Dispersed Camping Willow Spring (Wasatch)

Great dispersed camping area with plenty of room! If going all the way to the marked location on the map, only attempt with a high clearance 4x4 or you will not make it! We have a TRX and overland camper and bottomed out on a culvert that dropped off sharply. We went to the marked location only to find a single camping spot on a moderate slope. Recommend stopping two miles earlier in the “Big Glade” meadow, flat and plenty of camping spots. We ended up a mile before that at a cross roads at 8900’. Concur with the ATv traffic from previous reviews, but overall relatively quiet

Beautiful little place for quiet and secluded camping. Although, the road going up is rough! Our Durango could barely handle it. But once we stopped, it was a perfect little spot nestled in the trees and a stream close by. Obviously bugs are expected outdoors, but this place seemed to have an excessive amount! We also found ticks on clothing! So be prepared for that. Despite the creepy crawlies and rough road, we plan to go back.

Only went about two miles up the road once I pulled off the main road. Followed coordinates on the app. Started to get too rocky for my taste so I pulled off into a nice camp spur. Pretty private occasional main road traffic but not much. Definitely would come back. Trees to hang a hammock and a rock fire pit.

EDIT: A bear crawled onto the roof of my Jeep while I was in it sleeping. Heads up when camping here.

This is a disperse campground. It a a portable toilet which is amazingly clean and maintained. Now they’ve set up a dumpster for all of your garbage. It is a compact dirt road. You can find a spot anywhere if you are pulling in your van/car/truck but if you have a rig you want to get in here early as it gets full with RVs. It’s an entrance for off roading so it gets noisy and dusty at 8:00 am.

Decent dispersed blm camping. It was busy, which we planned on, but neighbors were all quite in the evening & respectful. 4x4 vehicle with decent clearance recommended if you travel further down the road.

Open dispersed camping with lots of places to camp. Can get pretty crowded and noisy at times but worth not having to pay for. Can accommodate larger groups and single families. No amenities except for porta potties.

There’s free camping site served our needs, but at a minimum. Very bumpy road, but doable even in our class C. The biggest problem as noted in the title, is the constant barrage of ATVs, OHVs, and dirt bikes.

Moab seems to be the Mecca for these activities, which is fine. It’s hard to complain when you have a safe quiet place to sleep, which we did. And we spent a lot of time touring Arches and canyonlands national parks. But when we returned in the afternoons, there’s a hell of a lot of dust and noise to deal with.

Not that I’m judging! If I had had the money, I would have been first in line to rent an OHV! Perhaps I was a little jealous of all of those people, and there were many, that brought their own!

The city of Moab is Perhaps 15 minutes south. There was one lane closed a few miles before Moab, and we were caught in several traffic jams.

It didn’t matter though, the city of Moab is a boomming town full of all sorts of restaurants, activities, food trucks, you name it.

There are many companies ready to set you up with a kayak, canoe, ATV, or OHV.

And it was great that you can walk into the local aquatic center and buy a hot shower for seven bucks.

I would probably only stay here again as a last resort.

I went through Wallsburg and entered the canyon on the west side and couldn't actually go too far up the path, it's definitely 4x4 required for the entirety of the path, but the first bit can be handled by most vehicles, but have loads of pull offs for dispersed camping pretty much as soon as you enter the canyon.

No amenities at area. But there is a lodge with Porto-jons maybe a mile away. Took my girlfriend for her 2nd time ever camping and had a blast. I would definitely have a plan B in place if you dont get here during the week. Lots of the spaces filled up.

Down a dirt road, right outside of town. Some great views!

Campground Review: In my attempt to explore as many areas in Utah as I can, I came across this wonderful dispersed camping off Highway 40, south of Heber City toward Main Canyon. I had the intention of staying in a nearby campground. But when I felt the price was a bit too high for just one night, I sought adventure elsewhere. I randomly turned off toward Main Canyon and followed the dirt road until I found a spot I liked. I knew I was in dispersed national forest camping when there are signs indicating a 14 day limit. So all along this dirt road, which got pretty rocky at times, are spots to pull off and camp for the night. It can accommodate single tents, multiple tents, RVs (obviously no hookups) and trailers.  There are man-made fire pits so if you start a fire, be sure to put it out completely and observe LNT (leave no trace) camping principles. Whatever you bring in with you is what you have as there are no amenities to speak of. The ground was soft and there were lots of trees from which to hang a hammock. I did forget to fill my water jug before I left my house so I had to search out a small run off stream from which I could filter water. But be sure to have a good water filter if you are going to go this route.  The only real negative I have for this site (or area of sites) is that there was a lot of AVT/Side-by-side/dirtbike traffic. If that type of activity was on my list, this area would be first on my list. However, since I chose not to stay in a campground because I wanted the seclusion, the traffic was a little bit of a bummer. But, because the camping was free and everyone who passed waved and was really nice, I didn’t have too much of a problem with it. Also, the site I chose was right off the road (as majority of them are). If I wanted to hike with my stuff a little more, I found a very pretty meadow away from the road that would have been very peaceful. I guess that will have to be my next spot. OI verall, I have a love for free, dispersed camping and this area is large enough to explore for a wide variety of adventures.

Gear Review: Snapbuds

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get the opportunity to test out gear every so often from our amazing partners. I was given the opportunity to test out a new product called Snapbuds. The premise of this product is to help keep your earbud cords organized or untangled by use of magnets. They come in three different colors—grey, black, and white, so you can make them coordinate with your cords or stand out. The instructions are easy to follow and have a few options for how to set these little magnets into different configurations. It also has a really handy measuring tape/picture to make sure you can get the snapbuds in the right spot. I decided to try the standard configuration on my first pair of earbuds. These are designed to be permanent additions to your cords so be sure to pay attention to what direction you snap the magnets on. Once I got them on, I wrapped them up and threw them around in my bag. The magnets held and when I went to use them, all I had to do was pull the magnets apart and the cord was untangled. It was pretty sweet. I also used them while hiking around with my dog.

Overall, these are a pretty cool solution to a long standing annoyance of earbud cords.