City of Rocks Campground

We stumbled upon the City of Rocks NR, purely by accident, on our way from Oregon to southern Utah in October. What looked like an intriguing side trip only about 30 miles off the interstate became one of our favorite places during our five week road trip. There are several ways into the park, and the dirt road through is well-maintained.

The City is a mecca for rock-climbers and many of the 64 sites were populated with young, lithe and wiry groups of these focused athletes. Thankfully, our 22 foot van fit snugly between the giant boulders that line the camping sites along the valley. There are a half dozen centrally located vault toilets that anchor each cluster of camping sites. Water is available at Bath Rock and Emery Pass. We got no Verizon signal at all.

Half of the sites are reserve-able, the others a walk-in only. We felt really lucky to have found a perfect site with outstanding views on a whim.

As hikers, we were in the minority, but we found some challenging and scenic trails to keep us occupied. Each morning and evening one could look out along the rock silhouettes and see fellow colorfully garbed campers taking in the incredible sunrises-and-sets.

Because no generators are permitted and each site's unique shape was dictated by granite fins and boulders, longer trailers and RVs would fare much better at the nearby Smoky Mountain Campground in the Castle Rock State Park. Internet is great there, and full hookups with hot showers are available.

The tiny town of Almo has a gas station and grocery store with the essentials, and free wifi can be had at the Ranger station just outside of the park.

Arrived mid day, sunny crisp. Sites are layed out on a twisty, sometimes washboarded gravel road which winds upslope from the valley floor. Most sites are located just off the main road on short spurs. Many are tucked in and around spectacular granite outcrops. Amazing scenery, rock formations, quiet and respectful neighbors. Whether you are a rock climber or not, this location is stunning. Dont miss it.

The campground is stretched out over the rocky landscape making most sites secluded. Pit toilets are spread out throughout the campground. Most spots are not flat and are not suitable for large RVs. Campers vans and trucks can find a flat spot but site 50 isn't recommended. Cell Service is sparse to non-existent. We found a single bar of LTE at our site and the ones above us but below 3G was the best we could find. Getting here from the northeast is easy on paved road. We came from the south over the mountains and the dirt/gravel roads were rough.

City of Rocks had reservations for every site. We went outside the Reserve on Emory Canyon road. There are several turn outs on the road. Some big enough for a group some are just a single site. Pastoral Sage brush area with cattle. We had a single site. If we were staying a few nights in the area we would keep the site.

We came late without reservations, and found a spot without an issue. They have a pay box for the FCFS.

We have a 37ft A class. plenty Of spots that were big enough. Wash board roads on the exit, just know it will take you longer.

Each site had a tent site, fire ring & picnic tables

They are sit back from the roads within the beautiful rocks!

Well maintained

We have AT& T, and almost no service. Everyone once in a while walking around we would have texts come through. But it’s safe to assume no service from AT&T.

Would come again, without question!

Great place. Only 14 spots for TT or Rv. Tight and uneven. These rugs should Park at one of the Rv spots in town. . Vans and truck campers are fine. H2o in town at visitors center.

Stayed: 5/13/2021 - $14/night plus $10 reservation fee
Site: 61
Vehicle: Volkswagen Atlas
Equipment: Tent
AT&T and T-Mobile: No Service

This is a very unique campground. Sites are dispersed throughout the entire park, as opposed to being condensed into one central location. It makes for some very unique and private sites - no two alike.

We went for site 61 for two reasons. 1) It was the most private that was remaining, even though 2) it was very close to a bathroom. Most of the sites near bathrooms, were more grouped together. The bathroom itself is less than a 1 min walk from the site. We had one neighbor on the other side of us, but you could only see them if you walked by to go to the bathroom. I think that site 61 could be the most private of all, with site 63 having some of the most beautiful sunset views (pictured).

This site was also nice, because it is tucked-in next to a large rock wall, blocking the wind coming from the north.

Do be aware, that Area 7 of the campground (sites 61-64), are at a much higher elevation. Driving to the site from the main part of the park, we climbed over 1,000 feet (up a winding, dirt road), ending at 7,000+ feet. So, the temperature is going to be a little different than it is when you’re checking the weather in Almo. It was about a 10º difference when we were there.

Overall, this is a very nice campground with a fire ring and picnic table. All pictures are from Site 61, with the exception of the sunset from Site 63.

#DareToEverywhere

Arrived in Almo from the Northeast and filled up with water at the Ranger Station and grabbed some maps from the super helpful ranger there.

Our spot was amazing! Plenty of room to land our 20' trailer and plenty of sun for solar and a huge rock where the table was at for shade. There was great bouldering all around us with a few great 5.7 and 5.8 short routes with top anchors just a short walk away. This is great spot to land for bouldering, easy top rope routes for beginners or kiddos and amazing views of the valley. Site 15 is in the Group 3 area. All of the climbing and hiking is a short driving distance from this area.

Only negatives for this spot was there was a significant friendly bee population that was living in the tent pad where our friends were planning on putting down their tent. Also, the driveway you land in is large but you do need to share it with two other walk in sites where cars could be coming and going. Our neighbors were awesome so that made a huge difference.

There is a dump site just outside of Almo leading in to the park. When we were there we could dump but there was no water for doing a flush.

I would say a 20' trailer, camper or van setup would work in most of the spots that I looked at but anything bigger would definitely want to consider their options. My site required me to go up a steeper gravel road and do a back job on a curve that would have been tricky with anything bigger than my truck and trailer.

The historic store that is in Almo had most super basic needs including ice, expensive gas and Ice Cream! There is another store in Almo called Rock City with beer, pizza and other goods centered on climber but it was closed all of the 4 days we were there.

Bit windy. Much easier to get to if you come in from the NE. We came in from the west and it was miles of dirt roads.
The views were amazing and the campsites were spread out and pretty private. We’re totally going back. Wish there were more restrooms though. And it was hard to find the pay station.

This was an unexpectedly cool place to stay. I found my site with the help of another person staying there. It is a little tight to search out the open site list the office gives you. So, that was appreciated. My site was beautiful and only steps from the vault toilet. There's plenty to do here. I would spend two nights the next time to take my time exploring, but wow. No hook ups or water, so not an issue for the time of year I was there.