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The Moab Exchange lands were acquired by the State of Utah in 1965 in an exchange for sovereign lands within the newly-designated Canyonlands National Park. The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is responsible for the management of 829-acre Prairie Dog Haven Unit and the 4,350 Dalton Wells Unit in Grand County, Utah.
In 2015, the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands completed the Moab Exchange Lands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). The CMP was designed to facilitate the management of the exchange lands under multiple-use, sustained yield principles and accommodating public and private uses to the extent that the uses do not substantially impair the public trust resources.
Primitive camping is available in certain areas outside of Moab (see map) https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/Moab%20BLM%20Visitior%20Guide_pub_2019_all%20vertical%20pages.pdf
11 Miles south of Moab, free dispersed sites along Yellow Circle Road. BLM signage designates the area within which you can camp. Many RVs and tent sites. Good for 2wd.
A tent-only campsite near Utah's Castleton Tower.
Scout
All the slabs are torn up as of 11/2024, would not risk getting a flat tire for this spot
Scout
Its closed
Traveler
Quite a few campsite options with lots of wide open space, although this means you can see other sites and have little privacy or coverage from the sun. On a clear night you can see a breathtaking amount of stars. Close to the highway so there's some noise throughout the day, but it does quiet down overnight. Road is a little rocky and bumpy but nothing too crazy, most vehicles should be fine.
Traveler
Stayed one night in early Oct 24 before making my way into Canyonlands NP on a Sunday night. Absolutely stunning campground. Probably one of the most gorgeous sites I've stayed at. It wasn't too hard to get into or anything on the road and seemed to have tons of sites.
The big BUT is that there was a lot of toiletry waste around the area tho and when it became nighttime tons of people started coming in and that place echos. Please leave no trace, it's such a gorgeous place.
Guide
Flat space, but crowded (already a bunch of RVs, vans and even a semi). Unfortunately, when we found a spot the fire pit was filled with glass beer bottles and trash and the whole area smelled gross. Also, pretty shady and not ideal for solar. We didn’t stay
Guide
Rough road, 2WD is fine. Flatter spaces, good for RVs, are farther back. Only stayed one night because organizers of some Mad Moose race kicked us out to prep (we drove in the dark and missed any signs). Seems like a popular event space, so probably a good idea to check for happenings in advance (and plan ample time for prep!)
ScoutFirst time camping here! Rolled up during the day and it was quiet with breath taking views of the canyon. Set up camp and once night fall came so did all the off roaders (who seemed young) rolling up to our campsite trying to find a place to camp. This went on until almost 12am. This must be a really popular and well visited disperse camping. Great place to camp if you don’t mind people camping on top of you.
Guide
We took our small tow behind camper here and it worked out perfectly. Centrally located between arches, Canyonlands, and downtown Moab. It was so fun and private
ScoutWe got there after dark and we couldn’t find any slabs. They had all been torn up. It’s a dirt field with slab piles and rebar in the dirt. Be careful driving in the field. We still found a nice flat spot to camp.
GuideArrived around 530pm to ensure enough daylight to set up camp and select a spot with a fire ring. T-Mobile 3-5 5G Bars at all times. Fellow campers spread out nicely.
GuideThis campsite was AWESOME! the road getting in was a little rough, but with AWD you should be good. Beautiful views, spread out spots, and easy access to arches. this campsite was a major win!
ScoutAs is most of this area, full sun exposure, but also means great sunset/sunrise! Good safe spot right off the highway. Made it in my front wheel drive 21’ van. Just go slow. Lots of rocks sticking up and little rivets in the road. I was able to get around them. Other campers spread apart far enough for me
Traveler
7 yrs ago this area was dispersed BLM camping, but is now $20/day. We were surprised to see all the improvements made to the area, including campsites big enough for our 6x10 trailer and Nissan truck. Nice picnic table and fire pit. Several pit toilets that were clean and well stocked. The ground was too hard and rocky to drive in tent stakes though. Weather was warm during the day, comfortable at night. Road to campground is a little wasboard, but not to terrible for us and don't see needing too much extra clearance.
Traveler
These campsites are located in what is called Bride's Canyon, off of the Gemini Bridges Road. Also note that it is currently listed on Google Maps as Poison Spider Trail. Not sure why.
The Pros:
This location is stunningly beautiful. The campsites are spacious (so you could fit several vehicles in each. And the campsites are relatively secluded so you aren't right on top of your neighbors. You have copious amounts of shade in the canyon from the red rock canyon walls on each side (depending on time of day) while still having clear night sky viewing.
The Cons:
This is NOT an easy place to access.
Option 1: drive in 9.3mi of dirt road, the last 5.3 of which is pretty rough
Option 2: you drive in 4.3mi of pretty rough road from the hiqhway along a dugway on the side of a cliff.
Note: we made it in via option 2 and out via option 1 with our lower-clearance pickup truck. I'm an experienced off-road driver. However, we pulled in our off-road overland squaredrop trailer. While the road is such that even a pickup with lousy clearance can do it if you take your time, I DO NOT advise trying to pull a trailer, even one with good clearance into this area. There are lots of tight corners, dips that bottom out your trailer hitch, and uneven areas that could cause your trailer to roll. We blew out a tire going around a particularly rocky curve about 1 mile in from the highway and spent the night stranded on the side of the road dug into the cliff. We also had the trailer slip sideways in a sandy curve where we ended up wedged against a post. Fortunately a guy with a decked out jeep and a winch came along and help extricate us.
Bottom line, I would DEFINITELY camp here again, but I would DEFINITELY NOT take my trailer in.
GuideThe area for camping is surrounded by hills & mountains so its actually pretty quiet even though its not terribly far off the road. You also cant see the road because of the hills. There were a few other people there but not too busy, close to Moab which was great as it allowed us to get to arches in the morning before the 7AM cutoff for timed entry.
TravelerJust here for a night but one of my favorite spots yet! Seemed a little crowded (might have been a big group) but it wasn’t an issue. The road is a little rough (but fun). Had no issues in an Outback Wilderness.
Guide
Our second night on this road we stayed at this exact site. The way in was much easier than the previous site. The neighbors are louder, playing music and sounds travels, but no biggie. The stars and sunset were amazing.
GuideThere are a few different camps to choose from with a long driveway to make it more private. We got here early about 3 o’clock on a Saturday however, most of the sites were already taken so the site that we ended up staying at the driveway was a little washed out and parts of the actual camping area were washed out. The views were 360 panorama views mountain ranges desert and red rocks. Overall, I would stay here again, but preferably at a different site.
GuideSlightly rough road to get into the campsite plenty of places to choose from. Got there at like 6 o’clock on a Friday night with a camper van and had no trouble. It was the perfect stop for the night able to have a fire and had enough privacy. The stars were phenomenal. Verizon had full bar coverage and you’re close to Arches and Canyonlands.
Scout
Great spot. Rough 2wd plenty of spots great views
RangerYou should have high clearance 4x4 though I saw a Subaru (don't recommend). The road in is rutted in spots, sandy in spots and rocky in spots. If you can get past all that, you are in for a treat. Most spots have incredible views.
Scout
We stayed two non consecutive nights during our trip. The first we stayed on a Thursday and we were able to drive in a bit more and get a private site close to the rock. We set our chairs up on the rock to watch sunset, it was super windy. Others were there but it was quiet and some space. The second night was Saturday night, we knew we were going to be back late so we stayed here in the open area. There were three others in the open area but we were all spread out so felt private enough for our late arrival and early morning departure.
TravelerIt’s right off the interstate, so traffic noise is somewhat loud, but not too bad! Not a lot of privacy but mostly full of people going to Arches. Some AMAZING sunsets and bright stars!
ScoutI chose this site for proximity to the parks, as well as the lovely geological backdrop. I'm sure this holds similarly true for all the nearby public land, but it did not disappoint as far as sunset/sunrise/stargazing/scenic views and a sense of isolation.
The GPS coordinates in our apple map app brought us into the main entrance which crossed the RR tracks, and shortly thereafter there was an established camping lot where you can reserve spots for a small fee. I appreciated the lot for a couple of reasons - there was a bathroom and trash dumpster, plus, a spot where we were allowed to park our trailer while we went into the park for a few hours.
Anything past that lot is pretty rough terrain. Take it slow. We got our trailer back there for our overnight stay, but let me advise you if you have a big rig - take one of the first available spots and go OUT the same way you came IN. After we set up camp, we were headed to Arches and our map directed us to continue north on the same road we came in. Thankfully we'd already unhitched our trailer, because the road became extremely treacherous before eventually meeting back up with the highway. There's a generously sized parking area at that access point, which seems to be where day use/ATV users like to access the land.
Traveler
Convenient location near Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP. Beautiful views of the valley. We had a great sunset and sunrise. Primitive - no water or bathrooms Off a well maintained dirt road. You don’t need 4WD to access it.
ScoutSeeing the reviews I figured this spot would be packed on a holiday weekend. (Labor Day) had the entire place to myself. Countless camp sites directly on the edge.
4x4 needed to get through some thick sand spots but an easy trail nonetheless.
10/10
ScoutPhenomenal sunrise and sunsets, train did go by at night but was cool. I have not idea how my corolla made it up such the rocky and gutted road but she did
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Arches National Park?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Arches National Park is Dispersed Camping Outside of Moab - Sovereign Lands with a 4.4-star rating from 51 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Arches National Park?
TheDyrt.com has all 85 dispersed camping locations near Arches National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.
