Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
BLM
Write a Review South Bench Road Rockville, UT 84763 435-688-3200 Official WebsiteGPS: 37.1297, -113.0757
Overview of Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
No camping within 1/2 mile of either side of the road along the Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway. Once on top of the plateau, there are 4x4 routes onto the mesa arms that are open to camping. Tall rigs may not have access to this area due to a 13'4" bridge on route.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Ckmoyer1 on 10/18/2023
Longest RV Reported: 37 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Time2Geaux on 4/27/2021
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 4,527 ft / 1,379 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
Unlock pro campendium features
Featured Video by Campendium360
360 video playback is not supported on this browser. Click here to view on YouTube.
Use your mouse to rotate the viewing angle. All videos are shot in 4K HD, so you may have to adjust the video quality to see these at maximum resolution.
Move your phone or tablet in the direction you want to see. Hit pause and have a look around! All videos are shot in 4K HD, so you may have to adjust the video quality to see these at maximum resolution.
Q&A - Ask the Community about Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 435-688-3200
Mary asked on 5/26/2021
Where is the closest place to get water, dump station, and shower?
Carissa asked on 12/31/2019
I have seen that the reviews say it is about 20 minutes from Zion. Is that the route going the Rockville way? Is it d...
Reviews of Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping 51 people have reviewed this location.
“Fantastic views ”
Reviewed 10/22/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Oh where to begin!?! It was easy to find with sites all along the road. I know they say park .5 mile off the road but people were visible which didn’t bother me. If you didn’t park more off the road, you would be dusted with the trailing dirt of passing by cars. Some off shoots to sites get narrow with brush and will scratch your vehic... more
Oh where to begin!?! It was easy to find with sites all along the road. I know they say park .5 mile off the road but people were visible which didn’t bother me. If you didn’t park more off the road, you would be dusted with the trailing dirt of passing by cars. Some off shoots to sites get narrow with brush and will scratch your vehicle which I found out. No amenities so LEAVE NO TRACE ! It was overall clean but some people are trash like what they left behind so please keep it wild, raw and beautiful! Climbing the hill is easily doable in 2wd with good maneuvering around some deep routes and we did see a Prius and a mini van make it. One last thing is maybe driving down the hill if you went up it and getting to the gates of Zion maybe took about 30 minutes if that helps at all.
sdtrd would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great but...”
Reviewed 10/9/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
RV Length: | 35' (Class A) |
...CRAZY access! So here’s the scoop.... This is an area between Apple Valley and Rockville - with one dirt road connecting the two towns - camping spots along road. You can access on either end - Apple Valley or Rockville - but there is a stretch of road in the middle that is total off roading - 4 wheel drive high clearance vehicle... more
...CRAZY access!
So here’s the scoop....
This is an area between Apple Valley and Rockville - with one dirt road connecting the two towns - camping spots along road. You can access on either end - Apple Valley or Rockville - but there is a stretch of road in the middle that is total off roading - 4 wheel drive high clearance vehicle needed and I would not be towing anything! Apple Valley entrance is better - washboard road so its slow going but nothing crazy. We drove our 35 ft Airstream motorhome with Jeep in tow and it was totally fine. Several sites in beautiful location. Rockville entrance is dicey, and even the first couple sites require traversing the very rough road. Road only gets worse as you travel up to other sites - so hang on! The sites however are stunning, and short 15 min drive to Zion.
But the thing is - if you enter via easier Apple Valley entrance and stay in upper area - and u want to access Zion - the only way is to drive through that rough 4wd section. And it is ROUGH even in our wrangler.
So moral of the story - with right approach and good tow vehicle it is a sweet spot that will save you hours of driving not having to go all the way around to go to Zion.
**use gps coordinates to find!**
PS - despite the remote location GREAT cell service and satellite!!!
Catching Air would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Tried Rockville Route w/ a RWD Pickup, decided to turn around”
Reviewed 10/4/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
After reading a lot of back & forth about the road from Rockville to this AMAZING dispersed BLM site, I decided to go ahead and try it out in my Ram 1500 RWD w/ ultralight camper... The good news is we passed some spots that were easily accessible by even a Prius, really, but there were literally only 4 or 5 of those spots... Sta... more
After reading a lot of back & forth about the road from Rockville to this AMAZING dispersed BLM site, I decided to go ahead and try it out in my Ram 1500 RWD w/ ultralight camper...
The good news is we passed some spots that were easily accessible by even a Prius, really, but there were literally only 4 or 5 of those spots...
Started up a steep incline to the butte and the ruts got deeper and longer until I ultimately decided it wasn’t worth risking it at sunset. Attached is the view from where we turned around.
Could we have made it? Yeah, probably
People in a stock 2015-ish Jeep went on by us and said we were looking at the worst stretch of road and that after that it mellowed out, but our itinerary allowed us to find a spot on the East side of Zion that night & head to Bryce.
That being said, on our way back to SoCal, we stayed a night here, entering the Apple Valley way. The spot we found was absolutely stunning.
Turned off of the dirt road into an arm of the Mesa marked by a blue arrow sign and pink frills (which when inspected said they were marking the route of a future “100 mile supermarathon”) and chose a spot on the Northern side of the little “block” there...
We backed up to a cliff that overlooked a gully where we heard running water In September, and had large boulder formations breaking away from the Mesa, stunning site that also had views of the tops of Zion’s tallest peaks!!!
Would highly recommend this on your last day if you’re from SoCal area!!!
jakehlmd would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Our own desert Eden.”
Reviewed 9/23/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 19' (Travel Trailer) |
Absolutely amazing area. Many spots to choose from with endless breathtaking views. The kind of place that inspires you to wake up early and watch the sun rise and stay up late to gaze at the stars and ponder how small you are... We came in through Apple Valley, and although the road was quite bumpy was very doable in our 4WD Chev... more
Absolutely amazing area. Many spots to choose from with endless breathtaking views. The kind of place that inspires you to wake up early and watch the sun rise and stay up late to gaze at the stars and ponder how small you are...
We came in through Apple Valley, and although the road was quite bumpy was very doable in our 4WD Chevy Express. However, after a day in Zion we took the "shortcut" through Rockville and DO NOT RECOMMEND going through Rockville unless you have a SERIOUS off road vehicle and clearance (yes the other reviews are not joking).
ramblin_rose would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Freaking AWESOME”
Reviewed 8/31/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 0 |
This place was GREAT!!! My husband and I were road tripping , and we’re hoping to camp in Zion. Of course it was extremely busy and nothing was available. So I did some research on what was around and found this. All the reviews for this place is accurate. We took ones advice and took the Grafton Mesa road (it pops up quick and is a li... more
This place was GREAT!!! My husband and I were road tripping , and we’re hoping to camp in Zion. Of course it was extremely busy and nothing was available. So I did some research on what was around and found this. All the reviews for this place is accurate. We took ones advice and took the Grafton Mesa road (it pops up quick and is a little sign) . We drove down a good ways until we found the most perfect spot. It over looked a canyon and beautiful Zion.
You DEFINITELY have to have a 4WD at least to find this little gem, or else your car won’t be happy afterwards.
There were no bathrooms, which was totally fine with us since we’ve been sleeping in the back of our Tacoma.
It ended up being even better then staying in Zion because we were completely alone!
clairem would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wow what a view Solitude ”
Reviewed 8/14/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | Followed gps coordinates from map |
I am doing a cross country trip and I am a solo female traveler with my dog and this is my first time camping alone and I couldn’t have picked a better place it is beautiful I will definitely be coming back to this place and I do feel safe here amazing views. I would agree with the other reviewer’s to come in on main street from Apple... more
I am doing a cross country trip and I am a solo female traveler with my dog and this is my first time camping alone and I couldn’t have picked a better place it is beautiful I will definitely be coming back to this place and I do feel safe here amazing views. I would agree with the other reviewer’s to come in on main street from Apple Valley. Dirt and gravel road but very easy to get to camp site .
Shamus would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Anywhere you stay, perfect view”
Reviewed 2/26/2020
Days stayed: | 1 |
---|
I only stayed for day during winter right before Christmas (12/23/2019).
Definitely need 4x4. My car is BMW X1 xdrive and it was hard to go up hill.
when I went there, it was muddy so it was really hard to get to camping spot.
but anywhere you stay, it has great view. It was really windy and sun goes down really early.
Djseo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing spot! ”
Reviewed 11/20/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | N/A |
I read about this place on some stargazing websites. It was a must see on my trip through this part of the country. A few things to consider: Enter via Apple Valley. The reviews I’m reading RE Rockville entry road are nuts. While it still took some patience and savy to navigate some bumpier parts of this road in, I managed to monkey my... more
I read about this place on some stargazing websites. It was a must see on my trip through this part of the country. A few things to consider: Enter via Apple Valley. The reviews I’m reading RE Rockville entry road are nuts. While it still took some patience and savy to navigate some bumpier parts of this road in, I managed to monkey my 19’ RV to the perfect spot. Had it been raining it would have made it a lot more challenging... certainly would have ran the risk of getting stuck. From Apple Valley, make a left at the Main Street / State Street crossroad. There is a sign for Smithsonian and Gooseberry. I made a left at Grafton Mesa and drove the whole way back. I stayed at the last campsite on the right before you come to a butte in front of you and a turnaround. WHAT a spot.
Codeman would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Ruined my Van”
Reviewed 11/9/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
DO NOT COME FROM ROCKVILLE If you aren’t in a vehicle meant for off roading. Other reviews made it sound ok if you’re slow and careful but the road must be in worse condition now than it was. I kept listening to the reviews who said it got better and it did but not before I aquired a new noise in my van. Something is broken somewhere. ... more
DO NOT COME FROM ROCKVILLE If you aren’t in a vehicle meant for off roading. Other reviews made it sound ok if you’re slow and careful but the road must be in worse condition now than it was. I kept listening to the reviews who said it got better and it did but not before I aquired a new noise in my van. Something is broken somewhere. Hopefully it’s not $$$$.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A Cautious Paradise”
Reviewed 10/19/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 19' (Teardrop Trailer) |
Only in dry weather. If you are towing with high profile 4wd, and we have a T@b 400 Boondocker teardrop. Enter from Hurricane, and then take the first camping area on the left. 3 sites, but first is flattest. Great view in all directions. All others in here where tent campers. We dropped the trailer, locked it up.....and drove 20 N... more
Only in dry weather. If you are towing with high profile 4wd, and we have a T@b 400 Boondocker teardrop. Enter from Hurricane, and then take the first camping area on the left. 3 sites, but first is flattest. Great view in all directions.
All others in here where tent campers.
We dropped the trailer, locked it up.....and drove 20 North to the South Entrance to Zion NP. These roads where in bad need of repair. Washed out badly but we wiggled the 4wd though.
ChuckNJo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Have you written a blog post about Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping?
Contact us to update this listing.
Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Please select a reason for flagging this item: