Camping around Zion?

Any free or cheap, quiet camping close to Zion? Just trying to stay out of the main campground. Is Smithsonian Butte still a good option?

Thanks friends

You should check out the back of Zion Mountaineering School looks like a small campground is forming back there. 

James Enrico wrote:

You should check out the back of Zion Mountaineering School looks like a small campground is forming back there. 

Lol lol lol lolz!

Smithsonian Butte is good. 

PM'ed you

Most places in Virgin UT are on BLM land which offers free camping. Might I also suggest Hurricane Mesa. Good camping with great morning views of West Temple! 

Troy Kostelecky wrote:

Most places in Virgin UT are on BLM land which offers free camping. Might I also suggest Hurricane Mesa. Good camping with great morning views of West Temple! 

This^ ..take a mtb and ride gooseberry and HRT on rest days .....although it might not be much of a rest :D

ive always had luck with the campground out the north/west entrance to the park, dont remember the prices but the spots accessed by the 4x4 trail(not bad at all when dry) seemed a little quieter and secluded than those by the main road. decent little store at it as well. but i do remember some other turn offs when coming from further north/west of the campground that looked like they would have held some good free camping spots.

Over the past year or so, the steep section of the road to Gooseberry from the Rockville side has been worthy of a Moab 4wd event.  Although I haven't driven on it since last fall, an act for which my 2015 Outback still refuses to speak to me, as recently as two weeks ago, the "terrible road ahead" sign was posted on Smithsonian a few miles to the south of that section.  The southern (from Rt. 59) approach to Gooseberry was recently graded and is in excellent shape.  If you want to drive up from Rockville, you may want to call the pertinent authorities to check whether that side has been graded.  Unless you want some bonus climbing gnar.

The following map shows the dispersed camping available north of 9: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/upload/BLM_Camping_North.pdf

Have fun!  I' not sure when you're arriving but it's toasty round these parts about now.

That road is purposefully un-maintained to discourage what Rockville thinks of as unsavory  elements camping there. Tickets are routinely issued by the BLM now. I would ask that folks camping elsewhere to please be kind to these other dispersed camping areas. Please bring a groover. Human waste is a huge issue at these other zones. 

I have not always done this, but now I do. The desert has gotten kinda shitty (haha) and we can do our best to fix that individually. 

Rob are the tickets being issued down in the canyon or up on top by goose?

At the bottom of the hill where no camping signs are posted. However, if you camp right off the road on top it's still possible.

I am no longer local, however my last ear there enforcement was steeped up drastically. As the crowds surge (I heard 90,000 on only one day of memorial day weekend.) All of the areas are effected. Climbers are outnumbered in these camping areas  10 to 1.  We are not the main user group of this park and should be setting the example of stewardship. It's hardly unique to Love the desert. However, what's happening to my favorite place disturbs me. 

Sheep Bridge road is an option if you're just looking for a place to park and sleep. Low clearance vehicles are not an issue. Not many trees, so I wouldn't like to hang out there too much this time of year. Its also full of redneck types.