Dispersed Mexican Hat Camping

You need clearance to be able to enter this spot, there’s a large rut which stopped us from getting into the spot, we had to turn around - so only attempt to come here if you have a 4x4 or a vehicle with clearance

There are spots for RV's and other spots where you need a 4WD.  Beautiful setting with many dispersed sites available.  It was very hot, but not much you can do about that…

AT&T service was strong.

There are many camping sites distributed throughout the well maintained roads around the Mexican Hat. A regular 2WD passenger car shouldn't have a problem getting to many of them. There are smaller trails that require 4WD with a bit of clearance and articulation, but didn't see anything a unibody crossover couldn't do.

You get plenty of privacy and seclusion at each site with beautiful views in the morning. And please respect the land and its people! We are lucky they are generous enough to allow us to camp here.

This was a great spot to camp, quiet, and the view was just amazing. Numerous spots available and access to the San Juan River. If there isn’t anything available, Vally of the Gods is right in the area with endless available sites as well and worth a the scenic drive. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to camp in this area.

I road in at night and the road was sandy and wiggly. If you can make it all the way down to where the trail ends, it’s a pretty dank opening to the water. Be respectful, friendly, and never put a sign in “your spot” that says “taken” or “occupied” — you are on native land and that’s also an obnoxious, unfriendly Karen move.

Really beautiful.

Road condition: probably want all wheel drive, but you might get to some spots without it

Fee: there’s a hand-painted sign that says to pay online but it was unclear who manages the site. There isn’t a gate or anything like that

River access: at first fork in the dirt road I took a left and it led down to campsites close by the river

Spread out: On a Friday night in May I wasn’t on top of anyone at all

We got here late after a long day of hiking and driving. There were enough people that it felt safe but enough space that there was plenty of privacy. Great spot to watch stars, we saw 6 shooting stars. Can get a little dusty, but we’re in the middle of a desert so that’s to be expected.

Do not hesitate to follow the pretty accessible dirt road to reach the San Juan river and its nearby spots (turn left at the fork before the “Mexican hat” rock). Really quite amongst the trees.

What a cool place to visit for a night or two! Lot's of cool features to see!

We stayed a night here and loved it. Very easy to get to and park. Just beware that as you pass the 1st section of "well kept" camping sites, the road gets a bit bumpy, various sizes of rocks, so just take your time and you'll be fine. We are in a 40' 5th wheel and had no problem. 

FYI.. We found that if you need water, there is a 7-11 in Mexican Hat that has a spigot you can use. Just patronize the establishment as a way of saying "Thanks!"

First of all it’s free so you can’t argue with that. We got in around 4 PM, thought for sure other people would show up later but no one did so we got the place to ourselves. Like anywhere there is going to be some litter; fortunately there wasn’t a lot so we filled a trash bag of old cans. Got to enjoy the quiet solitude and enjoy the sunrise coming up over the Hat Rock in the morning which was beautiful.

Very clean area, no problem finding a camp area. Try to get there before night, so you won’t get disoriented.

Couple campsites just of the road. Better ones if you go down the hill behind Mexican Hat rock next to the river. Lots to explore. Seen a bunch of deer.

Stayed here close to monument valley so I could be there for sunrise. Roads are pretty okay, camping areas are not very even. No one was here when I got here.

Plenty of space for even the biggest of RVS. We were in a high top and had no problems getting a spot for the night with a view of the hat.

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!!

Gorgeous! Red cliffs on either side of a river valley. There are no facilities, which is fine, and the campsites are a decent size. Most of the road is drivable for a low clearance, FWD vehicle. You can easily see the stars at night.

Camped here in May 2021. Absolutely gorgeous. We chose the last spot before going down the hill toward the river and could see Mexican Hat, the river, and a wonderful sunset. There were only two other people camping in the vicinity (it was a Thursday) and they were far away so we had the spot essentially to ourselves! Unreliable cell service, couldn't get bars on the mifi. No facilities

Easy to find, we picked a spot off to the right of Mexican Hat Rock Rd, right at the base of Mexican Hat. Explored more spots accessible via 4WD only on our bikes. We got to our spot with a small camper trailer and we saw a few other cars who found other spots you could get to without 4WD. Really fun to explore on a bike!

i arrived around 1 am and the place was practically empty, although there is so much space i don’t think more people being there would’ve been an issue. you can get closer to the river if you’d like or stay back a bit, either way it’s beautiful. you absolutely should visit

Pvt land not blm..but does not seem to be posted no trespassing so?

After entering, the dirt road to the right takes you to camping in front of the Mexican Hat there’s quite a few spots that are big rig friendly. The first road to the left I’d advise for slightly smaller rigs, but I took my short bus down there just fine. Down the hill there’s Mexican Hat Rd which seems to stretch forever. A wide variety of spots and all a close walk to the river. There’s also a dirt road that veers down - I’d only recommend for 4x4 high clearance vehicles, and probably not if it’s too wet. If you follow that road all the way down there’s actually a white sand beach to play in the water.

It’s a bit tricky to find, but the spots that were most promising were found by taking a left before the Mexican Hat road sign (left as you’re heading into the town of Mexican Hat).

It isn’t directly on the river with river access, which I was hoping for, but many spots overlook the river and it’s gorgeous nonetheless. If you have 4x4, I’d take a left at the fork after pulling onto the initial dirt/gravel road. Follow that until it dead ends at a beauuutiful spot overlooking the river. You’re welcome 😉🥳

One 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.

Kinda tough to find but definitely worth it. Very secluded.

19 miles south of Monument Valley- perfect location.

I stayed here on the 26th of September. The spots are nicely spaced out. I took the third spot from the last. There was a short trail with vegetation straight from my campsite to the river. A deer and her baby were grazing in the vegetation in the late afternoon. The sky is so dark at night, stargazing is incredible. There was an egregious amount of litter, mostly beer cans. I filled an entire garbage bag picking up trash.

You 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.

We 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!

We camped here overnight. A hummingbird bird came and said hello during breakfast. That’s pretty much the only other living thing I saw in this area. It’s beautiful at night too. Check it!

This was night four of our Grand Canyon Trip, and our only cloudy, starless night. I have heard such good things about the view at night, even so, it was one of our favorites. We put a speaker in a nearby bush we dubbed the "bluetooth bush" and piped in some native flute music. I'm here to tell you, there's nothing I recommend more. If the sweet serenity of the pure quiet doesn't do it for you, then get those old disembodied melodies going. There are no bathrooms or trash, so pack-in, pack-out. 

Our approach.