid May was ideal . A bit windy this time of year but only in the mid to late afternoon. Out of a hundred dispersed camp sites there wasn’t one that was left trashed or dirty. Amazingly clean and easy to get to.. if there is one camping bucket list that needs a box it’s this one. A convince store just 8 miles up the road in Mexican Hat for basic supplies and a SteakHouse as well.
GuideFree primitive camping with amazing views. No facilities. Pack in and pack out. Plenty of spaces to chose from.
Legend
This area is more of a photo op than a good dispersed camping area. Road is actually a pvt mining access road. Cell is ok but limited camping...go east and camp at Valley of the Gods instead!!
TravelerYou can see some lights from cars on the highway but if it wasn’t for that you would think you were in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful location between Mexican Hat and the San Juan River. dispersed camping so no amenities, and please clean up after yourself.
Traveler
Never in my life have I heard of Mexican Hat, let alone the rock it’s named after. Jeez this place was cool, the river was beautiful, the dispersed camping areas were great under the stars, and that dang Mexican Hat Rock juxtaposed to the unforgiving sea of desert just put a huge smile on my face.
GuideWe were chased out of Valley of the Gods by a massive dust storm and came here, finding a nice spot along the San Juan River and right below the hat. Simple, no amenities dispersed camping but the road was in reasonably good shape, even after a light rain. Thanks to the dust storm we were treated to a tremendous sunset!
TravelerGorgeous views in every direction, and very quiet and peaceful. At night time the moon illuminates the rocks and it almost looks like another world. Best place to camp near blanding/Mexican hat. Will say the road was relatively rough and is not suitable for large rvs and maybe some RWD/low clearance vehicles. True dispersed camping so come prepared with everything you might need.
LegendAmazing. Everyone is spread out! We had no problem finding a great site mid day. Beautiful place from which to explore Valley of the gods, the Goosenecks and the Moki Dugway. 20 ft pick up wit 28 ft of trailer and we had no trouble. It was our first experience with true dispersed camping. We took it very easy and entered from the east entrance as others suggested. Drive the loop and I’m not sure how some of the trailers got to the places we saw them set up! Braver than us😳. A bit of Verizon service with a cell booster.
ScoutViews: Incredible. Some of the best I’ve seen for a boondocking location.
Cell Service: Verizon LTE with booster. Enough for consistent web browsing/working, not enough for consistent video calling (I.e. Zoom).
Accessibility: We easily accessed in a 28 ft Class C motorhome. I HIGHLY recommend coming from the north part of 261 and not the south. We’re pretty “eh, let’s try it, why not” kind of people, but it was 10% grade, gravel, hair pin switchbacks. So glad we didn’t try that one. Coming from the north was super easy though.
Privacy: Not much, but views were worth it! We got a spot off to the side that was more secluded than others.
LegendMexican Hat is free dispursed camping on BLM land outside of the town of Mexican Hat Utah. There are sites available for RVs, tents, vans, etc. This is desert dispursed camping so there are NO amenities, however there are occasional camper made fire pits. We made it into a site with a 2WD Pontaic Vibe with no issues, although we did watch a couple campers struggle to find a place to turn around. This is hot sunny camping with no shade opportunities, so it warms up fast in the summer.
This is some of the best dark skies and quiet camping we had on our trip. During my 2 am pee, the milky way was out of control! This area is named for the geological feature that is the name-sake for the town, the Mexican Hat, an obvious toadstool like sandstone formation. Because it is here and you are camping below it, you will have passerbys swinging through to take photos or climb the feature (technical rope skills required). This site also gives you quick access to Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods.
Midland X Talker Extreme Duel Pack Review
https://midlandusa.com/product/x-talker-t77vp5/
We were those crazy people climbing the Mexican Hat, and it was an ideal location to test out these walkie talkies. In climbing, communication is key and for a climb like the Mexican Hat where it is steep, overhung and roof like, the climber and belayer get separated. The walkie talkies came in hand!
Pros
1.) Battery life- we charged these up on their charging station at home before we left on our trip and they lasted the entire 10 day trip on regular use. This is extremely important to me, as it is my biggest bet peeve when electronics die in the moments you need them most.
2.) Intuitive usuage – We didn’t need to score through the manual to figure out how to use the walkie talkies. Everything made sense and was user friendly.
3.) EXTRELEMLY Clear Communication – These were crystal clear when using them, not at all like the static-y walkie talkies of childhood. Also, we had them hooked up to our harnesses (at waist level), and they picked up our words without having to yell into them, or unclip them to bring them to our mouth.
Cons
1.) There is no closed attachment potential. We couldn’t carabiner or string them to ourselves as there were no loops or holes of anykind. This meant that if at anytime during the climb, we dropped the device, it was going to be a goner. We managed by using a rubber band to “close” the clip (See photos), however this wasn’t ideal. Additionaly, the clip isn’t super strong, as I had the walkie talkied hooked to the strap of my backpack on our hike off and it popped off super easily when doing my pony tail. It does come with a headset, however, it needs to be plugged into the device (not wireless), so it doesn't solve any issues.
Conclusion
A great product for casual hiking, but it might not be ideal for more extreme situations where it has the potential to fall off/get lost or damaged (rafting, climbing, skiing). We will most likely just try to keep them in a pack, rather than on our body in those cases.
Scout
As a dispersed camping area, it's a wonderful location with beautiful vistas with radiant pastel colors splattered everywhere. The weather was perfect towards the end of October.
The roads are rutted and although I see plenty of passenger cars back here, my 25 ft travel trailer pulled by my F150 did all it could to pull thru the ruts, hills and hollows. Don't go off the main road without dessert 4x4 capabilities. Spots filled up Friday thru the afternoon. I arrived around 12pm and luckily got a nice spot about a mile in as I did not want to pull my trailer any further in.
Stayed all weekend!
LegendThis is one of my favorite, lesser known camp spots and areas to explore. Valley of the Gods sits in southern Utah near Mexican Hat. The area is somewhat of a small Monument Valley. The views surrounding the campsites are of spires, towers and red rock cliffs. The best part? There are usually not many people here.
The valley and camp spots can be reached via Valley of the Gods Rd which connects highway 163 and 261. The roads can be hard to find as you will probably drive right past them. Valley of the Gods Rd is all dirt and is about 17 miles long. The drive itself is very scenic, be aware during rainy season the road can get very flooded and low clearance cars will have a hard time.
Camp spots are anywhere you want, most of them will be right off the road. Flat spots, pull offs and rock fire rings will tell you if someone has camped there before. The valley is overseen by BLM so there are no fees to camp, on the flip side of that, that means there are no toilets or any kinds of services. Some people prefer camp spots this way.
I have seen small 2 wheel drive cars to large RV's and Trailers on this road ,but like i mentioned earlier, there are big dips here and there and the rains can flood them. Use caution upon entering the Valley. Overall, amazing spots with equal scenery.
GuideValley of the Gods is indescribably beautiful. We camped here on a Friday and had no trouble finding a spot that was secluded and free from others. The nearest campers to us were over 400 yards away. There truly isn’t a bad camp site here. It’s all dispersed style camping with no amenities. It’s a place for you to forget everyday worries and just enjoy the pure beauty of this great country.
Guide17 mile loop with open FREE BLM spots. They are easy to get to, easy to spot. Some of bigger than others ( depending on what you need for your rig).
Get there early, that’ll ensure you choose the spot you like best. There are lots of campers throughout the area so you don’t feel too isolated... but you also still feel out and alone with nature.
No fires. Make sure you don’t drive jn when it’s wet. And be careful with huge rigs- there are some steeper inclines on some of the hills. 4 wheel drive helps.
Sunset and sunrises are heavenly! Better than Monument valley because it’s free, it’s quiet, away from everything, AND you can see monument valley from most of the spots! WIN!
TravelerIt's a breathtakingly beautiful spot with a fair amount of simple pull offs for camping. Unless it's raining or just finished there won't be any water. There is precious little vegetation as well, but a fair amount of rock outcroppings to block the wind, which howls come spring and is far more common than precipitation.
Speaking of which, don't push your luck if it has rained recently, as the clay softens and becomes slick, packing around tires, and everything else. Plus even if your vehicle can handle the soft soils you'll wreck the road for everyone once the deep ruts dry out and harden.
Some sites have fire rings but that's the extent of facilities, although there might be a port-a-potty by the western entrance to the road, closer to the Moki Dugway. Summers get hot, and I'd head up to Cedar Mesa if so.
There ample dispersed camping on Cedar Mesa, as well as plenty of scraps to get a fire going. This is one of the greatest concentrations of smaller Ancestral Puebloan (formerly Anasazi, which is controversial and regarded as insulting by today's Pueblo tribes) villages, so there are a life time of ruins to explore.
Researching ahead of time will pay off, but both the BLM station by the Kane Gulch trailhead and the Natural Bridges National Monument visitor center have maps, guidebooks, and advice. Please follow the regulations, as this is a sacred ancestral site for numerous indigenous peoples.
The Recapture Lodge at the east end of Bluff has decades worth of old maps to hidden sites for those who want a hotel (I recommend them highly, having visited off and on since the 1990s). They'll give great advice if asked.
Both Natural Bridges and Hovenweap offer something precious in short supply across southern Utah, amazing and beautiful hiking, abundant ruins, and few visitors (this is the rare part). Both are far more enjoyable than Arches or Zion, which are now overrun by tourists.
Valley of the Gods, Cedar Mesa, and the nearby national monuments (also Canyonlands, which isn't as packed as the other famous national parks) offer a chance to experience Utah's red rock country without standing shoulder to shoulder with other visitors. That's getting increasingly difficult to find as the beauty of the region is well known by now.
p.s. Those wanting even more solitude should ask about the off site ruins managed by Hovenweap: you'll often have these to yourself.
GuideA lot of level camping spots the first 5 miles from the Hwy 163 entrance. Great views, very quiet. Only downside was gnats were terrible during my stay!
LegendWhat a great boondocking place! The sites of the Valley and the Monuments are beautiful to see. It is very quiet out here as well. The weekend gets a bit busier but very tolerable. It's a must see if you are in the area.
We are in a large rig and made it safely about 1.5 miles in from the East entrance. There is a creek (hard panned) to cross, up a few steep grades and some tight turns but made it with flying colors. Just take your time and you'll do fine.
We eventually camped, for a few days, just before the "Setting Hen Butte" on the curve to the left. It was one of the few places we found in this stretch large enough for us. There are a ton of smaller spaces, which is ok, everyone deserves a spot, but for us this spot served us well. We had a wonderful view of the Valley below and many of the noted Monument Rocks in the distant.
FYI, if you're in a large rig, 36' or larger, it would be wise to have a good truck with 4WD to help get up a few of the inclines and help on the way out, which is pretty steep as well. Jus' sayin'!
Also, water can be obtained in Mexican Hat at the Exxon/7-11 store for a nominal fee. Dump is at one of the RV Parks in the area, if need.
GuideDispersed campsites off the side of the trail gives many options to get the best from this area.
LegendPvt land not blm..but does not seem to be posted no trespassing so?
RangerOne of the best dispersed sites we’ve camped in. Camped right under the Mexican Hat next to the San Juan River. Nearest neighbor was 1/4 mile away. Spectacular scenery, hikes, wildlife. Hummingbirds galore. Mule deer, coyotes. Amazing night sky. No cell service. Valley of the Gods and Gooseneck SP nearby. One of our favorite dispersed sites ever. Definitely will go back.
TravelerKinda tough to find but definitely worth it. Very secluded.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Kayenta, Arizona, where stunning landscapes and serene environments await outdoor enthusiasts. This area offers a variety of spots for those looking to immerse themselves in nature without the constraints of traditional campgrounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Kayenta, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Kayenta, AZ is Dispersed Mexican Hat Camping with a 4.6-star rating from 32 reviews.
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