Bears Ears NM in early April

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MarriedWithVikids

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Mar 14, 2023
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Planning a trip to Bears Ears in SE Utah over Spring Break. It will be our first time boondocking, so I’m trying to overplan so that things go well. Our 29 foot trailer is too large for Natural Bridges Campground so we were thinking of trying dispersed camping on nearby Burch Canyon Road, which comes recommended by some Campendium reviewers. Anyone with experience in this area that you’d be willing to share? Is Blanding the closest place to resupply and dump? Really looking for any pointers at all, as information on the web seems pretty scarce. Thank you in advance!
 
You'll need to watch for the weather as it might still have snow up there in April.

We have only stayed in 2 places whilst visiting that area:

Blue Mountain RV Park in Blanding (stayed twice, its nice). Yes this is the closest town. Bluff is also fairly close but has less amenities. Haven't seen that boondocking spot so can't advise.

Goosenecks State Park - no facilities. Water was available at the gas station at Mexican Hat but you need to pay a nominal fee. Can't remember any dump stations. You'd need to access the Monument via the Moki Dugway if you stayed here and not suitable for trailers.

Many of the roads in the Monument need are rough so a good 4x4 best.

It's a hidden gem though.
 
You'll need to watch for the weather as it might still have snow up there in April.

We have only stayed in 2 places whilst visiting that area:

Blue Mountain RV Park in Blanding (stayed twice, its nice). Yes this is the closest town. Bluff is also fairly close but has less amenities. Haven't seen that boondocking spot so can't advise.

Goosenecks State Park - no facilities. Water was available at the gas station at Mexican Hat but you need to pay a nominal fee. Can't remember any dump stations. You'd need to access the Monument via the Moki Dugway if you stayed here and not suitable for trailers.

Many of the roads in the Monument need are rough so a good 4x4 best.

It's a hidden gem though.
Love me some Goosenecks.

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Blanding is at 6,000 feet in elevation of which we live at. It's snowing. Nights are still at or well below freezing. Our travel trailers are still winterized. Moab is at 4,000 feet. 2,000 feet in elevation makes a lot of difference in early April for weather.
 
Although it's March 20th, early April is just around the corner. Winter in the High Country near Blanding, Utah isn't letting up. This is Monday (today) through Wednesday. Up to 4 feet possible at the higher elevations. I'm watching it due to I'll be traveling in it.

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It looks like it's all within the High Country in Eastern Utah and Western Colorado. That's why very few people live up that high on the west side of the Rockies, except at ski resorts.
 
I got a text from my Forest Service permit administrator yesterday. He informed me that none of the access roads to any of my campgrounds have been plowed since December, one of my group campgrounds is covered by an avalanche, the snow at the Rock Creek Lake resort is up to the 2nd story deck (about 15'-17' above ground level), and French Camp, which is at the lowest elevation of any of my campgrounds has 8' of snow standing in the campground.
I check the Cal-Trans highway camera for Tom's Place only to find that it's snowing again...right this minute. We might get into those campgrounds before June, but there's going to be a ton of cleanup to do before we can open them.
 
Went to Glacier National Park in the middle of June 2018. Going To The Sun highway was closed halfway up due to really deep snow. But, enjoyed the scenery anyway.
 
Utah snow!

"SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (March 20, 2023) – Ski Utah is thrilled to announce that Brighton Resort officially reached a monumental 703” of snowfall for the season on March 20, 2023. This is the earliest in the season that this has occurred since Utah began recording snowfall in 1943."
Utah Celebrates Over 700” of Snowfall This Season.
Yeah, Mammoth Mountain and Big Bear both annouced that they'll be open "until at least July". More on the way from what I understand.
 
It really doesn't matter that the Western Slope of the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada have either exceeded or at near record snowfall due to it's never enough. There's 40 million people downstream dependent on the Colorado River. Even our local ski area just east of Grand Junction has surpassed 325" to date which is 6 feet above average. There's more snow to come this week. I believe that the record was 320" in over 50 years of history.

I found this NPR article today on Google, dated March 23, 2023...

"In Southern California...the region uses water from the Colorado River. A two-decades long drought has hit the Colorado River hard, causing its massive reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, to plummet. Climate change is shrinking the snowpack that feeds the river."

 
Wow, didn’t think snow would be a problem out in the desert that late in the spring, but I’ll be checking conditions on NPS and UDOT for sure. Might end up camping in the San Rafael Swell as a backup plan.

After more research and study, I ended up settling on Goosenecks instead, with a stop in Bluff to fill up on water and gas. I’m so excited to see the area, seems like so much to see around there!
 
Moab, Utah weather just posted this special alert...

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
ISSUED: 3:32 PM MAR. 24, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...SNOW SQUALL...

HAZARDS...A snow squall which can rapidly reduce visibility to less
than a quarter of a mile.

LOCATION AND MOVEMENT...At 332 PM MDT, a snow squall was along a line
extending from 33 miles west of Fruita to 10 miles northeast of
Castle Valley to 9 miles southwest of Spanish Valley and moving east
at 25 MPH.

THIS SQUALL WILL BE NEAR...
Spanish Valley around 355 PM MDT.
La Sal around 420 PM MDT.

This includes the following highways...
Interstate 70 in Colorado between mile markers 1 and 14.
Interstate 70 in Utah between mile markers 203 and 231.
U.S. Highway 191 in Utah between mile markers 106 and 126.
Utah 128 between mile markers 3 and 44.
Colorado 141 between mile markers 101 and 124.
 
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