Exploring Utah’s BLM lands: Wild Horse Rd.

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I couldn’t ask for a better neighbor than Utah.  While Spring here in the Colorado Rockies looks no different than Winter, Utah offers welcoming temps, freshly bloomed trees and miles upon miles of remarkable landscapes to be explored.

We left April 2nd and returned April 11th spending 10 nights exploring Southern Utah’s expansive BLM lands as well as lakeside camping at Lake Powell.  Our first night was spent on the Colorado/Utah border at McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.  Anytime we travel to Southern Utah McInnis serves as a great jumping off point as we rarely give ourselves enough time for a full day of travel the first day.

This trip entailed zero route planning before we left, we just new we wanted to go somewhere warm.  After encountering hoards and hoards of fellow recreationalists all pointed at Moab, we decided to travel a little further West and set off down Highway 24 in the direction of Goblin Valley State Park.  This area too seemed to draw quite the crowds but we soon found the seclusion we were seeking a few miles down Wild Horse Rd.  The dirt road led us down a wash until we climbed up and got to enjoy views of San Rafael Reef as well as terrain so unusual it could only be described as otherworldly.  Though our maps showed the road crossing Muddy River and connecting to another thru road, there were no signs of any way to cross the water.

A little bit of backtracking led us to a nice flat campsite among the boulders where we spent the remainder of the day stringing our belongings all about Utah after a little water mishap in the camper.  Tip: Never go off-roading with anything less than heavy duty water containers.
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These remarkable formations were a highlight of the day’s drive.

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Not easily seen in this photo, the end of the road drops off several feet in to the water making a water crossing unlikely.  I’d say impossible but I’m sure people try it.
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Drying out our belongings after a little water leak in the camper.
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8 Comments

Leave a Reply to AntonioCancel reply

  • These are some beautiful pictures! I can’t wait for a chance to explore Utah! Do you have a .gpx or something of your route and camp sites?

  • Hey I love this blog and what you guys are doing. Am interested in picking up one of these sweet FWC’s. Wanted to hear your thoughts about not having a full kitchen in the camper (read about it on another site). I like the idea of saving weight, $$, and space but wonder what you guys do when you have inclement weather? Do you ever cook inside? I wonder if you could briefly use a backpacking stove say to boil water? Anyways, would love to hear some more thoughts and thanks for sharing your adventures!

    – matt

    • So far we’ve spent close to a 100 nights in our camper since purchasing it last summer and we have yet to miss the kitchen. There is nothing you can absolutely not do without the kitchen, you just have to get a little more creative about it. And, in order to save a few thousand dollars, we were more than happy to be creative (more gas money). We really try to cook outside as much as possible as that is the whole point of why we’re out there in the first place but there have been a handful of times when the weather just won’t allow it. In that case, we use a single burner stove inside the camper and just run the fan while we cook. We always have canned soup and dehydrated meals on hand to keep it simple when we have to cook inside. The beauty of not having a kitchen is that the camper is so much more spacious. We camped with some friends last July (they were tent camping) and the rain was just relentless, making it very difficult to enjoy being outside. The four of us were able to comfortably sit in our camper, play games and cook dinner all while staying dry and warm. Never would have been possible with a kitchen.

      Anyhow, that’s my two cents. Hope it’s helpful. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a FWC. Pretty much the coolest toy an adult can buy. I’ve been meaning to write an article about how we decided on our camper and all the options we got so I think you’ve inspired me to do that sooner than later.

      Cheers!

  • I really love your blog, your style of travel and the pictures offcourse :). I will be travelling in Monument valley and would like to camp at some free and isolated camping areas (Say Wild Horse Road and Valley of Gods). One question I had is; do we need permits to camp overnight in BLM area . I read that fires are not allowed in Valley of God but does that mean I cannot cook on my pocket size backpacking propane stove? Also I am hoping to find a camp site in Valley of Gods that is away from the loop road, any suggestions and mile marks?
    Sorry for all the questions, I am a beginner and inexperienced camper looking for some advise. My intended route is roughly like this http://goo.gl/maps/S3mG2 .

    • Valley of the Gods is an awesome area and free to camp. The beauty of a lot of BLM land is that you do not need a permit and it’s free. I don’t know if this goes for all BLM land but all BLM land I’ve camped on has been free. I don’t know for certain about your stove but think you should be fine. You may want to check with the nearest BLM Field office which I believe is the Monticello office. These places are always super helpful.

      The only available, car-accesible camping in Valley of the Gods is right off the loop road. They are primitive sites with no amenities, just a flat spot for a tent or camper. Most camp spots are right off the side of the road but if you put in a little extra effort, there are a few great spots a little further from the road. One that I know of is one of the very first spots on the left if you come in from the East side (after you cross the creek). At first it just looks like a spot off the side of the road but then there is a little road that leads you down the hill and out of the view of the road. The other we like is about half way along the loop road. You turn North off the loop road onto what looks like a pretty rough, rarely used road but isn’t bad. It will take you 100 yards or so back to a nice site. My apologies for such vague descriptions as I unfortunately don’t have any GPS coordinates or mile marker information.

      I’m not sure how much you know about Southern Utah but there is a lot of desolation and a lot to be explored. It’s not too hard to get away from it all and find a nice spot all to yourself.

      I hope this is somewhat helpful. Have a great trip!

      Happy Trails,
      Michele

  • Bautiful pictures indeed!
    I’ll be there next June and I was thinking of reaching muddy creek and hiking up the river. But I’ll have just a commercial suv. From what I can see though it seems that the road could be a bit rough for a non 4wd vehicle. Is that so?

    • Antonio, from our experience you’ll want 4wd to reach Muddy Creek from Wild Horse Road, if you’re coming from the North side of Muddy Creek. Most of the road is smooth dirt with the exception of a couple rough spots that you’ll want to be careful how you navigate or you could really dent/scratch/break the undercarriage of your vehicle. Good luck and have a great trip!

By michele

About

Hi!  We’re Mark & Michele, a couple of modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, perpetual travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us maximum freedom at minimal expense.  This blog is where we share our travels as well as our insights in to this lifestyle that we absolutely love.  Thanks so much for being here.

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