About this place
Big Bend sits right on the Colorado River, about 30 minutes from Moab. It makes a good place to start a trip.
There is a sandy beach, a boat launch, spots to sit and watch the river, picnic tables, campsites and group campsites.
The individual sites run along the bend in the river canyon that gives the place its name. They go first come, first served.
They take tents, trailers and large RVs. Many sit right by the water, with imposing cliffs standing over them.
There are accessible facilities here.
Three group sites can be booked through Recreation.gov, and they take tents, trailers and large RVs too.
Sites A and B are beside the Colorado. Site C is across Highway 128, up a side canyon, so it is the private one. People use it for small family gatherings and for weddings.
Each group site has fire grates, picnic tables, vault toilets and shade shelters.
None of them have drinking water, a dump station or an electric hookup. All three have spectacular canyon views.
The stretch of river here is called the Moab Daily. It has several smaller sets of rapids and suits every kind of craft.
There is hiking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting and four-wheel drive touring in every direction from here, and the national parks are close.
Arches National Park is close. Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monument are each within a day’s drive.
The Manti-La Sal National Forest and the La Sal Mountain Loop Road are near too. Go for the views, and to get out of the summer heat.
Moab itself has dining, shopping, sports rentals, tour companies and museums.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee disputed. Check before you go
- Stay limit
- 14 nights within a 30 consecutive day period
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own
- Toilet
- Yes, vault toilets
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Rules and restrictions
Do not go into the river without the life jackets you are required to wear. The undercurrents here are dangerous.
Getting there
At the junction of Hwy 191 and Hwy 128, take Highway 128 east for 7.4 miles, following the Colorado River. The campground is on your left.
Coordinates 38.648682, -109.479675
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
This is a good base for somewhere people travel a long way to see.
- Arches National Park Directions
- Delicate Arch Directions
- Landscape Arch Directions
- Canyonlands National Park Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Castle Valley, UT Directions
- Moab, UT Directions
Moab is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
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Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026; a second record says there is a fee, which is why this one is flagged.