Virgin Dam boondocking

We had other plans for boondocking near Zion National Park, but when Kerri found a few Instagram-buddies parked nearby at a totally unknown location (to me), we headed that direction. The Virgin Dam BLM area overlooks the Virgin River and the Dam below, with 360 degrees of desert awesomeness surrounding us. Even though it is only a few miles outside of Hurricane, UT and a 30 minute drive into the National Park, those are not the biggest selling points as to why this place rocks. It is the view, the birds, and the river slowly creeping past below – way below – us… just wow!

Of course, I have added this spot to my Boondocking Locations Map

IMG_9032 IMG_9056 IMG_9054 IMG_9031On top of all the beauty, there is a BLM shooting range just 2 miles away. This came at a perfect time as I am now out of California and able to start carrying my pistol again. A healthy dose of practice to regain confidence and proficiency was needed after 6+ months without my sidearm. Over two days and hundreds of bullets fired, I feel much more confident and safe about it all. As luck would have it, I was not the only one who enjoys shooting, so on the first day we set out as a group for a day at the range.

A photo posted by Jon McCartie (@jmccartie) on

A photo posted by Mike Key (@boldadventure) on

A video posted by Mike Key (@boldadventure) on

A photo posted by @van_tramp on

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3 Responses

  1. Scott says:

    Great find. Thanks for sharing. We love that area but could only stay one night in Zion because it was so busy on our last visit. Will have to check this out.

    • Van-Tramp says:

      I find myself asking more and more, “why stay inside the park at all?” Dog’s are stuck inside, huge crowds, the cost, etc. And there is normally some public lands just outside most National Parks so why not huh?
      http://www.campendium.com is a good resource to find these places.

  2. D Pope says:

    An update on this area. The land for about a half a mile on either side of the Virgin River from the Virgin Dam road on the west to Falls Park on the east is actually private land. This area is being set aside for non motorized Day use only. Any camping should be done on BLM land. See The Virgin River Land Preservation Association’s website for more details.

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