Best Camping in Moab for Mountain Bikers

It almost seems a shame to stay in a hotel and miss out on taking home all that red dirt you’ll be cleaning up for a month. Moab trip = Moab Camping. Camping allows you to kick back, have a camp fire and then watch the millions of stars as you dose off to sleep. Here is the best camping in Moab plus a few other non-hotel options if camping isn’t your thing. These sites are close to mountain bike trails and will keep all members of the family happy.

Need more information on Moab? Check out our Moab Destination Guide.

Moab Campgrounds

Kayenta Campground – This campground is located at Dead Horse State Park 32 miles northwest of Moab. This campground is close to Canyonlands National Park making it a good place to stay to visit both parks. There are great covered picnic tables at each site, modern bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. Campfires are NOT allowed. There are hiking trails nearby and a great mountain biking trail that parallels the rim of the canyon. There is a small concessions stand at the visitor center if you need a cup of coffee or a little snack. Potable water is also available. The Kayenta Campground is open year round. You can reserve a campsite or there are first-come first-serve sites available.

Big Bend – This campground, approximately 20 minutes from Moab, is down Hwy 128 or what the locals call “The River Road”. It is nestled right up against the Colorado River and provides great places along the river for your kids to play. The end of the Porcupine Rim trail is only a few miles away. This is a more primitive campground with vault toilets and no potable water. The campsites here are first come first serve.

Sand Flats – There are 9 campgrounds located in the Sand Flats area and depending on which campground you stay in your drive to town could be 15 minutes or less. It’s very convenient for most areas around Moab, and the Slickrock mountain bike trail,a nd the new Falcon Flow trail is within walking distance from some of the campgrounds. Sand Flats is a big sandbox and slickrock haven for your tykes to play in. Bring sand toys for hours of fun. Picnic tables, fire rings and vaulted toilets are available but water is not. Be sure to bring your own water and firewood.

Best Free Camping Near Moab

Klondike Bluffs Road – Great views of Arches National Park and the Klondike Bluffs mountain biking trails. There is cell service. Klondike Bluffs Road is about 15 miles from Arches National Park, and just slightly further to Moab. The road is rocky in spots, but can be cleared by any vehicle, you just have to go slow in spots. It’s a pretty long road with many camping areas along it. The first 8 big spots that can fit larger RV and trailers and have cell reception, after that the reception is harder to find. This is free camping so there are no amenities.

2022 Update: Some campsite are now $20. There are 25 individual campsites, each with parking for two vehicles, a picnic table, fire ring, shade shelter and close proximity to a vault toilet and trash receptacle. There are also two group sites that can accommodate up to six vehicles; these sites can be reserved in advance at recreation.gov, while the individual sites are first come, first served. Group site fees are $5 per person, and individual campsites are $20 per site. The campsite posts have QR codes that users can scan to be able to pay using a smartphone. 

Willow Springs Road – Our favorite place to grab a ‘camp’ spot. This is not a developed campground but rather a free BLM camping area. There are no services but the location is perfect as a base camp for riding. You are within riding distance of the Klonzo trails and Bar M. Turn onto the road then looked for an established camp spot.

2022 update: This area is in the process of becoming a state park. You can still camp there (for now) but there’s a $15 per night fee.

Moab RV Parks

After all that playing in the dirt you might want to return to your own bed in a nice RV park. Moab RV Parks have conveniences such as showers, running water, RV hook-ups, flush toilets, and even pools and hot tubs. They also accept reservations so you don’t have to worry about fighting other people for a spot. Here are two of our favorite RV parks for mountain bikers in Moab.

Moab Valley RV Resort & Campground – We like this RV park because it’s on the bike path to town, Brand Trails, and/or shuttle pickups. Enjoy an RV site, tent site, or even a vintage Airstream. This is a family-friendly campground with a playground, dog park, and BBQ. Bonus, there’s also a bike wash and repair station, hot tub, and putting green. For RVs, there are 30/50-amp sites with room for slide-outs, picnic tables, grills, and Wi-Fi.

Portal RV Resort – Here you’ll find the largest RV sites in Moab and it’s close to downtown and mountain biking trails. There are nice views at the campground and it feels like a resort vs. an RV park. The campground section is available for short-term stays, while the resort has an ownership section on the same property. For campers, there are sites that can accommodate RVs up to 65 feet. You can also use the pool, hot tub, laundry facilities, kids’ playground, dump station, and hiking trail around the property. If you want to be spoiled a little this is a good option.

Glamping in Moab

Moab Under Canvas is located on 40 acres, seven miles north of Moab, Utah, just moments away from the entrance to both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park and near mountain biking at Klonzo, and Brand Trails.

Tent Camping in Moab

Up the Creek Campground – Up the Creek is for tent campers and it’s right in town just two blocks from Main Street. There’s 18 sites here where you park and walk in surrounded by trees. It’s a little off the beaten path while still being within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. It’s close to the Slick Rock Bike Trail and the tasty Milt’s Diner. There’s a bathhouse with toilets and showers, dish cleaning area, and grills.

Have you camped in Moab? What’s your favorite spot?