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Morris Murdock Escorted Tours

The Leaders in Escorted Tours & Travel Since 1958.

Call us Today at (800) 809-9910           Existing Customers Login Here

2024 REMEMBERING THE RESTORATION

Hosted by Rich Robbins September 11-20, 2024

VISIONS OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

Hosted by Michael Phillips September 21-October 5, 2024

SWITZERLAND HIGHLIGHTS AND MOUNTAIN TOPS

Hosted by Wendy Fracchia September 29-October 7, 2024

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Experience the Morris Murdock Difference:

• Guided vacation tours for the whole family
• 65 years of experience showing travelers the world
• Experienced staff who are award-winning travel professionals.
• Hand-picked tour directors who are experts in their fields
• Small-size tour groups to provide more intimate travel experiences
• A variety of national and international trips to choose from with exciting itineraries
• Travel with new friends to new places and make memories that will last a lifetime

Private and Family Tours

Touring and a vacation are usually 2 very different types of travel experiences..

Vacations bring to mind simple plans at the beach, amusement parks or even a cruise. Touring is designed to spark a passion, build foundations, enrich understanding and inspire a sense of wonder. 

Our History

Sending travelers around the world since 1958.

Our roots began when Murdock Travel was founded by Franklin Murdock to handle travel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' missionaries.

BenefitsTest

Best of state winner.

We’re incredibly proud to receive Utah's Best of State 2022 award for Best Travel Agency for our sixth time as part of the Morris Columbus Travel family. Our tour specialists are truly passionate about helping you experience the best vacations possible. Thank you for allowing us to deliver excellent service before, during, and after your travels.

Come On and Get Away With Morris Murdock Escorted Tours!

Lead a Tour Program

If you are interested in becoming a tour guide for Morris Murdock Escorted Tours or have a private group ready to travel with you, contact us at [email protected]  for more details.

Program Reviews

Walt and Bonnie Rast – Fall Holy Land Cruise with Kay Godfrey

"Our cruise to the Holy Land Cruise was a wonderful experience that fulfilled the dream of a lifetime! We enjoyed all the excellent information give during the trip and the way we were taken care of on the ship, the buses and all the tours."

(800) 809-9910 101 S. 200 East STE 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84111

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*The products (services) offered by Morris Murdock Escorted Tours & LDS Travel Study are neither made, provided, approved nor endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or opinions expressed, implied or included in or with the goods (services) offered by Morris Columbus Travel, LLC are solely those of Morris Columbus, LLC and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Cruise America Motorhome Rental & Sales

Review Highlights

“ RV was in terrific condition and very clean upon pick up and we were refunded over $1,000 in misc deposits upon our return from Burning Man!!! ” in 3 reviews

“ It's not a luxury ride by any means but it functions as designed and is a great way to see the National Parks . ” in 2 reviews

“ Because of COVID the process was longer than we expected as well. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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4125 S State St

Salt Lake City, UT 84107

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The pickup & drop off were relatively quick & painless. We chose the perfect size for our needs (25')-moving cross country with our 4 dogs (no way I would put them on a plane!) The unit drove like a large Ford work truck, something familiar to all 3 drivers & very easy to drive. It was so much more comfortable than a car or truck. Getting snacks from the fridge or just standing up to stretch made the 30+ hour drive a pleasure. We can't wait to rent again for our exploration of our new home state

RV was near new and worked great. Ed was really helpful. They do need to make sure that the people checking you out know the correct answers to your questions since we were told one thing and when I read the manual and read their website it said the opposite. But would rent there again.

RVs are poorly maintained. We had a water leak that prevented us from using the kitchen during the entire trip. It also soaked our personal belongings in the storage area. Customer service is really bad, almost non-existent. They had no service folks available to help solve it during our one week trip, so don't count on help if you run into any problem (we visited Grand Teton and Yellowstone). No accountability even after the trip, they offered $100 off when we returned the RV to Salt Lake City, and their main office offered a 15% discount.

Water leak soaked all our personal belongings in the storage area.

Water leak all over the floor

Don't waste your time and money with renting an Rv with cruise America. We took a trip from Texas to Utah, and what a nightmare. Generaor and AC stopped working and water leak in bath. Windshield wipers were worn out and couldn't see when it started raining. Customer service was terrible and had us wait for a call back 12 hours later in 100+ degrees. We will NEVER use this company again.

Truly shocking experience all around. Got to where we were camping and the generator didn't work. After hours of troubleshooting with traveller support, realized the RV hadn't been inspected AT ALL and the generator had zero oil. Drove 2 hours to get the necessary oil only for the "service needed" light to start flashing instead. Drove back and returning the RV that night. Trying to get a refund, customer relations will ONLY except emails and you must wait a month for their response and just hope they call you back all the while they have charged 1500 for nothing?? Ed at the Salt Lake City office is an incompetent robot who only reads the script he was given. No one can help you and just tells you to email and wait, email and wait. Absolutely WORST customer service I've ever experienced in a really, really long time.

!Update! We were contacted by an executive at Cruise America corporate. He listened to our concerns and fairly compensated us. Cruise America is using our experience to improve their customer service and training of service reps. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extremely poor customer service! Worst I have ever had! - Took 2 hours after our scheduled appointment to get our RV. They started changing our tires after we arrived. Not enough time between drop off and pick up times for proper maintenance and cleaning (especially during covid). The RVs are in bad shape and not very clean. - RV broke down second day in trip. Took them 14 hours to get us a tow and 2.5 days to get us back on the road. - Worst part of brake down was the customer service. Rep was very little help and didn't put much effort into our case. Only could communicate to rep through text even though we asked our rep 3 times to call us and also tried calling the customer service line 2 times to ask them to tell our rep to call us. Multiple times the rep didn't text us back for 1-2 hours. The rep ignored multiple questions. Sent us on a 4 hour tow ride when there were viable options within 1 hour. Didn't research the maintenance garage, because on arrival we found out that the garage didn't service RVs. Hid the fact that if the RV was disabled then we were SOL ( we asked multiple times and didn't learn about that until they told us to call the Portland office to see if they had an extra RV. They should have called the Portland office and set something up for us!) There's a lot more but I'll leave it at that! - We tried to get compensated for them ruining half of our 6 day trip due to their negligence. They only offered a measly compensation and told us to take it up with corporate. We emailed corporate multiple times over a month and they didn't respond until after we threatened to report them to the better business bureau. Corporate wasn't helpful either. - I can go on with a lot more details but the bottom line is Cruise america has the worst customer service, doesn't maintain their RVs, and don't care about the customer!

Business owner information

Business Owner

Oct 6, 2020

While we acknowledged that your recent rental with us was not our typical customer experience (read here, great time) we entered in good faith conversations with you and ultimately came to a resolution involving a financial restitution. Out of your own free will, you a signed a resolution agreement to that effect and we paid the agreed sum. While we would have preferred that your experience with us to be a good one, we again acted in good faith to make amends. We are terribly sorry that you felt the need to continue to post online, with the entirety of your party, and or friends and family. We have reported all the reviews by your party, as we believe you are utilizing the rating system to manipulate our locations' ratings, and do not believe this to be a genuine experience. We are sorry that these actions had to be taken, but are certain you understand.

We were visiting Yellowstone and our RV had an engine issue at night on our way back to SLC. We pulled over into a gas station and called TA and they first informed us that they will be sending a tow truck to tow us back to Salt Lake City. After waiting for more than 2 hours, we were informed that they can't tow us till the next day morning. We had our flights back home next day at 10:30 AM. I told the agent that they should at least tow us early the next day so that we can make our flight. We spent the night, with a 16 month old baby in the parking lot of this gas station instead of with our friends in SLC downtown. After all this, we still didn't hear a resolution from TA after repeatedly calling them in the morning. Finally they told us that they have arranged for a tow truck that will pickup at 11AM and that Cruise America will reimburse us for our next flight booking. Once we reached SLC, the tow truck didn't even drop us at a hotel near the airport but instead drove us to the center where they had to drop off the RV. We already had no food with us and had to last minute find an Uber that would fit all our bags and car seat to take us to a hotel we booked last minute. After calling both TA and the Cruise America location again, they just informed us that they can't do anything about any of this and to contact customer service for any reimbursement for the extra expenses we had to bear for the hotel and rebooking our flight. We have spent an extra $600 on all this (on top of wasting an extra day and a half of travel time). The location manager was extremely unhelpful and didn't even want to talk to me on the phone.

We had such a great trip in our rv rental. Quick and easy checkout and return. The rv was super clean and outfitted w everything we needed.

Update on rental experience. Our toilet broke 3 days into the trip and it took 8 days to repair it. The first customer service rep told us to google a repair shop and get it fixed on our own...she also said that we weren't likely to find anyone. She was right. The rep I talked to after we gave up trying to get the toilet fixed on our own was very apologetic and worked to get the toilet fixed. That still took 5 days. The repair guy was great but did say that Cruise America laided off a bunch of staff and were basically in shambles. The store manager offered to take one day charge off of our rental which was fine but their customer service was unacceptable. RV rental is a great option for a vacation right now but I would recommend using another vendor. I gave 2 stars because the RV was fairly new and in good shape.

Disappointed in the slow service and poor communication. Only 1 person processing returns and new rentals. We waited for over 90 minutes

We recently reserved a motorhome with Cruise America and had a very bad experience. The RV's toilet overflowed and flooded the cabin after the first time we used it. The fresh water tank had completely emptied. Cleaning up and emptying the tank took forever since the campsite didn't have dump station. We eventually just called off our vacation and returned the RV a day early. I brought up the flooding issue with the return inspection folks and they just nodded and said we'll look at it while charging me the full amount.

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• Viewing Travel Agent : Tom Trent

St. George, UT Travel Agency

About Tom Trent

"Our Mission is to inspire travel through creative travel planning and flawless execution culminating in World Class Travel and World Class Service" As a full-service travel agency with offices in Denver, St George and Las Vegas, we plan a wide range of travel including cruises, land vacations, all-inclusive resorts, and tours as well as providing related travel services such as air, excursions and travel insurance.

Many ask the question "Why Use A Travel Agent?" - Our answer is simple Why Not?!

* It Costs You Nothing - travelers don't pay a fee or anything extra to work with our agents.

* Groups of All Sizes - we work with solo travelers and groups from 2 to 100's of travelers.

* Budgets of All Sizes - we can work within most any budget by getting the best deals available.

* Save Time & Hassle - Why spend hours online? Let us plan and book your travel; you'll save time & money!

We pride ourselves on providing "World Class Travel - World Class Service". Whether you are looking for individual travel or group travel, we work closely with each of our clients first to understand their travel goals; secondly to provide a range of options and recommendations that meet their goals; and finally, to ensure that their travel is flawlessly executed. Our service sets us apart from our competition!

Cruise Planners - Adame Travel, is part of the Cruise Planners network. Since its founding in 1994 Cruise Planners has continuously earned multiple top-producer and technology awards.

We can provide additional amenities and perks to American Express cardholders as well as use American Express points to pay for travel. Even if you are not an American Express cardholder, we can provide additional amenities that most other agencies cannot.

At Cruise Planners - Adame Travel, "World Class Travel - World Class Service" is not just a slogan. We look forward to working with you to help you cross-off each of your travel Bucket List items.

• 8400 E. Prentice Ave., Ste 1500, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
• 476 E. Riverside Dr., Ste B-8, St George, UT 84790
• 5550 Painted Mirage Rd., Ste 300, Las Vegas, NV 89149

Please contact us today at (888) 512-3263 or click on "Contact Us" on the top of this page or Chat with us using the chat feature above.

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GET TICKETS

St. george show.

January 22, 2025

Wednesday: 11:00am to 6:00pm  

Hilton Garden Inn 1731 S Convention Center Drive St. George, UT 84790

View the 2024 St. George show guide

SLC/SANDY SHOW

January 24-25, 2025

Friday: 2:00pm to 8:00pm Saturday: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Mountain America Exposition Center 9575 S. State Street Sandy, UT 84070

View the 2024 SLC/Sandy show guide

Experience Utah's LARGEST and LONGEST-RUNNING Travel Expo!

Salt lake show.

St. George show – Free

Salt Lake show Adult tickets – $6 Senior tickets – $5 Kids 17 & under – Free

Come celebrate our 67th anniversary (1958-2025) at the 29th annual Morris Columbus Travel Expo! This year promises to be our biggest expo ever with representatives from around the world, including our trusted travel partners from the biggest names in the industry.

New vendor looking to join the show?  Register here!  

Come explore airlines, cruise lines, hotels and resorts, tourism offices, and other related destination services. Representatives from these companies can bring you up-to-date on the hottest travel trends for 2025 and beyond, plus offer you exclusive deals that can’t be found anywhere else. We’re also hosting fun, informative travel seminars given by experts in some of the world’s hottest destinations. And there’s more! Our award-winning Morris Columbus travel consultants will be standing by to help book your next dream vacation and to help answer your pre-trip questions. Did we mention the over $10,000 worth of  free prizes and trip giveaways we’ll be having?

Whether you venture in-state, nationally, or internationally, the 29th annual Morris Columbus Digital Travel Expo is the one-stop place for valuable travel tips, seminars, booking specials, and the chance to win exciting trips and prizes.

Keep an eye out for show specials once we get closer to the show!

St. George Show Seminars

Keep an eye out for the seminar schedule once we get closer to the show!

Salt Lake Show Seminars

Enter to win incredible prizes at our prize booth at the show! Registrars must attend the show to qualify.

2024 Travel Expo Winners

Doug Hawker – 2-Night Cancun Stay Frank Carollo – 7-Day Princess Cruise for 2 Holly West – 2-Nights in Las Vegas Janet Froelich – $250 Morris Columbus Travel Gift Card Read Gilgen – $1000 Viking Cruises Gift Certificate Roger Stratford – $1,000 Globus Travel Certificate Zola Rohloff – $500 Delta Vacations Gift Certificate

Abby Graham – 3-Night All-Inclusive Mexico Stay Barbara Jacobson – 4-Night Mexican Baja Cruise on Royal Caribbean Ben Vines – 4-Night Maui Vacation + Airfare for 2 Cathy Sylvester – 7-Day Caribbean Cruise for 2 on Norwegian Gavin Vanderbeek – $500 Delta Vacations Gift Certificate Jaclyn Arave – 2 Nights at Walt Disney World Jeremy Fackrell – 2 International Tickets to Europe on Delta John Leonard – $250 Morris Columbus Gift Card Leanne Taylor – 2-Nights in Las Vegas Randy Bennett – $1000 Viking Cruises Gift Certificate Sheri Webster – 2-Nights in Yellowstone Stephanie Beesley – 7-Night Holland America Line Cruise Wendy Osborn – $250 Morris Columbus Travel Gift Card

St. George Show Giveaways

Keep an eye out for show giveaways once we get closer to the show!

Salt Lake Show Giveaways

Participate in utah's largest and longest-running travel expo.

Morris Columbus Travel is excited to announce open vendor registration for the 29th Annual Utah Travel Expo – Utah’s largest and longest running travel show! After a combined 30+ years of Travel Expos, we know a thing or two about hosting a successful event and are excited to invite you to participate in this!

Intermountain west residents know our shows, and travelers are already making their 2025-2026 vacation purchases with us, and we anticipate even more travelers from across the nation. Our thoroughly planned advertising schedule makes certain everyone knows when it’s Travel Show time—this includes a special full-color event magazine that is mailed out to 50,000 travelers!

Why Attend the 29th Utah Travel Expo?

• Morris Columbus Travel has the LARGEST and LONGEST-RUNNING Travel Show in the Intermountain west!
• 40+ agents present and ready to book during the show!
• In 2024, we generated nearly $5 million in sales during our show.
• We cater to the interests expressed by our customers.
• Consistently there are over 7,500 consumers who attended our physical show.
• We promote our event through radio, television, billboards, our special newspaper show guide, e-blasts, social media, direct mail, and much more!

Vendor Registration Options

We’re offering our vendors more options than ever! Select your registration add-ons when you register for a booth .

 View the show booth layout

St. George Show ONLY Single Booth – $600 St. George Show supplement to SLC Booth – $500

Salt Lake Show Single Booth – $1,195 Salt Lake Show Corner Booth (limited) – $1,395 Salt Lake Show Double Booth – $2,195 Salt Lake Show Main/Front Row Booths – $1,795 Salt Lake Show Main/Front Row Double Booths (Limited) – $3,195

Direct attendees to your booth and advertise your company at the same time! Participating in the expo show guide puts your company top-of-mind before the show even begins. Show guides are given to thousands of consumers as they come through the doors in addition to being mailed out prior to the event. 

Full-page ad Salt Lake ONLY – $950 Full-page ad St. George ONLY – $950 Full-page ads Salt Lake AND St. George – $1800 Half-page ad Salt Lake ONLY – $550 Half-page ad St. George ONLY – $550 Half-page ads Salt Lake AND St. George – $1000

View the 2024 Salt Lake show guide

All show guide packages include the following: 1. Color Ad in Expo Show Guide Magazine Registrars who select the $950 package will include a full- page, full-color ad to promote show specials. Larger sizes & covers are available. Registrars who select the $550 package will include a half page, full-color ad to promote show specials.

2. Vendor Show Landing Page Your brand’s landing page will include a brief description of your offerings, plus your show special(s), photos, and more.

3. Listing in Printed Show Guide The show guide is mailed to 50,000+ homes prior to the expo and given to all visitors to the show at the enterance.

Prior to the start of the Utah Travel Expo in Salt Lake on Friday, January 24, we will hold our famous round tables with our travel advisors. This is a coveted chance to meet with small groups of advisors to go over your show specials and do a short training on your products and developments. This is a limited opportunity available to 30 vendors and is invite only.

Friday, January 24 before the expo begins Roundtable Training – $450

Throughout the show, vendor presentations allow guests to learn more about your company and its products with the assistance of a PowerPoint presentation or other multimedia displays. Seminars are 30 minutes long and are held in designated rooms away from the bustle of the main expo. Seminar spots are on a first-come first-serve basis.

Seminar at the St. George show (limited) – $100 Seminar at the Salt Lake show – $100

Contact Us for Additional Expo Information

Emily States Morris Columbus Travel 101 South 200 East, Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801-483-6364 Email Emily

Brent Jenson Morris Columbus Travel 101 South 200 East, Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801-483-6158 Email Brent

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Welcome to Great Escapes! We curate personalized luxury travel experiences, bringing to life the ideas you have been dreaming of with care and passion.

Connect with us, your trip is personalized around your interests.

The best vacations begin with your interests. We bring these to life for you to experience a meaningful and cherished vacation.

You benefit from our local connections

We travel far and wide to meet with our local guides and the people you meet along your journey. You benefit from our access to hand picked guides and service providers.

You have a Professionally planned vacation

You will have a seamless worry free planned vacation. We arrange all the elements to take the stress away. Spend your vacation, vacationing!

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We put all the right elements together so you get to discover that perfect vacation moment. After all, this is why we travel the distances we do.

You Benefit from our Knowledge and experience

We know what sights to see and when to avoid the crowds. Our experience and first hand knowledge allows us to offer and create those special moments.

You will save time and have a better Value

Our resources and expertise allows you to Save time planning while reaping the benefits of a professional travel advisor.

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Magdalena river cruise, columbia south america

Immerse yourself in the wonders of Colombia, on the magnificent Magdalena River.  From Cartagena to Barranquilla.  Great Escapes exclusive savings for our group sailing in December 2025. 

Four Countries, 7 nights. Luxury yacht sailing

Explore enchanting coastline villages and island gems by luxury yacht. Visit Italy, Croatia Montenegro & Greece.  Special experiences in Rome and Venice.  Contact us directly for current availability. Limited space available. Join Us in June 2025!

Unfold the Pages of History on a Luxury Egypt & Nile River Cruise

Great Escapes is thrilled to take you to a fascinating destination: Egypt. Unfold the pages of history with an unparalleled Nile River Cruise  and land adventure. Encounter Ancient Egypt and sail on the River Nile.

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From designing your trip to your journey home, we’ve got you covered. 

Lisa Berlin

I have a creative approach to crafting unique and memorable discoveries.  I am inspired by my clients and conceptualize the cadence of our custom journeys unique to everyone. As important as it is to know where you want to travel, we want to know why.  Understanding your motivations and expectations is how we plan a transformative experience for you.  I provide a genuine experience bringing to life the ideas you have been dreaming of with care and passion. 

Accreditations Great Escapes is a member of the award winning, largest and most celebrated network of professional travel agents in North America.

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Boondocking Near Zion National Park: Free Campsites in Utah

Boondocking

Hiking in brilliantly colored sandstone slot canyons , summiting nearly 12,000-foot peaks, or riding a raft down the mighty Colorado River — these are all possible in Utah, where adventure is the heart of everything. What’s more, these activities can be found just a few hours from each other. 

Utah is also all about boondocking, with over 23 million acres of public land to camp on. Many RV travelers spend a whole season here away from the chaos of the city while enjoying the quiet evenings and incredibly dark night skies. Are you ready to explore the Beehive State? Do you want to take your RV travels to a whole new level? Keep reading to learn about some of the best sites for boondocking in Utah, along with some tips on how to make the most of your RV experience.

If you’re looking for boondocking near Zion National Park, we cover that too! Read on to learn more about the free camping Utah has to offer.

Is Boondocking Legal in Utah?

Not only is boondocking legal, but Utah might also be the best state in the whole country for this activity. Much of the land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management , which is generally amenable to camping as long as you don’t stay for more than 14 days, after which you need to move your RV at least 25 miles off. 

BLM land is more common in the desert regions on the eastern, western, and southern edges of the state. There’s also plenty of Forest Service-owned land along the Wasatch Range if you’d prefer a more alpine boondocking experience.

Unfortunately, some areas that were previously open to boondocking are no longer available . This resulted from campers being disrespectful — littering, emptying their tanks outside designated facilities, and antagonizing other campers in the area. Be kind to the land and your fellow travelers if you want these spaces to remain open and free to the public. 

Now you’re ready to tackle the most difficult question: Where do you start your Utah boondocking trip? There are so many choices, and it’s hard to pick just one. Here are some of the more popular locations. 

Top Boondocking Locations in Utah

You can boondock just about anywhere in Utah, but your best bets are in the Wasatch Mountain Range, which runs down from the north to the center of the state, and the southern area where the Zion , Arches , Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef National Parks are located.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

To get lost in the desert landscapes of southern Utah, you have to visit the Grand Staircase. Nearly all of the one million-acre monument is open to campers. If you can find a flat patch of ground that suits you, that’s your campsite. Camping permits are required for dispersed camping, but they’re free and available from the monument’s ranger stations. 

Nearby Activities: Paddle the sandstone canyons of the Escalante River or go on an epic mountain biking adventure along the 160-mile Grand Staircase loop. 

More Information: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Bryce Canyon

If you’re in the mood for an otherworldly adventure, nothing beats Bryce Canyon National Park . Known for its hoodoos, or massive “rock fingers” jutting up from the canyon floor, this park is a hiker’s paradise, with the famed Rim Trail being the most popular. Inside the park, you’re limited to two developed campgrounds, the North Campground and the Sunset Campground. Options are more numerous outside the park, where dispersed camping is plentiful. 

Nearby Activities: Go canyoneering in one of the park’s slot canyons. Enjoy a combination of rock climbing, rappelling, swimming, and hiking activities — it’s an obstacle course for the adrenaline junkie. For a less strenuous option, try fishing for rainbow trout in Panguitch Lake.

More Information: Bryce Canyon National Park

Box Elder Campground 

Located in the far north part of the state, just outside Brigham City, Box Elder Campground is the perfect place for RV campers that don’t want to get too remote with their boondocking. It’s run by the Forest Service and charges a $22 fee — but it has flush toilets and clean drinking water. Mantua Reservoir is also close by, beckoning would-be swimmers with its crystal-clear and cool water.

Nearby Activities: The Wasatch Mountains envelope Box Elder Campground and offer endless hiking opportunities for peak-bagging RV travelers. You’re not far from the city when you stay here, though, and Brigham City has an excellent selection of restaurants, bars, and shopping outlets should you tire of those spectacular mountain views.

More Information: Box Elder Campground

Dutchman Flat

This high-elevation dispersed campsite is ideal for boondockers hoping to stay close to the Salt Lake City-Provo region (It’s a little over an hour from the latter in American Fork Canyon). Dutchman Flat is also just outside the ghost town of Forest City, where you can still see the remains of the late 19th-century community, specifically its cemetery and smelter. There are no facilities at the campground, but, for many, that’s one of its draws.

Nearby Activities: The 11,700-foot Mount Timpanogos is about two hours to the north and is one of Utah’s most popular hiking trails. The Mount Timpanogos Caves National Monument is also close by and features three massive cave systems accessible to hikers of almost all fitness levels. 

More Information: Dutchman Flat

Next, we’re going to take a look at the options for free camping near the oh so famous Zion National Park.

Free Camping Near Zion National Park

Zion National Park draws in many visitors each year due to its immense beauty and interesting natural history. Here are the best dispersed camping spots near Zion National Park. Read on to learn more about how to camp for free near Zion. 

Lava Point Campground

Zion National Park is one of the five most popular parks in the national parks system. Unfortunately, it only has two campgrounds inside: the South Campground and the Watchman Campground. The park’s third campground is about an hour and a half north of the area at Lava Point. Campsites have pit toilets and trash cans, but there’s no drinking water and certainly no showers. Unlike most national park campgrounds, Lava Point is free, though it’s open only from May through October. 

Nearby Activities: The main draw here is Zion itself. The park is known for its expansive views like Angel’s Landing, perfect for Instagram portraits. If you need civilization, the lively town of St. George is a little over an hour away. 

More information: Lava Point Campground

Smithsonian Butte Camping

Camping off the Smithsonian Butte Backcountry Byway is perfect for boondocking and is right up against Zion National Park. Boondockers must camp at least half a mile off the Byway. Otherwise, set up where you please! This spot is a common refuge for locals and is surrounded by gorgeous Utah scenery. 

Nearby Activities: While ATVs and motorsports are not recommended in this area — there are tons of spots for some truly spectacular hikes. Photographers also get the chance to whip out the night settings for some stellar panoramas. 

More Information: Smithsonian Butte Camping

Flying Monkey Mesa Sites

Just off Mesa Road are two boondocking spots aptly titled Flying Monkey Mesa Sites. These boondocking areas are off a dirt road and up on a hill, making for some stellar scenery. This is a dry site so bring all the water and food you’ll need. Please note that these sites can only hold a few campers each, but if you’re looking for seclusion and beautiful hilltop views, then this is the spot for you! 

Nearby Activities: The view down into the Virgin River Valley, near Monkey Mesa, is the real reason to stay at the Flying Monkey Mesa Sites. Bring a picnic and your camera for some proposal-worthy views.  

More Information: Flying Monkey Mesa Sites

5 Tips for RV Boondocking in Utah 

There’s a nearly endless selection of campsites to choose from when boondocking in the Beehive State, but preparation is critical to an enjoyable experience. Here are a few of the more important things to keep in mind when boondocking in Utah.

• Study the maps. Nearly half of the state is public land that is run by different state departments, so their guidelines could vary. Having one or more boondocking apps will help keep your RV adventure and camp planning organized.
• Bring the essentials. You need food, water, and shelter to enjoy the experience, and they are in short supply at some of Utah’s more remote campsites. Make your meals ahead of time and carry plenty of water.
• Know the terrain before you go. Some campsites are just off the highway, but most require a long journey down a bumpy dirt road. Does your RV have the ground clearance for it? Do you have the driving skills? Read up on campsites and the roads you’ll take to reach them.
• Watch out for the winter. Camping in the snow isn’t for everyone. Fortunately, southern Utah has some mild winters that are great for off-season boondocking and RV trips. Still, if it’s the winter season and you come unprepared for the cold, you can say goodbye to its wonderful snowtime activities. 
• Monitor the weather. Utah has some harsh summer storms, and a little bit of rain on your tent isn’t all you’ll need to worry about. Flooding is common, especially in the desert where runoff is less likely to soak into the hard-packed ground.

RV Rental for Utah

Utah is your oyster, and the only limitation is the number of your vacation days. But as with any outdoor adventure, nothing is more important than reliability when camping in the middle of the desert or high up in the mountains. Fortunately, when you choose a Cruise America RV rental , you know you’ll reach your destination comfortably and safely. Each of our units undergoes a 110 point inspection before it’s rented out to you. 

Think you're ready for a Utah RV adventure ? Are the Wasatch Peaks calling your name, or do the dusty trails and shimmering red rocks have you longing for boondocking near Zion? Get the ball rolling and book your RV reservation today.

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