Campground
Kane Springs West Campgrounds (visit their site or see google Map) for RV, Tent, and open ground camping. See the Places page for directions. To park and camp with a tent is $20 for a 4 person car and $5 for extra cars, plus $5 for any ATV or vehicle trailers. I admit, this is a bit steep, especially when staying for 4-5 days. But we enjoy it. Here is a site with more info on the various places to camp along Kane Creek Road (Blvd), however, the prices are outdated. Here is another site with great info, and has their phone and address. They have listed that the prices are from $15-$30, which seems accurate, being that the prices tend to fluctuate. But it has always been worth the visit.
This is the same place we stayed in 2009, and we are more than likely going to make this a tradition. It is privately owned and they want to keep it family friendly, which is great for us. We like it for this and the open camping and sand—just pick a spot and set-up, being respectful to any neighbors of course. The open atmosphere makes it nice to meet people from all over.
Note: there are 5 areas to camp on the grounds. We just found out about the 5th, which has flush toilets and paid showers and camping in a cave—so we hear. This is the Kane Springs East campground. We want to check that out next year. The spot we have been staying is in the middle and has sand to set up in—our kids love it! The outer areas are somewhat grassy or dirt packed. The Kane Spring Campgrounds are considered to be overflow camping for all that arrive late for the holidays. Meaning if you arrive late (Friday—sometimes even Thursday) and can’t find anywhere to park yourself, you can go there and most likely find a spot, as there are plenty of places to squeeze in.
No Butterfly Release: Unfortunately we did not get the chance to raise and release butterflies this year, as we did in 2009.
Biscuit Bomb Launcher
Just take a can of biscuits (any brand will do, we used Western Family) and set it in the sun upright—with metal on top….Then duck-n-cover and wait for the excitement to begin. Unfortunately most of the can will be unusable, as we discovered by mistake. POP! I looked over to see the remnants falling all around the table and ground—one even landed in the frying oil! So back to the store I went. We had to take care of our new customers in the donut making business, J/K. However, all of our neighbors loves them, and you will too! (see Family Site Food-Recipes for the recipe).
Hike Through Moonflower Canyon
This is a great little hike that is about 20 mins one way. Moonflower Canyon is a hike-in campground that follows a little creek back to a pool of water surrounded by an amphitheater of red rock. The campsites are amazing, but small—we would have to trim down quite a bit to fit in one. If you can find a vacant site—seems to be always occupied—this is definitely a place to stay.
Arches—Devils Garden
This is a 20 minute drive from the entrance, and is located at the end of the road. There are a few different hikes you can take that vary in length. These are easy hikes and pretty much anyone healthy enough to walk can do it. We did 1 1/2 trails—about 3 miles. Carrie ended up with serious stomach pains and Xayne was not doing so well either, so we headed back to our home in the desert to make some more donuts. I was pretty disappointed with our Kelty Summit kid carrier. Was fine when we bought it, but not-so-much when out and about. Of course we didn’t have as much weight in it when trying it on the first time. That can make all the difference.
It would have been great to have canned air for my camera and a few other things. This is now going to be added to my bag of gear.
A bit on organization
When packing for a trip it is important to not let the man pack everything, as he might stuff everything in grocery sacks…kinda like I did on this trip. I know better, but hey, I was in a hurry. However, finding what you need becomes very challenging, and frustrating when doing it this way.
Carrie and I decided to separate our gear with strong color coded bags, such as nylon. Maybe we will use big mesh bags… (You can also do this for backpacking with small colored or mesh bags—I prefer the mesh bags.) Clear bins would be ideal, however our Honda Civic does not allow for it.
Attractions and Places to Check Out Moonflowers Canyon: $8 per night and has 8 hike-in campsites, no hook-ups or water, and the bathroom is by the rd. But still, an awesome place. This is on the left, on the way to Kane Springs Campground.
Moab Rock Shop: Lynn Ottinger, Dona, and Kyle. Lynn’s story is amazing. This is the first time I took the opportunity to learn it. Lynn began rock hounding at age 12, and is now 83. He is trying to get someone to take over the operations at the shop so he can continue playing. Most likely that will be Dona, his daughter-in-law and her son Kyle. Lynn discovered the dinosaur Iguanodon Ottingeri. You can buy a book in the shop that tells all about it.
Eddie Mcstiff’s Pizza: Just before 100 So on Main St. on left. I have eaten there many times in the past and I love it. Great food and environment.
City Market: This is the biggest grocery store in town. Heading south it is on Main St. on the right past 3rd So. (see map)
The Village Market: Good place to find all of the other stuff you may want, that the City Market might not have. Just past Kane Cr on Main St. on right (see map)
Moab Brewery: Next to the village market. I ate there once in 2005. Pretty good food.
Alco discount Store: They had the cooler I wanted for $10 less than any other store in town. On US 191/Main St. past Jackson Rd on the south side of Moab (see map)
People (In the order that we met them) Greg, Heather, and twins, Anna and Ally (6 yrs old): The twins and Zoe had a great time playing and creating any adventure that they could come up with.
Jeremiah, Claire, Abigail (daughter-9), and Drackson (son-4), CO: on their way to Disney Land, CA, for their first time, and to camp on the beach. Awesome! I want to do that! They stopped in Moab for a pit-stop because they love it! Jeremiah is a CPA, so I am sure this was his first breath of fresh air in a while.
Kathleen, CO: works for an outdoor organization. In Moab for some R&R while on sabbatical from her demanding job.
Logan and Torry, SLC: He is finishing school in Pre Dental at the University of Utah, and she has a degree in english and journalism.
Dave, Amy, and Christopher (son-9), CO: on their way to Grand Gulch for a four day backpacking trip. Dave is an Arborist and bought a paracord bracelet from Carrie. She is making and selling them along with belts. Photo (No website yet…stay tuned.)
Ed and his wife: on a tour with Bonvoy group that do 5 day tours in Moab. They received discounts through Living Social and Groupon. He says his wife is having a blast, doing all sorts of activities such as: Canyoneering and Rappelling; Mountain biking, Rock climbing.
Dwayne, Jeff, Chris, and Mike, CO: I hung out with them for a little bit at their camp Sunday night. They were all interested to hear about Salt Lake City. Dwayne is a civil engineer. I met him when he dropped in to trade a cigarette for a beer. They stopped by in the morning and grabbed a donut before heading home.
Things We learned
Grocery bags for packing—bad
Strong color coded bag system and/or bins—good
When things don’t go as planned, just breathe, take a step back and smile
Build a hootch to keep your cooler out of the sun
Don’t put non-potable water next to drinkable water
Don’t put can of biscuits on end in the sun—creates a biscuit bomb luancher!
Update our First Aid kit!!! We didn’t have ace bandage wrap with us for some reason, even though we have about 8 of them at home.
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June 21, 2011 at 11:27 am
Yay! We’re glad to hear Ed and his wife had a blast with us. Thank you for choosing to travel with us
We’d love to have them again.