A new campground for RVs near Capitol Reef National Park is on the horizon. It could make finding a legal, level place to park a lot easier along busy Utah State Route 24. The Bureau of Land Management plans to turn the Beas Lewis Flat area into a managed campground. The campground will welcome RV travelers with improved sanitation, clearly marked sites, and protections for the desert landscape under heavy use.
Why the campground is needed
Capitol Reef National Park has seen rapid growth, setting a record with more than 1.4 million visits in 2024. Much of that traffic spills into the surrounding public lands, where dispersed camping has surged—along with the problems that come with it. Waste disposal, user-created roads, and damage to desert soil have become recurring issues. Torrey, Utah, residents have also raised concerns about the visual impact of scattered campsites in the open flats below town.
The BLM hopes a structured campground will reduce those pressures. As Richfield field manager David Mortensen put it, “The (bureau) is committed to increasing recreational access while maintaining responsible resource stewardship. By authorizing this campground, we’re improving the visitor experience and addressing long-standing concerns about unmanaged dispersed camping in the area.”
What RVers will find in phase one
Phase one calls for up to 45 developed campsites, and RVers should feel right at home. RVers and campers can choose from single sites, group sites, multi-unit RV sites, and tent sites, with space for up to two campground hosts.
Amenities planned for the first phase include:
- Vault toilets
- Trash collection
- Graveled parking pads
- Fire rings
- Picnic tables and shade structures
- Perimeter or protective fencing where needed
- A fee-collection station
- New interpretive signage, including dark-sky information
The campground will offer sites for visitors of all abilities. Graveled roads and pads with built-in drainage make maneuvering an RV easier, even after desert storms. Since water hookups aren’t planned, RVers should come fully stocked.
Possible additions down the road
The BLM may add a day-use group shelter, a short trail network inside the campground, and a path leading to an interpretive overlook on the north side of the site. If visitation continues to increase, the agency says the campground could grow to as many as 95 sites in future phases.
When construction will begin
Design work is expected to start this winter, with construction anticipated in 2026. Funding comes from Utah’s Outdoor Recreation Initiative and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands.
For RVers who have struggled to find a spot near Capitol Reef during peak season—or who want a managed alternative to the increasingly impacted dispersed sites—this new campground should offer a welcome option.
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RVT1238b
Another one bites the dust.
Yep. Take a perfectly good boondocking site, add a gate and charge to drive past it….
This also happened near Arches National Park. The state of Utah took a badly abused boondocking spot and turned it into Utahraptor State Park. Unfortunately, the bad actors who abuse the dispersed camping sites by staying more than 14 days, setting up residence and destroying the area with overuse and trash are the cause of all of this.