Buckhorn Wash (Buckhorn Draw)
Region: San Rafael Swell | Land Manager: BLM | Cost: Free at some sites, $15 per night at numbered sites
The Buckhorn Panel pictographs. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Buckhorn Draw is the main artery through the northern San Rafael Swell, and one of the best boondocking corridors in the state. Camping is strung out along nine miles of canyon road between towering sandstone cliffs, with dozens of individual sites, a handful of vault toilets, and the Buckhorn Panel pictographs partway through.
Quick Facts
| Distance from Castle Dale | About 15 miles east via Buckhorn Draw Road |
| Road & Clearance | Graded dirt road; most vehicles handle it fine, though a couple of spur sites need high clearance and 4WD in deep sand |
| Rig Suitability | Sites for everything from tents to full-size RVs; check individual site listings, since some spurs are narrow or sandy |
| Amenities | Vault toilets at several points along the road; fire rings and picnic tables at numbered sites; no potable water |
| Cell Signal | Little to none through most of the canyon |
| Best Season | Spring and fall; can see snow and freezing nights in winter |
| Stay Limit | 14 days within a 28-day period |
Map
Getting There
From Castle Dale, take I-70 exit 131 and head north for about 25 miles until the road drops into Buckhorn Draw. From the south, the draw is also reachable via the Wedge Overlook road and connecting BLM routes through the Swell. The road through the canyon is graded dirt for its full nine-mile length, running below sandstone cliffs the whole way.
What to Expect
There's a mix of numbered fee sites ($15 a night, with a discounted rate for seniors) and informal dispersed spots along the draw, so you can pick based on budget and how much company you want. Sites 1 through 7 and 18 through 21 have vault toilets nearby, and the historic Buckhorn Panel, one of the best-preserved rock art sites in the Swell, sits roughly halfway through the canyon with its own small parking area and interpretive signage. At the south end, the road meets the San Rafael River near the historic Swinging Bridge, where a cluster of additional campgrounds (Swinging Bridge North and South, plus an equestrian loop) offers more sites, tent pads, and toilets.
Good to Know
There's no potable water anywhere along the draw, so bring everything you need. Some spur roads, particularly toward sites 20 and 21, run through deep sand and require high clearance and 4WD; scope out a site before committing your rig to a narrow spur. Buckhorn Draw is also the main access route to some of the Swell's more technical OHV trails and to dispersed camping further out along Mexican Mountain Road, so expect some ATV and off-road traffic passing through.
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