Rainbow Park Campground — Dinosaur National Monument

A long, gravel road lead me here on a quiet weeknight in October 2020. Crept in driving a Honda about 15 mph on the 20+ mile dirt road. Just when I thought I couldn’t go any further, that I was hopelessly lost, I saw the sign pointing to the campground. Got out, set up a tent and started a fire (it was in the 30s upon arrival, just under freezing at day break). Absolutely pitch black out. There was no one here and no one for miles. Great view of the Milky Way. Totally silent.

Now that I know it’s here (and not just a beacon on the map), I’d definitely return.

What a gem! Drove 20 ish miles along a disolate desert dirt road - well maintained - to arrive on a Friday with no other people around. Four sites very close together (the only downside), all on the river. Lots is small and winding trails all over the landscape to explore. Very close to some of the coolest petroglyphs also. Bathrooms were full of flies though.

Rainbow Park Campground is 4 sites that are very close together offering almost NO privacy. Luckily we were the only ones there. It was magical. The ride in was about 30 minutes of a dirt road easily navigated by my Ford Transit 350. 1.7 miles before the campground road there is a must see Petroglyphs site offering a couple of loop trails that bring you up the hill. The road past the site brings you to some amazing views of the Green River and varying mountain views. The campground itself is on the river where there is a raft stop. While we had the campsite to ourselves all night, rafts started landing on the Rainbow boat ramp around 10am. The rafts coming in were fun to watch.
The site was $6 and if you have a larger group and can get all 4 sites, it would be a fun time. We would like to go back but with 3 dogs it would be hard to be so close to neighbors. All in all, it is worth checking out the area and campground.

Down a 30 minute dirt road sits this breathtaking park with 4 campsites. We visited on a busy weekend (labor day weekend) and we only had 1 neighbor. This made for a very quiet, relaxing stay.

Each shaded site is equipped with fire ring with attached grill, an adjacent picnic table, and spots for a maximum of 2 tents in each campsite. The skies were very dark at night, perfect for seeing shooting stars and the milky way. You can park your car abut to the site, increasing ease of access to things stored in there, and walk down to the rocky beach for some toe-dipping. Note that you are not allowed to launch boats from there (even kayaks) without a permit, as the water gets fast quickly past the beach.

Sites are $6/night at the campsite payable via personal check or with cash. River rafting trips launch from the adjacent beach daily, so you'll have company at 10am and 6pm daily for ~15 minutes.

Pro tips:

- There is little firewood around these sites, bring your own from in town.

- Site has pit toilets, hand sanitizer, recycling/trash, but no running water. 

- Closest grocery store is the Walmart in Vernal, UT.

- Bring bug spray! The mosquitoes are vicious here.

- Road is easily accessible by sedans, SUV's etc…just not in the rain (the road will easily wash out).

- Be on the lookout for the house about 10 minutes away from the main road that is equipped with its own residential water slide…that was a fun discovery!

This campground is super remote and offers 4 primitive campsites. There are pit toilets and no accessible water. The river runs directly behind camp and trails run through the hills. If you're lucky, you will come across the herd of elk roaming the grounds. There are amazing petroglyphs a short drive down the road. The Dinosaur Nat'l Monument Quarry Visitors Center is approx 45 minutes away but completely worth the drive. Make sure your gas tank is full as there is no cell reception at the campsite.