Best Equestrian Camping near Flaming Gorge, UT

Heading South from Manila, Utah on Hwy 44 takes you to the Sheep creek Geological loop. Heading up into the Canyon about 2 mi brings you to the Carmel Campground. This site has trees a creek and amazing beauty, along with wildlife and tons of great outdoor activities, being in such close proximity to Flaming gorge. When I was there the Kokanee salmon were spawning and filled the creek with their vibrant colors. Up the road you can see bighorn sheep that graze in the fields of the ranch and take in the exquisite wonder of what nature has created via the loop road. Manila is close by for any food or drink needs and fresh water in the campground. Please pack out what you pack in and leave it better than you found it. Enjoy.

So this is on the Sheep Creek canyon loop which is a 2 lane road all paved that goes through some of the most amazing views around. There are lots of trails and lots of caves you can hike to and explore. If you like to explore caves this is a really awesome place. We camped here on the way to Flaming Gorge and it in an amazing place. The camp ground is nice they have outhouse style bathrooms and picnic tables and lots of trees and close to the creek so that is relaxing and helps you fall asleep fast at night. We stayed in June and there was lots of space and hardly no one on the road up the loop only saw a few other cars. This drive is worth going to go camping there. Red rocks and beauty all around.

This campground sits right on the shore of Lake Flaming Gorge. The access road is dirt, with ruts and rocks. Tricky when wet. Scout before deciding to go down it. Camp ground has great cell coverage and stone fire rings but nothing else. Not much shade since, there are no trees. Sadly, bushes and thickets have been used as toilets and are downright gross! Wind off the lake can be furious. Try to find a spot further in, especially if you are tent camping. Generators tear through the silence of the night. Bring ear plugs! Hiking is great right out of the campground. Not sure if I’d come back. Although views and sun set are spectacular, everything else looks is not.

We found this place by chance a couple summers ago when all the campgrounds were packed this one was vacant and absolutely breathtaking. Now we are back again and couldn't be more excited. This dispersed campground is one to check out. It has very secluded spots tucked in the trees. You don't hear the highway traffic even at closer spots to the road. There are endless options for sites. In the summer they do drive cattle through this spot so be mindful that you may hear horses, riders, dogs, and mooing. Also it's fair to note they don't clean up after themselves. It is still worth it.

I do want to note that if you have a low clearance vehicle you must go SLOOOWWW. The road is pretty washed out and has plenty of rocks that will take your oil pan as a souvenir. If you have flipped the axel on your rig I'm sure it would be no problem bringing it down this road and you'd have space to flip around if needed. Tent camping offers more options in this location as there is plenty of grassy spots to put up your tents for a nice rest. Please keep this spot as wild as it is while I write this. Pack it in and pack it OUT. This spot is wild and deserves to stay that way.

Camparea review:This area is located a little over 8 miles from the parking area. It is walk or horse ride in only. The hike is not to taxing and there are small streams that cross the trail a couple times if you need to stop and filter water. A few hundred yards from where the camp areas that have been cleared and set up there is ponds or a stream to filter water from. The sites are pretty established with fire pits already made. Finding wood is a lil bit harder so plan on hiking a bit to find some after you've established your camp. The sites are approxamately 12 miles from the summit of kings peak. There are no bathrooms and you must pack everything out so plan for that.

Product review:As a dyrt ranger I periodically receive gear to review. Here is a review of the Primus ETA Light. https://primus.us/products/eta-lite-black?variant=17262644741 Having to pack everything in and out this stove was an essential for cooking. It boiled water a lil over 1 minute after lighting. This was easy to light and easy to attach to the fuel bottle. As you can see in the picture my fellow hikers had a jet boil. So doing a side by side comparison my Primus boiled water faster with the same amount in it. The primus lid just sets in the cup but has straining option as the jet boil did not. Mine was a little smaler in size but never did I need to even fill it 3/4s of the way for my meals. So being smaller was an advantage as it cut out weight from my pack.My primus also had the ability to be hung up. The base of the "mug" can stay connected to the fuel and you can easily just untwist the mug if you wish to use it. The whole set up was so light weight though most of the time I just tipped the whole thing over into my dehydrated food bag and didnt have to disconnect anything. The mug keeps things hot but cools quickly once the contents are dumped out. Easy non stick cleaning.