Moab or Moab vicinity/Tent camping
 

looking for a tent camping site in Moab or environs. prefer campground with limited RV use with shade/grass tent areas with some privacy between the tents. national or state park/forest campgrounds OK if toilets and drinkable water available, we have a solar shower. planning to camp for 10 days in one locale. Have scoured the web but looking for someone with personal experience at some of Moab's campgrounds. thanks for any help.

OK, Wintkat, here goes....

You can camp where ever you want in the Natl Forest or BLM land. This is "primitive" camping and you must be totally self-sufficient (and free).

There are many campsites (fee) all along the Colorado River traveling east on the road out of Moab. Some are more developed than others, but remember, Moab is a desert and some spots will have a some shade, other none. If you get a spot as close to Moab as possible, you will be in the narrower part of the canyon and will have shade from the canyon walls early and late.

Another good spot is along the creek at the turn off for Canyonlands and Dead Horse. Lots of nice cottonwood trees, popular spot though and you must have your own porta pottie to camp there.

If you want to go higher altitude, you can camp up in the La Sal mtns. About a 30 mile drive outside of Moab. You camp in the aspens at about 10,000 ft.

Hope this helps.

Dayle is giving you good advice. For 10 days in one place, you might do best with primitive camping on BLM or national forest land.

The only place we have camped in this area is the Needles District of Canyonlands NP at the Squaw Flat campground. This is probably too far out of the way (about 40 minutes from Moab) if you plan to stay 10 days in one place, but it's worth at least 2-3 days, more if you want to do a lot of hiking.

The campground is interestingly situated with sites all around a very large and irregular slickrock outcropping. Since the sites wind around the edge of the rock, privacy is fairly good. The bathrooms are fine and there is potable water available. My kids loved scrambling 20-30 feet up the rocks to the top of the outcropping, which had plenty of potholes and other interesting features. Several good slickrock hikes start from the Squaw Flat area, and there are ranger programs on a seasonal basis.

thanks to you both for your quick replies, anyone else??

Shade and grass tent sites are pretty rare in the Moab area unless you go up into the La Sal Mountains. We camped along a creek up there many years ago, it wasn't a defined campground so we didnt' have water or toilet, but there is a campground at the top. It was a great location and a lot cooler in temps than Moab area in the HOT summer! Only problem it was a long drive to get to the scenic places like Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse State Park, Fisher Towers, etc.

There are BLM campgrounds along the river and you should be able to find some shady/sandy areas. The developed sites will have water and bathrooms. I don't recommend swimming in the Colorado River near Moab. It's smelly and depending on the area, there are swiff under currents.

Willow Flats campground in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands has a small campground and a few low shade trees. No water, I beleive they have outhouses but fantastic views! Watch out for the nats!

My favorite place to camp is in Devils Garden in Arches National Park. Not many have shade trees but some of them have sandstone fins that will give you shade part of the days. You have to be there first thing in the morning to get a site or make a reservation. You will run into some RV's here, but then again I think you will run in to RV's almost everywhere in this area.

Utahtea

Winkat,

Regarding camping at Squaw Flats in the Needles District of Canyonlands: It's a small and very high demand campground during peak seasons (spring & fall). They don't take reservations and it's about 1 1/2 hours drive from Moab. Very nice camp area and awesome views and hiking (especially the longer hikes). If you want to camp there, be at the campground BEFORE 8 am if you want any chance at all of a spot. I don't think you would want to spend the entire 10 days here. Too far away from everything else.

thanks again for your help re:camping areas. Any suggestions for massage/day spas other than Sorrel River Ranch which I have already checked out.