Good car camping? Stuff to do near Goblin Valley area Feb 24,25,26?

Mikjik86

Mikjik86

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I am planning a car camping trip with some buddies near Goblin Valley next weekend. Our initial plan was to hike Ding and Dang canyons, and the next day Little Horse and Bell canyons. I have been keeping an eye on the weather, and I know we are 10 days out yet it is looking to be pretty cold, with snow a few days before.

I have heard both canyons can hold ice/deep water that would not be pleasant this time of year.

I had a question regarding other options nearby for car camping/exploring that might not have ice/snow.

If the goblin Valley area does not work out, I am looking for other fun places within an hour or two. Any input would be great! Thanks in advance.
 
Ding and Dang would be misery this time of year, esp with the amount of precip. Wet suits are probably the way to go.
 
Mikjik86 said:
I am planning a car camping trip with some buddies near Goblin Valley next weekend. Our initial plan was to hike Ding and Dang canyons, and the next day Little Horse and Bell canyons. I have been keeping an eye on the weather, and I know we are 10 days out yet it is looking to be pretty cold, with snow a few days before.

I have heard both canyons can hold ice/deep water that would not be pleasant this time of year.

I had a question regarding other options nearby for car camping/exploring that might not have ice/snow.

If the goblin Valley area does not work out, I am looking for other fun places within an hour or two. Any input would be great! Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
A few ideas:
- Camp off the Notom Road and check out places in Capitol Reef like Sheets Gulch.
- Camp over in Robbers Roost at Angel Point West and hike down to the Dirty Devil.
- Could camp close to and then check out Horseshoe Canyon.
 
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Due to potential road conditions elsewhere, I'd stick to the Goblin Valley area. It's a great place to camp in the winter and there shouldn't be a lot of people around. Do LWH and Bell first and that should give you an idea of conditions in something more difficult like Ding/Dang. I'd bet you'll run into ice more than pools of water for how cold it's been down there. There's plenty in that area to keep you busy without doing Ding/Dang though, and none of it should be prohibitive due to conditions. Ice formations in canyons are awesome.
 
Jackson said:
A few ideas:
- Camp off the Notom Road and check out places in Capitol Reef like Sheets Gulch.
- Camp over in Robbers Roost at Angel Point West in Robbers Roost and hike down to the Dirty Devil.
- Could camp close to and then check out Horseshoe Canyon.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jackson, Ill check out those areas!
 
Crack canyon might be another good slot to explore nearby, not sure if it fills up with much water I haven't seen much when I have been in there. Seriously a great area I find myself coming back there all the time.
 
Nick said:
Due to potential road conditions elsewhere, I'd stick to the Goblin Valley area. It's a great place to camp in the winter and there shouldn't be a lot of people around. Do LWH and Bell first and that should give you an idea of conditions in something more difficult like Ding/Dang. I'd bet you'll run into ice more than pools of water for how cold it's been down there. There's plenty in that area to keep you busy without doing Ding/Dang though, and none of it should be prohibitive due to conditions. Ice formations in canyons are awesome.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nick. We will do bell and LWH first. We planned to camp on BLM along the road to ding and dang. Would it be worth it to drive up and behind the reef for better camping? Ive heard the Temple Mountain area is generally used for big trailer/atv usage. I a, trying to avoid generators at night if possible.
 
It's popular in the warmer seasons with the big trailers and stuff, but it's all yours right now. The areas between Goblin and LWH are great this time of year. Lots of good ones between Goblin and Temple Mountain junction as well. The roads seriously might not be great heading deeper with all of the precip that we've had this winter. Maybe they'll be okay, but given the lack of people, I'd just camp around there.
 
Right nearby is Wild Horse window:
IMG_0211-copy.jpg
And:
IMGP9677-copy-3.jpg
To do both is only a half day at most, but it appeared to me that there are easy ramps leading up higher onto the reef that could be worthwhile exploring afterwards, for a longer excursion. If the backroads suck- the trailhead for both the above is a short walk away from the pavement.
 
SteveR said:
Right nearby is Wild Horse window:
View attachment 75077
And:
View attachment 75078
To do both is only a half day at most, but it appeared to me that there are easy ramps leading up higher onto the reef that could be worthwhile exploring afterwards, for a longer excursion. If the backroads suck- the trailhead for both the above is a short walk away from the pavement.
Click to expand...
The scale on that first shot is amazing.
 
What about exploring the area around Trachyte Canyon/Point since you can access it from the highway (276)? The Leprechaun Canyon hike (not the technical descent), also right off the highway, would also be low commitment since it's an out and back.
 
This is the year of winter for sure. We having been coming down from BC every mid-March for the past 6 years and this is the most widespread snow I have seen in all those years......even snowing in Vegas. All that snow bodes well for the water table though........
 
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