Up the Creek Campground — Hotel in Moab

This is the fourth time I've been to Moab. The first three I've stayed at the Rustic Inn since it's inexpensive and centrally located. This trip we wanted to try something different, so we decided to camp in tents.

In December 2011 I made the reservations for this trip (June 2012). The lady I talked to was very helpful, and charged me a deposit totaling one day of the three we would be staying. Since we'd be arriving in Moab around midnight we opted to stay at the Rustic Inn again so we wouldn't have to put up tents in the dark. One of our group bailed on the trip but we kept both sites since we had three tents total and wanted the extra room.

We got to the campground, found our sites, and paid our balance due with the convenient pay box. Carts were provided to get our gear from the parking lot to the sites as well, which was very helpful. The only issue we had is that the ground was a bit rocky, but this was under the top layer of dirt/sand, so the tent stakes weren't easy to set. Not a big deal unless you use cheap/thin tent stakes. We all had heavy-duty stakes from REI, so no problems. The top layer of dirt/sand was in pretty good shape for sleeping with a pad. The main walk-areas had more rocks, but nothing major.

I was concerned about the location of the campground, since it's only a block off the main street and in a semi-residential area, and close to some commercial property. None of that mattered, the camp ground was quiet all night long, with only a faint sound from the street. Since no cars are allowed in the camping area we didn't have headlights on our tents all night long, and we got decent sleep. Surprisingly, everybody did a great job in observing the quiet hours starting at 10.

On night #2 we were sitting at our picnic table at the edge of the grass and we heard some noise in the bushes. We turned on our headlamps and found two deer 10' and 15' away from us. They might have been after the bag of corn chips on our table, so we got rid of the food, just in case. Overall, a nice surprise that we didn't expect in the middle of town.

As far as convenience, the camp ground is about a block away from a very nice grocery store and even closer to a gas station if you need snacks. We didn't bother bringing a cooler since we could just walk over and buy what we needed for each meal. This cut down heavily on the amount of stuff we had to pack. There were a number of grills around the campground which were free for the campers to use, a very nice touch. I had brought all the stuff needed to wash our cooking pots/utensils, but found that the campground offers a nice sink with running hot water to wash up. They even provided the dish soap and sponge.

A few unhappy reviewers had commented about dirty bathrooms. Either they are used to hospital clean-rooms or are looking to make problems. This is a campground, not a 5-star hotel. The bathrooms were the cleanest I've ever seen at a campground by far, and were a lot cleaner than the Pizza Hut in town... The showers were clean. The toilets were clean. Extra TP was available if needed. The garbage was emptied regularly. The sinks were clean. The water was hot. One of the guys we camped with said he saw a spider, and I saw what I think was either a moth or butterfly. Big deal. The door was always left open and people kept leaving the light on at night so I'm surprised that is all we saw. Regardless, bugs will get in. It's a campground, it's nature, deal with it.

By the time we left, I still never met the owner and am not sure I even saw anybody who worked for the campground. I didn't need to, as everything was perfectly fine as we and the other campers were acting like responsible adults. I had their phone number and we traded voicemail as our reservation date got close. That's fine with me. I guarantee that if/when we ever camp in Moab again I will stay here. Yes, it's more expensive than other places, but in my opinion it's 100% worth a few...

Great central camping spot in Moab

Camped here 3 nights in early April 2015 for Easter Jeep Safari. The grounds are clean and simple, if a bit rocky (it is smooth river rock though.) Despite the location near the main drag, noise was not an issue nor was light. In fact, you will certainly need a lantern for your site and a flashlight/headlamp for getting around after sundown.

The creek provides subtle white noise, especially at the southern end of the west side where there is very small artificial falls. If you prefer NOT to have that prominently in the background as you sleep, you may want to request a site mid-way up on the east side.

However, note that the restrooms/showers are at the north end of the east strip of campsites. Speaking of, the men's restroom has 2 sinks, 2 toilets/stalls, and 2 showers with a bench just outside them. There is a shelf adjacent to the sinks with a few hooks underneath as well as a couple hooks per shower. Each shower has tiled floors with its own sliding, screened window and (painted) brick enclosing walls which are about 5 feet high and have a flat surface to put your stuff on top of. Everything was very clean and well-kept! (Recommend showering at night or before 6 AM to avoid the morning "rush"...) The women's facilities appear to be identical from the outside, though I can't confirm.

There is a utility sink for washing dishes, etc. on the south side of the restroom building though I never used it myself. In fact, I spent little time at the campground aside from sleeping, but the location is great if you're looking to relax at your site. Every site has a solid picnic table and there are a handful of grills around the grounds.

As this is a walk-in campground, you'll park away from your tent site and plenty of handcarts are provided to portage your gear in and out with. There are a couple of (covered) trash and recycling bins...

This campground was a pleasant surprise. We couldn’t get a site at another campground and booked at this campground with a little apprehension because it was ‘in town’. This was our first time in Moab and we were in a five day hiking/camping trip. First of all, upon booking we read up on the campground, rules, amenities, description and all. They are very transparent about it being an ‘urban campground’, but listen, it’s not New York City/LA ‘urban’. Some of the negative reviews are so ridiculous about the surrounding noise. We stayed for 2 nights and it was so quiet at night that when we arrived from our activities, we were trying really hard not to make too much noise while walking on the gravel to our tent. Of course in the morning, there was a garbage truck next door, the school PA and cars, but by that time almost everyone was up getting ready or gone for the day’s activities. Secondly, this is camping, and if someone has to explain camping to you then stay home or go to a hotel. The bathrooms were well-kept, clean and orderly. The sites, yes were gravely, but there’s a rake you can use to clean out the larger rocks. We came prepared with extra tarp under the tent and it was fine. Just come prepared, as you would with anywhere you camp. And finally, many of the campers here were either mountain bikers, hikers, rock climbers or of that sort where they are here to crash after a hard day of play, are in bed by 9 pm and are up and gone early and all day. I do not see this as a family campground with campfire cookouts, etc. I am so thankful and glad to have found a place like this., it suited our purpose perfectly. If you’re on a budget and all you really need is a place to sleep, with nearby amenities for food and coffee in the morning, this...