Hurricane Cliffs Designated Dispersed Campsites 55-56

Stayed 3 nights in mid-February 2015 and had the whole area to ourselves.

We camped in the first big pull-out that runs right up to the cliff edge. Not much there besides a fire ring and some shotgun shells. Nearly invisible from Highway 9 and far enough away to escape any traffic noise. Great views to the west into the Virgin River canyon, with a few lights from La Verkin far off in the distance.

The access paths/roads are very rutted & rocky – it took some careful driving to avoid tagging any rocks. If I recall, the western-most road offered the best clearance.

The road to the good sites is pretty awful, but once you get out there its great. You have views of the Virgin river below and can see Zion Canyon in the distance. Maybe 20 minutes to get in the park through Springdale. Just a few minutes to get down the road to La Verkin and Hurricane. I think the road and site quality is better off of La Verkin Overlook road next door though.

Definitely one of, if not THE, best desert boondocking. 360 degree views of supreme desert views with the Virgin River keeping your footing honest. Sparrows and Hawks fly by the window each morning and evening, and the geese that wade in the river below add their honks to the ambiance. It is just a bonus that you are within a short drive of Zion National Park as well.

The dirt roads can be a bit rutted, so it is good advice to stop at the first spot you can and go for a walk or take the toad out for a look-see. It is worth the time to scout your spot out first.

Verizon & TMobile signals are OK at the top and slowly degrade the further you drop in elevation (further down the dirt road). A booster makes up for it of you have one, but the speed can be slow at times even with 5 bars of LTE.

Road noise can be heard as well as the occasional faint shooting from a BLM range 2 miles away.

I second Van-Tramp's review! My only caveat is that it gets very slick out here in the rain. It rained on us and getting in/out was pretty difficult. Great spot!

The Virgin Dam area is a large area and there is access to it by at least two roads, so it is best to read all reviews.

We were looking for a spot with easy access to the highway as we had some service issues to resolve, and so we drove up just past a BLM sign coming in from Hurricane. We arrived a bit late and the road we picked was pretty rutted. I would not even consider driving on it after rain. We found nicer sites with better access later in the week, one down the other road to Virgin Dam and another on Sheep Bridge Road (which I also reviewed).

Once in our spot (the first one after taking a right fork), we were just far enough from the road to be ok. Since we were the first rig on this road on the way in, we did have a couple of people stop to ask us if it was ok to camp there, if it was private property etc.

The location was about 25 minutes from Zion National Par, and about 15 minutes from Hurricane. Hurricane has a large grocery store, a Walmart and other facilities. The town right at the entrance of Zion, Springdale, looks very cute and has several restaurants, and a small grocery store.

The area was fine for walking our doggie, there were several small roads in various directions.

Absolutely LOVED it here!

After the BLM sign you have a few entrances, all on the south side of the road.

The first and most noticeable is a very rutted rough entrance, the second is basically a set of tire tracks down to a corral and then goes past the corral and the third is a paved, single lane road.

We took this last one, the paved road. Ultimately it leads down to the damn itself and is gated before you get to the damn. But before you get the gate there is one large spot on the left in a field, then you go through a set of hills and there is a large spot on the left with roads leading further into the desert and a large spot on the right with roads leading further into the desert (eventually even connecting up with those first two entrances I mentioned).

If you continue past these two wide spots there is one more deep spot on your right, it is angled and really best laid out to back into it. Past that is the gate for the damn, and no room to turn around, you would have to back up.

We had turned into the wide spot to the right. We followed this up the hill, the road gets pretty rough and there is a massive dip. It is doable though as we made it up with our truck and 35 ft fifth wheel (52 ft total length). As you head up the hill, past the dip there is a big spot on the left, and then you go further up the road and there is another large circular sot (big enough for multiple rigs) also on the left. This is where we stayed.

Actual coordinates:
37.200376N
113.234268W

The spot was right on the cliff overlooking the gorge. Furthermore it is right above the dam, so you hear the constant roaring of water over the damn, like being right next to a waterfall.

You are far enough away from HWY 9 that you really can't hear it though you can see it.

The damn is light at night, and throws a yellow-orangish light on the cliff walls right in that area. It actually gives it a pretty cool effect.

Past this spot the road splits but either way eventually connects up with the road system from the first entrance off Hwy 9, right past the BLM sign.

In fact we realized that due to the overhang of the fifth wheel we would probably get hung up if we went out the same way we came in, so we very slowly went out the longer way.

We are pretty adventurous and don't mind taking our rig in places others may not, also our Arctic Fox sits pretty high and has decent suspension. Though I think this is a great spot and one of my favorites I HIGHLY recommend checking it out with your tow vehicle or toad first.

Further down hwy 9 the area off Sheep Road does seem much more accessible, they had a bike race going on down there when we came in so all the spots were taken, but I am not complaining I am super happy we ended up where we were.

There was some trash around every spot. Not a ton but a definite sign people had been there before. We picked up about a bag and a halfs worth. The worst thing (at least in the spot we were) was the broken glass. Much harder to pick up. Just had to really watch the puppies paws.

Also, for those traveling with dogs, there is a really nice dog park in Hurricane, that is only about 15 minutes from this area.

AT&T
No Boost:
7.87 Mbps down / 1.98 Mbps up
Boosted
8.85 Mbps down / 2.95 Mbps up

Verizon
No Boost:
3.69 Mbps down / 3.35 Mbps up
Boosted:
5.51 Mbps down / 1.99 Mbps up

We enjoyed our stay here and Zion National Park. As some of the other reviews mention it can be a little tricky to get in here so definitely scout it out before driving your rig in. We stayed in a large spot above the dam. The views are great and it's a pretty easy drive into the park.

One thing to watch out for is rain. The ground is rock hard when dry but will quickly turn into a sticky red mud that would be really bad for 2wd or an RV. Fortunately when it rained for a day we waited for it to dry out and we have a Jeep.

The moutain biking and hiking on the other side of the canyon are great.

Close to the road, then noisy place. Access is difficult with a compact car, drive slowly. Very beautiful landscape over the canyon. There s no water, no restrooms, only wilderness.

My wife and I arrived on a Tuesday morning in early December. The weather has been abnormally dry and warm for this time of year, so we weren't surprised to see a few other camps but overall it was quiet (I imagine it gets very crowded here). There are a few dirt roads and many campsites but few that are great for our train. Rough roads don't help either for bigger rv's. The area is beautiful and pretty close to Zion's main entrance.

Services such as fuel and grocery are only a few miles down the road too. The Maverik fuel stop in La Verkin has rv lanes and a dump (not sure on cost or quality of fresh water). We used Nielson RV in St. George. They had 24hr free dump and good water. If you are the drinking type, the local grocery stores only sell 4% beer and no liquor. There is one abc store in Springdale and one near the I15/9 interchange.

We moved here from North Creek, not for better scenery, but for a little more warmth. North Creek is prettier, and would be better in the summer months, but in December we are trying to not freeze our "pipes." Plus here we get sunrise to sunset sun. It is still a beautiful area. Campsites greatness depends on your rigs abilities.

For access there are at least 2 roads into this area that I have found. It is a large area, at least 1 mile long by half a mile wide. Off of Hwy 9 the entrances are either at the historical marker, which will lead to the dam, or a 1/4 mile West of there on a dirt road that is pretty rutted but doable for almost any rig. From there within a 5 minute dodging drive there are at least 5 big rig easy turn around sites. We pulled in with our 28 towing the car no problem. If you are 4x4ish, the South side of the area along the Virgin River Canyon has 2 fantastic camp areas. We would never make it.

Pretty clean trash wise. No amenities here. Road noise not audible unless if you try. Cell was good, Verizon a bit spotty, never bothered with the booster.

Great tip I picked up from another post... There is a free, no issue, pull up, dump n fill at Mavericks Gas Station in LA Verkin. Happy no stinky travels:)