Best Cabin Camping near Fremont, UT

The goblin Valley Campground is located within goblin Valley State Park in Utah. This is pretty much in the middle of nowhere between Hanksville and Green River on a 12 miles off detour off Highway 24. The park itself provides access to a rare and bizarre landscape of rock formation some assembling goblins mushrooms and other spires which is pretty unique to the area. The campground is nestled on the edge of some of these rock for atto a in a really scenic location. Covered picnic tables fire rings we’re also provided and a paved driveway and tent pads were also provided. No water, electric hook-ups. However, despite a fairly steep price for a standard non-electric site ( $30) minimal facilities were offered. The bathrooms and showers were closed for the season (it was late December) ang there was only access to a pit toilet near the yurts a little walk away from the campsites. There were flushing toilets a couple of miles away at the visitor center and a at the major view point over the valley of goblins. no cell reception on either Verizon or AT&T.

We spent a single night in one of the tent sites, which are immediately behind the office/owner's residence. Sites have a parking space, fire ring with grill attachment, a picnic table and a gravel tent pad. They are small, and not separated from one another, so if you're looking for any level of privacy you won't find it here. On the other hand, if you like sharing space with other campers you may enjoy it. You also may experience those staying in the RV section walking through your site in order to get to the restrooms/showers.

The campground has both firewood and ice available for purchase. The remainder of the campground store is currently closed due to Covid regulations.

If you have any concerns about Covid (this is being written in September 2020), SC is not a site I would recommend. While the owners have placed signs suggesting social distancing guidelines, including masks while in the restrooms/shower area, compliance among the campers in a nearly full campground was minimal. One unmasked female camper was loudly discussing all the airports she had passed through on her way to the area, including Chicago and Denver. 

Even little details were missed, like the soap in the restrooms being organic and not antibacterial.

Sand Creek is located on Hwy 24, and the road noise didn't quiet down until around 11 PM. Probably not a good choice any time for a light sleeper.

If you have a self-contained RV and are just looking for a place to park for the night, Sand Creek is likely to fit your needs. For a tent camper, its main recommendation is the ability to reserve a site in advance, as most of the other campgrounds in the area are first come, first serve.

Only 24 sites makes this one of the hardest campgrounds in Utah to book. If you’re lucky enough to get in then you are going to love Goblin Valley. All of the sites come equipped with a shade structure, picnic table & fire ring. Best sites are on the out side of the loop, with the cliffs right behind you. No hook ups, but the is potable water & dump station. Small visitor center/store offers a few essentials. Very hot & windy when we were there in June. Dark skies offer amazing star gazing. Clean bathrooms and free, private showers.

This was a quick weekend trip and this place blew me away! The campsite (site 3) was nestled right by some rocks which blocked the morning sun (major plus). Some campsite parking spots, like ours, were like 20 yards away from the car, but some were right next to the site. Bathrooms are clean and there are clean showers too. Each site has a nice fire pit with grill and a metal canopy and large picnic table. Can hike around right off the campsite or go to the valley or drive to wild horse canyon. Firewood available at visitor center. Water was on boil advisory Aug 2020 so call and check bc its 30-45 min to the nearest city. No ice available.

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

When I called, I was told there was tent camping only or rustic cabins. When I explained we had a camper van, I was told it would be ok. Upon arrival, we were told to park anywhere we could find a spot (and there was a truck camper doing the same). Lucky for us, we ended up at the end of the row, right next to the laundry room with a family restroom and shower. The downside to this was a lack of privacy as people entered the laundry room. 

There are nine tent pads; 1-5 are very close together and there is no privacy between them but 6-9 are spaced a bit further apart. There is a covered picnic pavilion that can be used by the tent campers as well as what appeared to be picnic tables by each pad. I don’t know the cost of the cabins but for “tent” (for us, van) camping, it was $8 per person, reasonable considering the use of restrooms and showers were included. There is a store (with gear, clothing, and other souvenirs) and café on the premises; when we were there, the hours were limited(due to Covid) but their website indicates they are open for lunch and dinner till 8 or 9 pm (depending on the season). So, we quickly ate at the café (the sandwiches were delicious) and then settled in. The showers had plenty of HOT water, which after four days without a shower, was like heaven to us. 

The laundry room was well-lit and had a table for folding laundry (or sitting at while waiting). 

Although there is much to do in the area, there were no specific activities offered by Escalante Outfitters. For us in our van, we paid $16 to park in a gravel lot but the showers made it well worth the price.