Capitol Reef National Park Dispersed Camping

If you have a 4x4, we recommend pulling back slightly to the right as far as you can. We went back and got tucked into a more secluded nook with a good fire ring. It looks bumpy and uneven, but it’s possible to level a vehicle that’s 21 feet and under.

The hike up above the site is really beautiful. The trail took us up above the cliff edge that borders the site. From there you have sweeping views of the valley and out to the mountains in both directions.

Important to note:

1. There are no toilet facilities and no places to dig a hole
2. There were people using generators
3. If you tuck back into a far site, you can avoid most the the road and generator noise
4. If it’s going to rain, this would be a slick and slippery location
5. The Wild Rabbit Cafe in Torrey is an excellent place for breakfast and coffee

This spot is up on a hill top. Plenty of spots to camp. Nice views, good fall breeze. There are 2 Porta potty on site. The only issue I didn't like was right at the entrance for the first 75 feet there were a lot of rocks sticking up out of the ground. Made it very uneven. Had my wife get out to make sure I didn't rip anything off the RV. We run a 36' Solitude. Only 7 miles to Capitol Reef visitor center.

Literally first road outside of West entrance to CRNP. It’s pretty rocky, would come during daylight to setup. Portapotties on site.

Easy to find. We arrived around 6 pm with multiple spots still available. The views were beautiful ! Some of the spots are close to the road but we grabbed the one in the northwest corner and couldn’t hear any road noise. We didn’t use it but there was a porta potty near the entrance.

We didn’t end up staying here but scoped it out looking for a spot. It looked great, a positive is that there’s porta potties and plenty of space for many campers. Negatives were that it was higher ground so it was fairly windy for fires and that it was really close to the road. Collectively it looked good, we just decided to go somewhere else.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ;)

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!!

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.