BLM Road 717 Dispersed Camping

My 8 year old son and I are traveling this summer, coming from Sedona, AZ heading to Zion Nat’l Park. We were stoping to hike along the way, so we were unsure how far we would make it. We got to this spot, easily found the road and we pulled into the first spot on the right after you go up the hill. We did not pull in until 7:30pm, so we basically quickly l set up, ate and then went to sleep. I was expecting lots of road noise since we were in the spot closest to the road; however, at night the traffic is very very low so noise was not a problem at all. If you are a particularly light sleeper, just continue further in away from the road. There were lovely trees and flowers blooming when we were there. Highly recommend.

Peaceful stay. Saw a handful of people come and go. Stayed closer to the highway so it was constant noise all day, but quieter at night. Amazing views of the GSENM and night sky. I was able to steam video calls for work all week. T-Mobile averaged 50/5 mbps. Plenty of privacy between sites. Weather in the upper 70/low 50. Close enough to Page, AZ or Kanab, UT for stocking up and dumping tanks. Btw, bring a shovel if you don’t have something to shit IN.

Very easy to miss the road. I think the road that is on Google maps no longer exists. Look for a dirt road with a cattle bridge that goes straight back. The road was ok for our sprinter van until about the 4th campsite, then it was deeply rutted so we opted to take a site near some other campers. Perfectly fine for one night. Also TONS of deer around!

Great place to boondock..... peaceful and secluded sites. SingleSite lane dirt road but we were able to navigate it with our 28 foot RV without a problem. First few sites were occupied, but we were able to drive further out to find a site. Great views. Not sure a larger rig would be able to handle it, limited areas to turn around and definitely not a place to be when it rains.

Very secluded area off a dirt road. We were able to navigate it in a 28 ft RV.... taking it slow. The first few sites were taken so went further along the road and found a dirt driveway leading to a site.... got out and walked it first to make sure our rig could navigate it. Found a rock fire ring. Worked out great for us. Would be difficult to turn around.... not sure any larger rig would be able to handle it. Be sure there’s no rain in your forecast...... wouldn’t want to be in that road in the rain.

We pulled into the first large spot on the right. Big enough for two big rigs. Walking down the road there was another big clearing about a 1/4 mile down the road that would allow for several spots.The area was a little busy due to hunting season. It meant a few more cars but we felt safe. Keep in mind it is a dirt lot in an area that doesn’t see a lot of precipitation which means more dust. The location is about 22 miles outside of Kanab. It puts you closer to many of the more popular hikes in the area. Kanab is a great town to visit. Both Verizon and AT&T worked well. Please remember to clean up your trash. I filled two bags full of garbage previous people left behind.

BLM Road 717 is not labeled on Google Maps, it just shows up on satellite view as a dirt road branching off of US-89, about 22 miles east of Kanab, UT, and running for several miles towards the Vermilion Cliffs. But this road, and others, are labeled on BLM maps.

The first campsite along Road 717 (as marked here on Campendium), is located at the intersection with BLM Road 720. It's a good sized clearing, enough to accommodate 40+ foot trailers. If you drove further along Road 717, you will find dozens more campsites, however the road becomes extremely rutted. We did see other trucks pulling trailers along Road 717, but they went very slow, carefully avoiding the ruts. This first campsite, however, is very accessible.

This camp offers great views of red rock mesas in the distance, and gives you a good sense of why they named this area "Grand Staircase". This camp is surrounded by Utah Juniper and Big Sage. The sage is very fragrant when rubbed, and you can actually cook with it. Verizon 4G comes in weak, about 1-2 bars, but usable with a booster. We could see US-89 from this site, and could hear big trucks go by, but we could tune it out and otherwise found a lot of peace and tranquility here. There are a few juniper trees to conceal you from drivers along US-89, but you're still partially visible from the road. Not much in terms of wildlife, aside from an occasional deer in the distance.

What makes this site great is that you're only 22 miles from Kanab (about 20 minutes away) for all your supplies, but about 20-30 miles from all the great hiking in southern Grand Staircase.

Technically, the BLM requires you to obtain a camping permit all across Grand Staircase. Permits are free. You obtain them either at the BLM Visitor Center in Kanab, or the Paria Contact Station (near Paria, UT).

It's a 14-day limit, but we saw no BLM officials come by.