2 locations in Arches, Capitol Reef are difficult to book

Nowadays, the lucky ones who plan ahead are the lucky ones.

At least 84 million people have camped in America in the past year, 5.5 million of them for the first time, according to a recent report from camping app Dyrt.

This means that campsites are becoming increasingly difficult to book. The report states that around 45% of campers find sites that are already fully booked when they try to book a spot.

Some campgrounds are more competitive than others, whether it’s for location, amenities or scenic views. The most sought-after campground in the country is a tie between Nevada Beach Campground near Lake Tahoe and Twelvemile Beach Campground near Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, according to Dyrt data. The coveted sites are booked 99.4 percent of the time.

But Utah is one of the few states with two of the hardest to book campgrounds in the country. They are:

• Devils Garden Campground, located in Arches National Park near Moab, was booked 99.2% of the time, ranking third on Dyrt’s list.

• Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park — booked 95.9% of the time, ranking #8.

Devils Garden Campsite (Arches)

Devils Garden is the only campground in Arches National Park, offering 51 campsites in the shadow of Skyline Arch.

The park itself is relatively small, with one main road running through it that runs about 18 miles in total. With more than 1.5 million visitors a year, “it makes sense that the campground would be hard to book,” said Karen Garthwait, spokesperson for the Southeast Utah Group of National Parks and Monuments.

During peak season, March through October, the campground is reservation-only. Devils Garden can be booked up to six months in advance. Two large party campgrounds, which can accommodate up to 25 people, can be booked a full year in advance — and often do, Garthwait says.

Campers come from far and wide to the small, red-rock-covered park. “Utah license plates are not the overwhelming majority,” she said.

For those willing to brave the cold nights of winter camping, Devils Garden is much more available. From November through February, the campground is first come, first served. During that time, the campground’s vacancy rate is usually dependent on the weather. Garthwait encourages visitors to camp during the off-season, saying, “It’s a totally different way to experience the park.”

Devils Campground will likely remain the only camping option in the park for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve all heard that song about paving a paradise and putting in a parking lot, right?” Garthwait said, referencing the Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi.” “So one of the challenges of managing public lands is trying to find that balance between preserving the place that people come here to experience and providing the infrastructure that’s appropriate to meet that demand.”

Reservations for Devils Garden Campground can be made through recreation.gov. Fees vary, but standard individual sites cost $25 per night.

If the popular campground is already booked, visitors can still stay at nearby campgrounds outside the park. Many of those options are first come, first served, Garthwait said.

Fruita Campground (Capitol Reef)

The Fruita Campground is Capitol Reef’s only developed campground, with 71 individual campsites. Reservations are accepted and encouraged to be made six months in advance.

“There has been a steady increase in overnight stays at Fruita in recent years,” said Gloria Kann, who works with the campground’s fee program, noting that the number of visitors has increased by more than 10,000 in the past decade.

Visitors typically stay about two nights in the lush river valley, enjoying green grass and red cliffs, she said. It costs $25 a night.

The campground has picnic tables, fire pits, grills, and restrooms with running water and flush toilets. Of all the amenities, the campground’s nearby fruit orchards are perhaps the biggest draw.

“Capitol Reef has heirloom varieties of cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples and pears that grow in orchards,” Kann said. While visitors must pay to take fruit home, it’s free to enjoy it in the orchard — fresh from the source.

“There’s nothing better than eating a perfectly ripe, sun-warmed apricot or peach that practically falls off the tree into your hand,” Kann says.

Unlike shopping in a grocery store, consumers at Fruita’s orchards can see when produce is perfectly ripe. Kann shared a helpful tip: “If you have to pull on the fruit, it’s not ready yet.”

Campsites can be reserved from March 1 through October 31 at recreation.gov. From November 1 through February 28, all campsites are first come, first served.

Visitors are encouraged to check out recreation.gov’s free alert system, which will notify them if a location is available on their desired date.

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