Best Glamping near Boulder, UT

So, take Ruby's with a grain of salt. It's historic, big, and tourist-y. We camped in the tipi (most tipis are ON the highway, so request tipi 10) that was by the lake. The tipi is probably the only secluded camping available. It was fun and pretty comfortable. It was cool at night in June, unlike all the other places we have camped in Utah. Sadly, there are so many lights at Ruby's, you can't see the stars. But, the atmosphere at Ruby's is more like being at an attraction than being outside in nature. Bathrooms are too small and there aren't enough of them to support the campground. There are shuttles to Bryce Canyon park available from Ruby's. There are shops, groceries, and anything you need at Ruby's. If you're used to nice mountain bikes, do t get your hopes up with the rentals. They are in bad shape. Also, there really are not mountain bike trails in the area. Even mountain trails that allow bikes are really horse trails and terrible to ride.

This is one of the nicest camp spots around. Close to town but close to the boulder mountains. Full hook ups for trailers. Cabins you can rent, and tent spots. Best views in Utah. If you like red dirt this is the place to be. Close to Capital Reef or the Boulder Mountains. The owners are on site and are very friendly. Lots of stuff to do in Torrey. They have a store on site plus it is close to gas station if you forgot anything.

Make sure you reserve a spot of Apple Days in July it is a fun time to be in Torrey. Lots of stuff going on. This place is busy all summer long so it is best to call ahead. Spring and Fall is amazing in Torrey and is not as hot as the summer months.

This is a nice little Gem. It has tent spots for $20 a night, RV hook ups and nice little cabins for $45 or a deluxe cabin for $65 a night. There is a store on site and it is still close to town. Picnic tables, and fire pits at each spot and lots of shade. This is a really nice camping spot. Close to Capitol Reef or the Boulder mountain and also lots of great jeep trails up Sand creek road. This is God's country.

Having the campground amidst the orchard is a beautiful thing. Should've planned my stay around harvest time! Very close to the Cohab canyon trail, one to hike for sure! Be sure to stop by the lil cabin nearby delectable pies and a bit of history. My new favorite Utah national park.

Great little campground right off 12. Only a few site here for tents and rvs. No electricity but does have water and pot toilets (very clean). This place is surrounded with pine trees and a rushing stream. Very well maintained and only 12$ a night. Was a nice break from my dusty Utah desert camping. Picnic table, fire ring with grate, as well as a bbq grill all provided.

Capitol reef is such an interesting park and so much less crowded than the others in Utah. You’ll see a lot of the same impressive red rocks but fruita is located near the orchards which is such a nice oasis. It’s still the desert, so don’t expect tons of privacy or shade. But the spaces are nice enough and perfect drive into the rest of the park!

We stayed at one of the walk in tent sites where were in a large field. The area is very neat with an orchard, wildlife, and beautiful scenery. The sites were not overly secluded, but the park seemed quiet enough for the amount of people there. Capitol Reef National Park seemed less busy than the other Utah National Parks and we really enjoyed our hiking adventures in the park as well as the camping opportunities.

One of our favorite campgrounds in southern Utah nestled in the Capitol Reef National Park. We visited in mid October, the foliage was beautiful, cool temps at night, mild to warm during the day for hiking. Probably by favorite time to visit Southern Utah, otherwise it would be SO hot. 

Like others have mentioned its the perfect mix of historical and geological wonders. The campsite itself is pleasant with flushing toilets, dumpsters, even water refill station and RV dump if you need. All sites are flat. The inner circle of sites are close together but you can find others along the outer edges facing out that are more spacious. All of them butt up to the orchards which you can walk through and pick your own fruit if its the right season. Deer roam around the campground, graze next to your tent or trailer, they are so sweet. The best part (beyond the views of the red rock canyons above, and gentle river that flows next to it) is the Gifford House - they sell fresh baked pies, cinnamon rolls and bread daily! Get there in the Am as they sell out. IF you ask my kids the homeade pies for breakfast might have been their favorite part! LOL.

We were lucky to get a reservation at this campground as it is in the National Park. While they have no showers or cell service, the campground was nice, toilets had running water and were clean. Our particular site had a downhill slope so we had no flat ground to set our tent on, but we made it work. Great hikes in this park that I dubbed the stepchild Utah Park, the rangers are awesome, lots of activities, we were there over the Fourth of July and they had patriotic sing-a-longs along with other ranger led activities. Highly recommend this park and campground.

The main Capitol Reef campground was our second stop on a weekend getaway. It's first come first served which makes getting a site very difficult on weekends. We were at a walk in site in Loop A and it was beautiful. We had a huge tree to pitch the tent under and we felt far enough from our neighbors. Overall the campground was a little crowded and the sites were kind of on top of each other. The walk in tent sites were a nice alternative to the RV pads. We frequented the orchards and picked apples and bought pie and coffee everyday from the Gifford House. Would definitely go again! Capitol Reef remains my favorite Utah park.

Cutest Campground award! Surrounded by orchards and grassy fields, this $20 a night campground was a lovely little stop! Super clean bathrooms and wonderful sites both tent and RV (loop pictures shown) We saw deer and tons of little critters. There were horses near by which my daughter went nuts to visit! If your driving between Utah parks this is definitely a refreshing stop to make! Unfortunately we didn’t hike in the area but there was a nature center and a little store that seemed to serve some kind of food. We did see signs for hiking trails on the way out of the Park. Overall super wonderful quiet little camp! Great experience!

We had a great view from our camp spot and there were nice trails leading out of the park. The staff were very helpful to us, especially as newbies in camping. The internet worked well the first day but not the second, we should have paid the extra fee. Cell reception for us was poor throughout this area.

The park was a conveniently located between Bryce and Escalante. We spent.most of our time in Escalante. We discovered a cool coffee shop at what appeared to be a lookout, it was built into the side of the hill. There is.so much to see in this part of Utah, this LOA makes a great basecamp.

Best reason to love this campground: they have a shuttle that picks you up from the campground and takes you into Bryce Canyon National Park. You don't have to worry about driving in the NP, parking your car, etc. It's a great shuttle service that we used and would highly recommend. 

As for the campsite: it was our last stop of our Utah Mighty 5 adventure and we were t-i-r-e-d. Luckily, this place made our last night enjoyable and was a great stop. 

Nothing particularly exciting about this, although I'll add that they do have a swimming pool which was nice to use to cool off after our hike. It was fairly crowded, as were the bathrooms and those amenities. 

Our site was mostly dirt and slightly angled, which wasn't the best for tent camping, but we made it work.

Important to note: it gets COLD in this area, even in the summertime, so prepare accordingly.

We road tripped through all of Utah’s national parks this year, and were most surprised by Capitol Reef. It is probably the least popular of the parks, but it was our favorite, by far. By chance, we stayed here just as the apple crop was ripening (August), so we got to pick some of the heritage varieties that were available. We treated ourselves to baked apples over our campfire. There’s a lovely little gift shop right near the campground, and while they sell mostly souvenires and the like, they also have homemade cherry pies. The main petroglyphs are within walking distance, as are many incredible hiking trails. If you’re there on the weekend, be sure to take advantage of some of the interpretive programs. We did a full moon hike, which was really incredible.

The campground is fairly open, with some big trees for shade. There’s a river running through the back side of the campground - perfect for cooling off on hot summer days. We did see a snake on the river bank while we were wading in the water, so be warned. Amenities are very basic - just toilets and cold water - no showers.

The Fruita Campground is open year-round, and is the only developed campground in Capitol Reef National Park. This campground is one of the most unique ones I’ve stayed at. The orchard 🏕 onsite for picking fruit is so cool! There are lots of trees and shade and after driving through the desert it’s crazy to find this oasis tucked back behind these big beautiful rocks 🏜. The sites are a good size and comfortable. You don’t have cell service but, maybe that’s your thing? Not having to worry about email can be a plus. There are bathrooms but, unfortunately no showers. Definitely, a great stop while visiting all of the National parks in Utah.

The 71-site Fruita Campground is the only developed campground in Capitol Reef. Reservations are available March 1- October 31.

Each site has a picnic table and firepit and/or above ground grill, but no individual water, sewage, or electrical hookups.

There is a RV dump and potable water fill station near the entrance to Loops A and B.

The nightly fee is $20.00 ($10.00 for Golden Age/Senior Pass holders.

Launch your boat at the Bullfrog Marina, then pick any spot on the ENTIRE LAKE! We drove a houseboat and moored/anchored in Good Hope Bay, which is a 2-3 hour houseboat ride (averaging 8.4 mph). There were quite a few beautiful canyons that had rock slides and small beaches that you could anchor a houseboat to, but those were all taken up by the time we got there. We kept wandering NE until we found Good Hope Bay, which is a bay that is as large as most Utah lakes (thinking Pineview and East Canyon). This made for ideal skiing and boarding because the bay was large enough to dissipate the waves from the passing boats. The beaches were very rocky and riddled with thorny bushes, but it was bearable in bare feet as long as you watched where you were going. The best part? We were one of only two houseboats in the entire bay, which made us feel like we had the place to ourselves!

General: This is likely the most popular campground in the park and has three loops. Our friends made reservations exactly 6 months ahead (the earliest date possible) and we were lucky to snag two sites. The campground was completely full on a weekend at the end of April and continued to be full on Monday night. 

Site Quality/Facilities: Each site has a double-wide concrete pad that can easily accommodate a camper and an extra vehicle. The picnic table and fire pit are also on concrete. Some sites have a bbq but not all of them do. The sites do not have a lot of separation, but we did not feel crowded. Generators are allowed so there will be noise but despite it being full with lots of kids and dogs, the campground was quiet (not counting generator use). Several hiking trails are accessible directly from the campground as is the Gifford House, which sells delicious pies and cinnamon rolls.

Bathhouse: Basic National Park bathhouse. No hooks but soap and paper towels provided. No showers. It was clean.

Activities/Amenities: Hiking! We hiked the Cohab Canyon trail, accessed directly across the street from Loops A and B and continued on to the Hickman Bridge Trail for a moderately strenuous 6-mile roundtrip hike. The Fremont River Trail is a one-mile out and back trail accessed directly from Loops A and B. We also hiked the Chimney Rock Trail, but you have to drive to the trailhead from the campground. There is an amphitheater with daily programs led by volunteers which were very informative. The Gifford House is within (too easy) walking distance from Loops A and B – the pies and cinnamon rolls will have you wanting to hike to burn off the calories but get there early– the cinnamon rolls sold out within 10 minutes of opening up at 8 am on the Saturday we were there so we made sure we were waiting in line before it opened on Sunday! 

Capitol Reef completes our tour of Utah’s“rock” national parks and it was stunning– well worth a visit.

We enjoyed this campground. Unlike the other Utah National Parks this campground was easier to book and had sites remaining for weeks after they were released. There are 3 separate loops with orchards all around. There is lots of grass throughout the sites and where you set up your tents. There is not much privacy in any of the sites as the trees are all very tall and the leaves are high up. You are sitting in the canyon so the views all around are beautiful. The contrast between the lush green grass and orchards and the red rock is stunning. It was nice being able to walk through the orchards. There are roads along and behind several of the camp sites. The visitor's center and historical sites are a pretty long walk along a road from the camp site. There are not many hikes in close proximity to the campground. It was ideal for us to drive to the trailheads and sites as the park is quite large. The bathrooms were well kept with flushing toilets. There is a pretty serious irrigation operation running along the orchards which resulted in a fairly loud pouring water sound.

Site C 070: Our site was at the very end of loop C. There are dumpsters along the side of the site, and a road leading to a parking lot for the amphitheatre and orchards directly behind the site. Luckily it was cool when were there so there was no smell, but I would imagine in the summer the smell would be unpleasant in addition to being an unwelcome view. The road was not at all busy when we were there in October. Across the road is an orchard which hosted several deer while we were there. The deer also seemed to roam fearlessly throughout the entire campground. This site is as far from the bathrooms as you can get. I would recommend a different site if you have the option due to the dumpsters. If it was the only site left I would still stay here.

You know you're in a national park campground when it's quiet before quiet hours start at 10 pm. People are here to enjoy the beauty of Capitol Reef, and they're tired. And you need to get up early the next day to beat the afternoon threat of thunderstorms.

This campground has 3 loops with lots of trees...and grass!   Finding a spot for a tent (or two or three) at a site is easy. There are 5 walkin tent sites on loop B and 2 on loop C.

Site parking pads are quite large. Ours (#13) fit our vehicle and teardrop trailer side by side with lots of room in between. We had reserved this site for two nights and then moved to #8, one of the few available sites on Sunday morning. When you look at the parking pads, you may think you share yours with another site. Nope! The pads in loop C are longer but not as wide.

Drinking water and a dishwashing sink are located near each restroom (flush toilets and sinks). Showers are available for $6 at the Chuckwagon in Torrey. You can also find Wi-fi in Torrey at the Chuckwagon, Rim Rock and visitor center.

Something unique about this campground: Mulford Orchard is on the edge of loop C. You can pick your own apricots and pay $1/pound (honor system). When you are in the orchard or any of the others in town named after Mormon settlers, you can eat the fruit... for free. There's also Hickman House near loop A which sells cinnamon rolls, small pies and sourdough bread; people line up when it opens at 8 am.

You'll need to get in your car and drive to many sights, but there are a few you can hike to from the campground:

1. Cohab Canyon: It's a 3.4 mile roundtrip if you hike to Utah 24 and back, but you should go to the overlooks that are spurs off the route (which add 1.2 miles to the hike). Or continue across Rt 24 and hike to Hickman Bridge, a 1.8 mile roundtrip.

2. Fremont River trail

3. Fremont Gorge Overlook Trail, a 4+ mile roundtrip from the blacksmith's shop

4. The truly ambitious can hike to Cassidy Arch from the campground by way of Cohab Canyon, Frying Pan and Cassidy Arch Trails. I wouldn't try that in July-August when it seems like thunderstorms are possible every afternoon.

Be sure to get the Fruita area map and guide in addition to the usual NPS brochure.

Campground Review

Ruby’s Inn RV Park and Campground Definitely the closest campground outside of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah with all the amenities (absolutely positively everything) and even a buffet and restaurant within walking distance. We visited Bryce Canyon in the off season and it was still super crowded but worth the views and experience! I would highly recommend making reservations well in advance and planning your trip accordingly in the summer. You can catch the bus right outside the campground that takes you straight into The National Park so you don’t have to stress about parking (big hassle trust me). We really enjoyed this campground and would definitely stay here again!

Product Review

As a Ranger for the https://thedyrt.com/, occasionally I have the great opportunity to test and review products. At this Campground we had the pleasure of being introduced to https://morselspork.com/ and Wow.. was my first reaction! This XL Morsel is going to be a game changer.. Let’s get down and Dirty and talk sporks!

It’s length alone is the first noticeable upgrade in comparison to generic double sided utensils as seen in my pictures. Standing tall at 10.5 inches the XL Morsel will give you the ability to scrape, scour and reach deep into a dehydrated meal pouch without getting your hands a sticky mess

 The second thing I personally noticed out of the box was its giant rubber sided spoon, perfect for scooping and teething according to our little. The spork itself seems extremely durable and also able to withstand boiling water temperatures. Not to mention dishwasher safe. The serrated cutting edge is also a worthy mention! It sliced and Avocado great! 

Overall We loved it and we would love to tell the world this this spork has everything the others don't but that’s obvious from the picture comparison. I wish I had an action shot of lunch but I know there will be more chances because  I’ll never leave for an adventure without the https://morselspork.com/ XL again! Even ordered the mini for our “minis” to test on the next stop!

Nice, clean campground with good water and clean vaults. The upper sites are for tents and small campers while the lower half will accomodate tents only.

My 28’ trailer fit very well. A little close to the highway but the noise was never an issue.