Just to clarify, our trip is to head first to Moab, then to Canyonlands, then to Monument Valley and Grand Canyon, the finish in Staircase/Escalante. We'll spend a couple days in each area and hope to find a place to park 'the beast'. My wifes family is bringing a 4 wheel drive, so we can do day trips.
A few years back I went on a kind of hippie bus trip, where we took the bus onto BLM land and camped a few times. They of course had scouted it and new the best places, but I was hoping to find online guides for what might be a possible place to spend a night or two in the desert.
I'm looking forward to the adventure, but want to avoid the pitfalls, since it's all new.
Thanks again for the feedback and advice.