Agency-listedBLM · dispersedFree
Big Bend Recreation Site
Drive-up · Bureau of Land Management · UT · 38.64868, -109.47968
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Bureau of Land Management lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Big Bend Recreation Site
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,003 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Bend Recreation SiteNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Big Bend Recreation Site · Bureau of Land Management · UT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- EVEV fast charger6 mi
- WWater6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- AAir-up6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- LLaundry6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- DDump7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- +Urgent care44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Big Bend Recreation Site
Access
Drive-up
Land
Bureau of Land Management · dispersed
Elevation
4,003 ft
State
UT
Coordinates
38.64868, -109.47968
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Bend Recreation Site · Bureau of Land Management · UT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureColorado River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townCastle Valley · ~3.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.0 mi
- FuelFuel · ~25.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~7.1 mi
- GroceriesMoonflower Community Cooperative · ~6.4 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~6.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicMoab Regional Hospital · ~6.7 mi
- HardwareTurner Lumber · ~6.3 mi
EV charging — from Big Bend Recreation Site · Bureau of Land Management · UT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.0 mi straight-line SW — Moab, UT - North Main Street - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 49 within 100 · 113 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO53.6 mi — FRCIVICCENTER CPE 250 #1, Fruita
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.0 mi — Field Station Moab - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 250740 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Bend Recreation Site · Bureau of Land Management · UT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomBig Bend Toilet (Main Parking Double) · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomBig Bend Toilet (Beach Access Double) · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomBig Bend Overflow Toilet (Single Near Sites) · at this camp · BLM
- RestroomBig Bend Toilet (West End Single) · at this camp · BLM
Open Big Bend Recreation Site elsewhere
Other camps near Big Bend Recreation Site
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Upper Big Bend Campground~0.5 mi
- Upper Drinks Canyon Campground~0.9 mi
- Middle Drinks Canyon Campground~1.0 mi
- Lower Drinks Canyon Campground~1.1 mi
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Lasal Mountain-Lower at 8,780 ft, about 15 miles away. It sits about 4,777 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this — Big Bend Recreation Site
Source
Bureau of Land Management recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Big Bend Recreation Site
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Big Bend Recreation Site
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Hot-weather camping →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →