Utah Road Trip: The Road Less Traveled

Lisa & Anthony Petrarca

July 16, 2024

Utah is famous for its Mighty Five National Parks, but we’re sharing some incredible places most people haven’t heard of. All of the details…hidden beauty, other-worldly views, off-grid campsites and the dog friendly hikes Utah has to offer.
Now, just to be clear, we’re last minute and spur of the moment type of travelers. And if you know anything about traveling, it’s almost impossible to get a campsite unless you book 6 months in advance. These hidden gems will be a guide to both the planners and last minute travelers like us.
Let’s get right to it…the drive along the Scenic Byway 12 could be its own bucket list item- the views are breathtaking!

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

The main reason we came to this area was to check this hike off our Adventure List: Lower Calf Creek Falls | Boulder, UT (37.8292° N, 111.4201° W)
The hike is spectacular! The river, lake reflections, and red peaks along the trail had us stopping to take pictures every few feet…so much beauty. There’s a map to download that coincides with numbered viewpoints/info/history along the way.
When you finally reach the 130 ft. waterfall, you’ll hear it about the same time you see it through the trees. We couldn’t believe we had the falls all to ourselves on Saturday morning…just look at this place. It’s a must see!

Moderate 6.1 mile round trip hike (deep sand, start early to avoid heat.)
531 ft. Elevation gain (out and back)
130 ft. waterfall with a deep swimming hole
$5.00 Parking fee (America the Beautiful pass is also accepted.)
Dog friendly (pay attention to water warnings before allowing your dog to swim- seasonal algae can be dangerous.)

Where To Stay

Calf Creek Recreation Area Campground Boulder, UT (37.79669,-111.41046)

13 small campsites (first-come, first-served basis)
$15.00 per night (bring cash for fee)
There’s a day-use picnic area and trailhead.

Calf Creek Campground is located in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The campground is tucked amongst red cliffs, with contrasting green trees lining the river. There’s a suspension bridge, and the trailhead to the “Lower Calf Creek Falls” waterfall hike begins here. It’s a true desert oasis. Pro-Tip: Arrive during the week/or early in the morning for the best opportunity to get a spot. The campground is small and fills up fast so it’s important to have several backup plans. We use FreeCampsites.org, IOverlander and Campendium apps to find free alternate places on Public Lands/Bureau of Land Management/Forest Roads. We always read the reviews regarding road conditions/safety/personal experiences before adding coordinates to our list. Our backup plan for this particular area included two spots:

A campsite near Upper Calf Creek trail: N 37°52’36.42″, W 111°27’0.06″
Free off the side of the road: N 37°50’52.44″, W 111°25’46.50″

The beauty of traveling in a Pleasure-Way van is its off-grid capabilities (doesn’t require hookups), which allows more travel freedom.

Moonscape Overlook

We based our entire trip around this spot…a truly other-worldly experience!
Moonscape Overlook | Hanksville, UT (38.4522250, -110.8380570)

Free Wild Camping with incredible moon-like views, in the middle of nowhere.
Very hot in the summer, best visited in spring or fall.
Stay away from the edges, they can crumble beneath you.
Capitol Reef is the closest National Park.

The barren, gray, landscape was like nothing we’ve ever seen. We truly felt like we’d landed on the moon. The views made it worth the slow, bumpy drive in. There’s a Moonscape overlook you can walk out to. It’s dangerous and not for the faint of heart or people with a fear of heights. You don’t have to do this extra adventure to enjoy the amazing beauty this place has to offer. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, the gray color transforms to glowing gold. And don’t even get us started on the free camping views right out our back door!

You can spend several days in the Hanksville area because there’s so much to see. We had other locations on our list, but ran out of time. We want to make sure you don’t miss out, so here’s our list:

Long Dong Silver
Factory Butte
Mars Desert Research Station (if you’re lucky you might even catch a glimpse of NASA astronauts walking around in space-suits!)
Bentonite Hills/Rainbow Mountain
Little Egypt

Important: Low-Clearance Vehicle Directions

Most information online says you need a 4×4 to reach it, but we were not to be deterred.
We found a secret, side route in. It’s a bit bumpy, but if you take it slow, it’s totally doable in a low clearance vehicle/van, as long as it’s not raining. Here’s the secret route/coordinates that will take you to another world:

To start, you’ll drive down Factory Butte Rd., before finally turning right off of N. Factory Butte road and onto a rougher, yet still manageable, dirt road.
The coordinates for the right hand turn that leads you directly to moonscape are:

Skyline View Road (38.4487810, -110.8825910)
It’s very important to note: If you do not take this route, using these coordinates Google Maps will automatically take you to an alternate route that is extremely sketchy and requires 4×4. Be sure to turn at the coordinates provided above!
Your final destination coordinates are: Moonscape Overlook (38.4522250, -110.8380570)

Goblin Valley State Park

From Moonscape we headed for a day trip to:
Goblin Valley State Park | Green River, UT. (38.57787° N, -110.7077° W)

Strange Mars-like formations
$20.00 entrance fee
$10.00 drone fee w/application
Hiking trails/slot canyon
Dog friendly
Hikes: Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon (8 miles) *Warning: Never enter a slot canyon when rain is forecasted for the area and surrounding states., Carmel Canyon Loop Trail (1.5 miles), Entrada Canyon (1.8 miles), The Goblin’s Lair-Chamber of the Basilisk (1.5 miles), Three Sisters (1 mile)

This park features incredible hoodoos, referred to as goblins (formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles.) We loved wandering and exploring the Mars-like landscape.

Where To Stay

Goblin Valley Campground, Green River, UT
This is a beautiful campground…but it’s small and books up fast.

24 site campground (no electrical hookups): $45, includes pass for one vehicle ($20 extra vehicle fee)
Yurts: $150 + tax. A maximum of two pets (dogs only) may stay in a yurt for an extra fee of $20 each.
Restrooms/shower/dump station

If you can’t book a site in the official campground, don’t worry, there’s several free camping areas just outside the park, you’ll see them driving in.

Professor Creek / Mary Jane Canyon

Our next adventure had us driving towards Arches National Park. But, it wasn’t for the arches this time, we actually had something different in mind…a hidden slot canyon/waterfall hike that allowed our pup to join us. (National Parks are not dog friendly.) The secret gem is said to rival The Narrows in Zion.

Professor Creek / Mary Jane Canyon Trail | Moab, UT. (38.683781, -109.355672)
It definitely proved harder to locate than anticipated (there’s no road signs signaling where to turn off the main highway.) Pro-Tip: when you see a sign that says, “Ranch Road Dead End,” at the beginning of the dirt road, you know you’re on the right route, keep going, it will pass a ranch and dead end into a small dirt parking lot.

The Hike

8-9 miles out and back depending on how many side slots you explore
514 ft. Elevation gain
90% of trail is in the creek (bring water shoes)
Spring/Fall best seasons to hike
Bring more water than you think you’ll need!
Dead ends at a 30 ft. waterfall (you will need to swim if you want to get right under it.)
Canyon walls reach 100 ft.
Dog friendly

Warning: Never enter a slot canyon when rain is forecasted/flash flood dangers.

There are two hikes from the parking lot. Make sure you take the hike to the left (drop down into a gully and back up again.) You’ll eventually come to a crossroad, veer left, after that it’s pretty straight forward. You’ll cross the creek several times before you finally give up and walk in the water to the falls.
The views of mesas, buttes, wildflowers and 100 ft slot canyon walls towering above made this hike a new favorite. It’s a family/dog friendly hike (you begin to enter the slot after hiking about 1.5 miles.) You don’t have to go all the way to the waterfall to enjoy this hike, although reaching the falls was a highlight for us. Do yourself a favor and put this one at the top of your Bucket List! It was our dog’s favorite hike of the trip.

Where To Stay

We mapped out camping options along the Colorado River (State Route 128)
Our list:

Goose Island Campground, Moab, UT. (38.61170, -109.55797)
Grandstaff Campground, Moab, UT. (38.61147, -109.53313)

There are several campgrounds with incredible views along the river. The closer to the main highway, the more likely to be full. We pulled into several campsites along State Route 128, but because it was a holiday weekend they were taken. We continued to drive several miles along the river and finally found a spot: Lower Onion Creek Campground/Boat Ramp | Moab, UT. (38.737, N -109.359, W)

21 Primitive Individual Sites: (limited to 10 people & two vehicles per site)
Group Sites: 2 (reservable)
Water: No
Toilets: Yes
Hook-ups: No
$20.00 (per night) cash or check
River access/fishing/kayaking/boat launch

This was a great find. And while the sites didn’t have the spectacular riverfront views the earlier campsites did, there was still river access and we were surrounded by glowing red cliffs. Bonus: It also was only a mile back down the road to the turn off for our hike the next morning.

House on Fire – Mule Canyon

House on Fire South Fork of Mule Canyon | Cedar Mesa, UT (37.497000, -109.662000)

This hike to cliff top Indian Ruins literally looks like fire is shooting up the rocks. The Anasazi ruins got its name from the glowing red rocks when the sun hits it. We thought we’d timed it perfectly to see its flaming glory…only to find out the timing isn’t always late morning, it depends on the season and when the sun hits it directly.
But as you can see…it still looks pretty spectacular in morning light even without direct sunlight. There are several other ruins along this trail, as well as hundreds more in the Cedar Mesa area. You could plan an entire trip around finding/exploring them, but for this post we’re sharing the most famous/easily accessible hike.

2.0 miles round trip (easy.) “House on Fire” will be the first ruins you come to. You can turn around after exploring or continue along this route (an additional 2.3 miles one way) to see the rest of the ruins in this canyon.
Fee: $5.00 per person (bring cash.)
Dogs are allowed on leash
Visit around 10 or 11 a.m. to see the glow (times are seasonal though so plan accordingly.)
Warning: Do not touch/carve into/go inside the ruins~there are signs advising against it to preserve the ruins as well as safety from any rat droppings inside that are dangerous when breathed in.

The history, beauty and excellent preservation of these ancient ruins makes this a must see stop. It’s a short day trip, and there’s several places to camp in the area.
Directions: Head west on UT 95, right after you pass milepost 102, there will be dirt on your right. Take it. If you pass the brown, “Mule Canyon Indian Ruins” sign, you’ve gone too far.

Where To Stay

Comb Wash Campground – BLM (close to House on Fire hike) 37.5078, -109.6548
This free campground was beautiful, and close to “House on Fire.” When we arrived the first spots were taken, so we continued down the dirt road and found a perfect campsite under a big oak tree. Pro-Tip: Make sure you have the directions saved to get from the campsite to the hike as there is no service, (make left onto Highway 95 out of campground. Turn right on dirt road after milepost 102/before the “Mule Canyon Indian Ruins” sign.) Additional Camping: Most of the Cedar Mesa area is Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which means free camping down almost any road you see. There are some paid campsites off of the road just past the ruins, but the road to the camping areas can be rough.

Goosenecks State Park

We decided to stay here on the suggestion of a hiker we met/hiked with along the slot canyon waterfall trail. It was close to our final destination (Monument Valley), and we can never pass up a campsite with a view!
Goosenecks State Park | Mexican Hat, UT (37.1749° N, 109.9271° W)
This park offers scenic vista views 1,000 feet above the winding San Juan River.
It reminded us of the famous “Horseshoe Bend” without the crowds!

$5.00 day-use fee per car with up to 8 people
$10.00 per night per campsite. If no ranger is on duty, pay at the fee tube using the self serve envelopes. 8 Designated campsites or drive along the rim and pick your wild campsite with a view.
First come, first served sites only. No reservations accepted.
Conditions are primitive, bring your own firewood and water.
No services except vault toilets.
This is definitely a seasonal campsite (spring/fall) summer months will be hot!
Please note: No drinking water is available.
There are no maintained trails.
Dogs allowed

We highly recommend this campground if you’re in the area to visit one of the many parks.

Final Destination: Monument Valley

This is probably the most famous and well known spot on our road trip list. We couldn’t pass it up…it’s been on our “Adventure List” for years and it was time to check it off!
Forrest Gump Point | U.S. Scenic Byway 163, UT (37.101445, -109.990812)
We left our campground early in the morning to get to this famous spot before it got too busy. This is a picturesque scenic road from the 1994 movie (when Forrest ended his epic run) along this direct route to Monument Valley. You have to run out onto the road in between cars to get your shot. Pro Tip: Arriving early is key!

Monument Valley | Oljato, UT/AZ Border (37.101393, -109.990973)
The beauty of this place is like no other. The Monuments jutting out from the landscape look like majestic castles.

$8.00 entrance fee
17 mile Loop Drive (no low-clearance vehicles) we unfortunately couldn’t drive through the monuments.
Navajo Nation Jeep tours are available. You can purchase the entry fee and guided tour upon arrival. RV’s, campers, vans, and motorcycles are Prohibited on Valley Drive. Valley drive has rough terrain and deep sand dunes.
Horse Trail rides are also available for a true Western experience.
Designated hiking trails (be sure to sign in/out at each location.) Trails are open during Navajo Tribal Park Hours of Operations 8am to 5pm. Weather can be unpredictable, always stay hydrated and be aware of your surroundings.
Scenic overlook stroll by visitor center
Wildcat Trail (3.2 miles into scenic area.) only dog friendly/self guided trail.
All other trails must be done with a Navajo guide

If you haven’t visited Monument Valley…it’s time to plan your trip!

Where To Stay

There are several campgrounds in Monument Valley, some can be expensive and book up fast. Here’s a list to help you out. We stayed outside the park so we cannot personally recommend any on the list.

The View Campground
Monument Valley Tipi Village
Hummingbird Campsite/RV
Monument Valley KOA Journey
Goulding’s Resort RV Camping
Arrowhead Campground
Mustang Valley Campground

Thanks for joining our epic road trip!
We highlighted our main points of interest but there are so many beautiful places to see and parks to visit along this route (leave some wiggle room.) We hope you found these trip-tips informative and helpful in planning your “hidden Utah” adventure.
Happy Pleasure-Way adventuring!

Utah Road Trip: The Road Less Traveled

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Where To Stay

Moonscape Overlook

Important: Low-Clearance Vehicle Directions

Goblin Valley State Park

Where To Stay

Professor Creek / Mary Jane Canyon

The Hike

Where To Stay

House on Fire – Mule Canyon

Where To Stay

Goosenecks State Park

Final Destination: Monument Valley

Where To Stay

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