Camping in Moab during Jeep Safari Week?

[slcdawg]

I think I know the answer to this question, but I'm switching jobs and happen to have the week of Jeep Safari Week (4/9-17) off. I don't care about the trails (will not be riding Jeep trails), but wondering about camping near Klondike/Sovereign, etc. I would be getting in on a Sunday evening and staying through mid-week. I would definitely not go during weekends but perhaps there is hope for mid week?

[toast2266]

It'll be a complete shit show. You might get lucky and find a campsite, but there's a good chance that many of your neighbors will be drunken rednecks.

If it were me, I'd go to fruita / GJ instead.

[slcdawg]

Yeah, thats kinda what I thought. Fruita is definitely part of this trip. Does Rabbit Valley have good dispersed sites for a trailer? I may just have to day trip to moab to ride ahab - been way too long.

It'll be a complete shit show. You might get lucky and find a campsite, but there's a good chance that many of your neighbors will be drunken rednecks.

If it were me, I'd go to fruita / GJ instead.

[schindlerpiste]

You can usually find a nice site at Ken's Lake. Kane Creek, Sand Flats Dead Horse will be next to impossible.

[Dumbest Known Time]

Oh god, don't do it. My first ever trip to Moab was accidently lined up with Jeep week and it was fucking miserable. Second trip was a White Rim ride that ended the friday before Jeep week. We were wiped and just wanted a place to flop down and sleep in the dirt for a bit before starting the drive home. After two hours of searching for a spot we ended up just starting the drive after everyone agreed we would rather die in a fiery wreck than spend one more minute in that swarming shithole.

[slcdawg]

Haha. Think you talked me out of it

Oh god, don't do it. My first ever trip to Moab was accidently lined up with Jeep week and it was fucking miserable. Second trip was a White Rim ride that ended the friday before Jeep week. We were wiped and just wanted a place to flop down and sleep in the dirt for a bit before starting the drive home. After two hours of searching for a spot we ended up just starting the drive after everyone agreed we would rather die in a fiery wreck than spend one more minute in that swarming shithole.

[jmedslc]

Yeah dude nofucking way.

Moab is a shit show on any given weekend in the spring. Jeep safari takes it to an exponential gasoline fueled fuckshow level that I would not wish on any muscle powered group. Seriously.

This past weekend I was sleeping on my cot outside my buddy’s house in Moab. The fucking throttle jockeys kept the hammer down well after midnight and when I woke up at 06 something, I was greeted with the sounds of the same. It’s inescapable.

[El Chupacabra]

I went to Moab during Easter Jeep Safari once, on a 4x4 group trip - ie we were there for the Safari - and it sucked.

Can you sleep through welding, grinding, wrenching noises in the campground? I couldn't.

It's a redneck hellhole for that week.

[raisingarizona13]

Mountain bikers still go to Moab?

Crazy.

[Canada1]

I've been there during jeep week and just went south and camped 35 minutes out of town toward Monticello. You could also go out towards Cisco, and split the difference with Moab and Fruita. Not as scenic, but you can definitely find someplace to yourself.

[Touring_Sedan]

My boss is a Jeeper and a Moab expert. Even he can't find a place to stay during EJS, and he say's it's gotten exponentially worse in the last two to three years.

[fastfred]

Moab is fucked from mid March to thanks giving every year good luck finding a camp site within 35 miles

[Danno]

Mountain bikers still go to Moab?

Crazy.

It's so crowded nobody goes there anymore.

[grskier]

I've been there during jeep week and just went south and camped 35 minutes out of town toward Monticello. You could also go out towards Cisco, and split the difference with Moab and Fruita. Not as scenic, but you can definitely find someplace to yourself.

I'd argue the scenic part, but yeah, go look around Lower Onion Creek and points east. It's 20+ miles east of town up the river and tripping to Mack - Loma - Fruita - GJ is easy, or... go camp in those areas.

[smmokan]

Definitely go, and post a TR when you get back.

[mmmm...pow!]

Well, fuck me. Haven't been to Moab in way too long, planning a trip for next week, had no idea. Thanks for the inadvertent heads up. Looking for silver linings, would this mean that if I were to find a camp spot a little ways out of town and bring my own food, maybe Arches and the hiking and biking trails would be less crowded while the rednecks are busy destroying other public lands?

[fastfred]

Definitely go, and post a TR when you get back.

please do this

p.s. moab isn't that bad but it's like breckenridge in the desert its a disaster of humanity but a lot of fun and you will enjoy it seriously I love the place but mostly dec thru mid march I'll suck it up next week and be there it will be fun too like a three ring circus of gapers fun

[muted reborn]

Well, fuck me. Haven't been to Moab in way too long, planning a trip for next week, had no idea. Thanks for the inadvertent heads up. Looking for silver linings, would this mean that if I were to find a camp spot a little ways out of town and bring my own food, maybe Arches and the hiking and biking trails would be less crowded while the rednecks are busy destroying other public lands?

No, and Arches is reservation-only this year btw.

[evdog]

maybe Arches and the hiking trails would be less crowded

LOL, keep dreaming. Covid hiking mania is still in full force, as is the crush on National Parks since instagrammers and retarded tourists seem unaware there are actually other places worth visiting.

Fortunately riders get dispersed pretty well on the bike trails and the most popular hikes are in the parks, so you don't see that many hikers on the bike trails.

[Dumbest Known Time]

I was hanging out with some Moab locals this winter and what blew me away is that they're pretty alright with the Jeep gapers when you compare them to the side-by-side jerkoffs. I don't know if its the lower cost of entry or the capabilities of those vehicles but they turned the redneck douchebag jeep culture up to 11.

[BCMtnHound]

Heh. I went down with a friend about 13 yrs ago, had no idea about the jeep week during Apr. We camped out at what was then known as (Bartlet?) wash rock and thoroughly enjoyed our bike adventure. There were a few jeeps and the like around, but far from terrible. A shame, it was gorgeous time of year there.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Fuck. Just randomly stumbled on this thread. Was gonna head down there Thurs through Sunday. I hate fucking weekends but riding buddy coming from Denver can't ride during the week.

Camping WAY out.....like 45+ mins from town is still a shitshow?

[hikesalot]

No, and Arches is reservation-only this year btw.

just fyi : "A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase one day prior to entry at 6 pm MDT through Recreation.gov".

I saw a response from Arches NP on their page on FB that 25% are available the day before:

"25% of the timed entry tickets are not released until 6pm the night before. Make sure you have created an account in recreation.gov before then and be ready to reserve your ticket right when they are released"

[adrenalated]

just fyi : "A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase one day prior to entry at 6 pm MDT through Recreation.gov".

I saw a response from Arches NP on their page on FB that 25% are available the day before:

"25% of the timed entry tickets are not released until 6pm the night before. Make sure you have created an account in recreation.gov before then and be ready to reserve your ticket right when they are released"

Or you could just #overland in through the back door.

[hikesalot]

I suppose that’s what all the Jeep folks will do