At the end of the off-ramp, turn right onto Old Highway 91. Rolling onwards under a crystal clear Milky Way lighting up the cool desert evening, we park the large yet maneuverable Sprinter in Mesa Countys Rabbit Valley regionswiftly shifting from drivers seat to bed without leaving the vehicle. You can climb over the rocks and explore everywhere. Parking for day use is extremely limited; during the Spring and . The sprawling 60,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve (which includes the designated Red Cliffs National Conservation Area) contains a one-of-a-kind convergence of multiple different desert ecosystems, jaw-dropping scenery, and protected species seldom seen elsewhere. Do people tend to camp and then stay for the allowed 14 days (so not much turnover) ? To request your selected free visitor guides, please fill out the form below and click "Submit". The only significant difference would be the absence of giraffes along the way and the fact that the road is typically dry and dusty rather than wet and muddy (For this reason, expect a bumpy ride, especially if you plan to penetrate farther than a couple of miles down the road). Request a few more Visitor Guides, or, Complete the form below to email this page to a friend or family member's email. As the name implies, Rabbit Valley is a valley located in northwestern Mesa County best known for its mountain biking and OHV trails. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. We had friends go the week before us in April and they couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had going down the little natural waterslide, etc. Enjoy your visit! Directions: Take Interstate 15 north to Exit 22. $15/$7.50 with interagency pass. Zion National Park Top 10 Campgrounds and RV Parks Zion National Park Utah is known for its expanses of dry deserts and red rock formations. The modularity of the Adventure Wagon's system allows users to configure seating, sleeping, and storage based on their activity in a matter of minutes. All in all, whether youre interested in exploring Zion National Park and are looking for a free campground nearby that you can use as your basecamp, or you like to put your backpack on or stack your RV with supplies and ride out the broader area around Zion will not disappoint. From here we day tripped to a ghost town and mining museum and watched a shoot out. Gunlock State Park: (435)218.6544. Of course, if you visit this place during summer and fall when the leaves are in full bloom, you can rest assured that you will witness gorgeous vegetation and stunning cliffs. I've roamed for miles and found so much. Hiking refreshes me, my mind, and keeps my body reasonably fit. In the category of campgrounds just outside of the National Park, you will find a rather interesting walk-in-only campground called Hi-Road Campground. The juxtaposition of luxury and wilderness is so seamlessly meshed together here, it appears like a mirage as we pull through the gates. No one is there to take it; you just have to be honest. We hit the highway with the Utah/Colorado border in mind for our first stop. More than just a barebones home on the road, its an all-purpose home base for mobile adventures. Location Located near Hurricane, approximately 297 miles south of Salt Lake City. On top of that, the areas are now designated and can be told apart, so simply placing your tent or parking anywhere you want is no longer allowed. Seniors do get a discount. Yonder offers food, drinks, bathhouses, pool, hot tub, laundry and is pet friendly. Red Cliffs National Conservation Area 4.5 106 reviews #9 of 54 things to do in St. George Nature & Wildlife Areas Visit website Call Write a review About Suggested duration More than 3 hours Features animals Learn more about animal welfare in tourism Suggest edits to improve what we show. Book campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, and glamping, or find free camping. To reach the campground there are two *tiny* underpasses: you cannot be more than 11'5" high or wide. Could a bus make it to the parking area where the hiking trail begins? Sites 8 and 11 are accessible for visitors with disabilities, while sites 6,7, and 10 have pull-through parking. As you will see, there are plenty of camping options for both folks with RVs, as well as for tenting enthusiasts and other outdoors people. Catch crayfish in the creek. All too soon, its time to pile back into the Sprinter van and head home. So at least you wouldn't have to pay the day use fee only to find there were no sites. The campground and day use areas of the Recreation Area are located at the base of towering red cliffs of Navajo Sandstone. Treacherous sand and slick rock sections, many exposed edges, and tall and tough drop-offs all make this camping ground a significant issue for anyone with little experience (Sudden avalanches are also a peril, by the way). The cost was $15 per night. Use your mouse to rotate the viewing angle. The monument is so big we even dip into Arizona at one point, traveling through Pagehome to Coyote Buttes and The Wave, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon. Last but not least, the Hi-Road campground is a rather large place. Please take a look at the area details below for more information about visiting this location. If you plan to visit this place onboard an RV or have a 44 with a large trailer, you can rest assured that all of the campsites on this rather large campground will be available. Day use vehicles with trailers must park at the White Reef Trailhead. Located within McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, there are five established campgrounds available for camping with easy access to trails in the area. Adventure Wagon Sprinter 144nothing Griswold about it. We didn't stay, no room. More Visitor Guides are available in Utah. Having celebrated its 100th birthday a couple of years ago, Zion National Park dispersed camping area is a place of biblical proportions, epic biblical scenery, and even a biblical name from ancient Hebrew. Soon, well be deep in these clefts, hiking through canyons filled with vivid red and yellow cactus flowers to Lower Calf Creek Falls. We disperse camped off forest road 32 in the Dixie National Forest. By day three of the trip, weve reached our final destination. Great for kids--so, if you want to avoid lots of people you might want to choose a week day. One thing that sets this campground apart from the others in its vicinity is the privacy you enjoy around these parts. Very nice lots of trees and privacy. Red Cliffs Recreation Area (Leeds) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Its where you spend much of your days, and it can make or break a trip accordingly. Each campsite also has a table, shade shelter, fire ring and grate. As other campers have mentioned, there are 2 tunnels with 11' clearance so it is definitely not a place for 5th wheels or larger RVs. Their most recent debut is in Zion, located along the Virgin River 12 miles from the park's main entrance. A week-long Utah national parks road trip starts with the ideal set of wheels and ends with the coolest cabin in canyon country. Does anyone know when the river is running? This place has 11 spots with covered picnic tables, water spicket and a fire ring. 10/10 loved it. A couple of sites are pull through and a couple are long enough for a small trailer, maybe up to 25'. What is the nightly fee? This incredible place consists of red rock cliffs, awe-inspiring canyons carved over many eons, mysterious . First of all, the nature around Kolob Reservoir is stunning. Red Cliffs Campground Reviews updated 2023 - Campendium Red Cliffs is a charming year-round camping area, but particularly attractive in the Fall and Spring of the year when the cold settles in the north. There are trails in the area. Well, the cliffs are there year-round, but still. Might be too hot in summer for Babylon Trail. Stopped here late on my way through Utah. Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) The drive through this landscape is about 17 miles and may take an hour with all the photo opportunities along the way. Many hikes connect off the campground making it a great place for hiking. Still, other than this intervention by the BLM, dispersed camping here is a fantastic experience (As long as you arrive early enough to secure a site). Yonder Escalante can be uniquely summed up as an adventure campsite melded with a luxury hotel in one of the most dramatic outbacks of the American Southwest. In all, the region covers 1.7 million acres of slot canyons, arches, slick rock, hoodoos (eroded red and white columns of rock that branch into the sky), and even massive waterfalls. Some of the hikes are a bit longer, but there are places all along the hikes you can check out. The unique cream-colored striations on the sandstone impart a zebra-like quality to the spectacular canyon, while the rocks reflect a stunning mirror image in the water. The drive to this place can be considered a significant sightseeing opportunity. Looking for a more strenuous hike? We got the last 2 sites! To protect the areas natural resources and to minimize impacts to private property, camping is prohibited on BLM managed lands within one mile of the recreation area. An array of amenities at Yonder includes an inviting pool and hot tub, a general store stocked with meal kits and cocktail coolers, an open-air lounge with fire pits, luxury bathhouses, an onsite food truck, and a drive-in movie theater equipped with nine stationary restored classic cars. Explore one of 19 easy hiking trails in Red Cliffs National Conservation Area that are great for the whole family. Red Cliffs Campground, St. George, UT: 1 Hipcamper Review And 1 Photo Campgrounds in Zion - U.S. National Park Service MEN'S JOURNAL presents Club Random with Bill Maher, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, How to Choose the Right Vehicle for a Utah National Parks Road Trip, Day 2: Moab, Monument Valley, and Goosenecks State Park, Days 3 to 5: Entering and Exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Days 6 & 7: Discovering Yonder Escalantea Slice of Modern Luxury in the Western Desert. Red Cliffs Campground does not offer reservations through Recreation.gov. Camping - Greater Zion Improve this listing Tours & experiences Dalton Wash Road roadside pullouts are a fantastic opportunity for tenting or fashioning a small encampment by placing one of those makeshift awnings on your SUVs roof (Arriving here onboard a high-clearance 44 is always a good idea). To protect all of these native species and their habitats, please stay on designated trails. So it was full of day use people on the hikes on the weekends. Access can be dicey, you need to fit through two single lane tunnels that say they are 11'9" high. Vehicles over 11' 9" cannot acesss the Red Cliff's Recreation Area including the campground. How much time should I plan for it with kids? The campground is in the Red Cliffs Recreation Area and is located just off Interstate 15, 14 miles northeast of St. George, Utah, and 35 miles south of Cedar City, Utah. Its a breakfast vista that conjures comparisons to Horseshoe Bend, which is not far from here, and even the Grand Canyon to a degree. You're all set! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi, I'm Leslie. That said, the fantastic location that this place boasts means you have easy access to supplies you can fetch from a couple of neighboring towns Virgin,La Verkin, and the cheekily-namedcity of Hurricane(For the record, all of these small and charming settlements are approximately at the same distance from this campground). On a holiday weekend in late spring, the majority of campgrounds and dispersed camping between the Front Range and the Western Slope of Colorado are unsurprisingly packed. There is a camping fee as well. 10 LGBTQ+-Friendly Campgrounds Throughout the U.S. Video: 5 Amazing Places to Camp for Free in the Western U.S. Click on any additional guides you would like to receive. Click here to view them all! not be accommodated. Campsites can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs. The Red Cliffs Recreation Area is inside the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, which has been set aside to conserve, protect, and enhance ecological, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, historical, natural, educational, and scientific resources. *If heading south from Cedar City, Utah, take Exit 23. So as stated in other reviews, you must pass through two tunnels under I-15 (Height/Width) restricted. You shouldn't have trouble with a bus though. Best Trails in Red Cliffs National Conservation Area You can climb over the rocks and explore everywhere. Facilities The Red Cliffs Recreation Area 's campground is open year round and includes 11 campsites with shade shelters, picnic tables, potable water, and grills. This site is 15$ regardless if you have the annual pass or not. Pedestrian and bicyclist traffic beyond South Fork is at your own risk due to road damage. This place has 11 spots with covered picnic tables, water spicket and a fire ring. You can send yourself an email as well. Interagency Annual, Access, Senior and Military Passes are honored for half off camping and for day use fees. 100% of travelers recommend this experience. Just east of the National Park is a large expanse of nothing but excellent BLM land with numerous fantastic camping opportunities. We were so disappointed. Red Cliffs Recreation Area is only 45 minutes from Zion, but its campsites are really easy to get. Address / Directions. It depends on the size of the bus. Searchable lists of St George tourism offices and other helpful government agencies. If youre lucky, you might spot a Mojave desert tortoise or a Gila monster, whose beaded skin and bold color patterns make it a standout among desert reptiles. Below are the Free Visitor Guides for St George. We hiked the Red Reef Trail to the water pools and had it to ourselves. No matter where you camp, please practice "Leave No Trace" and be careful with fire to avoid starting a wild burn. 94% of travelers recommend this experience. It is a popular area and commonly full, except in the winter months. Continue under two freeway tunnels and follow the paved road for 1.3 miles into the campground. Click on any state to see what's available. Matt . To be on the safe side, contacting the local BLM office can be a great way to determine what are the no-go zones when it comes to dispersed camping. Red Reef Trail is a must! Near Laverkin. Where is this trailhead specifically located? Well swim in the frigid cold water as a massive waterfall spills over the slick rock above us. The Day Use Fee is $5 per vehicle and can only be paid on site. Just don't read the signs. On The Ground Travel Adventure would stay here again, We stayed here for Thanksgiving. If you've only got time for one trail here, go for this one. Our journey east passes through Capitol Reef National Park, where massive rock formations inspire more marvelingand consensus that this stellar road trip will definitely be getting a sequel. Days 3 to 5: Entering and . These two places are close to the Visitors Center, so if you need more info about the surrounding nature or a fishing permit, you can get all that and more at this institution (You can also get physical maps of the area at the Visitors Center). Proceed under two freeway tunnels and follow the paved road into the campground. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. It offers a warm-water reservoir, sandy beaches and red rock; an access tunnel to Sand Mountain provides ATV trails through the sand dunes. Quail Creek State Park: (435) 879-2378. You wont find anything here besides a couple of fire rings in terms of amenities. Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information. Travel south for 3.5 miles on Main Street (which turns into Old Highway 91). No fifth wheels. Unfortunately , everyone else thought so too. The gorgeous mixtures of deciduous and evergreen forests that stretch as far as the eye can see, the hilly terrain, and the mild, pleasant climate make Kolob a significant destination for campers and hikers alike. I don't know how narrow the width is but if I had an 8'5" wide ri Another major plus would be the amenities when this campground is in question. The payback is a once-in-a-lifetime experience with spectacular views of the entire canyon, complete with beige and red cliffs, the winding Virgin River underneath, and the lush vegetation around it. Plenty of dead shrubs and leaves in this area between late fall and early spring may make the sites look a tad tacky. Red Cliffs Campground Camping | The Dyrt Pets must be on a leash and under control at all times. Multiple hiking trailheads Turn left on Silver Reef Road, then turn right onto Main Street. Steaming French press coffee awaits on a sleek wooden Dometic table overlooking the desert vista. Very nice lots of trees and privacy. Ancestral Puebloans lived here in the 10th century, growing corn, beans, and squash along Quail and Leeds Creek. Pulling into Goosenecks State Park just before sunset, we enjoy a night in this convenient state park tucked away in Mexican Hat, UT, with desert scenery that foreshadows whats to come. As other campers have mentioned, there are 2 tunnels with 11' clearance so it is definitely not a place for 5th wheels or larger RVs. Quail Creek flows through the campground and supports mature cottonwood trees and willows that provide shade for many of the campsites and the day use areas. Unfortunately, a couple of vault toilets are all you get here when it comes to facilities. Top 10 Campgrounds & RV Parks in Zion National Park - RVshare All fees collected at this site are used to fund operations, improvements, and repairs to the recreation area. Camping fees are $15 per night, plus an reservation administrative fee and are paid only on recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. At the end of the off-ramp, turn right onto Old Highway 91. Very crowded and if you want to camp you'll need reservations now. That said, its not so bumpy that you cannot approach this campground onboard an RV or while towing a trailer. Hidden Gem: Red Cliffs Recreation Area - Greater Zion Transportation companies, driving directions and more for St George. If you like fishing, you can also bring your fishing tackle and cast the bait. Reservations are required for all sites and can be made at recreation.gov, or by calling 1-877-444-6777. These first-come, first-served sites offer access to the lesser traveled part of Zion Canyon, Kolob Terrace, and Lava Point. The campground and surrounding areas are all within the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, which has been set aside to conserve, protect, and enhance ecological, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, historical, natural, educational, and scientific resources. This will be a spot i come back to. Copyright 1997 - 2023 The Go Travel Sites. more. Yet it's not just how easy it is to get these camp sites that makes me recommend them. This little campground outside of Hurricane is surrounded by vibrant red rocks. Other excellent areas are nearby, though, so even if you dont secure a rim site, the other ones will still offer a fantastic camping experience. You only get a few amenities at Gooseberry Mesa, so self-sufficiency is necessary. To protect the areas natural resources and to minimize impacts to private property, camping is prohibited on BLM managed lands within one mile of the recreation area. After living out of a van for the better part of a week, were more than ready for a shower and a bigger bed. Some of the hikes are a bit longer, but there are places all along the hikes you can check out. Directions: Take Interstate 15 north to Exit 22. From Leeds go 4.5 miles southwest on I-15 frontage road. Parked on the edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monumenton a Utah national parks road tripwe've arrived in our personal oasis. Red Cliffs is a pretty BLM campground set in an extremely attractive red rock canyon along the seasonal Quail Creek. You will need to pay for a pass if you do not have a state park pass. The scenery around Dalton Wash Road will make you think you were teleported to Africa and driving towards Mt. The Red Reef Trail follows Quail Creek into the Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness and is a very popular hike in the spring when seasonal runoff fills water pockets and plunge pools in the stream channel. Campsites can't be reserved, they're first come first served. Recreation.gov. The scenery here is mesmerizing, and the surrounding cliffs and the vegetation against the blue sky offer endless photo ops, even for a complete amateur with a camera. It's where we recharge our batteries !!! We have a 30 trailer. Select All. Situated next to the Kolob Terrace Road,Under Canvasis near Zion National Park, which is only a couple of miles southwest of Zions main entrance. 2023 The Dyrt, Inc | All rights reserved. (435) 301-7400, Address Quail Creek, a seasonal stream, emerges from a canyon and flows through the middle of the campground. Dozens is ancient volcanoes. 1 Show alert South Campground (UT) Zion National Park Near Springdale, Utah (931) Good Coverage Reservation Rules Reservations for South Campground are available up to 14 days before your arrival and may extend up to two days beyond this 14-day booking window. All campsites require reservations. Located in Southern Utah, Grand Staircase-Escalante is ideal for desert hiking, biking, canyoneering, off-roading, and camping. It's a cute little hidden spot, if you can get to it. This campground is only half an hour away from Zion National Park and is fashioned in the style of ancient tepees (with a modern twist, of course). Watch the Bridge you must go under for height. 92% of travelers recommend this experience. We also have the following visitor guides in Utah. Tennis Has Met Its Match: Play Pickleball at These 45 RV Campgrounds, 18 Campgrounds Where You Can Stay Cool This Summer. I have been camping and hiking for over 40 years - yes, getting older More about me. We sure are glad we found this little gem between Leeds and Hurricane Utah. Weather: Sunny, 101F. To reach the campground there are two *tiny* underpasses: you cannot be more than 11'5" high or wide. Once reaching the campground you'll find an odd This site is 15$ regardless if you have the annual pass or not. First come first serve camping is not permitted and camping payment cannot be made on site. Waking up to the red rocks and canyons is a dream! Red Cliffs Recreation Area | Bureau of Land Management Each had a campfire ring, a covered picnic table and many had an additional picnic table. One of the best was my hike up Ben Nevis. Searchable listings of St George hotels, motels, resorts, bed & breakfast, and more. Red Cliffs Recreation Area often gets overlooked since it is surrounded by the grander Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Snow Canyon State Park. Our van setup includes a bed, a pullout tray bike rack, and a galley with sink, stove, and fridge. We ar Reliable potable water spigots? developed campground. https://www.blm.gov/visit/red-cliffs-campground. For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly. Zion National Park - Wikipedia These large vans are outfitted with everything from plush beds to kitchen sinks, making your home for the night wherever you decide to park.