Rabbit Valley North Designated Camping Area

(June 2017 most recent stay). I stay in this area on my way to and from Denver very often. The road is somewhat rough if you are in a car or a low trailer. I have stayed here in a Subaru forester and a scion FRS so it isn't terrible if you know how to maneuver a car and take it slow. I will be stopping here in Jan of 2019 in a 22 foot Jayco trailer and will update as needed. If you are in a truck you should try to push up the road to Castle Rock campground as it looks beautiful from satellite images. If you are in a long/low trailer or a car I would suggest staying in one of the first spots to the right. It is dry camping with no amenities, but plenty of sunlight for solar! For a free spot I love it!

This was not on our radar. We camped just below on the other side of the highway. Went for an atv ride and found this spot. You can hear a bit of the highway. Loved this place!!!!

400 ft. Of elevation gain as you leave the highway on a well-maintained dirt road. Great views and incredible sunrise. Clean sites with a picnic table and fire pit. We will definitely return.

Much better than camping outside of Grand Junction. The spots are clean and have a fire pit and picnic table. The campground is near i70 but the road noise is minimal, plus views are great in all directions. There is one vault toilet on the side with sites 4-15, and site 4 (I believe) is directly across from it. It was locked and winterized when we stayed early February. The spots were all different sizes, even some for big rigs. Spot 8 seems to be the best spot with small trees to block the wind and provide privacy, but the dirt was extremely loose and rain was predicted so this wasn’t the spot for us. Ended up at spot 6 and we had views out all windows! Cell service is great, almost full bars with AT&T. Oh, and did I mention there are cows roaming around? Someone comes to herd them a few times a day but they typically stayed a distance from the actual camping area. The road getting up here is in good condition but it is narrow and a little steep with a drop off, I made it up here just fine in my Promaster.

This campsite was quiet and the views were amazing! The perfect stop between Boulder and Moab.

The road in wasn’t bad at all for our small trailer and there were plenty of big RVs in the campground as well.

We will be back!

I stayed here the night of May 29, 2021 with a 26' Class C motorhome.

There are 15 marked campsites at the top of the mountain. From site #10 on you are far enough from the I-70 to almost not hear it anymore. The dirt road up to the top is well maintained; on the top itself it gets rocky - which is not a problem if you drive very slow. When I arrived here on a Wednesday early afternoon at least half of the sites were still available (the sites are anyway so much spread out that more than RVs could camp there if needed). All sites have fire rings and picnic tables.

Great place with great views!

I would come here again. However, if I would be late and just wanting something for the night I would next time probably go to Rabbit Valley South (called "Rabbit Valley Camping Area" here on Compendium) as it is easier to get to, especially if it is already dark.

A strange thing happened, though. When I left the next morning I noticed two hand prints on the driver side of the rig (which were definitely not put there by me). Upon examining them closely I came to the conclusion that someone had stepped onto the sideboard, grabbed with the right hand the mirror, and placed the left hand first very low and then higher onto the glass - probably in order to look into the rig. It must have happened in the night. I did not notice anything while sleeping. Nothing more happened, but the idea that someone did this makes me feel uncomfortable. It's certainly a good reminder to always check that all doors are locked.

Wifi
Verizon is off and on, but generally getting more than 30/30 up n down.
TMobile Home Internet is consistently blazing at 75/50 up and down. I've been doing video calls and design uploads with large video files all week.
Att is 3g.
The tower is on a mountain to the east of this camping area, so the further you go from the entrance, the better it is.

Access. Great. Put the trailhead into your gps though or else you'll pass it. Exit 2 west bound. It's steep uphill fyi and does have a hairpin turn, but there's a 30 ft class c up here with us, so it's accessible. There's also spots at the bottom.

There are a ton of spots if you look at satellite on your maps. The best spots with picnic tables and fire rings overlooking the valley are the 3rd and 4th turn out looking areas. These actually have like two to three camping spots each, so it's bigger than it seems on maps. The final one at the end is shitty and rocky. I wouldn't want to camp there even in a tent. The rest are flat and easy access.

Rabbit Valley Exit and then turn right, if heading toward UT.
Follow the gravel road that leads west out of the lot.
You will climb up and around a switchback and then see a turn off for spots 1,2,3 or keep climbing a bit, and take a right, past the long drop toilet.
I believe there are at least 4 -6 spots along that upper ridge.

Things can be bumpy but just drive slow.
There will be some ohv activity on the South side of the exit.

The views are great. Quiet for the most part. Some highway noise but it's nominal.

Just at the entrance of McInis Canyons, just staying in the lot over night. Along i70.

Beautiful views and spacious sites. I recommend site #2 or #3 but the higher sites may have less hwy noise.