This campsite is a must stay if you plan on visiting Arches National Park. Get here early in the morning to reserve a site. Our site had direct access to the Colorado River!! The water was super silty and brown, but it felt amazing to take a dip in the scorching Utah sun. The golden and amber rock-face views are stunning in every direction!!
We came in pretty late to find a spot and got lucky to find the one of the last two spots at the first campground outside of arches. It was within 5 minutes of the entrance! We had a walk in spot with great trees for our hammocks but the heat killed us! There’s also boat tours that go relatively late on the Colorado river right next to the campground.
Arrived at 5pm and got the last campsite available, site #13. Storm came through as we arrived, winds were very strong. Once the storm passed it was a pleasant stay except for our unwanted guests (Ants). The site had one tree for shade (where our ant friends had their home). We sacrificed our shade tree to keep the ants out of the camper. Plenty of room in the site for both familIes (ours and the ants). Canyon walls offered shade late in the afternoon. Campsite had fire ring and picnic table provided. Campground was convenient, reasonably priced ($15/night) and had a toilet (vaulted). Bathroom was always clean and had plenty of paper. No showers available so we went to Canyonland campground, $6/per person, unlimited hot water and clean. Shower permits aren't issued after 9pm.
I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived! We got a spot right next to the water and the bathroom! We were nervous about the site filling up but if you arrive between 12-3pm you should be fine. I went in July, during peak season and got a site at 1pm, but it does fill up later in the day. The site is about a 5 minute drive from the Arches National Park entrance and 5 minutes from downtown Moab. It is in the perfect spot and it provided shade by 5pm and it was just a perfect campground! Defintely worth the $15 per night!!
Goose Island Campground is the first campground down highway 128 just North of Moab, UT along the Colorado River. I stayed here for two nights with a girls camping weekend where we hiked and climbed around Moab. It is a BLM campground so it is $15/night and we stayed at one of the walk-in sites. In my opinion we got the best walk in site as we could tuck our tents back and get some privacy from other walk in sites as well as the road. This campground is right along highway 128 so you can get a lot of road noise but half the sites are along the river where you can easily access. The river side sites are much nicer as there are more trees for potential shade and just a little farther away from the road for more privacy. There are a lot of trees around but not a lot of shade and be aware of gnats and small flying bugs since you are close to water. They are more annoying around dusk then anything. Typical amenities: fire ring, picnic table, pit toilets, dumpster. One of the best things about this campground is its proximity to everything. You are just a few miles North of Moab; right along the Colorado River for paddling; 5-10 minutes from rock climbing on Wall Street/Potash Road; 5 minutes from Arches; 20 minutes from Canyonlands, even less for mountain biking or Jeep trails. You are close to everything without feeling completely surrounded by people. One cool thing that happened is a night boat tour along the river lit up the canyon walls. FYI the canyon wall along the Colorado is the boundary of Arches National Park.
Overall, this was a great campground that I will definitely stay at again when I visit Moab (which is fairly often). Camping along the river is quite popular so if there is a spot available, be sure to snag it and since Goose Island is the first one, getting a good site can be a challenge.
First come first served campground which has a nice setup for RVs and standard pullin tents, but I really like the option of the walk/hike in sites. (They also have some group sites) You've got some really nice shade from the trees, if you're luck enough to get one of these covered spots. Vault toilet restrooms and your normal table and fire ring. You get a little bit of highway noise depending on where you're at exactly and you're not on the river like some of the BLM campgrounds in the area (why Big Bend is so popular).
