Best Equestrian Camping near Glade Park, CO

Mud springs is a small campground tucked away on top of a national monument. To enter the monument, there is a fee, but if you are going to mud springs you can tell them that and not pay the park entrance fee. It's up on glade park but kind of off the beat and path. The road was wet from recent rain and a small stream flowed down the washboard surface. The park itself is small but nice. Quiet. A bit muddy when it rains. We saw deer in the morning. We had a nice tent pad and firerings. Room for hammocks. It's a good place with pit toilets. But it's quiet. We did have a couple things walk through our site, we weren't sure what they were but it put our dog on high alert. One had a bell so that was strange. The other we aren't sure of but our dog watched as whatever it was walked past the tent. There weren't many people there so it probably wasn't another camper but some sort of critter. There is also a fresh spring that you can collect water from I think. We looked at it but didn't opt to collect any water. Lots of trees though which is nice. It seems to rain in July there, although they go through severe droughts and then all of a sudden, rain for two days. But both times we've gone in July, it has rained.

This area is called Fluffle Campground, and the center is a large Group Are with Equestrian corral also. There are a total of 25 sites but 9 of them are in the so called group area complex. These sites are large and roomy and good for RVs and TTs. However they are close to I70 and some will have freeway noise depending on the site. One toilet is at the group areA. No dumpsters, no water, no RV dump. Cell signal is very strong. Sites all are reserved and paid for online. No FCFS but sort of a hybrid if FCFS and online pay for sites as most are open during the week. Likely alot of OHVs on weekends. Sites are $20/$10 senior with an $8 reservation online fee. 7 day camping limit

If you have ATVs, dirt bikes, horses, etc. this is a great place for you. It’s just 4 miles off of I-70 but still secluded. It is a designated OHV area so no worries about people stopping you from ripping around and exploring.

That said - I’m a quiet camper and prefer to avoid OHV areas calling them Obnoxiously High-noise Vehicle areas. I’m kidding, obviously. Seriously, everyone enjoys the outdoors in their own way and I don’t begrudge anyone their enjoyment. I took the chance and it was very quiet while I was there. Only one couple other than me that I’m aware of.

The weather was mild in mid-April during my stay - got to about 70 during the day and around 40 at night. It was windy during the day but it is a very open space and it is western Colorado. When the wind died down, the mosquitoes came out and they were persistent. I hiked around and they weren’t just at my campsite. There is a water treatment facility in the area and just down from the main camping is a treatment pond so I’m guessing that’s the culprit.

The road in is unpaved once you leave the small town but very easy. I base those sorts of claims off of the VW Jetta Scale - the vehicle I had for 8 years before my current vehicle. There are a few low creeks crossings but the beds are small and both were dry when I came through. Even if they had water, I still would have crossed if I were still in my Jetta. The roads were washboarded so don’t bring the nice china.

The pull offs are plentiful and large. Most could hold a few trailers or several vehicles and some have fire rings. I did not have a fire because the fire danger was too high (ALWAYS CHECK BEFORE HAVING A FIRE). The road is a loop so just follow it around until you find the spot you want.

The space is wide open and surrounded by 360 views of mountains. Sunset and Sunrise were great but - for you photographers - the light changes really fast so scout the compositions you want ahead of time.

No wildlife that I was aware of aside from birds and our mosquito friends. I didn’t hear coyotes, I didn’t even see deer tracks. Just horse and tire tracks.

Oh, on the way in there was a sign that said “Private Property, No Trespassing” and it looked like it was for the road going in; however, the other signs revealed that it was for the area around the water treatment plant. There isn’t a lot of signage, just one saying it’s an OHV area and one saying it’s a Limited Use area. Other signs are just to protect the sensitive areas.

Here you're high up and amongst the beautiful sandstone formations of Arches National Park.

The campground: This is the only campground inside the National Park, and it is located at the very back of the Park. Be warned, traffic often backs up at the entrance to the National Park. Once inside the Park, the drive from the Visitor's Center to the campground can take between 30-60 minutes depending on traffic. Staying here is one of the best ways to explore the Park. There's a trailhead not far from the campground, and being able to wake up inside the park allows you to skip the entrance traffic and get a head start before the crowds flood in.

My campsite had a large concrete pad for parking, a picnic table, and a firepit. The area I set up my tent was dirt, but here that basically means sand. Be ready to have sand everywhere (totally worth it though). I had nightly deer visitors that enjoyed munching on the juniper nearby. The bathroom for my site was a 1-2 minute walk. The bathrooms consisted of flush toilets, sinks, a large outdoor sink for dishes, plus access to drinking water.

The area: If you're traveling from 70, there's not a ton between 70 and the entrance to Arches National Park, but Moab is only about ten minutes from the Park entrance. Arches National Park is vast. It has plenty of scenic spots to pull over on the drive between the entrance and the campground, and lots of different trails to hike with varying difficulty. Even if you're not a hiker you can still enjoy the beauty of this place.

Booking: I camped here in the offseason (November) when it's first-come first-served, and arrived on a day where there was no host. So, once I found my spot, I put my payment in an envelope found near the host entrance. It's worth noting that on days where there's no campground host or park ranger, you cannot buy firewood at the campground.

Cell service: Verizon was unreliable. Sometimes I would have enough service to stream a hockey game, and other times, in the exact same spot I'd have almost no service.

This park is in the northern part of Arches NP so you're 30 minutes or so from Moab. If you need ice, it means a trip to Moab when your ice melts. Surprisingly, Moab Ice is not in the park. Would be nice if they added a cooler at the campground or Visitor Center. Dead Horse Point SP near Canyonlands had Moab Ice. Yeah, it was $4/bag but that's better than a drive to Moab. I expect a national park to have ice.

Enough of my griping - that's really my only complaint. Park has water and bathrooms. Get your shower at the rec center in Moab for $5 (or $7 for a workout/shower, $5 for over 55).

Generators are allowed 8 to 10 am and 4 to 8 pm. There's always that guy who likes to stretch it. Camp hosts should be all over those people. Other than that, it was very quiet.

There are several arches nearby in Devil's Garden if you want to hike. Double O is the most challenging arch in that area. Not sure if Tapestry, Broken Arch and Sand Dune are part of Devil's Garden, but they are accessible at the far end of the campground and are nice hikes.

Arches National Park is a good example of how you cannot underestimate the drive times in the national parks. Just the drive from the entrance and visitor center to the end of the park road is almost 40 minutes (and slower with traffic, tour buses, etc.) so any way that you can cut down that drive time (and thus, arrive at trailheads early in the morning!) is key.

The method that we discovered was great for accessing trails before the crowds was to camp in the scenic, spacious Devil’s Garden Campground at the end of the road through Arches National Park. 

Devil’s Garden is the only developed campground in Arches, and since backcountry hiking is not readily available, it is the best way to access trails and overlooks before the rush of visitors from Moab enter the park.  

Our campsite, #53, was wonderfully spacious and far away from our neighbors. We met friends, and our group’s two tents fit beautifully. The amenities are pretty much standard in the national park campgrounds, including flush toilets, a dishwashing station, site picnic tables, and potable water. The other great benefit included easy access to the park’s trails, which are very popular during this time of year.  

Highlights of our four-day Arches trip include: hiking to Delicate Arch before the mass crowds, getting self-guided permits to explore the Fiery Furnace area, and hiking to the far less-visited Tower Arch.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Arches)

We towed a 35 FT 5th wheel heading west on 105 until we discovered the perfect campsite by turning south at the intersection with 108. The road was very rough but doable by moving along very slowly. Our site was hidden by trees off a short dirt drive which wasn’t too bad. There was plenty of space for us to turn around, and a fire pit had been constructed of large rocks (with a resident chipmunk hanging out among them).
We loved being surrounded by tall trees on one side and having a long distance view across the meadow on the other side, watching storm clouds approaching every day. We were far enough from the road that we barely heard any traffic passing. However, the sound of cattle lowing was frequent, and there was evidence of their presence all over the ground! One bull approached and stood there bellowing at the camper before finally moving along, and another morning we looked outside to see several cows munching on the remains of our campfire. Apparently they like to eat ashes and charcoal for the minerals because it happened twice!
We camped there 6 nights and hated to leave. Our only reservations were driving on the long bumpy roads and cattle manure being everywhere. Otherwise, it was the best boondocking place we’ve stayed because of the scenery and remoteness. It was very quiet except for the cattle lowing. We rode our bikes down 108 one day and discovered that it was way too rough to drive with our dually pickup. Another day we rode all the way down 105 and then back on 100 which is Land’s End Road. There are lots more dispersed campsites further down 105, but many have huge potholes turning into them. Some are located next to reservoirs and have lovely views, but we were happy with our site because we didn’t have to drive that far to reach it. If you had a smaller rig, it would be worth trying those places.

This campground is an awesome place to stay within Arches. It's at the very top of the park, so be ready for a long drive in. The sites are really nice. Plenty of space and pretty secluded. Be aware that the ground is hard, so difficult to get tent stakes in the ground. Also, the weather can change pretty quick here, so just be aware.

The sites all have fire rings and picnic tables. I stayed in a tent, so not 100% sure, but I don't think there are hookups for RVs. There is access to fresh water and toilets. No showers though.

My favorite part about camping here was how far away from everything it feels. The stars are crazy here. Also the hiking around is awesome. Even for those of you who aren't avid hikers, there are some cool shorter trails. The trail to Mesa Arch is only about a mile long and pretty easy. It's one of the coolest places to view the sunrise in the park. This being said, its also one of the most popular, so be ready to see other people.

Really unique national park and an awesome place to stay within it.

Devil's Garden is the most beautiful campground I have stayed at. It is very hard to get a spot, the slots fill within literal seconds of being released. All of the sites are unique and beautiful. This campground is set up so there are no sites backed to each other so you get views behind you, not neighbors! The bathrooms are well kept and have flushing toilets. There are 2 site hosts as the road is fairly long with 52 sites. When we were there the hosts were selling firewood, but the next day they were no longer selling wood in the park so make sure to check ahead. There is no store for other supplies. There is access to a few trails along the end of the of the road in the small loop. This is a fairly long walk if you are at the front of the campground. There is access to trails before the entrance to the campground, which is walkable along the road, but a definetly not close. For the most part the even number campgrounds are backed against red rock formations, the odd numbers are along the canyon side with further reaching views but less protection and privacy, and the highest number campgrounds seemed largest along the back of the loop at the end of the campground. In my experience I was not able to pick the site I wanted because of how quickly they go. I lucked out because I thought our site was the best.

Site 002: This site is the first site past the camp host house. There is a good distance and a very large rock formation between the host and this site. There is no site across the road from this site either, leaving it fairly private on 3 sides. The next site is close but there are several spaces to set up tents. I would say you could fit 3 tents throughout the site. The site is on a hill but the tent areas are fairly flat, although separated from each other. The lowest area was flooded during our stay, as were many areas of the entire campground(and park) from unusually heavy rain. The bathrooms are very close. If I had my pick of sites I would choose the one again.