Monument Valley Campgrounds

We stayed at Blue Mountain last summer in a back site. Really nice.

You might consider Blue Mountain in Blanding. It is centrally located. We've been going there for a couple weeks a year for over ten years. Still haven't hiked out Cedar Mesa and the Grand Gulch Primitive area as well as other nearby canyons. The Anasazi cliff dwellings and canyons some of which are only 30-45 minutes drive away will knock you socks off. Blanding will put you within easy reach of Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Dark Canyon Wilderness, southern Canyonlands, etc.

Check out the reviews of Blue Mesa on rvparkreviews.com Absolutely huge sites especially the 50 amp sites down low. The sunset views to the west are amazing. The only negative to the RV park is the truck noise from the highway. The Simpson family have been in the area for decades. They own the Twin Rocks trading post and restaurant in Bluff.

We have been to Monument Valley twice. Yes, stay at Gouldings and take the Tour directly from Gouldings. For photography, the second stay we had thunderstorms in the area--later in August--the photos were GREAT with clouds in the backgrounds. As I have learned, you cannot control the weather--so take photos late in the day when the shadows will give you great effects. Have a great trip.

Gouldings, for sure. The tribal CG inside the Monument boundary (Gouldings is just outside of it) has NO shade and is virtually a gravel/sand parking lot. Gouldings has nice facilities, some shade, space for larger rigs (though you may need to change sites when you get there - we did, as they underestimated the space we'd need), and the tours pick you up there.

As for the tours, I'd recommend them. Yes, they do stop a couple times where there are lots of native sales tables, but we took the 1/2 day morning tour and spent most of the time in the valley seeing some wonderful sights. Our guide was terrific - even sang us a couple of blessing songs. :)

rexlion wrote:
Do not miss the Goosenecks, the Mexican Hat Rock, the drive through Valley of the Gods, or the Twin Rocks at Bluff.

That entire area... er... rocks! :D

Maybe you can throw a line in the San Juan River?

If you dry camp. Goosenecks is hard to beat. Please do not throw bottles of the cliff like John Wayne did in Ft Apache. We camped here.

In addition to the campgrounds already mentioned, you can dry camp at Goosenecks State Park. There are three commercial campgrounds in Bluff and one in Mexican Hat. There is a BLM campground at the Sand Island Recreation Area and dispersed camping on BLM land in the Valley of the Gods.

Other places to see in the area include:
UT-261 the Moki Dugway (don't take the RV)
Goosenecks State Park
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Bluff Fort
South Fork of Mule Canyon and House on Fire
The Valley of The Gods
Sand Island Petroglyphs
Edge of the Cedars State Park
Dinosaur Museum

n7bsn wrote:
At Monument Valley there really is only two choices, Gouldings and the Tribal.

They are both Tribal. :)

We always boondocked in the Monument itself right in front of the famous Mittens for $10/night. However, I think they redid the area slightly and are now charging a lot.

You really only need one night where you stay...pull in the afternoon, spend the night, do the tour the next day and move on. There's nothing else around there to recommend you stay longer.

As far as fishing - what kind? Catch and Release for trout? If so, Durango, CO is the place - streams and lakes in the area. Also Navajo Lake State Park, Cottonwood campground in New Mexico at the border of Colorado just east of Bloomfield, NM. You can't imagine the size of trout in the river below the dam - especially if you hire a guide. :)

We enjoyed our stay at Gouldings - site had fantastic views.
We went on a guided tour and were somewhat disappointed as there were so many stops to buy jewellry and other native crafts. Your National Parks pass is not good at Monument as it is run by the natives so you pay up!

Do not miss the Goosenecks, the Mexican Hat Rock, the drive through Valley of the Gods, or the Twin Rocks at Bluff.

That entire area... er... rocks! :D

Maybe you can throw a line in the San Juan River?

We stayed at the Cadillac Ranch in Bluff, UT. Nothing fancy, but long sites with FHU. Short drive to Monument Valley and close by many other cool places. Goosenecks State Park, Valley of the Gods (is free and just as awesome as monument valley without all of the people) a ride up the Moki Dugway over to Natural Bridges National Monument (back to Bluff via Blanding) as well as Hovenweep National Monument. This corner of Utah is not to be missed IMO.