Dates: May 2 - May 7, 2008
Location: About 30 miles from Hwy 191 on County Road 211 going toward the Needles District of Arches National Park. Half mile from 211 on Lockhart Basin Road. About an hour and a half south of Moab.
Our Site: A big open dirt site
GPS Coordinates: 38.18240N, 109.668W
Reason Selected: Great free boondocking site from which to explore The Needles (Canyonlands NP) and surrounding area.
Setting: A beautiful spot on BLM land with red rock views in the high Utah desert. Just a few feet of the Lockhart Basin Scenic By-way dirt road.
Guidebooks: None used.
Big Rig Friendly: Plenty of space for rigs of all sizes. We had two big rigs in there and both of us had extra vehicles. Need to be patient when driving in on the dirt road as it is a bit washboardy. There are two ways to get into the site - one is a little rocky with the possibility of dragging but the other is no problem.
Hook-ups: None. Pure boondocking. There is a dump station at the Needles Outpost about five miles away, but the better choice is at an RV park in Monticello about 45 miles away.
Laundry: None.
Price & Discounts:Free!!
Other Factors: A long way from everything, but minimal supplies and expensive gas (not diesel) is available at the Needles Outpost a few miles away.
OVERALL RATING: 8 (out of ten)
A great place to boondock. Excellent open area for satellite and solar panels. Because it is so close to the dirt road, it can get dusty with traffic if the breeze is not blowing the right way. And you can get sandblasted in high winds, although it is somewhat protected from the west by some rock outcroppings. We were able to get cell coverage with our amplifier. Be sure to arrive with water in your tanks. Our first true boondocking experience and it will be hard to beat. :)

Dates: May 1, 2008
Location: About 35 miles from Hwy 191 on County Road 211. The county road is between Moab (about 60 miles) and Monticello (about 12 miles).
Our Site: 6
GPS Coordinates: 38.1456N, 109.7988W
Reason Selected: Had visited Needles while camphosting at Arches and we wanted to spend a few days to do some hiking.
Setting: Two camping loops. Paved sites. Loop A has some great views and the sites are sheltered from the west by large rock formations. Loop B has smaller sites and less protection. Lots of space between sites.
Guidebooks: None used.
Big Rig Friendly: Limited big rig sites, and with them all being first come, first serve, it would be a heck of a gamble to drive 35 miles hoping to get one. There is room to maneuver if you can get in.
Hook-ups: No hook-ups. There are flush toilets and pit toilets (very, very clean). No showers. And there are a few water spigots to fill up fresh water tanks. There is NO dump station.
Laundry: None
Price & Discounts:$15 per night. $7.50 with America The Beautiful Senior Pass.
Other Factors: We really liked this campground - we were able to get a site because of our camphost jobs at Arches National Park, a sister park to Canyonlands. But in order to get a site, you have to arrive early in the morning and hope to get one in which you can fit. If you can't get in, your options for big rigs are limited to the Needles Outpost commercial campground (more suited to tents, pop-ups, and truck campers), boondocking on BLM land outside the park, or driving at least 50 miles to an RV park.
OVERALL RATING: 8 (out of ten)
I'm giving this campground an 8 because it does have some terrific sites and it is really nice to be in Needles for exploring. But I would never go higher than that without hook-ups, no dump station, and no showers. And the risk of driving all the way in and not getting a site is just too high unless you are willing to do some boondocking. The best thing to do is take your tow vehicle or toad in around 7:30 or 8:00 am and scout the tickets on the posts to see which sites are supposed to be vacating. Then you just have to hang out and wait until they leave (they can still extend until the time they actually leave and check-out is 10:00 am) to claim the site you want. Then you can go get your trailer or motorhome. It's not a great system for big rigs, but it's about the best you can do. If you want to just drive in and chance it, your odds are better mid-week and when the weather is not very good. :)

Dates: February 28, 2008 - April 30, 2008
Location: Four miles north of Moab on Hwy 191. Actually, the campground is 18 miles into Arches National Park at the end of the park road.
Our Site: Well, we were campground hosts for most of our time their and lived in the host "cabin". But we did stay in Site 27 for a couple nights and Site 22 for a few nights as well.
GPS Coordinates: 38.61389N, 109.59333W
Reason Selected: Took a position as campground hosts for March & April 2008.
Setting: Absolutely beautiful Arches National Park with red rock formations all around and a view of the La Sal Mountains.
Guidebooks: No factor.
Big Rig Friendly: Yes, but sites for big rigs are limited. Shoot for site 7, 11, 19, 21, 22, 27 (a little narrow) in the non-reservable section. In the reservable section, sites 27, 46, and 52 are the best options. Be careful of the sites described as "pull-throughs" on the reservation website. They are really shoulders, pull-offs, on the campground road. They'll work, but they won't be what you expected.
Hook-ups: No hook-ups. Bathrooms with flush toilets, but no showers. And NO dump station.
Laundry: None
Price & Discounts: $15 a night. $7.50 with the America The Beautiful Senior Pass.
Other Factors: Arches National Park may be the single most spectacular place we have visited to date. Fortunately, we didn't have to make reservations or scramble for a first come, first serve site.
OVERALL RATING: 8 (out of ten)
Arches is wonderful and it is great to explore it over several days by camping in the park. However, it is not easy to get in. The reserved sites fill up quickly during the March - October reservation season. Non-reservable sites are given away at the park entrance starting at 7:30 in the morning. There may be a couple sites or several sites. The actual number available are posted at the entrance station the night before. If you do happen to get a site, there is no guarantee a large rig will fit in one of the available sites. It's not so tough when it's cold. You can get in November through February without too much trouble. So, as much as we love Arches, the lack of hook-ups, showers, and dump station along with not being able to easily get a site won't allow us to give it more than an 8.