We spent four days and three nights at the Moonflower Canyon campsite this year right after the Easter Jeep Safari. The weather at that time was perfect for our own Jeeping experience (not too hot) and we avoided the huge, and possibly unruly crowds.

The campsite was rimmed with towering sandstone cliffs of the Moab Rim trail. The floor was a fine, soft sand that made playing a joy. The canyon itself featured a 1/10 mile hike to a large amphitheater where centuries of erosion have deposited a large pile of rocks, forming a small pond. Near the mouth of the canyon, early Native Americans carved petroglyphs into the sandstone walls. These ancient writings add beauty and diversity to the impressive sandstone basin of the Colorado River. For those feeling adventurous, there is an ancient Indian ladder hidden in a crack in the sandstone wall. This ladder ascends about 40 feet to the top of the precipice.

For those wishing to travel to this paradisaical camping location, keep in mind that as of May 2017, there is only one group site in the canyon. Previously, there were eight (8) smaller sites, but these have been eliminated for habitat restoration. Numerous signs have been posted warning potential campers that camping is not allowed anywhere but the single group site. We witnessed a few violations of those new policies, but generally, people are willing to obey the regulations.

We experienced very few difficulties while camping at Moonflower Canyon. Campers should keep in mind that this area is fairly highly-trafficked and so they should expect passing visitors throughout the day. We did have a group of raucous teenagers in cars and side-by-sides stop by late one night for a get-together. They made some noise for a while, but were not crass and not threatening to those of us in the campsite. One thing that could be better about the site is that the parking area is across a small ravine from the camping area, meaning that you have to carry camping equipment through the ravine when arriving and leaving. This may prove somewhat challenging for folks with disabilities. We worked around it by parking temporarily in a different parking area until all the equipment was into or out of the vehicles.