Little Spencer Flat Dispersed Camping

We rolled into Escalante with little hope of finding a boondocking spot with usable cell service. Driving through town didn't give us much hope as we got zero Verizon and only extended AT&T. But we kept going and were rewarded with an amazing spot on Spencer Flat Rd. that not only had a view like no other, but also great cell service!

A few notes about the signal for those who need to be connected for work like us. The signals that I've reported are with a booster (also the boosted Verizon was actually LTE not 4G, but the form doesn't allow me to report it that way). Without the booster you can expect little to no AT&T, and 2-3 bars of intermittent Verizon 4G. Even with the booster the Verizon cut out a lot, and we often switched over to AT&T. To re-cap: If you're on vacation and only a need to make a few phone calls or check e-mail this spot it perfect. If you live and work full-time from your RV and need a consistent, strong signal, you're going to want a cell booster here.

As for the spot itself, the coordinates where we stayed are: 37.723202, -111.4384172. To get there you need to travel about two miles down Spencer Flat Rd. For the most part the road was in good shape, but there is one steep section with a tight turn that you have to navigate. I posted a photo of our rig going down this grade. Our spot was basically a wide turn-off with the road on one side and impressive cliff on the other. We had two RVs in there, but could have easily fit one of two more.

That said, because of the presence of several trees and shrubs that could make it difficult to maneuver and turn around I would say this spot is only suitable for medium size rigs. So NO 40' motorhomes! If you do have a bigger RV, the better spot for you would be the large open meadow at the start of Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Tons of room there for RVs of all size.

Spencer Flat Rd. also has a handful of other designated camping spots (look for the brown sign with a tent symbol), but all the rest were smaller than this one and really only suitable for small trailers or vans.

A few more things to know:
- This is a free range cattle area. While no cows came into our site, the evidence that they were once there was all over.
- There are no ground fires allowed here. If you want to have a campfire you'll need to bring a raised metal container.
- Like all of our public lands this area has a 14 day limit. Please observe this limit so others can enjoy this spot too!
- The RV park in town has a dump station that you can use for $15, and the Grand Staircase Visitor Center has a fresh water spigot for filling jugs.
- For excellent pizza in town check out the Escalante Outfitters.

The road was washed in about a mile and a half in, our two wheel drive could not make the trek! A jeep could probably make the climb.

Easy access with 4WD. Designated dispersed camping sites are limited and are far removed from each other. This area offers the best boondocking experience. Epic scenery, starry nights, and absolute quiet. No water, no dump, pack it in- pack it out. No ground fires allowed, firepan burning only. This is cattle grazing country; beware of cow piles. The site I was in was so clean. I was very impressed that there was no microtrash or charcoal ash. So Big thanks to the previous camper. It’s important to me to leave it as I found it. I hope the next campers enjoy it as much as I did and help to keep it clean as well.

Drove about 2 miles in until we found the road impassable (& had quiet the time backing our van back up a steep rock hill- scout ahead!). These sites are very spread out. We found two together right at the entrance, another group of maybe 4 sites in a circle off a side road & room for 3-4 sites along a windswept ridge at 1.8 miles (where we ended up). The next morning we rode our motorcycle a few more miles down the road & saw a few more spaced out sites.

In the end, I think we found the best spot here. Amazing views, very quiet & clean. No AT&T cell service & no open fires. Would definitely stay here again!

The road is pretty sketchy, but passable if you drive carefully. All the sites were full by 5:00 on a Tuesday night, so if you’re rolling in late, I’d pass this one by and go further down the road.

The location was great with beautiful 360 degree views! It is just between Calf Creek Recreation area and the town of Escalante. It was hard to find a good flat spot for a two person tent so we just slept in our car. The road is located right at mile marker 70.

There are a couple OK spots in the first half-mile, after that proceed at own risk...road is crazy rutted and you'll high-center many vehicles and all but the highest-clearance rigs. And each side of the 'road' has a berm so there is no turning around with any kind of towable or larger RV...and backing out will NOT be a fun time, believe me. Keep on driving and skip this one is my advice.

I brought my stock Tacoma and had minor difficulties getting to the spot (2 right turn). Lots of sand to get stuck in and huge rocks that’ll make ya bottom out if you’re not careful. Good spot, very close to calf creek to begin lower calf creek falls hike. No campfires allowed in camp sites, only camp in designated spots. Small trees, little to no shade. I have Verizon and only had text/call service, no 4g/internet. Friend had AT&T and had no service, same at calf creek campground. Best part is secluded and quiet! Most spots are a good distance from one another.

We camped at 37.727401,-111.439998 down a side road with spots for 2 or 3 rigs.
Campendium reviews indicate that it's dangerous for rvs but we had no problem. Several miles in, there's a dip in the road that might cause you to drag but that's the only spot that concerned us. A guy even came out and warned us (while we were scouting spots in our Jeep) that it was too dangerous for our rig- "well, its YOUR class A" he said, rolling his eyes, when we said we were still going to check it out. Honestly, there were some amazing spots with amazing views and the only reason we DIDN'T take our 32 ft Adventurer up further is that all the spots were taken. On a Wednesday night! We settled for an open spot in the valley between two gorgeous cliff areas but we had no view due to the desert trees. Oh well. You can't get too picky at sunset. The moon was incredible and I bet the moonlit views from other sites were amazing. I would suggest not going further than the area we camped (easy to turn around here or the next turnout down where there is an area for loading/unloading cattle) unless you scout ahead &make sure there are spots available.

Didn’t know what we were pulling into late at night and we found a spot right next to the cliff edge of some amazing views of Grand-Escalate the next morning!!! Access is pretty good, kind of sandy and rocky in some spots, but we made it in a Toyota Prius just fine! Would stay here again for sure!