Camp ObserverWarner Lake
Camp site features
Across 21 camp sites:
- Fire pit: 20 of 21 sites
- Pets allowed: 20 of 21 sites
- Group sites: 1 of 21 sites
- Longest rig: 20 ft
- Largest party: 50 people
Directions
ATTENTION: For 2024 and 2025 access to the Warner Lake Campground will be affected by road construction in San Juan County. Please access the Campground via the River Road or Sand Flats Road (See below.) The paved route is longer but paved up to the Warner Lake CG turn off while the dirt route is shorter but on a rougher dirt road which is accessible to 2WD vehicles but AED or 4WD is recommended.
Paved Route (Official Detour Route): From Moab head north on Highway 191 to the junction of Highway 128, (aka the River Road.) Turn right (East) and continue for about 15 miles until you get to the Castleton/Gateway Road. Turn Right (South) on the Castleton/Gateway Road and continue straight for about 10 miles to the junciton of the La Sal Loop Road. Turn Right (South) again and continue straight for another 10 or so miles until you reach the turn off for Warner Lake CG. Turn left (ENE) and drive on a washboarded gravel road to the campground.
Dirt Road Route: From Moab, head south on Highway 191. When you hit the stoplight of 4th East, turn left (North). Drive about .75 miles to Mill Creek Road and turn right (East). Continue to the next Stop Sign at the junction of Sand Flats Road. Stay straight and stay on Sand Flats Road for about 1.5 miles to the Entrance Station at Sand Flats Recreation Area. YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY AN ENTRY FEE IF YOU ARE HEADED UP TO THE FOREST SERVICE OR THE CAMPGROUND--TELL THEM YOU ARE HEADED UP TO WARNER LAKE CG. Continue on Sand Flats Road for about 18 miles until you get to the La Sal Loop road junction. Turn Right (South) for about 2.5 miles until you get to the Warner Lake Turn off and turn left on to the washboarded gravel road and drive about 5 miles to the Campground. This road is rocky, heavily washboarded, and rough, high clearance, 4WD is recommended.
Construction Closure Route: From Moab, the fastest access (about 1 hour) to Warner Lake Campground is by driving south on Highway 191. Drive 7.8 miles south of Moab and turn east (left) onto Old Airport Road (sign has arrow to La Sal Loop Road, National Forest Access). Turn south (right) at the T-intersection with the Spanish Valley Drive/La Sal Mountain Loop Road (sign has arrows pointing to La Sal Mtn. Loop Rd and Ken's Lake). Continue 13.5 miles to the Warner Lake turnoff. Turn east (right) and drive 5 miles to the campground and cabin on this gravel road. THIS IS ONLY OPEN before 0830, after 1730 hours (5:30 pm) and on weekends.
Please be aware the some GPS or driving apps are giving the wrong information and directing people on 4WD roads or to locked gates. Make sure your directions are accurate before following them--when in doubt look for Forest Service directional signs.
Stay Limit
Check in from 1 PM, check out by 11 AM.
Reviews
Anna Grace D
Loop:Camping
Site:
Reviewed 9 days ago
Beautiful site! Very peaceful and not too crowded.
Gavin S
Loop:Camping
Site:
Reviewed 10 days ago
cows everywhere, yelling all night, cow manure everywhere. no water available and couldn’t have a fire. If you’re looking for a good camping experience, this isn’t the best place for it. Very close to canyon lands and arches so it’s not terrible, just not really what i expected coming into it.
Carlo C
Loop:Camping
Site:
Reviewed 11 days ago
The main attraction is the beautiful aspen forest. Despite dieback in the area, this pocket of aspen remains. The nights are wonderfully cool even in August. Warner "lake" is really a small pond.
The Forest Service seems to be building fencing to keep grazing cattle out of the camping area, and this is a good thing because dogs and children may not act wisely around wandering bovines.
Scott S
Loop:Camping
Site:
Reviewed 12 days ago
Beautiful site in the aspen trees. Cool place to be especially compared to down in Moab if you're committed to camping and willing to drive about 45 minutes out of town. Great access to trails that provide exceptional views.
Cows could be invasive at times, but seems like they are actively building a fence to fix that.
The lake is more of a cow pond, we had hopes of a place to take a dip on a hot summer day but I would not recommend. Otherwise for those willing and able to manage without potable water this is an excellent place to be.
Leah Audrey K
Loop:Camping
Site:
Reviewed 13 days ago
Lovely campground in aspen trees. Lake is small and cute. It feels peaceful and remote up there. However, I would recommend getting there in the daylight because it’s a little scary going up the bumpy gravel road in the dark.
Dale T
Loop:Day Use & Group Site
Site:
Reviewed 15 days ago
This is a great group camp site and it was wonderful to have cool air in the mountains with a heat wave down in the valley. It would be nice to have potable water available.
