Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, and then Colorado!

[StageCat]

We're going to explore the Utah parks and then to Grand Junction, Gunnison, Mesa Verde & Durango. Hoping to take the Durango train to Silverton (again!) and we've decided to skip Ouray & Teluride this trip (maybe). Would love advice for camping in / around / or near the parks - boon docking or otherwise. We know there are fires going on and I-70 is open now. We are excited about spending time at these places. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[babock]

Hope you have reservations. We did Zion and Captial Reef in October 2018. Made reservations 6 months before. This year is even worse.

[La Plata View]

Unfortunately the Durango Narrow Gauge isn't running to the full distance from Durango to Silverton this year. Partly due to COVID restrictions but the main reason is a bridge wash out 5 miles south of Silverton.

https://durangoherald.com/articles/3...s-to-silverton

As for boondocking near Mesa Verde check out the area NE of Mancos. There's also a NFS campground east of Mancos called Target Tree.

[A2pfunk]

Last summer we did Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, New Mexico and Colorado. We were with the kids, though so our mileage may vary.

We had the kids keep up a blog about the 17 day trip...
Those Truckin' Maguires: Day 1: The Southwest Adventure Begins

[dalford]

We did the trip in 2019 For Zion and Bryce we stayed at Bauer’s Ranch Canyon Rv Park. Bauer’s rv.com Nothing fancy but easy trip to Zion and Bryce.

On your way back from Zion stop at the Rock Shop for a capachino or espresso or a vanilla ice cream cone. Very nice people. Also some nice sandstone art. Rock Stop shop Orderville

For Capitol Reef we stayed at Wonderland RV Park, right out of the Park. https://capitolreefrvpark.com/

[Trailer traveler]

Near Bryce Canyon there are a number of campgrounds and dispersed camping areas in the Dixie National Forest. Red Canyon is a popular one. There is also Kodachrome Basin State Park. Near capitol Reef, we have also stayed at Wonderland. Thousand Lakes in Torrey is also popular. There are campgrounds and dispersed camping opportunities in the Fishlake National Forest. There is a lot to see along the UT-12 Scenic Byway that you will miss if you just drive through. I recommend exploring it for at least a day from each end.