Top 10+ Equestrian Campgrounds near Hurricane, UT

It feels almost like a hidden secret that I shouldn't divulge, but the lovely owners of this special little spot deserve to have a light shown on their little slice of heaven in Southern Utah. 

In an area rich with outdoor tourist attractions (Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon all within 90 minutes), it's hard to find a campsite that doesn't feel like a shoulder-to-shoulder Disney experience. Ethel's Hideout is laid out such that you never feel like you're crowded in by neighbors. This is a true cowboy camping experience in cowboy country. 

The campground is surrounded by public lands in every direction with views of incredible rock formations and the breath-taking Southern Utah landscape. If you're lucky, you can watch the cowboys moving cattle across the range. We got lucky enough to see this during our stay. 

There's no shortage of things to do nearby. Just ask the owners for some tips on where to go to find an adventure! As an insider tip, I found the nearby reservoir in Kanab to be the perfect spot for a morning jaunt.  

While they do offer horse stalls for travelers with horses, the campground is set-up for RVs and tents to maximize views and strikes the perfect balance of amenities with a boondocking-style experience. If you're looking for concrete pads and lines of RVs, this isn't the spot for you. But if you're hoping to find a truly special camping experience coupled with some light amenities, give Ethel's a visit. We love it here.

If you want to have a reserved spot then this is a great place. It does take 40min to get to Springdale and about 4-5 miles of that is on a packed dirt road which we had to go fairly slow on. We were in a 2WD VW Jetta sport wagon, we made it, just had to go slow. Sites have plenty of space between them so you’re not on top of other people. Amazing view of canyon and stars. Port-a-potty’s were fairly clean. Each site had a fire ring. We got caught in high winds one day/night that nearly blew our tent down and covered everything in a thick layer of dust so beware. The dirt roads in the campground kick up a ton of dust when people drive by. No water, no showers, no cell reception either and we have Verizon. A guy on a horse came around to check if you had a reservation or not. That was the only type of check-in or out process there was.

This is BLM land so its free, and no amenities. Pack it in and pack it out. You drive down a gravel road into a ravine. There's a large gravel lot to the left and a bit of a half loop near a river on the right a little further down the road. There is shade here from plenty of trees. Continuing on the road, there are horse corrals on the left and beyond that, a large group site. There were lots of scout tents up there. Beyond this, the road turns sandy and hard to navigate unless you have a 4x4. We turned around here and stayed at the first lot we found. There was a big RV already there and a passenger car. Plenty of space for the three of us and maybe 2 more. Being into the ravine made it a quiet night but a very cold morning. No shade here. This BLM area is close to the east side of Zion and Mt Carmel town. Good restaurant in Mt Carmel.