Campground · Canyonlands National Park
A two-site desert camp reached by a technical low-range 4WD road.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Canyonlands Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Canyonlands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Canyonlands audio tourMore stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Bobby Jo is a two-site primitive vehicle campground on Elephant Hill Road in the Needles District. It’s about a three-hour drive from the Needles Visitor Center, along one of Utah’s most technical 4WD roads. High clearance and low-range four-wheel drive are required, and inexperienced drivers should skip it. Day trips need a day-use permit; overnight camping needs a backcountry permit. Check road conditions before setting out, since poor conditions or flooding can make the route impassable.
The two sites sit in sandy openings among rounded sandstone boulders. Each allows up to 10 people and 3 vehicles. There’s no water at any Elephant Hill campsite, so bring all you need. A vault toilet is provided, but campers are told not to rely on it: bring a human-waste system and pack waste out. Vehicle campers may stay up to three consecutive nights in this camping area.
Vehicles or vehicle-trailer combinations over 21 feet cannot use Elephant Hill Access Road or its road system. Pets aren’t allowed on Needles backcountry roads, even inside a vehicle. Pick Bobby Jo for a remote, primitive night if your driver and vehicle are ready for a technical backcountry route; it won’t work for a standard vehicle or anyone who needs water at camp.
Wildlife
48 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
47 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
30 sightingsWestern RattlesnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
18 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Canyonlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateJoint Trail3 mi · 2 hr · 1.1 mi awayA walk through a deep, shaded sandstone fracture.
ModerateDevils Kitchen to Elephant Canyon Trail5.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayA remote through-hike past red needles into Elephant Canyon.
EasyCyclone Canyon Trail2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayA sandy 2.41-mile connector through a faulted canyon.
ChallengingLower Red Lake Canyon Trail18.8 mi · 14 hr · 4.4 mi awayA strenuous backcountry descent to the Colorado and back
ChallengingDruid Arch Trail10.8 mi · 6 hr · 4.4 mi awayA long canyon hike to a giant sandstone arch.
ChallengingChesler Park Viewpoint Trail5.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayA rocky climb to the pass above Chesler Park's grass and spires.
ChallengingChesler Park Loop and Joint Trail10.7 mi · 6 hr · 4.5 mi awayA spire-ringed meadow and narrow rock passages reward a full-day loop.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayThe JointA shaded quarter-mile passage through deep Cedar Mesa sandstone fractures.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayChesler Park ViewpointA grassland basin ringed by stone needles, earned on a long hike.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayDruid ArchA 10.8-mile hike ends beneath a striking two-opening sandstone arch.
Campground · 3.2 mi awayDevils Kitchen CampgroundA four-site backcountry camp reached by the technical Elephant Hill road.Parkwolf’s Canyonlands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
