The nice thing about Moab is it is primarily on public land. There are thousands of miles of land to camp on. However, there are a few areas in which they get a little mad if you camp.

I'm still weighing my options. I'd be more than happy to show people good scenic and secluded spots to camp if they wish to do so. I will probably play things by ear and if there are a lot of people camping then I will probably do so. Right now I'm leaning towards getting a room so that I can be closer to the happenings and more capable of stumbling home after the nights activities.

Cody

 

Guess I'm trying to find out if there are any gathering areas. I usually prefer fireside talk & activities to restaurants & hotels. Are there public campgrounds with showers so more people might be interested? I can rough it with a gravity shower so whatever works...

Mike, what're you planning?

Dave

 

Dave, I removed my roofrack and left the clips on. I need some of your bedframe rails to put a matress on the roof..............

Kidding aside, I don't know. I'm po for a room. I'll do the tent, lawn chair, cooler, fire thing, and a stick up. A common campground with a shower wouldn't be too bad, but I'm not opposed to roughing it and begging the rich folk with rooms for the use of a shower after a few days of dust.

Any rivers or swimming spots?

M.

 

...a pool... and a pond. ... I see where this is going.

Maybe we should be asking why so few are camping vs. the PNW crowd? Is the weather unbearable? Do large carnivores roam through campgrounds at night? I'll admit a room is less hassle but it's also devoid of interesting evenings.

Dave

 

I always camp when I go down, but the glory of this event is being able to hang out with everyone. Most of the good campsights are a little ways off of hte beaten path, so after the evenings activities you have a drive ahead. also, in the morning you have to get up extra early to get to the market for the driver briefing.

Directly above lions back is the Sand Flats rec. area. There are hundreds of spots up there and many group sights. Very scenic, but not highly primitive. This may be a good alternative for those of us who want to be near the town but still want to camp. I think it's 7 bucks per night per person or something like that.

Cody

 

Cody, about how far are the closer sites from the driver meeting? I'll bring an alarm. I'd still like to rough it, even if only slightly. Sounds like there are at least three of us.

Dave

 

I'm still leaning towards a hotel, but will likely not make a decision until the last minute. If I do decide to stay in a hotel, i would be more than happy to lead you to some really cool sights.

The closest primitive sights are probably 25-45 minutes away. The sand flats rec area is only 5-10 minutes depending on how far in you go. There are enough spaces up there that you need not worry about finding room. We found a spot on the friday night befor big saturday during safari.

If I do camp, it will be more than the three of us--I have 2 other grands with me and a couple passengers here and there. Plus, a few cases of brew-ha-ha to be consumed after hours.

Cody

 

Dave/Mike:

The best camping is available at Canyonlands Campground. They have shower facilities and restrooms and is like $7-$10/night or something. There is always a big campfire Jeep-chat kinda thing, so don't be afeared of doing that. Primitive camping is sort of a pain because you can't really leave stuff "unmanned", where at Canyonlands it's kinda in plain sight and people don't mess with stuff. Besides, as Cody mentioned, it's like 20+ mintues away...not cool to have to be driving after a few beers (well, more like SEVERAL beers since this IS Utah we're talking about... 3.2% is the max, I think)

Anyway, I highly recommend you doing Canyonlands if you decide to camp. Hotels are not terribly expensive...and you can always share a room with someone to split costs.

 

Thanks for the pointers, Kevin. Hopefully, between you & Cody, we'll figure something out. It does sound like the closer grounds are a good idea.

Cody, hope you stick with the light side of the force. Repeat after me: "Those are not the rooms you're looking for. You really do want to camp instead of getting a room."

Dave

 

Cody,
camp on a hard ground, uncomfy mattress, snakes and critters, no shower close by, room service or an ice machine.....

Or, comfy bed, room service, no critters, etc, but you have to sleep in a bed knowing that a $2 whore with a tavern jacket did some bizarre thing with pickles the night before. Hmmmm.......

Camp out.

BTW, I may not be able to go now, unless I turn down a job offer. Go figure. I'll have them fly me down if needed.

M.