We had the goal of exploring New Mexico back country and Bisti, which we did! The Dyrt directions to the trailhead here are perfect. There were a few folks camping at the parking lot and there is a relatively clean pit toilet there though bring TP. We drove past the lot and got over a ditch no problem with our Tacoma. Past the second lot there is dispersed camping. We picked a great spot on the left. Nearby our spot 100 yards were very cool rock formations. We hiked in the badlands and found some neat formations and petrified wood though nothing like the beautiful photos published online. It was still worth it for the unique experience. We did a 6 mile out/back hike with 2 dogs. Flat but hot and windy at times. Some of the wind got intense at our camp spot. All in all this is a worthwhile experience if you like getting off the beaten path and exploring something different. We drove from here to Alien Throne. GPS was spotty but got us there and we had on/off service in Bisti.
We stopped at this campground on our way from Denver to New Mexico and lucked out with the proximity to Pagosa Springs which we had plans to check out for the day. We stayed one night and snagged an unreserved spot #25 near the river. You have to climb down to get to the river but it’s do-able. My husband wasn’t able to fish because the water speed was very fast and strong. Camp host Dennis was friendly. Bathrooms were clean. Overall it was a pleasant stay in our rooftop tent with lots of shade trees and also a view of the stars at night.
In search of a camp spot outside of the Canyonlands Needles District we happened upon the Outpost after considering snatching a spot at Hamburger Rock (also great spot but blazing hot and little shade). Its hot this time of year - June - so we opted for the shade at the Outpost. We shared part of the large group site with another tent camper and felt like we really scored. (Though the other non group sites looked decent.) the campground was only half full which was great. With a bunch of RVs it might feel crowded. We had a great little nook up against the rocks with plenty of trees for shade and hammocks. We camped 2 nights ($21 per night). The campground has a store which was a bonus for ice and ice cream! The owners were very nice and apparently they just took over the place. The biggest downside were the showers. Not clean or inviting. With a little bit of elbow grease the bathroom could be way better and for a $3 shower it was fine but not awesome. The best part: we climbed up the rocks behind our site for 2 spectacular sunsets looking over the national park. The location of this campground is great - right next to the park entrance so we spent the day hiking and enjoying the park and it was nice to be close to camp. Overall would recommend this campground and hopefully they will tidy up the bathrooms to make it even better.
We drove up Highway 128 from Moab in search of BLM campsites. The first sites closest to Moab were full so we kept going on the amazingly beautiful drive to mile marker 22 and found a site at Lower Onion Creek campground. Not as close to the water as we had hoped but still very close and a mile in from the main road which was great. The views are spectacular here. We car camped for 2 nights. Biggest downfall was the bugs! SO MANY gnats and flys. No biting bugs thankfully but the suckers were very irritating. When the bats came out at night (very cool) the bugs went away and smoke from our campfire helped. There are toilets which were clean but pretty smelly. There are dumpsters on site. Camp sites have fire pits and the whole area is well maintained.
We hiked Fisher Towers hike just across Hwy 128 and it was FANTASTIC. 4.6 miles round trip and every bit of it was beautiful. Moderate difficulty and definitely go early to beat the heat.
This area is close to Arches National Park and the town of Moab. Overall a great trip!
We were searching for the BLM spots up Coffee Pot road and kept going towards Coffee Pot Campground a ways, probably 45 mins. The views on the drive are SPECTACULAR! We found a great meadowy spot with a fire pit. It was peaceful and the view was awesome.