Hancock Road Dispersed Camping

Just needed an overnight spot between Capital Reef and Horseshoe Bend and this did the trick. Was a little worried about the deep sand reports but the spot we found on Road 563 was not too deep.
Did some trash cleanup since whoever was there before forgot their trash bags.
The spots along Hancock Road that seemed to match the coordinates were all taken or folks were close together so we kept rolling SW to about 2.9 miles and found this marked road 563 to the SE of Hancock Road that had a couple of spots near the road and a third about a quarter of a mile further in.

We went to the marked coordinates but it was not as spacious as some other locations along Hancock road. We found a spot that worked fine for our 43 foot fifth wheel east of that location. The sand was not a problem because I have a 4wd F350 and it handled it just fine pulling our rig but I can see how it could be a problem for 2wd vehicles especially if you are off the well used paths. The sand gets everywhere and can be annoying when it is windy. I heard that the sand is worse when dry than when it rains but I didn't notice any difference. The sand is the only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5.

It is only a few miles from Zion National Park. FYI, the road through Zion has a tunnel and you have to pay $15 for any trailer or large vehicle and there is a height limit of 11' 4". What I didn't know is that when I drove my dually I still had to pay the fee. They charge you for dually trucks or anything more than 7' 10" wide as well but the pass is good for 7 days.

The Thunderbird Inn at Mount Carmel Junction is just up the road (FYI, the pies are overrated). There is a dump station with potable water and garbage at the junction and it is free if you fill up for gas at the Shell station, otherwise $10. It's also not too far from Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Down the road toward Kanab is the Moqui Cave and Kanab is a nice town with grocery stores and some good restaurants. Elevation is 5600' so it can get cold at night. We actually had light snow one night at the end of May even though the weather was in the 70's most of the daytime.

We had good cell service. AT&T was 50Mbps download and T-Mobile was 8Mbps. However, I did have a couple disconnects from the local cell tower a few times. Not sure if they were working on it but I was able to manually switch to another and continue on.

After reading the reviews I thought we’d be fine in our 30’ fifth wheel and f350 4 wheel drive. Especially since we boondock full time. I was wrong! The sand isn’t too deep but it’s very soft and there isn’t many spots you can turn around at. We got stuck in the worst kind of way for an hour and I still don’t know how we made it out. Unless you’re in a van or short class c with 4 wheel drive I wouldn’t try it. Just go up the road 7 miles to “old hwy 89 dispersed camping” and save yourself the hassle. No red dirt there and nice Mountain views!

There are multiple dispersed camping sites along both sides of Hancock Road. Few are visibly marked, but the entrances to each site are dirt roads leading off the main road, so once you know what to look for, they're pretty easy to find, even if you're arriving for the first time after dark. The sites are very well spaced between -- can't see any others from our site, and most of the entrances seem to be nearly 1/8th of a mile (660' or 200m or more) apart from each other.

The "dirt" roads are easily some of the finest, softest dirt I've walked on in years -- feels a lot like walking on the beach. Additionally, the dirt/sand is relatively deep, meaning it could be very possible to get stuck (in what feels like sand) if you're not careful.

However, our 31' class A (18,000 lbs) was able to make it with no issues, even while pulling our 4 down toad (Jeep GC - 5,000 lbs). We were able to level easily with no problems, too, even though I was a little concerned that the jacks would just push straight down into the dirt/sand.

Gorgeous site, easy access for the most part (scout first for safety / exits), super quiet, and okay cell coverage (with a booster could do conference calls / video calls).

I am surprised more people aren't commenting about the sand. I DO have a 4wd Raptor. It's more than capable of pulling my light 4400 lb trailer.

However, when I arrived, (and I thought the pin of the coordinates was the only road, not realizing there are NUMEROUS roads off of Hancock road to potentially camp on) I couldn't find a spot where I felt 100% confident that if I pulled in, I could pull out.

Finally I found a reasonable enough looking spot and pulled in. I didn't go around the tree for fear of getting stuck. And when I left, I BACKED OUT, still afraid and unwilling to deal with getting stuck since I was all alone.

Granted, it had not rained in the area for 6 months. Once it did rain, the sand became almost like concrete. But a few days later, it was back to pretty sandy and potentially deep.

And strangely enough, maybe I am just a puss, cause I regularly saw CARS (definitely no 4wd) going by to go park by the big cool rock that was right near the rim. I was all 'huh?'.

Just warning you guys. I wouldn't have pulled my big motorhome in that spot unless I backed out, too. Motorhomes usually don't have 4wd. Also, the areas to park aren't wide open. There are lots of trees and bushes to maneuver around.

This is not a place that offers many spots IMO. Most of the dirt roads that are off Hancock road (At least the ones nearer to Best Friends) have sharp curves and low-lying branches that wouldn't allow me to pull my 24' travel trailer back into without doing some serious damage.

There are dirt roads that have an open area right off the paved road that will suffice. But I couldn't go far past most of them with my TT. Maybe you can. But still, watch for the sand.

Anyhoo, the place is great- lots of privacy and not much traffic on Hancock road. So it's pretty quiet. Except when the dogs are barking at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It's not too bad though, pretty faint, and only if the wind is coming from that direction it seemed.

If you are volunteering at the sanctuary, this is PERFECT. It's SO close to the sanctuary.

No problems with cellular with ATT or Verizon.

No amenities here. No water, dump, or sewer. You're boondocking. That's the deal.

Great place to stay if you want to see the East side of Zion NP. It's GORGEOUS. Do it.

Also good for going to Bryce and Escalante.

Easy access with 4WD. Designated dispersed camping sites are limited and are far removed from each other. This area offers the best boondocking experience. Starry nights, and absolute quiet. No water, no dump, pack it in- pack it out. No ground fires allowed, The site I was in was so clean. I was very impressed that there was no microtrash or charcoal ash. So Big thanks to the previous camper. It’s important to me to leave it as I found it. I hope the next campers enjoy it as much as I did and help to keep it clean as well.

Almost an endless amount of sites that would fit any size rig. Some close to road with plenty of further back sites as well. It is sandy but plenty of spots where 4x4 or high clearance aren’t needed. Just under 15 minutes from Kanab.

Verizon worked fine closer to hwy 89 but faded the further back I got along Hancock Rd, would probably be fine with a booster anywhere.

I absolutely adore this area! The camping is relatively easy to get to, we were even able to make the trek back to a secluded site in our Toyota Camry one year. My husband and I found this during our first trip to the Kanab/Grand Canyon area and it is now an annual retreat for us. We always visit in October and the weather has been perfect. You definitely need to be prepared for sandy sites as this is desert camping.

The sites are well off the road and there are a plethora of them, so you are unlikely to see any other campers during your time here. We love that there is so much to do and explore in the area. I highly recommend visiting this area!!