McCoy Flat Road Dispersed Camping

Wanted a free option after 4 days at Dinosaur that had some mountain biking close by.

Came out here and were very pleased by the sites. Big, accessible, quick to access. Really good/fast Verizon and AT&T.

Paved road in with lots of places to camp for any size rig. We went 3&1/2 miles back, close to town with Wal-Mart in Vernal. Very quiet.

We are ina 36ft class A, so our options are limited here but we managed to find a nice spot next to the trailhead. Both verizon and att are super fast at 20mb down - towers are right down the road. Ride right from the campsite to all kinds of trails. It’s 80 here and crap weather back in CO. This is now on our full time spring/fall rotation.

Arrive late on a Saturday to the trail head parking area with sheltered picnic tables and vaulted toilet. Everyone was leaving so I decided to just pull off to the side in the spacious parking area and stay there for the night. Amazing view in all directions. Watched the sun set on one side while the full moon rose on the other. Saw lots of sign of deer and coyotes in my wandering but no actual sightings. Woke to the sound of the birds singing.

There are many side roads off the main road for a better camping. Easy access and close to the town of Vernal for supplies

I don't know why the other reviewers gave this spot only four stars, this place ticks all the boxes for us - it's fantastic. We probably went farther down the road (to the right) from the coordinates on Campendium than most people. We backed in about 500 yards because there isn't anywhere to turn around all the way to a site that perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking a gorgeous view. The last 50 yards was a little tricky, at first, our bumper touched bottom, so we re-aligned over to the side (you can see previous tire tracks did the same) and we got in fine.

There are miles and miles of bike trails here. We walked a different trail every evening. Here's a great map: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8011585/mccoy-flats-non-motorized-trail-complex

I did have one unsettling experience during our stay. One afternoon, I was alone in the trailer on a work call when there was an aggressive knock on the door. In retrospect, I shouldn't have answered it, but I did. I told the man I was on a call for work and could not talk. He identified himself as a "BLM Officer" and told me that he was more important than my work call. He asked me when we arrived and if anyone was in our spot before us. I said no, and mentioned that there was another rig down the way. He wanted to know when they left, and then said that was all he wanted to know and went on his way. He wasn't in uniform and didn't show me any ID. I'm really on the fence as to whether or not this guy was really a BLM ranger, but at least nothing came of it.

Cell service wasn't a problem, we worked during the day and streamed TV at night.

Verizon - DOWNLOAD: 20.5 Mbps, UPLOAD: 4.45 Mbps
AT&T - DOWNLOAD: 13.1 Mbps, UPLOAD: 12.1 Mbps

Lovely spot in the middle of stunning vistas. And it’s free!

There are plenty of spaces to pull over and if you are brave there are some hills that you can pull the trailer up and get the best view! At the top, got some cRaZy winds but the views and the sunrises and sunsets were amazing!!! We stayed here so we could explore Dinosaur National Monument which was about a 40ish minute drive away. Oh the reception at the top of the hill was awesome too so I was able to do my normal work and video conference meetings! The town of Vernal is not far and there are a couple grocery stores. We were able to go to one of the Texaco’s that allowed you to fill water for free. Just outside the area was a scenic view that had a “travelers only dumpster.” That was the first time we have seen that and it was pretty awesome to have an easy pull off to dump trash! Definitely recommend this spot! Tons of bike trails and areas to walk! We stayed mid September!

First, this is a BEAUTIFUL site for camping and biking. I was in heaven when I first arrived...

Then came all of the staring. When I picked a spot, people actually drove by super slow eye-balling my van. It was so rude and it is behavior that seems to persist at campgrounds throughout Utah. It's such a crazy thing to do. It's a campground. People are camping. Why does that require staring?

I moved to a higher position where I had outstanding cell service and could view all of the beauty around me. The first few nights, I just noticed a lot of "regular car" traffic. They would come late in the evening and late at night.

The last day I was there, I heard gunfire that seemed close and it was coming from the plateau (the grassy area all the way at the top which is a nice place to camp but that's where the shooting is...). I didn't think anything of it. But then later that night, it was after 10pm and I hard constant gun fire and it was super close. It was coming from that grassy area near the road. I packed up my stuff in the middle of the night and drove back down to the trailhead where I had a very nervous night's sleep. I left early that morning!

BTW a mouse was under my van when I backed out so you do run the risk of getting mice in your rig there.

I was visited by the ranger there on my first day. He just told me the length of the stay I was allowed and asked if I had any questions. It was good to see the place was monitored.

Like so many free places to camp in Utah, they are absolutely amazing but get ruined quickly by unsafe target shooting practices. I never had this issue in Arizona. People did a lot of hunting and target shooting there but never where everyone else is actually camped.

It may be awesome when you go but this was my experience.

There are so many great spots to camp. We had four cars and and found a perfect spot. Only downfall was the little tiny noseeums that chewed me up but that’s everywhere in Utah right now. We camped in a spit that was a mile and a half down the road on the left. Up in a hilly spot with some nice small trees for a t least a little bit of shade.

Paved road in! Several miles of paved road in! Take one of the many dirt road offshoots to find a site.

Only a few miles from town. Vernal has everything one might need and is a very nice town. Near Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur National Monument, Green River River rafting, petroglyph sites (McKonkie Ranch), rivers, lakes, and the Uinta Mtns.

BLM and Sheriff dept. drive throughS once a day.

Many many sites spread out over several miles. Some sites a couple miles in on the north side of road in a small forest of junipers for shade. Most sites out in the open but with beautiful expansive views.

Any size rig. We have a 36’ fifth wheel with three slide outs.

You can camp just off the highway, or several miles in. Silence. A few mosquitos and no seeums. Windy afternoons/evenings.

We camped first next to the trailhead area and then moved across the street and a short way down a dirt road.

The trailhead sees regular use mornings, evenings and weekends. Many families and MTB enthusiasts, biking and running. ATVs are not allowed on the biking trails however there are many dirt roads for their use. In 8 days we didn’t see or hear one ATV.

Clean... no trash or litter. A vault toilet is available at the trailhead.

Water is available at a couple Shell stations in town.

What else can I say. Our favorite camping site yet! We didn’t want to leave but the temps were getting a bit warm and we had reservations elsewhere.