Dalton Wells Road Dispersed Camping

We visited Moab in October and it was a complete zoo, between COVID traffic and the road construction in town. Most of the highly rated boondocking sites were packed so we scouted out this road in our pickup before bringing our rig over.

After the little historical marker and some trust land, the camping road begins with a lengthy sandy wash. A few folks tried to get through this without 4WD and failed while we camped here. I pulled several of them out. Do not attempt to go down this road without 4WD! That being said the road is actually in great shape past that sand pit and we had no trouble navigating it with our 1-ton pickup and 40' fifth-wheel.

There are a few large open cul-de-sacs before the first butte, and then the road curves around that butte and the spots get a little smaller. However, we camped at Klondike Bluffs and checked out Willow Springs, and I found the sites here at Dalton Wells to be the most open of any of those roads. For a big rig that matters; no backing up or worrying about driving off a ridge here.

Cell signal wasn't great but with my winegard booster, it was usable for work and video conferencing.

As far as cleanliness, I did not notice any garbage anywhere and it seemed pretty well taken care of. The spots are so well-spaced, if anyone used a generator I didn't hear it. We did have the occasional OHV and motorbike come by. But, it's Moab....that's any camp spot!

Lots and lots of room here. Pick something next to a hill. Or around a bend. Or just by the road. Or way the hell back there. There are places where you could easily have 5 or 6 rigs or more next to each other.

If you drive slow, big rigs are fine. I'm a 43' 24k pound toy hauler and had no issues.

Lots of ATVs. If you don't like that, find a spot off the main road a bit. Tons of trails.

Dusty, but what are you expecting? It is Moab. No water, no power, no sewer, showers, etc. There is a dump/fill at the Maverick on the south end of town. But it is free and gorgeous. There is a place called "Under Canvas" that charges between $130 and $200 a night for their glamping tents.....and their view (from 3/4 of a mile away) is you. I am most amused. The paid rv parks were expensive, not well rated, and always full.

Would absolutely come back. Verizon was 4g and 3 bars.

Our first 3 week nights here we were very secluded and had no neighbors! Super nice that it’s only 10 minutes from Arches entrance, and beautiful views with lots of options to park and be spread out. On the 4th night (Thursday evening) a ton of trailers came in with 4x4s and stirred up a lot of dust and made lots of noise right next to us. This aside, we would definitely stay here again! We have a 22’ trailer and made it over the sand parts just fine.

Stayed here for 2 nights during the week. There were a lot of big RVs and ATVs back there, all of whom had to navigate the wash to get back there. The was was no problem for our Xterra and while the road is in rough shape we were able to get back to the camping area by taking it slow. The camping area is about .5 mile off of the main road. Fairly open, not much privacy but great views. Maybe 15 minute drive to Arches NP.

After reading other reviews, we drove in, crossed the sandy wash, which was dry. It was so soft with a 10,000 lb trailer that I was a nervous wreck. My husband who doesn't rattle easily, got us through. The road was so rough we crept along until we could turn around. There were plenty of people and rigs in there, lots of ATVs and motorcycles. I guess it works for them.
It took 4wd going faster than we liked to get back across the sandy wash. It's a definite no-go for me. We went south to willow springs, much more accessible.

Let me say, I had never truly boondocked on BLM before. I came to Moab specifically to do so. We tried to find another BLM site but nearly flipped our trailer doing so. The experience shook us up a bit and we almost drove to Thompson Springs with our heads hung low to find a campground spot (as all the local parks were booked out the wazzoo). But we kept seeing people parked under the sea green mountains and mesas and were re-inspired to try once more.

I had no idea this was called "Dalton Well Road". It certainly is not marked or labeled in any way, shape or form. It was simply a dirt road off the highway. You cross a cattle guard and go down a ways. You'll pass a sign that says something about "SITLA" Public Land. You basically just drive off and pick a spot for yourself. We traversed the 4x4 roads with our Ram 3500 and 23' airstream. The AS does not have a lift on it but it does have 15" rims and tires, an upgrade over the 14" rims and tires. We picked a fairly rough and rugged spot to get into but with some crafty driving and parking, it was so worth it.

Tons and tons and tons of land all around for you to wander, hike, climb. Dog friendly. While there were people camping around us, everyone kept a good distance from each other so you never felt you had people encroaching upon your spot.

10/10 would do again, if you dare to find it!

About 15 minutes from town. Try Eclectika Cafe for breakfast.

Now, we haven’t gone to every single boondocking spot in and around Moab, but I can guarantee this one is the best combination of convenience/access to town, solitude, beauty and cell service.

But you don’t have to take my word for it, ask Levar Burton the next time you see him.

But if you don’t tend to run into the actor most famous for his role as a guy wearing a hair clip over his eyes in space, just give it a quick look.

A few things to note: It’s pretty clean here. Try and leave it even cleaner because judging by the fencing at the BLM land south of here, Moab is on the edge of what the authorities are willing to tolerate. Also, this is not BLM land. It’s some other thing that isn’t public but is available for us to use. So there’s no digging cat holes for your poo, it’s 100% take it with you, so you’ll need a compost toilet, RV type setup or several good bags. If you’ve never had a baby before, the method is to twist the bag up, spin the top down over the bottom, and tie tightly. Double bagging is an option. And consider the place you throw it away, no one wants to handle that bag.

Oh, and the good stuff is beyond the first few big spots where the RVers tend to congregate. You’ll pass the turquoise and black hills on your left completely and you can go left for a bunch of other spots, but of the several areas we stayed the best ones were just going straight. You’ll come to another sign about the rules and regulations and from there you can choose from a big open spot just behind that sign, or a little up the hill where you’ll be in some small junipers for shade and rocks to climb. If you keep going passed the sign (kind of to your left) there are more open spaces and then another final awesome in the junipers and boulders spot.

Enjoy!