Parowan Gap Petroglyphs Dispersed Camping

We absolutely love this spot! Very quiet location with beautiful views. Only a handful of other campers around, but where we are parked, they aren’t even visible.

Close to the petroglyphs and not far from the dinosaur tracks.

The only downside is the flies and the goat heads. Otherwise, we had a fantastic stay.

Paved road all the way until you decide to pull off on whichever dirt road to your camp spot. We found the perfect spot, not far from the road, and level enough for a 44’ 5th wheel, plus space to turn around.

Some roads are a little rutted indicating poor confidence after heavy rain, but it was really dry and warm for us mid- October.

Arrived Sunday around noon, decided for a large 'drive-through' site close to the entrance of the petroglyph parking. Drove through the large brush area with our tow car and decided to stay close to the black top road with the 39 ft ClassA although we saw several big Fifthwheels, Trailers and Motorhomes in remote places. Maybe 10 in a 2 mi² radius, not more. Very dark, good stargazing at night. No wind at all. Would have loved to stay longer - this is a perfect boondocking site! Internet isn't great but works somehow.

Stayed here two nights (after leaving Zion on our way to Bryce) in our 41' fifth wheel and had no problems finding a site. Once through the gap, you enter a large bowl of a valley with plenty of space for lots of rigs. Counting us, there were only six rigs when we stayed here, from a class As, toy haulers, trailers and vans.

We chose to park on the left side as we came into the valley, that is where the high ground is. The ground was hard and there was enough vegetation so there was not blowing dust. We were level side-to-side but had to use a few blocks to get level front-to-back.

There were a few ATVs driving around, but only now and then and they slowed down as they passed by. We have Starlink, so can't speak to AT&T or Verizon coverage.

We stayed here for three nights in October 2022. Parking on the North side of the road seems to be better then the South, especially if it is expected to rain. We liked this place mostly because the location is close to the town of Parowan and it was remote enough to let our German Shedders off leash back up into the hills on the trail. There were very few campers there. I counted 5 RVs. The petroglyphs are nice to see. The main vegetation at least on the south side was those sharp barbed plant that when dry sticks into feet and paws.

Great overnight stop near I-15 with some interesting things to see/hike. The petroglyphs are right at the gap and campsites abound along the dirt roads just east of the site. Camp on the higher slopes to the north if there’s been any rain/snow, as the area on the south side gets muddy but doesn’t necessarily look it! It seems you can camp just about anywhere but there are spots with fire rings if you go a little ways up the dirt roads. We camped with our 32ft trailer about a quarter of a mile up the road leading north behind the petroglyph site and there is one near-level site suitable for larger rigs. After that this road gets rougher and wouldn’t be good for larger rigs but there are plenty other sites below and room to turn around. Horseback riders and ATVs do use the area but it was quiet for us in October. Great place to view the night sky too!

Parowan is a great place for a few nights stay. The drive to the campgrounds is very easy as you'll be on paved roads until you drive off the main road onto the grass/dirt areas to the place you'll be parking your vehicle/rig. The grass area is very large and there are lots of places to pick without being remotely near anyone else.

The terrain is mostly red dirt and (dead) grass. Some areas aren't level but the majority is. We encountered lots of bugs and flies during our stay but nothing some insect repellant can't take care of.

The weather was alright but somewhat windy which causes it to become dusty. Because the campgrounds are right off the main road there is a bit of traffic noise but nothing too crazy.

For more details about our experience, check out: https://walkerestate.co/boondocking/f/parowan-petroglyphs-parowan-utah