Along the Colorado River right outside Moab lie many lovely, simple, riverside campgrounds that even in the early spring can be crowded. The BLM campgrounds offer a variety of individual and group sites with picnic tables, fire rings and varying degrees of privacy. The bathrooms are all pit toilets, and kept very clean. This campground offers trash and recycling bins, while some of the smaller campsites along the river do not. Water can be found at the town park 10 miles back down the canyon at the intersection with Hwy 191. Filtered drinking water can also be found (for free) at the outdoor gear store next to the grocery store in town.  There are no electrical hook ups at any campground along this stretch, but if you run on solar like we do, you'll never run out of power.

These campsites are awesome because of their proximity to the hiking, cycling, slick rock mountain biking, rock climbing and paddling opportunities that Moab is known for. The view from any campsite up and down the river is a stunner and makes you think that $20 a night is a pretty good bargain, despite some road noise on a busy weekend.

Moab offers all the amenities of a small town that thrives on tourism without the sprawling consumerism of the suburbs. If you can’t get it there, you probably don’t need it.  Arches National Park is a short drive up the road– get your entry reservations in advance from April to October. The Islands in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park is within 45 minutes of downtown, as well as Dead Horse State Park. This area is an outdoor recreationists dream, and everyone knows it so plan ahead on those busy weekends in the spring and fall!