Help plan our week in Moab, UT

If you are a photo buff, there are too many places to mention. Get a book called Photographing the Southwest by Larents Martres'. Amazon has it. It will tell you where to go, how to get there, and what time is best for photos. You'll wear it out because you will be going back to Moab, and you haven't even gotten to Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon or Zion yet. Not even counting the National Parks, you can spend weeks in Southern Utah and not see everything, but the photo guides are a good place to start, even if you are only sightseeing.

It's a beautiful state park; Utah has some amazing state parks even though it is home to world class national parks: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Cedar breaks and the Grand Staircase National Monument. There is Goblin Valley, Kodachrome, Snow Canyon, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, etc.

The view is amazing from the lookout point where you can look into Canyonlands. Try to make the sunrise from the viewpoint; it is spectacular as the sun begins to light up the horseshoe bend in the river that carved the canyons. The campground was clean but basic. As someone mentioned, no water and vault toilets. There are some trails you can walk. Not sure if all are open to dogs but we walked ours a short ways along the trail that skirts the rim.

Dead Horse State Park is beautiful, popular, and a great location for exploring the Islands in the Sky part of Canyonlands. All reservable sites were booked long in advance when I tried to stay there in early June, 2012. It took two days of showing up at 7:30 to get an open non-reservalbe site. Be sure to fill your fresh water at Moab - no water available at Dead Horse.

June 6 - Dead Horse Point State Park, UT

Visited but never stayed there. Have heard nothing but good about it! High reviews on RV Park Reviews. But elec only.

4runnerguy wrote:
I'd consider arriving on Sunday through Wednesday by noon (or earlier if possible). All of these CG's are incredibly popular that time of year, although the first week of May isn't too bad, as spring breaks are over and colleges haven't gotten out yet. By mid-May, it's crowded again until the heat of June gets people heading elsewhere.

Thanks for the info! Right now I think we'll arrive there on Monday or Tuesday so that will fit right in the schedule you mention.

However, the more I look at it the more interested I am in Dead Horse Point State Park - the reviews are very good and it is close to Canyons National Park, a place we want to visit anyway.

Does anyone have any tips on the state park, good or bad?

nazpaz wrote:
We are planning on being there for a few days in early May. We will arrive on a weekday and want to boondock at Goose Island or maybe Big Bend campground just north of Moab. Do any of you with Moab boondocking experience think we'll have a problem getting a site?

I'd consider arriving on Sunday through Wednesday by noon (or earlier if possible). All of these CG's are incredibly popular that time of year, although the first week of May isn't too bad, as spring breaks are over and colleges haven't gotten out yet. By mid-May, it's crowded again until the heat of June gets people heading elsewhere.

dverstra wrote:
A scenic drive with a jeep rental sounds fun. Nothing too crazy! Maybe a half day tour with a jeep tour operator.

I'd rent a jeep rather than go with a tour. That way you can do things at your own pace. For an easy introduction, I'd start with Schafer Trail off of Island in the Sky down to the Potash Road and return along the river to Moab. The White Rim Trail mentioned above does have one section near Murphy's Hogback that can be tricky in a vehicle without true four wheel drive. Here is a good description of some of the other trails around Moab. In your CRV, I'd stick with 1's and 2's to start, graduating to 3's when you have more confidence. Note that the trail ratings given in my link are different from some other websites, where the rating goes from 1 to 5, not 1 to 10.

For hiking, Arches has a lot of short excursions, but no dogs allowed on the trails. If you get a hot day there, head up the LaSal Mountain Loop for great views down on the red rock canyons.

trailertraveler wrote:

You welcome!!

Since the campgrounds are mostly first come first serve, you won't really know until you get there, but there are more listed than the ones you mentioned and there should always be some place to boondock in the areas open to it which are shown in one of the links.

That said, I certainly won't bother to respond to another one of your posts.

Apparently I insulted you. That wasn't my intent. I was just pointing out that my question about the likelihood of there being vacant campsites was not addressed in your post and hoping that it would be answered by someone else. It wasn't said as a put down or even a lack of appreciation for your post.

nazpaz wrote:
The page with information on water availability is helpful. The rest of it is just links describing the location of the campgrounds. I know where the campgrounds are - it's whether or not there is room at the inn that I'm asking about.

You welcome!!

Since the campgrounds are mostly first come first serve, you won't really know until you get there, but there are more listed than the ones you mentioned and there should always be some place to boondock in the areas open to it which are shown in one of the links.

That said, I certainly won't bother to respond to another one of your posts.

trailertraveler wrote:
Dump stations and water near Moab
BLM Campgrounds on UT-128
BLM Horsethief Campground
BLM Campgrounds in the Moab Area
Dispersed Camping in the Moab Area

The page with information on water availability is helpful. The rest of it is just links describing the location of the campgrounds. I know where the campgrounds are - it's whether or not there is room at the inn that I'm asking about.