★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic landFree
Capitol Reef National Park
Drive-up · public land · Wayne County, UT · 38.47479, -111.36733
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
Nice! A free campground within Capitol Reef National Park. Half-dozen sites. Poor cell service. Fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets. On a plateau surrounded by juniper trees overlooking Cathedral Valley. Free camping in National Parks is rare! Four-wheel drive might be required depending on condition. Enough room for one or two people vehicles per site. Strongly recommended!
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,015 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- MMechanic13 mi
- AAir-up13 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- DDump15 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- RxPharmacy42 mi
- OOutfitter50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 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). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
7,015 ft
County
Wayne County, UT
Coordinates
38.47479, -111.36733
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMiddle Desert Wash (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townTorrey · ~12.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPetroUS · ~11.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~14.8 mi
- GroceriesTaft Travel Plaza · ~12.3 mi
- HardwareLoa Builders Supply · ~15.7 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
High clearance / 4×4
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomCD Cathedral Valley Vault Toilet · at this camp · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletRound Lake Cua Dispersed · ~4.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElkhorn Campground · ~4.9 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDeep Creek Lake Trailhead · ~5.6 mi SW · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Round Lake Cua Dispersed~4.3 mi
- Morrell Cua Dispersed~6.3 mi
- Zedds Meadow Cua Dispered~7.5 mi
- BLM public land~10.2 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Wayne County, UT). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →Dispersed camping tips →Picking a spot →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 →