Comb Wash Campground

Comb Wash is a very large, bare dirt, boondock area with at least four separate sections, each of which could handle several rigs. It is located south of Highway 95 on the west side of Comb Ridge. There are two concrete outhouses in the third section (counting from the entrance) but much of that area had two to three inches of very fine dust on the surface so I stayed away, given the chance of rain in the forecast. Essentially all of these unpaved county roads are clearly signed “Impassable When Wet.”

I chose a spot that could get me southern exposure for the solar panel and had a firm gravel base. I thought I might get some road noise, but there hasn’t been much traffic and while I’m visible from the road, I’m not hearing it. Speaking of traffic, the Comb Wash road is not just an entrance to this boondocking area. It continues all the way south from Highway 95 to Highway 163 south of Bluff so there is some through traffic.

When I arrived midday on Wednesday in mid-April, I was the third visible unit in the area (based on what I could see from the highway as I descended Comb Ridge.) Three others arrived late in the afternoon and departed the next day. There was a lot of people arriving on Thursday, many with ATVs in tow.

There are untold numbers of hikes in the Cedar Mesa area, both documented and freestyle. This location makes a great base for viewing ruins in the area. It apparently also make a great base for exploring the extensive network of dirt roads.

In addition to this location, there are three (two large, one small) boondock possibilities on the north side of Highway 95 in Comb Wash that I noticed. The first is .2 mile from the highway but has a thick layer of fine dirt in the entrance. The second is .4 mile from the highway, and the small one is .5 mile from the highway, just before the road passes through the Ute Mountain tribe reservation. I really liked the second one, but I was too lazy to hook up and move. Check first before driving an RV in because there isn’t any convenient turn around if they’re already occupied.

There wasn’t any glimmer of AT&T signal and I wouldn’t expect Verizon either.

The sites at Comb Wash are minimalist but have good views of Comb Ridge. We saw one or two vault toilets in Comb Wash but didn't check out the conditions. We didn't see any spigots for water and there wasn't water in the creek that was behind where we parked. There are two medium size areas to boondocks right by the entrance of Comb Wash off of Hwy 95 that can fit several RVs. There are more sites further from the entrance but you will have to drive through a thicker layer of sand to reach those. Because of the heavy rain in the forecast we didn't venture there with the RV and just took the spot closest to the hwy. We did ride our bikes down the road later and saw several larger size RVs parked there and decided that the sand would not be an issue as long as we weren't heading in or out during a rainstorm.

Despite being right by Hwy 95, there was hardly any noise from the hwy, there was more noise from within the wash. We really enjoyed our first two days there, but by the second evening the place was packed with RVs. It's an extremely popular and well-known boondocking sites, especially for dirt bikers and ATVers.

We did have a negative incident happen at Comb Wash, but it's not the fault of the site. Someone ran into our RV with their RV while it was parked and we were out exploring. They didn't leave a note or stay to apologize or pay for the damages.

There are lots of hiking trails in Comb Wash that lead to all kinds of ancient ruins in addition to more off Hwy 95 in both directions in other washes. Comb Wash is really close to House on Fire and about 20 miles from Natural Bridges National Monument.

We didn't have any Verizon signal while at Comb Wash, but we got signal when we drove about 5 miles in either direction on Hwy 95.

While we really enjoyed staying there we are slightly hesitant to go back because of how busy it was.

Comb Wash is a busy, busy spot for campers and off-roaders.

We pulled in on a Saturday evening in March and rigs were scrambling to grab the last spots. Most sites are in loose red dirt, which was fine for our little AWD camper van, but may be a challenge for others.

We ended up sharing the first large pull off on the right with a 5th wheel and an RPod. Close quarters but not a big deal for one night. Most other campers were respectful, though there was a fair amount of generator noise.

Don't attempt to camp here when wet. This road would turn greasy in a heartbeat.

Overall, not a bad place to spend a night, but I wouldn't recommend it as a destination in itself.

No Verizon coverage.

Worked out great as we bounced through Natural Bridges area. Coming from NB, we took the right at bottom of descent and pulled into fist space(s) on the right. Room for three or four rigs right there. We hurried to leave in the a.m. to beat the incoming rain. Glad we did as it would surely have been a mess.

Coming from the Netherlands!
This was a nice place. Easy to find. There were trees and grass, I love green!
We stayed here on 7 may.
There is a toilet, but we diddn't use that.

A friend and I were traveling in our vehicles, and had attempted to stay at a spot near Bluff, but didn't like the vibe with the locals. My buddy had stayed here before, so we drove the 30ish miles to get Fromm bluff to here.
Nice, quiet site. Occasional car traffic passes by, but doesn't disturb you. Coyotes sang us to sleep.
I can see this being a very popular place with off-road enthusiasts, so I'd assume it can get quite busy.
A lot of downed trees, so there's no reason not to have a campfire. Just remember to make sure it is completely extinguished.
Sunset on the giant rock wall, was nice to watch.

We stayed here over the Memorial Day weekend. The main camp ground was full but I found some great dispersed camping across Hwy 95 just north of the main campground. Perfect spot for spring or wall camping, summer gets very hot. No cell service (AT&T) at the camp site but good coverage when you get out of the wash.

Centrally located for visiting natural bridges, valley of the gods, and monument valley. Very pretty area, nice to have trees. The road was smooth although I only drove 1/4 mile. No cell service. Nearest town is Blanding that has all you need. Some traffic with side by side tours and of course other campers but it is spaced out nicely so it’s not bad at all. I felt safe!

Ps please please please pick up your trash. 🤍

We spent 2 nights here in April. It's typical of BLM desert camping, dusty and dry. When the wind blows, which it did, sand is in everything. There are plenty of sites both north and south of U95. We were south about a 1/4 mile and had a large area to ourselves. Any sized rig can find a spot here and they are mostly level.

There are several things to see and do in the area and this spot was an easy drive to them such as Mule Canyon hiking. Natural Bridges National Monument was only a little over a 1/2 hour west. At night it was dead quiet and we were there on a weekend.

Stayed one night after visiting bears ears. Limited shade, vault toilets (did not use), sandy red dirt but amazing views. No trash or water. Dry camping.
It hit 108° in my non air conditioned camper in late June (in the shade).