Rock Springs Dispersed Camping

We decided to get out of the 95º heat and head up to 8500' for some camping. We got here on a Wed when it was empty and circled the wagons with some friends. There aren't any designated camping spots so you can set up in several areas. Like I said...not a single person on Wed but by Friday night the place was packed with folks camped out around the edges of the trees. Even with 8-10 other "campsites" it was an awesome 4 days of relaxing.

This isn't a spot to camp if you want to be completely alone but it's awesome free camping for up to 14 days. We were able to get 3 large fifth wheels all the way to the back and circle them for our own little courtyard. There are some ruts so you need to be careful but it is easily accessible for large rigs.

The drive up Nebo Loop Rd is steep and winding but shouldn't be a problem if you take your time going up and down. The largest trailer we had was 42' and it made it up easily.

Cell service is extremely spotty for ATT and Verizon. We had 1 bar of LTE and 3 bars when our cell booster was one. But you could move a 100 feet one direction and lose all coverage. Don't count on cell being available. We also had Starlink internet and it worked perfectly.

No facilities or amenities so come prepared and pack it in / pack it out.

While staying a couple of nights at the nearby Payson Lakes Campground, we scouted several of the dispersed camping sites found along the Nebo Loop Road. We liked this one best. It had one of the better dirt roads into the site, and lots of relatively flat, open space for any size of rig.

We stayed a couple of week nights and only left because the power system in our rig wasn’t working and the Fall nights were getting too cold for our comfort (close to freezing with no heater wasn’t fun.) Otherwise we would have loved to stay another week.

While there we were the only ones, but when scouting the location over the weekend we did see about 3 or 4 rigs camping. But the area is large enough that you will likely find a nice spot even on a weekend. We were there during hunting season and did have a couple of hunters park nearby early in the morning and again in the evening. We couldn’t hear road noise at all.

Even though our power system wasn’t working right, the area has great sun exposure for solar.

The nearest dump station is in the town of Payson.

The only negative was driving the Payson canyon to get there in our 41 foot toy hauler. The road is narrow with several tight switch back turns. There were also lots of cows on the road. So the drive was slow and stressful. Be sure to look ahead for others speeding around the hair pin turns.

But the drive is worth it. There are several great hiking trails, and for a small fee you can fish at one of the Payson Lakes.

There must be an ATT tower nearby because we had 2 bars of LTE. And with our cell booster we were getting 4 bars and 20mbps download speeds! Our Verizon Jetpack got zero reception—even with the cell booster.

We also took a drive on the Nebo Loop, stopping at the overlooks. It’s absolutely beautiful!