Sand Flats Recreation Area

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Moab Field Office, 82 East Dogwood
Moab, UT 84532

The Sand Flats Recreation Area near Moab, Utah is a nationally significant public lands treasure at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. A high plain of slickrock domes, bowls and fins, it rises in the east to meet the colorful mesas and nearly 13,000 foot peaks of the La Sal Mountains.

Bordering the area on the north and south are the canyons of the Grandstaff and Mill Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Areas. Further north lies the deep gorge of the Colorado River and Arches National Park. Sand Flats boasts the world-renowned Slickrock and Porcupine Rim bike trails as well as almost 30 miles of jeep trails, known for their combination of challenge and awesome scenery.

Sand Flats is popular for camping and has 140 first come, first served individual campsites and six group campsites. The group campsites can be reserved through Recreation.gov. Over 250,000 visitors enjoy this 9,000-acre recreation area annually. The Sand Flats Recreation Area is managed through a unique partnership between Grand County and the Bureau of Land Management. In 1995 this area was developed through the collaborative efforts of Americorps, the Bureau of Land Management, Grand County and the Moab community.

Sand Flats' mission is to protect the natural features of the area from adverse recreational impacts while providing access to sustainable and enjoyable recreational opportunities.

Directions

From the Moab Field Office, head south on US 191. Take a left at the first light onto 4th East, then a right onto Mill Creek Road. At the stop sign continue straight onto Sand Flats road to the entrance station.

Fees

Private Vehicle - 7 Day Pass $10.00 Bicycle or Motorcycle - 7 Day Pass $5.00 Annual Pass - $35.00 (admits the card-holder and passengers in a single, private vehicle for day use) Camping: six group campsites are available for reservation on Recreation.gov. All other camping is first-come, first-serve at $20.00 per night per vehicle. National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands, and Utah State Parks passes are not valid for entry, with the exception of the Federal Recreational Lands Access Pass. For more information visit the Grand County Sand Flats Recreation website.

Reviews

Sand Flats Recreation Area offers spacious campsites with beautiful desert views and proximity to Moab and local trails. Most campers appreciate the natural setting, cleanliness, and friendly staff. However, the campground has limited amenities, with some noting the lack of running water and basic pit toilets. Noise from nearby off-road vehicles is common, and reservation issues have caused frustration for some visitors.

Spacious campsites with great views

Close to Moab and biking/off-road trails

Clean and well-maintained pit toilets

Friendly and helpful staff

Good for groups and dogs

Limited amenities; no running water

Pit toilets sometimes smelly or uncovered

Noise from ATVs and off-road vehicles

Reservation system problems and site conflicts

Some sites have difficult parking or terrain

80 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Birgit H

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Echo Campground

Site:

Reviewed 21 days ago

Unfortunately it was quite noisy especially in the morning as the off-road tours were passing by my tent site.

Adam S

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Datura Campground

Site:

Reviewed a month ago

Great spot for a large group and makes a perfect base camp. Bathrooms are close and clean. There is a lot traffic, the only time you will notice is at night with the sxs flying by at all times of night - site is back a bit so not a big deal.

Anthony G

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Datura Campground

Site:

Reviewed 2 months ago

Very beautiful place

Rachel D

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Datura Campground

Site:

Reviewed 5 months ago

Absolutely incredible! Campsites are spaced out so you feel like you have the whole desert to yourself. I didn’t see anywhere that allows for dumping water/trash, though.

Anna G

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Datura Campground

Site:

Reviewed 6 months ago

This was a perfect group site for adult,kids, and dogs! The views were amazing you were in biking distance to trails and town was super close. We will be back.

Laurie H

Campground:Sand Flats Recreation Area Group Campsites

Loop:Echo Campground

Site:

Reviewed 6 months ago

Have always loved Camping at sand flats but this group site was not my favorite It’s a very small site for 16 people The road goes around the campsite, so there was not a lot of options on where to place tents. It’s also very close to the bathrooms. So you can smell them when the wind blows just right. It did have nice sunshade and two picnic tables We ended up grabbing two additional sites that were close to the group site to make it an enjoyable stay

Keep your options open

Watch for a matching campsite across monitored campgrounds in Sand Flats Recreation Area.

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in November, when about 9% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 2 years of reservations.