Best Glamping near Cove, UT

Castle Rock campground in Fishlake National forest is one of two campgrounds that serve Utah's Fremont Indian State Park, with both administration and reservations handled through the Utah State Park system. When I visited it was both very clean and very well maintained. Despite being close to the interstate, it is far enough up a side canyon that you do not hear the traffic on the road. It feels like being much further from civilization.

There are 44 camp sites available, many alongside the creek that flows through the campground. About 2/3 are reservable, the rest are available daily as FCFS. Two have teepees for those lacking a tent. Several are double sites for larger groups, and there are a variety of pull through vs in/out options.

There is available potable water at several locations around the campground, and two restroom facilities - a full flush unit near the center of the grounds, and a double pit at the south end of the loop.

Every site has a fire pit, an elevated grill, and a picnic table.

There is an access road from the campground to the Paiute ATV trail. For hikers, the south end of the campground is the north origin of the Joe Lott Trail that heads into the Fishlake National Forest. The facilities of Fremont Indian State Park are about 1/2 mile away, on the opposite side of I-70, and include a small museum of Fremont life, and a variety of improved and unimproved trails leading to many rock art sites.

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.

We spent a fun day exploring Cedar Breaks National Monument. However, we lost track of time, the sun was setting and we had not chosen a place to camp. 

Campground Review of Fremont Indian State Park:

We searched on TheDyrt app for nearby campgrounds and found Fremont Indian State Park. We drove down the mountain and around another mountain and found the campground. It was totally dark by the time that we arrived and so we quickly parked and set up our campervan to sleep. 

A gentleman emerged from the shadows and approached our site. It seemed a little sketchy at first. However, he ended up being friendly and inquired if we’d like to join him and his friends around their campfire. After we prepared our campervan and cleaned up a bit, we dropped by the campfire. It turns out the party included some park staff and researchers. One lady was researching dark skies and one gentleman was researching astral alignment with ancient rock art. They shared about their research and showed us some of their amazing photos of the night sky. A warm way to end the day.

The next morning, we woke up to snow on the ground and the nearby mountaintops. Having learned from our new friends that the park contained some pretty significant rock art, we decided that we should check it out. We hiked on a couple of the trails and discovered quite a few of the rock art pieces created by the Fremont Indians. There's an easy trail that is located adjacent to the park office. There are other trails that run along the river. It is amazing that so much of the rock art was in such good condition.

The campsites provide the basics like a parking space, picnic table, electrical & water hookup and firepit/grill. The restrooms were conveniently located close to our campsite and were clean. There are showers behind the restrooms. During the winter the showers may be closed. The campground is somewhat small, but is surrounded by beautiful mountains and bluffs. The staff were super friendly and helpful.

For more info: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/fremont-indian/

Product Review of Travelers Autobarn Campervans:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, from time to time I am provided products to test. For this outing I was provided a Travelers Autobarn Kuga Campervan. 

For more info: https://www.travellers-autobarnrv.com

The best thing about traveling in a campervan is the ease, flexibility, and ability to make detours if needed. 

We picked up our Kuga Campervan in Las Vegas. The Travelers Autobarn office is just west of the the main strip and easy to find. We arrived early in the day to begin the registration process and campervan orientation. The process was quick and easy. The Kuga Campervan is a hightop van conversion with couches, a table, two beds, propane stove, sink, water, kitchen, interior lights, fan, window shades and solar power. We also had the free living package which included kitchen pots, pans, utensils, cups and accessories. It also included sleeping bags, sheets, pillows and towels. The package pretty much made it super easy to get in the van and go. 

The Travelers Autobarn staff member was super friendly and provided an orientation of the basic operation of the campervan. The campervan drives like a normal van, but learning about the camper functions was helpful. 

We had charted a route around Utah and Arizona visiting a number of towns, parks, roadside attractions and hot springs. The day that we started a weather system passed through which made the temperatures drop in the northern part of our route. We simply flipped our route to avoid the cold weather and traveled the southern route first. By the time that we circled north the weather had warmed up and it was perfect weather for exploring. Traveling in a campervan made it super easy to be flexible with our route and schedule. 

On our seven day trip we visited Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Horseshoe Bend National Monument. Monument Valley National Park, Arches National Park, Mystic Hotsprings, Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Meadow Hotsprings, Valley of Fire State Park and Fremont Indian State Park. 

If we were not traveling in a campervan it is unlikely that we would have had the flexibility to camp anytime and anywhere. We would have never found and stayed at Fremont Indian State Park. It ended up being a gem of a park and a great overall experience. This campervan camping adventure opened up my mind to new opportunities and travels. So much fun!

For more info: https://www.travellers-autobarnrv.com

This is great when you need to hook up to water and electric. Also had clean restrooms and clean showers for $1.25 for 4 minutes. Coin operated.

OK, but quite a bit of freeway noise due to proximity and acoustics of site.  Limited hiking from site.  Need to walk/drive about a mile back down to visitor center to walk trails with petroglyphs.

Castle rock is the primitive side and it’s amazing, the camp hosts do a great job keeping the bathrooms clean and the sites free of debris between campers.

Bring a hummingbird feeder and be treated to hundreds of hummingbirds right in your camp

Sites are quiet and have lots of room

The campground is really nice and just a few miles off of I-70 and about 6 miles east of I-15. We made the mistake of choosing site 22 which would have been great for tents but even though it is large it is unlevel and took 4 2x6 to level the trailer (Not impossible to level just be aware).

There is a nice trail out of the south end of the campground that follows a stream. it is a nice hike. There is plenty of trail and hikes across I-70 starting at the visitors center as well as an interesting museum and shop. There was a spot to purchase firewood at the campground; as I recall it was $5 or $6 dollars for an armful.

The one warning, there are signs in the campground warning of rattlesnakes and we did see one. It gave plenty of notice that we were to close.

Sam Stowe. Spot Ss01, is the first one on the left as you drive up, pull thru hook ups on the left. 1 night and would come back and stay a few nights. Would try for a spot toward the back. Alot of flies.

Small if on the power hook up side. Quiet and quaint

Stayed at Sam Stowe on our way to Bryce. Stay in site 5. Good site….private. Great hiking trail at the rear of the campground. Goes up the canyon. Visited the various sites for Rock Art through the park. Great stuff. We were able to stream using Verizon. Stayed for two night.

It's first come first serve. We called Fremont Indian State Park rangers to see if there were any open spots. They were very helpful and friendly. We stopped here on our way from Denver to LA, so it worked out perfect for us that it was located right off I-70, less than a mile off the freeway. But since it's right off the freeway, it's remote from everything like stores, gas stations, or restaurants.

The campsites were very clean and the toilets were well maintained as well. A lot of the sites were very close to the toilet. Each site was huge and had tons of shades. Also, each site is very far from one another, so you have plenty of privacy. Fifteen dollars for a site. A lot of the sites were for double RV occupancy.

There are lots of cool trails leading up to the castle rock perfect for a little hiking as well as water streams, all over the site. There's also the Fremont Indian State Park or Museum near the site to check out. Teepees were also available for thirty bucks for those who want some cool experience.

Got to stay in a rad tipi site for only $30! They had firewood available by the bundle for $5/armload. Tent sites are $15 and extra cars are $10. It's about a mile from the Fremont Indian State Park and the surrounding area is pure magic.

The campground is very nice.  It is gravel with fire pits and tables.  There are also tipis that can be rented.  You are close to the Fremont Indian exhibit and trails.  There is also a nice trail that leads up into the Fishlake National Forest.

Lots to see!  There are red rock pillars, yellow aspen and native american art.

We stayed at site CA23, a dispersed site. There were plenty of water taps around the campground to fill up jugs if need be, along with a bucket and shovel at each spigot to use for your fire pit. Lots of neat trails and hikes, Petroglyphs too. Visitor center has an education center that looked promising but is currently closed due to COVID. We’d stay here again without a second thought!

This was one of the prettiest campgrounds we stayed at during a 7 week camping trip. It is located within the boundaries of Fremont Indian State Park near I-70 up a graded gravel road north of I-70. This is not to be confused with the one for RVs on the north side of I-70.

We were treated to flush toilets, garbage center (you have to throw your garbage bag up into the large container), potable water and jaw dropping scenery and camping sites. Fremont Indian State Park has a visitor center and 697 Native American rock art panels. This campground is also a place to camp for enthusiasts of the Paiute Trail, a large network of ATV trails as it had a trail near the northern end of the campground.

Our 24’ pop up truck camper fit just fine and had enough room for my sister’s SUV. We will return here as it was such a pretty place.

This was a great campground for visiting the Fremont Indian Museum.

This works well with the Fremont Indian Museum a couple miles away. This little museum is a hidden gem and the Petroglyphs in this area are outstanding.

Family stopped to check out on the 3rd of July and there were many open spots. Had a 29' toy hauler and the roads in camp were good for us. There were a few pull through spots that made it easy.

Tent camping at site 23. $20 for a tent site ($40 for a double site). Cool area to explore. Fire pit and a faucet with a bucket. Bathrooms close by. $5 for a bundle of wood. Nice little spot!

Awesome spot

Stopped here for the night traveling between Moab and Las Vegas after a day of exploring the San Rafeal Swell. This is a great campsite to hang out for a night. Pads a are well established and there are sites big enough for more than one vehicle (we had two and a trailer). Great hiking trails right out the back of the campground