Horseshoe Knoll Dispersed Camping & OHV Area

HORSESHOE KNOLL ATV AREA
This camping area is on the east side of Utah Highway 196 (Skull Valley Road) between mile-marker 28 and 29. It is across the road from "Horseshoe Springs". I remember coming to this area 25 years ago, when I was an assistant scoutmaster. As we pulled in, we discovered a wheel wobbling on the Scoutmaster's trailer. I spent the day replacing the wheel bearings, while the scouts did other activities.
If you own some dirt bikes, or an A.T.V, this is a WONDERFUL PLAYGROUND for you. You can climb hills, or zig-zag up among the trees. One place I drove my Tahoe into, I found myself in a continuous banked circle bowl that might leave you dizzy.

My wife and I are looking for good camping spots for Campendium. We arrived around 3pm on a Monday in May. We found 2 other big rigs pulling toy trailers parked along the main dirt road.

The 6 or 7 camping spots are along the main road (see my map). Each camp spot is large enough for two or three big rigs to park together. Unfortunately, this is open land, with no shade. I tried to drive my Tahoe up among the trees, looking for a shady camp spot, but the roads up the hills are too steep and too narrow for my 25' trailer. If you have a small camper-van or pickup with camper, you could probably find a shady spot. However, being up among the trees may subject you to a lot of noise and dust as other people enjoy this playground.

On the west side of the highway is "HORSESHOE SPRINGS", so named because the springs are in the shape of a horseshoe. There is a circular parking area, and a path to walk along the shore of the springs. Unfortunately, I use an electric cart, and the walk-way crossed over a log, making it impossible for me to follow the trail.
Would I camp here again? probably not, because I am too old to drive a motorcycle. As a younger family, we had 3 dirt bikes.

The campsite is conveniently off I-80, about 10 min down skull valley rd—totally silent, secluded. Bunch of campfires, but pretty buggy at night. All around completely fine campsite....but across the road (skull valley) is dugway blm land’s hottest new spot!!! Horseshoe springs pops the heck off!!!! She glitters! She’s cleaner than your countertops!!! She’s sooo cool. Seriously you are doing something wrong if you’re not starting your morning with a dip in god’s glass of gourmet ice water with your hot boyfriend on your cross country road trip in his homemade camper!! Something to consider.

People living here full time with run down campers, trash and glass everywhere. We didn’t stay.

This area is nondescript and very secluded. I stayed in the "Skull Valley OffRoad Camping Area" and there are a ton of different points you can park atop. Mine had a fire ring already in place. I saw two spread out so there are flatter areas at the bottom for those vehicles. It was very quiet and beautiful. I hade great cell service too. Its most silty and shrub on the ground.

So many flies. Also dust.

From maps this looks like a large area, and for overland setups and smaller 4x4 rigs you might get more spots - but I drove as far as I could with a full size truck and counted 7 spots with fire rings and maybe 2 more that would be tolerable under duress. Those 7 spots are huge and will fit any size rig and multiple rigs for large parties. The rest of this area is sharply elevated and suitable for utv/atv/dirtbike access, and looks like it'd be great fun, but you aren't getting a trailer into most of it.

Keeping dust outside is impossible. As is keeping the flies out. But good news, they are stupid and easily killed - just don't plan on going in and out very often. If I went back I'd plan on hanging bug netting from my awning and staying inside it.

The spring across the road is also nice - lots of guys fishing if that's your thing. Too much algae and muck for swimming and not safe for small children.

We drove in on a Monday afternoon. There was one motor home immediately to the right of the entrance. This is the only place that you’ll find anything that is near level. The silt is up to three inches deep and as a previous review stated, it is impossible to keep it out of the rig. The house flies were terrible when we were there. The map that was posted in the photos is very misleading. We are in a 40’ MH and Boondockers a LOT but we will not come back and don’t recommend for any MH.