Gooseberry Mesa, near Zion National Park, is a stunning location for those who appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. This area offers dispersed camping with breathtaking views, especially of Smithsonian Butte, making it a favorite for sunset and sunrise watchers.

Visitors rave about the variety of camp spots nestled among junipers and cacti, providing a sense of seclusion while still being close to nature. Many have noted the established fire pits and decent cell service, which can be a nice perk when you're out in the wild. As one camper put it, “The views are beautiful,” and you can expect to see plenty of hikers and bikers enjoying the nearby trails.

The road leading to Gooseberry Mesa can be a bit rough, so a high-clearance vehicle is recommended, but the journey is worth it for the scenery. While there are no water hookups or trash services, the clean vault toilets are a welcome sight. Just remember to pack out what you bring in, and you'll be all set for a memorable camping experience.

Gooseberry Mesa and Hurricane Cliffs trails are located in southern Utah’s red rock country. Views from the mesa rims along these trails are spectacular. To the north are massive sandstone sentinels of Zion National Park. Spread out below the west rim is a panorama of colorful desert mesas and water carved canyons. These trails are designed to provide technically challenging mountain bike opportunities. Single track and slickrock wind across the mesa top in a series of interconnected trails providing a unique setting that will provide a high quality experience to all types of mountain bikers. One of the Bureau of Land Management's "Backyard to Backcountry" treasures, information on the Gooseberry Mesa Trail was developed between IMBA and the St. George, UT, BLM office to provide world-class riding experiences. IMBA's data on the trail includes elevations, ratings, current conditions, photos, and comments.

Gooseberry Mesa

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Rockville. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Find the best campgrounds near Rockville, UT. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Rockville

The Best Camping Near Rockville, Utah

After seeing how crowded hurricane cliffs were, camped on the left fork after the Windmill trailhead. Gooseberry mesa biking is incredible. The road to the mesa is very washboarded and will rattle the daylights out of your car. The sites are fairly spaced out and have great views. vault toilets at both trailheads but no water. Very strong (20mbps) cell reception on both ATT and T-Mobile. You will need to come from the apple valley side unless you have a very high clearance 4wd car. Smithsonian butte is no joke, I did it in my SUV with 8.5 inches of clearance and I would not repeat it.

Nice sites by world class mountain biking

It was fairly easy to find. Found some spots near the wire mesa trail. 
There are random spots with good views

Not a bad little spot

We just stopped to camp for a couple nights. Lots of nice, secluded spots. We didn’t check out the trails much, but they seemed maintained really well. 
There’s also vault toilets which were clean. 

And obviously this place is absolutely gorgeous and in a great location. 


Gorgeous, well-maintained 

It's really pretty up on the mesa, but... the road in is rough washboard all the way in, there is quite a bit of trash, and very crowded.

Pretty, but... 

After researching for weeks and reading the others reviews, I am so glad we visited Smithsonian Butte for my birthday weekend. As soon as you turn off the freeway, it's washboard all the way until you turn left onto Wire Mesa Trailhead. 

From there, it's slow moving but nothing major. High clearance is preferred but we didn't need it at all and we were towing a utility trailer. 

There were about 4 turnoff that has one to two established sites. We went to the end of the road and the site was able to fit our trailer with our roof top rent on it and two separate tents along with a clam tent. 

The views are beautiful. There are hiking and biking trails all around so expect bikers but not too intrusive. 

We will definitely come back. 

Absolutely stunning

Incredible views of Smithsonian Butte. Amazing sunset and sunrise! Established fire pit, super quiet spot, level ground, decent cell service. 

Amazing views 

Plenty of camp spots amongst the Juniper and cacti with spectacular views of Zion

DON’T FOLLOW APPLE MAPS. Took a bit to find the spot but the view is worth it. Beware of trespassing signs by “campsite” on google maps - this is not the campground. Keep going on the whitewash road until you see sites.

37.13225° N, 113.13171° W

Incredible views

There are several different camps all with fire pits. It’s bumpy but plenty of level ground to find once you get to the camp sites and the views are so incredible. Follow the coordinates on google maps and it will take you straight to the pull off road. 

It’s about an hour from Zion and 45 minutes from the Coral Sand Dunes and 2hr from the north rim of the Grand Canyon. 

Photos of Gooseberry Mesa

Real photos from real campers