Site Review- Yellow Circle Road, Boondocking in Moab, Utah
Site Review- Yellow Circle Road, Boondocking in Moab, Utah
GPS: 38.4356, -109.427
Directions to the site:
From Moab, you head south on US 191 for 11 miles. Yellow Circle Road will be on the left. Continue on this road until it comes to a T, take a right. On your left you will see a big open area where RVs pack in on the weekends. Continue past this area. On your left you will see a road heading up a hill, we did not go this way. Instead, keep right. The sites on this side of the area are where we stayed.
We were hoping being outside of Moab would give us a small break from the crowded touristy area, and it did partially. During the week, the area is pretty cleared out with plenty of space between RVers. You do not really get privacy, because it is just a big open area, but you do get some space. It is actually a pretty nice relief from the overcrowded town of Moab, Utah.
You get the feeling of being overcrowded on weekends at this boondocking location also. Everyone piles in, crowding sites with 3 or 4 vehicles, RVs, trailers, ATVs, e.t.c. You may think you are lucky and managed to carve out a small area for yourself, but just wait. As dark comes, so do the stragglers. With all the designated sites taken, these stragglers park their cars, vans, trailers, tents, class Bs, or whatever they are traveling in, in between the sites.
One Saturday night when we entered the area, the road was blocked by people looking for any open area they could find to pitch their tent.
I’m not even joking here.
It became a game in the morning, when I took Chance out, to see how many people had crowded into our area. Campsite etiquette is not a thing in Moab, Utah.
It was madness.
The farther back from the entrance you get, the less people you will see. They just all pile up near the entrances. Do not be afraid to scout out a little farther down the road, it will be worth it.
I highly recommend visiting during the week if you can. The change in the atmosphere between weekends and weekdays is a drastic difference, and you will find more peace and solitude during the week.
We also had the experience, more than once, where unleashed dogs would come running into our site and right up to us. Luckily, Chance is not aggressive, unless he feels one of us is being threatened, but I did not feel comfortable enough to let Declan play outside during our time here. We never had an aggressive dog encounter, just pet parents that did not keep good control of their dogs, but you never know what you are going to encounter with a strange dog.
We are pretty hard on Moab, but honestly, we were just disappointed with the town. It was this itty-bitty town that is a major tourist attraction, but the town did not expand to accommodate its popularity. Instead, thousands of people are crammed into a small space jostling for elbow room. They are in the process of completing road construction through the town, but until that is finished it just causing a headache and a traffic jam. Coming into Moab from the north can be increasingly stressful. Some days we entered into the town with just a 10 minute slowdown and other times we sat in traffic for an hour or two. I understand the town is trying to accommodate the traffic, but until it is complete, prepare for a traffic jam.
Some tips for the area:
This site is 20 minutes from Arches National Park, 1.5 hours from Canyonlands National Park, and 1.5 hours from the Colorado National Monument. It is the perfect area to do some site seeing and I suggest you take advantage of this. Arches National Park and the Colorado National Monument can be completed with one day for each one, however, Canyonlands National Park requires one day for each section of the park you want to see. There are three sections to Canyonlands National Park the Island in the Sky, the Maze, and the Needles. If you only have one day to dedicate to Canyonlands National Park, you should visit the Island in the Sky district for sight seeing and the Maze for off roading adventures. Check online before making plans about Canyonlands, some sections require permits that you will want to get ahead of time.
You can also find out more information about things to do near Moab, Utah on our blog post
Cost of Stay:
Free!
Our favorite kind, and a nice change from the overpriced sites located within Moab. This is a boondocking location with absolutely no hookups, however, there is a Maverik Adventure Center in town that has a free RV dump station and free potable water fill.
Length of Stay:
16 days. However, you should always verify this on your own. Regulations may change at any time.
Cell Service:
We have Straight Talk that runs off of Verizon towers and we had 1-2 bars within our RV.
Do I recommend this area?
If you are looking for a place to stay in Moab, Utah this is a pretty decent option. It is free. It is near the sights. It is not completely swamped with people. However, if you asked me if I would I stay here again, the answer is probably not. It was not that bad, but it was not that great either and we have no plans to revisit Moab anytime soon. We just did not grasp the appeal of Moab, or of Arches for that matter. Instead, when we revisit the area, I think we will stay somewhere about 30 minutes away from Moab. I do plan to return to the general area. We have a great friend that lives close to here that we will be visiting, and the hiking near here is fantastic. If you have not thought of it yet, check out Corona Arch, it’s a fantastic hike.
