Smithsonian Butte Dispersed Camping

According to regulations, you need to be 0.5 miles from the main byway to camp. Beware the temptation to camp at the numerous spots close to the main road as they have been handing out $125 fines. We camped about 0.3 miles in after passing another group. It does get a bit rough and tight in spots after the first 0.1 miles or so. Also, be wary of rain as the roads get impassible (the main Smithsonian Byway even). The quiet and solitude is astounding. A great little escape from the busy tourist camping spots near the canyon.

Need a 4 wheel drive if coming from Rockville. If you don't want to risk a flat tire or any damage, take the long way around to gooseberry mesa from the east side. Busy tourist season in July when we stayed but only 2 other campers on the whole mesa. Never heard a peep. Sunrises are worth waking up to.

Incridible Landscape.

There s no water, no restrooms, just wilderness. At the entrance of Zion Park. Very quiet place.

CAUTION: if you want to get to the top you have to ride a REAL 4x4. Even big cars cant go up.

Would definitely recommend having off-road capabilities, the dirt road has some washed out areas here and there from runoff. I used a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 and made it up the slight grade no problem. There are sites on your left and right that are marked as campsites and you can pick which one you’d like! Nice views and a short drive (about 15-20mins) to the Zion park entrance.

To start off the review, we stayed 1 night at another BLM. Virgin Dam and needed to relocate due to very high winds and a sad, cold night.
I initially did not select this spot due to the said possible rough road conditions, recommending a 4x4, but after running into a few people at the park who made it in a Subaru and trailer - we went for it. While conditions may not be appropriate for all cars due to a few steep hills and off road terrain, we have 4x2 truck and handled it without issue.

Pros:
-free and pretty!
-Lots of trees, big rocks.. more of a wildnerness vibe than the initial BLM we camped at.
-Close the Virgin River and lots of land to explore.
-Conveniently close to the Zion Park and city of Springdale (10 minutes including 1.8miles of off roading)
-Fairly easy to find

Cons:
-To some, the need to maneuver around uneven, off road terrain (but it was an adventure to us)
-The need to drive several miles in to find a site ( camping 0.5 miles off the road, followed by several “no camping” signs)
-Lots of ATV tours around the same location, and roads all day (not an issue for us as we were out most of the days, all day)

We will defiantly be back to this spot on our next trip :)

Tips to help find the land:
Off SR-9 heading into Zion, in the city of Rockville, turn right on Bridge Road (residential area, you will see the brown bridge at the end of a short road)
Continue on passed ranch style houses on your right.
You will pass over a cattle grate.
Continue to follow the road, up to the end where a sign greets you on the left..
Our location from the main entrance here to the turn off was 1.8 miles on the right (must ascend the infamous among moutiain bikers “cry baby hill”... you’ll see why if you drive it)

Like others have mentioned, sections of the road can be rough. The first part of the road is ok with few large rocks or ruts. Just about anything can make it to the first few campsites. After that, I definitely recommend a high clearance vehicle because of the large, loose rocks and the numerous ruts. 4x4 shouldn’t be necessary though.

The campsites get better as you get toward the top of the steep hill. Most I checked out have an excellent panoramic view of the mountains. There aren’t many tall shade trees but the thick brush provides a lot of privacy.

The Wire Mesa trail is close if you find yourself wanting to take a beautiful hike.

The only negative comment I have is that the gnats were relentless throughout the afternoon and into the evening. I had fortunately packed a mosquito net (for a different part of my trip) and used it the entire time. I went to my tent early after I grew tired of the incessant buzzing.

This campsite was amazing!! We may have just lucked out but there was no one camped out on the point at the top of the hill and we snagged the furthest spot with amazing views. Four wheel drive definitely needed to go the full way off of the scenic bypass road however there is plenty of sites available for those without high clearance 4WD. I will say, come in from the Apple Valley side as the road is much better and you don’t have to face the big hill. Overall amazing site even on a 100* day!

From Apple Valley take the scenic road about 2.5-3 miles (we didn’t actually measure it) and there will be a left turn marked with a big wooden post and rocks. This is where you’ll need the 4WD to get all the way back. Plenty of awesome sites 1/2 mile off the road that are still accessible.

This campsite was so epic we had to come back for a second night. After reading all the reviews we were thinking the road would be too rough (in our ford e350 van) but didn’t run into trouble coming from the Apple valley rd side from vegas.
Coming from that direction, Wire Mesa is the last before you hit the rough roads, which were fine driving downwards.
Crisp clear views of Zion and everything from a wee cliff perch. Will 100% be back here.

Stayed here 3 nights in mid July, the weather was a little hot. And nights were fresh. The road was a little tough I took my 2018 Ford Mustang with total 4 people including myself. With fully loaded trunk and travel bag. Definitely would recommend someone experienced going up the road or down if you have a smaller car. Overall the campsites were great. Location was perfect. Definitely would recommend this place if you have some knowledge of camping

Bumpy ride up, to be expected. Ample room and insane views, definitely recommend staying here.