Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
BLM
Write a Review South Bench Road Rockville, UT 84763 435-688-3200 Official WebsiteGPS: 37.1297, -113.0757
Overview of Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
No camping within 1/2 mile of either side of the road along the Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway. Once on top of the plateau, there are 4x4 routes onto the mesa arms that are open to camping. Tall rigs may not have access to this area due to a 13'4" bridge on route.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by roadtrippers-Abenteuer1 on 10/14/2024
Longest RV Reported: 37 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Time2Geaux on 4/27/2021
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 4,527 ft / 1,379 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 435-688-3200
Mary asked on 5/26/2021
Where is the closest place to get water, dump station, and shower?
Carissa asked on 12/31/2019
I have seen that the reviews say it is about 20 minutes from Zion. Is that the route going the Rockville way? Is it d...
Reviews of Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping 52 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 20 Users
Last reported 10/18/2023
Confirmed by 14 Users
Last reported 6/9/2023
Confirmed by 8 Users
Last reported 10/14/2024
“20 Minutes From Zion National Park, Beautiful Views”
Reviewed 10/14/2024
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
It was very confusing to find a spot. Signs at both entrances to the byway said to park 1/2mile from road, however there were also signs at many pull-off areas saying no camping. We drove around a while before finding a great spot. Not sure if we were quite 1/2 mile off the road, but there was no “No Camping” sign at that location. Dri... more
It was very confusing to find a spot. Signs at both entrances to the byway said to park 1/2mile from road, however there were also signs at many pull-off areas saying no camping. We drove around a while before finding a great spot. Not sure if we were quite 1/2 mile off the road, but there was no “No Camping” sign at that location. Drive to the end of that road and you can either go left or right about 20yards each way and set up your site. It’s perfect for car camping, tents, or maybe a small campervan… I wouldn’t recommend RVs. We stay there two nights and someone was in the other spot, but we had privacy. Views are beautiful. If you are coming from Hurricane, it’s closer to that byway entrance on the left hand side.
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T-Mobile 4G
roadtrippers-Abenteuer1 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“2 Spectacular Nights at Wire Mesa on Smithsonian Butte”
Reviewed 10/18/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | Dispersed |
Overall Rating
After much research, I found this amazing spot on Smithsonian Butte. Regardless of what other reviews say, if you follow the rules and camp a half mile off the main byway, you will be in a legal spot. (You will find fire pits and maybe even campers ALONG the byway but it is no longer legal…thanks to people destroying the area during CO... more
After much research, I found this amazing spot on Smithsonian Butte. Regardless of what other reviews say, if you follow the rules and camp a half mile off the main byway, you will be in a legal spot. (You will find fire pits and maybe even campers ALONG the byway but it is no longer legal…thanks to people destroying the area during COVID). The main byway is a gravel road that goes from Rockville to Apple Valley. We came in from the Rockville side. There are many dirt road arms that go off this byway. We were in a Mercedes sprinter van. We were able to navigate the narrow, rutted dirt roads a little over a half mile in on the Wire Mesa arm. We went all the way to the end and had the most spectacular view of Zion! We had a few mountain bikers go by and wave during our stay since it butts up to the trail😊. Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect but I can see that if it were raining, it could become impassable. Plan accordingly. With the right vehicle, this was the ultimate spot to camp for our days at Zion and was worth the extra drive time for our early morning arrival at the visitor’s center to catch the shuttle for our hikes!
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Verizon 5G
Ckmoyer1 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“WARNING: Kicked Out By Police!!!”
Reviewed 10/3/2023
| Days stayed: | 0 |
|---|
Overall Rating
Warning: DO NOT CAMP HERE!!! We got woken up in the middle of the night by a police officer and told that all of the camping along the road was illegal and to pack up and move. We got a written a $275 ticket and had to pack up our camp and load our trailer in the dark. He was stopping at every camp along the road to kick people out.... more
Warning: DO NOT CAMP HERE!!!
We got woken up in the middle of the night by a police officer and told that all of the camping along the road was illegal and to pack up and move. We got a written a $275 ticket and had to pack up our camp and load our trailer in the dark. He was stopping at every camp along the road to kick people out. He came back to check that we were still packing multiple times. The site we were using was clearly a popular spot with a fire ring and lots of other campers around. We had to drive around in the dark trying to find another spot in Zion in the middle of the night.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing Views.”
Reviewed 7/12/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
This place had amazing views and many spots available. We stayed for two nights since it was really close to Zion national park. The night sky was amazing for star gazing. Definitely will be back!
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Verizon 5G
camper-837153 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not Many Options, Rough Road”
Reviewed 6/9/2023
| RV Length: | 16' (Truck Camper) |
|---|
Overall Rating
This review is for Tile Mesa. Only accessible by 4x4 with high clearance. Some very nice views.
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AT&T 5G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Some sites if you can find them”
Reviewed 6/8/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
The initial gravel road was freshly grated and very easy. There weren't as many side (dirt) roads as we expected, and a lot of pull-offs have "no camping" signs, plus you're supposed to be 1/2 mile off the road to camp. So we were a little confused but found a road going to the mesa that had a few spots farther out. Campsites were ni... more
The initial gravel road was freshly grated and very easy. There weren't as many side (dirt) roads as we expected, and a lot of pull-offs have "no camping" signs, plus you're supposed to be 1/2 mile off the road to camp. So we were a little confused but found a road going to the mesa that had a few spots farther out.
Campsites were nice, dirt ground, some far apart from one another. Ours was good for tenting, had a rock fire ring (we didn't use it), and had some shade.
Bugs (gnats, mosquitos, flies) were very active (early June) but mostly calmed down by 9pm. Good views of stars and nearby ridges!
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
mmminis15 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Don’t waste your time”
Reviewed 7/9/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Our first two nights were great here. We came in through the Apple valley side of the road that is much more accessible than the Grafton side which I would recommend a 4wd vehicle for due to large rocks. While we were gone the third day, an officer stopped by our camp and left a note that told us that we had to move our camper or be fi... more
Our first two nights were great here. We came in through the Apple valley side of the road that is much more accessible than the Grafton side which I would recommend a 4wd vehicle for due to large rocks. While we were gone the third day, an officer stopped by our camp and left a note that told us that we had to move our camper or be fined. Apparently camping is limited to anywhere beyond 1/2 mile from the main road but there are no accessible campsites that are that far from the road. Do not waste your time trying to camp here unless you want to test your luck or get kicked out.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“solid dispersed camping for 4x4 vehicles visiting zion”
Reviewed 6/7/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 3 |
Overall Rating
Not very many spots before the road gets pretty gnarly and steep grade. awesome location with a sweet view and clean sites. Some noise as other campers show up later in the evening and many vehicles at some campsites. that being said amazing spot and perfect for your zion visit if you want to boondock. probably not for big rigs althoug... more
Not very many spots before the road gets pretty gnarly and steep grade. awesome location with a sweet view and clean sites. Some noise as other campers show up later in the evening and many vehicles at some campsites. that being said amazing spot and perfect for your zion visit if you want to boondock. probably not for big rigs although a couple spots towards the front.
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T-Mobile 4G
Hippe would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Truly beautiful option outside of Zion”
Reviewed 5/18/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
When we reached the top of the bluff, we couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! Photos currently posted do not do this place justice. The road is pretty gnarly coming in but totally worth the effort if you have four-wheel-drive. Don’t hesitate to give this a shot!
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Verizon 4G
TheBolt would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Basic camp sites, free near Zion”
Reviewed 5/18/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Rough road. Not too crowded. Multiple sites by the side of the road. Fire pits. Quiet. Low cell service with AT&T.
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AT&T 4G
CL would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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“no camping signs, sites blocked with rocks”
noted 11/6/2024
i had a great experience here last year, and was eager to boondock again today. very sadly, there are "no camping" signs posted in all the sites i am aware of and the drives into the sites were blocked off with rocks. i had to put my truck into low 4-wheel drive to haul my 24 ft trailer way up the hill before finding a place i could ba... more
i had a great experience here last year, and was eager to boondock again today. very sadly, there are "no camping" signs posted in all the sites i am aware of and the drives into the sites were blocked off with rocks. i had to put my truck into low 4-wheel drive to haul my 24 ft trailer way up the hill before finding a place i could barely turn around in. heads up! and super much a bummer... (i added a photo.)
“ Caution: All Of The Roadside Campsites Are Illegal”
noted 10/2/2023
There are a bunch of attractive looking campsites, that may even have rock fire rings, along the main road (Smithsonian Butte Road). There is clear signage that prohibits any camping within 1/2 a mile of Smithsonian Butte Road. All of these roadside sites are illegal. There may or may not be “No Camping” signs at these pullouts. They k... more
There are a bunch of attractive looking campsites, that may even have rock fire rings, along the main road (Smithsonian Butte Road). There is clear signage that prohibits any camping within 1/2 a mile of Smithsonian Butte Road. All of these roadside sites are illegal. There may or may not be “No Camping” signs at these pullouts. They keep getting torn down and rangers keep replacing them. There have been a bunch of complaints from local residents and the area got completely trashed during Covid. Ever since law enforcement (BLM Rangers and County Sheriffs) have been heavily patrolling the area and ticketing illegal campers. The ONLY legal sites are down high clearance 4x4 side roads. The closest easily accessible legal dispersed camping to Zion is out in Virgin.
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
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