Travel Guidance

[Tiger's Husband]

Hi to all! I would appreciate any input on traveling in Utah. We have never been there before and would like to go out there in April or May. Can anyone tell me where there would be a good location for a "base camp" for several days? A location near the best attractions and scenic views. We will be traveling from eastern SD. Any suggestions will be welcome.

[scottz]

I assume you are looking for a park with hookups. A few years ago, we stayed at the Mountain Valley RV Park in Heber City, Utah. https://mountainvalleyrv.com/

It was a vey nice place. Heber City is on the east side of the Wasatch Mountains; a beautiful area with a lot of things to do. April/May will be between the winter and summer activities, so do a little research. Heber is close enough to Salt Lake (30 minutes) to take advantage of any city stuff you want, but far enough to be out of the city. We spend time in SLC because my daughter lives there, but too much "city" for me.

Any place in the valley between Coalville and Heber would be a great base camp and just off I-80 as you come in from SD.

[Tiger's Husband]

Thank you..much appreciated!

[twindman]

There are 5 national parks or monuments in Utah. All are at least 150-250 miles I think from Salt Lake City. So that would be quite a drive to visit them all. So I think you would need at least 2 base camps. Just my opinion. However, April/May is really a good time as it will be cooler, but (maybe) most of the snow will be gone in the mountains. Although, I think the eastern parks are not that high if my memory is good.

[Tiger's Husband]

Thank you for the input.

[Daryles]

For the south, we stayed at Wahweap Campground Az on lake Powel. OR, You can boondock on the lake shore beach at Lone Rock Utah. From here tour Bryce, Zion, Grand Staircase, Grand Canyon north rim, Peakaboo Canyon (slot canyon, must take a guided tour. Must have a real 4x4 to reach it).
"The Wave" is also in this area. Did not go, next time...
Next, we stayed at Gouldings RV resort in Monument Valley. They have their own arch and hiking trail. Tour Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Gooseneck St Park (you can camp, no facilities, on the rim of the canyon).
Next is Moab. We stayed at Portal. There is a vast amount of things to see and do around Moab. Too many to list.
Next Heber City. Toured the sights here. Went to salt lake city, Bonneville salt flats.

[meagle]

Moab is a beautiful area with Arches National park, Monument Valley, and several state parks in the vicinity. Another area is around St. George, Utah. Zion National Park is close by as is Bryce Canyon. Snow Canyon is a state park and only minutes from St. George. I have stayed at Temple View RV park in St. George. It is nice. I have also stayed at the Zion RV River Resort which is very nice. It is located about 15 miles from Zion. I love Utah and wanted to move there, but my wife insisted on moving to Oregon to be close to family.

[twindman]

I would think Lake Powell would be quite a hike to Bryce and Zion.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by scottz

I assume you are looking for a park with hookups. A few years ago, we stayed at the Mountain Valley RV Park in Heber City, Utah. https://mountainvalleyrv.com/

It was a vey nice place. Heber City is on the east side of the Wasatch Mountains; a beautiful area with a lot of things to do. April/May will be between the winter and summer activities, so do a little research. Heber is close enough to Salt Lake (30 minutes) to take advantage of any city stuff you want, but far enough to be out of the city. We spend time in SLC because my daughter lives there, but too much "city" for me.

Any place in the valley between Coalville and Heber would be a great base camp and just off I-80 as you come in from SD.

However, it's a 4 hr drive to Bryce and Escalante, and even more to Zion.

[skippydoo]

Maybe it is the former travel agent in me (18years)----It is vital for travelers to decide 3 top places in one area they want to see, and not say "Oh, we want to go to Europe for example, tell us where to go"

You may end up in timbukto and not like it very much.

What 3 or 4 top places in Utah do you want to go, do your own research then go from there.
Have a great time.

[Greg and Sherry]

Originally Posted by Tiger's Husband

Hi to all! I would appreciate any input on traveling in Utah. We have never been there before and would like to go out there in April or May. Can anyone tell me where there would be a good location for a "base camp" for several days? A location near the best attractions and scenic views. We will be traveling from eastern SD. Any suggestions will be welcome.

We spend usually 6-12 weeks every year in Utah. We find it’s nicer to the south of SLC around the Cedar Cuty area. Several beautiful parks, Bryce, Zion etc relatively close. Fishing is something we love so we’ve found 2 parks that suit us best, one in Circleville (CirclevilleRV) & Ottercreek RV in Antimony. However a great alternative is Panguitch Lake which is awesome and has several nice parks and easy travel to many sites including Kanab, Lake Powell, Zion, Bryce and others. Cost is a bit higher there (Panguitch) due to tourism and summer homes, but not bad These are the places we enjoy.

[oddjobal]

I always go online and look for the travel bureau for brochures. There is a lot to see and places to go. It could be one of the best trips you go on. Enjoy yourself and stay safe

[Mac & Dee]

Stayed there 10 days in September. About an hour south of Moab. Staff was very accommodating. Jim is a quick draw artist and will put on a show. Very good place to day trip out of. Arches, Canyon land, Medicine Hat, sightseeing, ect. Very reasonable rates.

[Mac & Dee]

Forgot to post where Old West RV park is. It's in Monticello, Utah. I believe the owner's name is Jim Brandt.

[rgcanoe]

In or near the.National Parks. Utah is BIG, everything is a 100 miles away. What’s the best one?? I vote Bryce Canyon. Fantastic choice.

[marric1]

Not sure what area you are planning on being, but if you are interested in the 5 national parks I would consider staying at Ruby's Inn RV park at the entrance to Bryce National Park 3 to 5 days. Zion National Park is about 1.5 hours away and will take you through the east entrance. Capitol Reef National Park is about 2 hours away and will take you over Hwy12 Scenic byway, very nice drive. Then I would suggest moving to the Moab area for access to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State park as well as several National monuments within a few hours drive.

[Sokcap48]

Or just up the road from Ruby’s is a little RV Park. In the pines not as fancy but far fewer people. I will send you a PM been in Utah 40+ years. Hunted, fished, camped and hiked.

[allenclme]

Originally Posted by scottz

I assume you are looking for a park with hookups. A few years ago, we stayed at the Mountain Valley RV Park in Heber City, Utah. https://mountainvalleyrv.com/

It was a vey nice place. Heber City is on the east side of the Wasatch Mountains; a beautiful area with a lot of things to do. April/May will be between the winter and summer activities, so do a little research. Heber is close enough to Salt Lake (30 minutes) to take advantage of any city stuff you want, but far enough to be out of the city. We spend time in SLC because my daughter lives there, but too much "city" for me.

Any place in the valley between Coalville and Heber would be a great base camp and just off I-80 as you come in from SD.

I live in Heber and can vouch for the Mountain Valley RV Park. It's one of the nicest campgrounds I've ever seen. Actually store my Monty just down the road from there. There's an adults only side and family side. Nice pools. Heber in late April could still be cold at night and there's not too much to do right now. COVID and all. Ski resorts usually close around Easter. It's a beautiful, peaceful place - great mountain views. Provo Canyon - close by is a nice drive. Warning - Once you visit the Heber Valley, You'll never leave. Made that mistake in 2003 and I've never left. For day trips - there's Salt Lake with the normal tourist stuff. To the east there's Flaming Gorge (beautiful) and Dinosaur National Monument, about 2-3 hours drive. There's a pretty nice KOA in Vernal that isn't crowded that time of the year. if you want to explore Flaming Gorge or the Uintah Basin.

However, I'd have to recommend southern Utah. That's a good time of the year for Moab - for easy access to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. I haven't found any "superb" campgrounds in Moab though, and I would avoid it totally around Easter because everyone in the US with a Jeep will be there. Really crowded for the weeks around the annual Jeep rally. There's some campgrounds just south of Moab that are OK, and you could rent a jeep for a few days and almost everything on the Colorado river there is gorgeous. Good time of the year for a canoe float on the Colorado. They set you in just North of Moab and pick you up a few hours later down river. It's calm on that section. You're also just a few hours from Monument Valley and Bridges National Monument, both awesome if Moab is your base camp. If you go, PM me and I share some locals trails accessible with a jeep or UTV that are fun.

Might I also suggest Bryce Canyon and stay at Ruby's campground as an option. It's nice, not crowded, and plenty of sites for a big Monty. Cold that time of year at night but comfortable in the daytime. I'd take two days to explore and hike in Bryce if you like hiking. Breathtaking scenery. You won't regret it. It's also a good base camp for the Grand Staircase, and driving Highway 12, one of the top 10 scenic byways in the country. You won't want to pull your Monty on that unless you are OK with narrow roads and I think Boulder is nearly 10,000ft. above sea level so good brakes a must if you are towing which is why I suggest just base camp in Bryce and day trip highway 12. You can also take in Capitol Reef NP near Torrey. Highway 89 from Bryce/Panguitch to I-70 is nice as well. All within a days drive. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Dee_Dub]

I have lived in Utah most of my life and as you can see from the previous posts there is a lot to see here. You said April or May, but I would say April AND May. Start at the southern part of the state due to warmer temps and work your way north. Some sites not previously mentioned are: Golden Spike National Historic Site, Kennecott Coper Mine, Great Salt Lake, Ski resorts, Temple Square. The list goes on..... As mentioned before, research and decide what you really want to see. Once you decide you can PM me and I could easily give you campsites for wherever you decide to go. Stay safe!

[Montana Man]

Lakeside rv park near Provo is nice. However it is loaded with cottonwood trees which are dangerous. We spent the wee hours of one morning digging out campers that were crushed by a tree.