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Best Tent Camping near Hanksville, UT

657 Reviews

Tent campers in the high desert surrounding Hanksville, Utah can choose from several dispersed and established sites, including Fremont River Dispersed Sites and the BLM-managed Starr Spring Campground. The rugged landscape offers access to multiple primitive tent areas, many positioned along riverbanks or at higher elevations that provide cooler temperatures during summer months. Nearby Capitol Reef National Park and the Henry Mountains provide backdrop scenery for most camping locations in this remote region.

Most tent campsites require campers to bring all necessary water supplies, as drinking water is available only at established campgrounds like Lonesome Beaver and Starr Spring. Fire restrictions frequently apply throughout the region, particularly during summer months, though both Fremont River and Trio Ravine Overlook dispersed sites normally permit fires when conditions allow. The roads accessing many sites, particularly in higher elevations or near river areas, can be challenging and may require high-clearance vehicles. One camper reported that "several little roads dispersed all along this area so if you miss one just go to the next" when describing the Fremont River sites.

Sites at higher elevations like Lonesome Beaver Campground provide tent campers with significant temperature differences from the valley floor. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, the Henry Mountains sites can be "25° cooler than down in Hanksville," making them valuable retreats during hot summer months. Fremont River Dispersed Sites offer convenient water access with tent areas positioned on sandy soil that provides comfortable tent placement. Most primitive tent camping areas have established fire rings created by previous campers, but lack designated tent pads, picnic tables, or other amenities. Tent campers seeking solitude will find the dispersed sites offer greater privacy, while established campgrounds provide basic facilities like vault toilets and occasionally potable water. Mineral Point Road Dispersed sites provide tent campers with good cell signal due to their higher elevation position.

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Best Tent Sites Near Hanksville, Utah (39)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Hanksville, UT

32 Photos of 39 Hanksville Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Hanksville, UT

657 Reviews of 39 Hanksville Campgrounds

  • Thomas B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 13, 2020

    Starr Spring Campground

    Best Kept Secret

    This BLM campground is head and shoulders above your typical boondock campsite, of which there are plenty in Utah. Better yet, it was empty when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon in mid July. It comes complete with 12 sites and a group area, picnic tables, fire rings and grill stands in every site, clean vault toilets, water standpipes and one heck of a view once you get out from under the luxuriant, shading scrub oaks. We heard about it from family members who are into rockhounding, and it does not disappoint. Definitely for the tent/small RV boondock crowd. There are no electric hookups or dump stations, but if you’re set up to go off the grid you might be able to fit a small RV or trailer in a couple of these sites. There is actually a spring nearby, so there’s a very small gurgling brook running through the campground. You’re a little higher up, so it’s a few degrees cooler than below, where you’re awed by the vast expanses of mesas and red-rock monuments you pass through to get here on SR 95 from Hanksville to the north or Blanding to the south. You’ll see the sign just past the 17-mile marker as you come south on the northern leg of 276. Fee is $10 per night. Half that if you have America the Beautiful senior pass.

  • R
    Jul. 18, 2018

    Cathedral Valley Campground — Capitol Reef National Park

    A small scenic campground at the north end of the Park

    This campground is situated at the north end of the Park at a high elevation. It's free and has picnic tables, fire rings and a vault toilet but no water. If you want to make a fire, you must bring your own firewood. There are excellent views of the valley below only a short walk from the campsites.

  • Greg L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 12, 2023

    South Temple Wash Campground

    Open sunny CG

    CG close to goblin valley SP. But this BLM CG is FCFS, $15/$7.50 plus two group areas, one at each end. 12 sites total, two vault toilets. No water, no dumpsters however each site has a table and fire ring...the group sites have a shade awning also. Paved road all the way in CG is gravel, no shade whatsoever! Cell signal is 1-2 bars on my TMobile phone but my Starlink rocks the interwebs here! Lack of dumpsters is reason for 4 stars.

    Note: The Goblin Valley St Park is $20 per vehicle for day use entry and then $45-$65 for camping. $45 with no hookups!!

  • Troy W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 31, 2018

    Chesler Park 2 (CP2) campsite in The Needles District — Canyonlands National Park

    Chesler Park 2 (CP2) nestled within The Needles

    This is a backcountry campsite reachable by a 4.4 miles hike from the Elephant Hill Trailhead in The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. This is dispersed camping so there are no services nor amenities once you leave the trailhead. Leave No Trace principles apply. WAG bags required. Carry in any water that you might need because water is scarce or non-existant.

    The hike to the campsite is over hills, down canyons, across slick rock, traversing sand and across a plateau. The trail is marked by cairns for most of the way, but it is highly recommended that you use a topo/trail map and compass or GPS to navigate. Along the way you will see a variety of rock formations such as joints, fins and spires.

    You will cross a canyon and creek where EC1, EC2 and EC3 are located. A short distance after EC3 you will see a directional sign for Druid Arch or Chesler Park. Follow the Chesler Park Trail for about 1 mile. Look for the CP2 wooden sign post along the trail. The campsite is nestled amongst some rock formations and spires. There is no water resources in the area. There is plenty of open space to set up 3-4 tents.

    There are three additional site located within a mile in the NW direction. This site is nestled amongst some huge rock formations and has views of a plateau and some needles. There is a trailhead and latrine toilets about 2 miles west of this campsite. About 1.5 miles away is The Joint.

  • Bob K.
    May. 30, 2019

    Fruita Campground — Capitol Reef National Park

    Beautiful, Convenient Location in Wooded Area

    Fruita Campground is well laid out with plenty of room, giving the feeling of some privacy, despite the number of people around.  The tent-only walk-in area is a very large grassy area with trees for shade, picnic tables, grills, and fire pits.

    There are plenty of restrooms spread out throughout the campground and the facilities are kept clean.

  • Isabelle K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 17, 2017

    Goblin Valley State Park Campground

    Camping on public lands outside of Goblin Valley State Park

    Our group was approaching Goblin Valley State Park around 8 pm and stopped at a gas station in Hanksville, Utah. A worker at the station gave us the great advice to save a few dollars and enjoy a more desolate camping experience by utilizing the BLM land along UT-24. We took a 4x4 road (38.460945, 110.674291) and drove up for about 15 minutes to the top of a ridge line at dusk until we found a flat spot to pitch our tent and an existing fire ring. When we woke up we were astounded by the magnificent views. I would definitely recommend camping here if you are in the area and looking for a primitive spot to get away from civilization in the desert.

  • Greg L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 29, 2024

    Rosebud Atv

    Rosebud ATV cg

    Good all season gravel road into the CG. Only 4 sites but nice tables and fire rings. One vault toilet. This is a fee CG, $20/$10 senior. No water or trash at CG but just before the main Hwy there is a pullout with potable water spigot and a small dumpster. Water was shut off Sept 28 on my visit. No cell signal though.

  • Jessica N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 12, 2018

    Fruita Campground — Capitol Reef National Park

    One of my favorite campsites to date!

    We got really lucky and were able to book a tent site day-of in the National Park... There are a ton of campsites here, plenty for RVs and tents alike. The site we got was a walk-in (there were 4-6 of these available). The walk-in sites have assigned parking spots and you have to walk a very short distance to get to your spot. All of them had a table and flat spot to pitch your tent, and the spots were far enough apart that you still felt like you had privacy. The bathrooms were super clean (I didn't see any showers). It was such a beautiful place to camp – the sunset over the cliffs above us was spectacular, and there was a group of deer that wandered through the sites during the evening. I would absolutely stay here again!

  • B
    Sep. 18, 2020

    Sand Creek RV, Cabins, Tents

    Might be adequate, if you are not picky

    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.

Guide to Hanksville

Tent camping options near Hanksville, Utah range from high-elevation sites in the Henry Mountains to riverside locations along the Fremont River. The area's extreme temperature variations can exceed 25°F between valley and mountain elevations, particularly during summer months when daytime highs frequently surpass 100°F. Many campsites require high-clearance vehicles due to unpaved access roads that deteriorate during wet weather conditions.

What to do

Stargazing opportunities: Starr Spring Campground provides exceptional dark sky viewing with minimal light pollution. One camper noted that "whenever the clouds broke, the darkness was unbelievable, and you could see everything possible in the night sky."

Wildlife watching: The secluded environment at Starr Spring Campground offers chances to observe local fauna. A visitor mentioned the highlight of their trip was seeing their "son's reaction to the wildlife. He was thrilled to no end to have been able to pet a bat, a toad, and a salamander."

Rockhounding: The Hanksville area is known for interesting geological specimens. McMillan Spring Campground serves as a good base, as one visitor shared it's a "private area next to the Henry Mountains with good hiking and camping."

What campers like

Temperature relief: The Henry Mountain campgrounds provide significant cooling during hot months. At Lonesome Beaver Campground, campers appreciate that "it was 25° cooler than down in Hanksville."

Solitude: Many dispersed sites offer privacy away from crowds. At Trio Ravine Overlook, one camper described it as a "super isolated spot on a rock flat" with "breathtaking night skies and beautiful sunrise."

River access: The Fremont River Dispersed Site provides direct water access for cooling off. A camper described it as a "peaceful little river right off the road" with a "nice sandy area for my tent with a little fire ring someone had made with rocks."

What you should know

Road conditions: Access to some of the best tent camping near Hanksville, Utah can be challenging. Lonesome Beaver Campground requires serious off-road capability, with one visitor reporting the BLM office called it a "tire popper" and that "in order to avoid tire damage it took as much as 2 hours to get up the mountain for a stretch."

Water availability: Bring ample water supplies to most sites. At Starr Spring, visitors are advised that while there are "three water spigots," you should "remember to bring your own drinking water, as the water from the spigots is likely non-potable."

Site locations: BLM Mineral Point Road Dispersed Camping requires some navigation. One camper advised to "go past the established Horsethief paid campground and there are plenty of sites on both sides of a nice gravel/dirt road."

Tips for camping with families

Alternative activities: When campfires aren't permitted, plan other evening activities. At Starr Spring, a visitor noted "campfires weren't allowed during this time of year" but found other wildlife activities engaging for children.

Seasonal planning: For optimal camping conditions with children, consider timing. One Starr Spring visitor suggested "it would be better to go back in the fall to enjoy more moderate temperatures and a clearer view of the sky."

Connectivity considerations: For families needing occasional communication, McMillan Spring Campground provides "private area next to the Henry Mountains" while BLM Mineral Point offers variable reception where "if you are higher up you may get cell signal."

Tips from RVers

Size restrictions: Most dispersed sites have limitations for larger vehicles. At Fremont River Dispersed Site, one camper noted you can "pull a small trailer into certain areas of these camp sites but probably wouldn't with an RV."

Sand challenges: Be prepared for sandy road sections. At Mineral Point Road, one camper warned of "some deep sand on the road in places but easily passable with our Chevy van."

Campsite scouting: For RV camping near Hanksville, advance reconnaissance helps. One Mineral Point Road visitor advised that "most sites are suited to the overlander crowd but there are TT and RV sites out there also if you recon."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hanksville, UT?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hanksville, UT is Fremont River Dispersed Site with a 4.3-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Hanksville, UT?

TheDyrt.com has all 39 tent camping locations near Hanksville, UT, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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