My husband and I are leaving on the 13th of Sept. for a Utah tour for 10 days. We have to fly into Vegas (ack! ick!) as the rates are cheap. But we are camping - tent - the rest of the time.

I have specific questions on camp sites for tent campers. If anyone out there has actually camped at them in a tent and NOT an RV, please let me know your thoughts on the following:

Quiet, peaceful? Or loud and crazy?
Enough private space at camp site?
Restrooms decent?
Any info on current water issues? or fire issues?
Shelter or shade at site?
Drinking water available?
Crowded?

Here are the sites we are looking at-

1. Zion Canyon Campground
2. Starr Springs Campground
3. Back country camping off Montezuma Canyon Trail
4. Green River State Park
5. Big Rock Candy Mountain (might stay in cabin)
6. Fremont Indian State Park
7. Quail Creek
8. Oak Grove Campground

Mahalo for the help!

Denise

I have not stayed at any of the specific campgrounds you mention, but I have tent camped nearby, at the Watchman Campground at Zion, in June 2003. There was drinking water available, and I remember the restrooms as being fine. It wasn't noisy, but I thought that privacy was poor, in terms of the area being too open. The campground was full, and although the spaces were smaller than I would have liked, it didn't feel crowded. There was shade, but not a lot. We moved our folding chairs around to take advantage of what we could get. I thought that the other campground seemed nicer.

I don't camp anymore so I can't help with those questions but I have a suggestion. If it is just you and your husband, I'd skip Big Rock Candy Mountain in favor of another day in Zion or maybe a detour into Bryce Canyon, only about 20 miles off US-89.

BRCM is simply a multicolored hillside. I haven't stopped there for awhile. The last time I did, it had a small enclosure with a couple of animals, a store, a gas station, and a few cabins. For adults, I'd say you could ehaust its possibilities in about 20 minutes.

I'm not to happy staying at BRCM either, but we are going past that area on our way back down to Vegas. Our goal is to see a few ghost towns and old mining camps in the area from Goblin Valley and over to Frisco. We basically need a place to sleep WITH showers. And I'm not sure about BRCM or Fremont Indian SP (no showers)

Any suggestions?

Denise

I came through there last week but was not looking for camp grounds. I have a AAA camping directory but it doesn't show anything for that immediate area and I don't remember seeing any.

Zion Canyon Campground in Springdale is right across the Virgin River from Watchman Campground in Zion National Park. The sites are closer together than in the park. If I had my choice I would either stay in Watchman or South Campground in Zion National Park and then go into town and pay the couple of dollars for the shower at Zion Canyon. Even when you camp at the Zion Canyon campground they only give you a token for ONE 7 minute shower.

We stayed at Green River State Park in Green River, Utah many years ago. All I remember about it was there were trains traveling though town ALL night long.

Utahtea