Valley of the Gods Dispersed Camping

Although I have not camped at Valley of the Gods I have been through it a couple times. There are sections of the road I would not wish to attempt while towing anything but the smallest of trailers and maybe not even then.

There are two entries to VOTG. One is along the east side from highway 163 at about 37.234911, -109.814266. This is a fairly steep drop for a 100' or so if memory serves, and it fords a stream which may be a challenge at times. It's worth consulting a satellite view. That said, I have seen some good size RVs not too far from that entrance which both surprised and amazed me as to how that got into their spots. Magic, I think. I would wager are really, really good at towing their trailers and that they came in from 163 as opposed to traveling from the other entrance off 261 on the west side--I do not think they would be able to navigate through the park with its short but steep and blind rises and falls, tight turns and in many places poor road conditions.

Camping within VOTG is allowed only spaces that have been used before and these are limited. Unfortunately, I have personally encountered campers pulling off the road just anywhere to camp and the soil in VOTG is very delicate. The unsightly scars these people leave will last for decades. So please, if you must camp in VOTG use ONLY campsites that have very obviously been used before.

I would recommend people camp at nearby Goosenecks State Park instead and make Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat and Moki Dugway into day trips. There are is also some free boondocking in the area and one little known fact is that if you enter Goosenecks State Park and drive its very short campground road you will quickly leave the park boundary and when you do free boondocking can be done there.

Photo is sunset at nearby Goosenecks State Park

While you may never be able to travel to Mars, this is likely the closest you’re going to get. Was intrigued by pictures of this place for years, and I’m so glad I finally made it. One cannot describe the redness of... everything here; the rocks, the terrain, the dirt, the roads. An amazing sea of red against a deep blue sky makes for quite the sensory overload. Towering, Monument Valley-like monoliths abound as well (I think this is technically part of monument valley). Sites are very large, level and with all kinds of space between them.

Well worth the visit.

I have never longed to go back to a site as quickly as I did this one. It was really sad to leave. Everything about this place is a dream. The spots, the views, the serenity, the air. The only rough part was the low of 18° at night, so I'm bummed to have missed the night sky (plus the full moon was too bright to see the full glory of the night sky). We will be back. We got the absolute best spot, up off the road, right up against Castle Butte. It was the perfect spot for my family and I felt comfortable letting my 2 year old roam and explore. The road leading in was very nice. Some minor washboard and a few dips, but nothing major. The site was prestine, you can tell the people that camp here really care for the land and pack in and pack out. So appreciated! No cell service with Verizon (roaming only) but I am not mad, I prefer to get away from it all.

Stayed here on our way south from Moab towards the Grand Canyon.

Road was very well maintained. Had some ruts but that’s expected. Our low clearance Ram ProMaster 2500 didn’t have any issues.

Got there around 5 and many spots were taken, but the road goes on forever and there were plenty of spots left.

Amazing starry skies and very peaceful night.

Beware there is a lot of red dust and it gets everywhere.

I am hesitant to leave my review because I want this place to stay empty! But, I can't help but shout it's praises. We love this place. My daughter and I stayed her for one wonderful night. Well-maintained road in. We were fine in our Jeep but if you are a towing a trailer, you might prefer sites closer to the highway. Perfect solitude. I think we had 'neighbors' about a mile away. The quietest place we have ever camped. I think we only heard a plane overhead (just one) and that's it. No road noise whatsoever. Skies were dark, great stargazing. One caution - avoid during rain as the reddish/brown soil in campsites turns to mud very quickly (roads will be fine though, I think). Also, cell service is not good, if you are planning to work. But this is a wonderful place if you want to shake off the world. Amazing scenery as well. We will definitely return and stay longer. Pack in your own water, etc.

We stayed at Valley of the Gods for two nights Nov 25/26 2019. The sky's were black and full of stars at night. We could see one other camper about a mile away the next morning. We toured the area the next day. Moki Dugway, Gooseneck State Park, and Mexican Hat. Very pretty and scenic areas. The rock formations were stunning. We plan on staying there again on our way back to Colorado from wintering in Tucson, Az.

We unfortunately only spent one night here out of the three nights we were in the area. I will 100% return as this was the most private and beautiful camping area ever! The road through the Valley of Gods is in and out on two separate entrances/exits which is easily accessible if you take it slow. We took it easy with our small SUV and 16' trailer and as soon as I was skeptical about certain areas about coming through with a larger trailer I'd see a large RV driving by pulling a small vehicle behind it with out any issues. Spots are easy to find as they are a short distance off the road with large camping areas. I would reframe from going the whole way through with anything over 22' unless you are very comfortable and can take it slow. Bring everything you need with you as supplies will be a pain to get once you are situated.

Extremely private, quiet and beautiful skies with tons to explore- good cell service and LTE. I'd recommend one day near the Monument Valley and the rest of your trip in the Valley of the Gods.

Camped on 1/1/20 for one night.