Ken's Lake Campground
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:22 UTC
- A night
- $20From, per site
- Sites
- 48All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 10 notices
In the agency’s own words
ATTENTION: Loop A campsites are available by reservation only through Recreation.gov. Reservations can be made the day of, up to 6 months in advance from anywhere service is available. This is the only option, cash and check payments are NOT available onsite. There is cell service for most providers at the campground entrance. Loop B campsites are available first-come, first serve only . Payments can be made by cash, check, or scan and pay through the Recreation.gov mobile app. Please contact the BLM Moab Field Office with questions by email: blm_ut_mb_mail@blm.gov or phone: 435-259-2100. Keep reading
Ken's Lake Campground is a part of the Ken's Lake Recreation Area. The area includes Ken's Lake, a man made reservoir (electric motors only - gas powered engines are prohibited), day use area with a gravel boat ramp, campground, and hiking/equestrian trails. Construction of the reservoir was part of the Mill Creek Project, completed in 1981, which also included a pressurized irrigation water delivery system. In 2000, the site was constructed into a campground and day use area for visitors to enjoy the surrounding recreational activities and scenic vistas. Located 10 miles south of Moab, Ken's Lake is surrounded by red rock fins to the east, sage brush flats to the south and west, and a reservoir to the north. Distant views from the campground also include the La Sal Mountains and red rock Moab Rim. This site is located at 5,085 feet elevation, similar to Moab. Be prepared October to March for lows below freezing and from June to August highs from 95 to above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This campground is comprised of loops A and B. Loop A has no vegetation providing shade and is closed during low use season (summer and winter; exact dates vary each year). Loop B stays open year round and has a variety of sites with juniper and cottonwood trees providing shade and privacy. Loop A is popular with visitors that have large motorhomes and trailers. Loop B has smaller sites and it is difficult for large motorhomes and trailers to turn-around. The south end of the Steel Bender Jeep Safari Route runs next to the campground, so Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) users are also drawn to this area. Other popular activities originating from the campground or day use area include: hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and non-motorized boating. There are over 3 miles of trails in the lake vicinity with views of the Moab Valley, Faux Falls, La Sal Mountains, and Ken's Lake.
Recreation
The town of Moab is a hub for recreation. Tour operators offer guided hikes, rentals and evening entertainment. The area abounds with trails, dirt roads and canyons waiting to be explored.
Facilities
Each campsite has a gravel parking pad for two vehicles (vehicle pulling a trailer = two vehicles), picnic table, fire ring, and close proximity to a vault toilet and trash receptacles. There is no drinking water or electricity hook ups at this campground. During Spring and Fall a campground host is stationed at this campground. Campground hosts assist visitors with acquiring a campsite, trip planning, and campground etiquette education.
Natural Features
A few miles east of the campground, Mill Creek flows out of the La Sal Mountains. Water from this creek has been diverted to flow along a creek on the north side of the campground and is captured at Ken's Lake Reservoir. Along the diverted creek's path is Faux Falls. From the campground, visitors can hike or ride horseback on a trail to the falls or directly to the lake.
Nearby Attractions
Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments are nearby. Also in the area are the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, which provide interesting exploration opportunities and cooler temperatures during the summer months.
Charges & Cancellations
You may contact the BLM Moab Field Office for assistance with changes and cancellations at 435-259-2100. Changes You can make changes to a reservation through your online Recreation.gov user account any time prior to the arrival/first date of the reservation. There is a $10 change fee If you wish to change to dates entirely outside of the original reservation dates. There is no change fee if you wish to extend or shorten the original reservation dates as long as the changes include dates from the original reservation. There is no change fee if you wish to change to another site that is the same price, for the same dates, and in the same campground. You cannot make changes to your reservation after the arrival/first day through your Recreation.gov account. However, the BLM Moab Field Office may be able to assist you, 435-259-2100. For reservations with dates at the end of the available booking window (a.k.a. sliding window), you will not be able to make changes or cancellations until the site has been available to the general public for 18 days. Cancellations Please cancel your reservation if you do not plan to use it. This opens highly sought-after campsites for others to reserve. You can cancel your reservation online through your Recreation.gov user account or through the call center (the call center incurs an additional fee). You may also contact the BLM Moab Field Office for assistance. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Late Cancellations A late cancellation occurs starting from midnight 1 calendar day before your scheduled check-in. Late cancellations will incur a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a one night reservation will forfeit the entire amount but will not be charged a service fee. Early Departures If you spend at least one night and then leave prior to the scheduled departure check-out date, please contact the BLM Moab Field Office (435-259-2100) to open the remaining nights for others to use. You will not be able to cancel these nights through your Recreation.gov account. You will be eligible for a partial refund of the nights AFTER you depart that you did not use. If you depart after the facility check-out time (Noon), you will not be eligible for a refund for that night. No-Shows A No Show occurs if you do not arrive at your campsite or cancel your reservation by check-out time (Noon) on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (Noon) on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed a $20.00 Recreation.gov service fee and forfeit the first night’s use fee. Refunds You can submit a refund request through your Recreation.gov account within 7 days of the departure/end date of your reservation. Applicable fees, such as the Recreation.gov reservation fees, service/cancellation fees, lottery application fees, and change fees, are non-refundable. Refunds cannot be issued to any card other than the one used to pay. In the event of an emergency closure, all fees will be refunded. Attempts will be made to notify you using the contact information within your Recreation.gov customer profile. Interagency Pass Discounts The following are the only Interagency Passes that provide a discount on camping reservations: Senior Annual Pass Senior Lifetime Pass Access Pass Golden Age Pass Golden Access Pass Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount. The holder of the pass must occupy the site for which the discount is applied. The pass can only be used for one site during a time period.
What the agency tells you
ATTENTION: Moab campsites are highly sought after. Please cancel your reservation as soon as possible if you do not plan on showing up so others may reserve the site. Refer to the Fees and Cancellations section for information on refunds. If the reservation holder does not show up by noon on the day after the scheduled arrival date, the site will be released for others to reserve. You can cancel your reservation online through your Recreation.gov user account or through the call center (call center incurs an additional fee). You may also contact the BLM Moab Field Office for assistance, blm_ut_mb_mail@blm.gov or (435) 259-2100.
Consider always leaving something at your campsite to show it is occupied.
A maximum of 10 people are allowed at each site.
Everything else this campground posts · 7
Two vehicles per site (vehicles include trailers).
Gusty winds are possible; ALWAYS secure your tents and camping gear.
Ravens, chipmunks and other wildlife frequent the sites; NEVER leave food or trash unattended.
Summer thunderstorms can cause flash flooding and gusty winds; stay aware of current weather.
Generator hours are from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Quiet hours are from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am
Wedding ceremonies and receptions require a Letter of Acknowledgement from the Moab Field Office. Contact blm_ut_mb_srp@blm.gov for more information.
No amplified music.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 48
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- VAULT TOILETS on 48 of 48 campsite records
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…to a vault toilet and trash receptacles. There is no drinking water or electricity hook ups at this campground. During…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, Creek
- Auto Touring
- Birding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horse Camping
- Horseback riding
- Kayaking
- Non-Motorized Boating
- Off Highway Vehicle Trails
- Picnicking
- Swimming
- Night sky · 201st darkest of 458 in UT
- Bortle 2
Full this Saturdayread 15:22 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 38 sites on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday. 7 are free on Wed, Oct 21. read 15:22 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $20 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“Changes You can make changes to a reservation through your online Recreation.gov user account any time prior to the arrival/first date of the reservation. - There is a $10 change fee If you wish to change to dates entirely outside of the original reservation dates. - There is no change fee if you wish to extend or s…” · this campground’s own no-show terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 15:22 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
48 sites
All 48 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 48 of the 48 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| A | 1 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| A | 10 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | $20 |
| A | 11 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | $20 |
| A | 12 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 |
| A | 13 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 14 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | $20 |
| A | 15 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 16 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 17 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 18 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 19 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 2 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 20 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 21 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 22 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | $20 |
| A | 23 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | $20 |
| A | 24 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 25 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | $20 |
| A | 26 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | $20 |
| A | 27 | standard nonelectric | 53 ft | $20 |
| A | 28 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | $20 |
| A | 29 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 3 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | $20 |
| A | 30 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 31 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 |
| A | 32 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 33 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 34 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft | $20 |
| A | 35 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| A | 36 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| A | 37 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| A | 38 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| A | 4 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 5 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | $20 |
| A | 6 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | $20 |
| A | 7 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | $20 |
| A | 8 | standard nonelectric | 18 ft | $20 |
| A | 9 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | $20 |
| B | 39 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | $20 |
| B | 40 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 41 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 42 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | $20 |
| B | 43 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 44 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | $20 |
| B | 45 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 46 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 47 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
| B | 48 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 |
25 of 48 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Ken's Lake Group SitesMoab Field Office · 0.1 miKens Lake Recreation Site0.3 miJuniper CampgroundMoab Field Office · 7.1 miMason Draw CampgroundManti-La Sal National Forest · 7.9 miSand Flats Recreation Area CG FMoab Field Office · 8.0 miSand Flats Recreation Area CG EMoab Field Office · 8.2 miFrom Moab, drive south on Highway 191 until you see signs for Ken's Lake, approximately 8 miles. Turn left off the highway and follow signs to the lake. The campground is just beyond the turn to the lake. Loop A is in the first campground loop and B is the second loop.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Spanish Valley, UT
Typical weather
Typical October night 41°F, day 71°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 20°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Ken's Lake Campground is in Utah’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Mike Kennedy (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyMike KennedyU.S. Representative · Utah’s 3rd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationJohn R. CurtisU.S. Senator · Utah
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMike LeeU.S. Senator · Utah
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah
Dear Mike Kennedy, I’m a constituent in Utah’s 3rd district. I tried to camp at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah, and couldn’t. All 48 sites at Ken's Lake Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 38 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ken's Lake Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ken's Lake Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the Bureau of Land Management in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Ken's Lake Campground (Moab Field Office, Utah) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah
Dear John R. Curtis, I’m a constituent in Utah. I tried to camp at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah, and couldn’t. All 48 sites at Ken's Lake Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 38 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ken's Lake Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ken's Lake Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the Bureau of Land Management in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Ken's Lake Campground (Moab Field Office, Utah) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah
Dear Mike Lee, I’m a constituent in Utah. I tried to camp at Ken's Lake Campground, Moab Field Office, Utah, and couldn’t. All 48 sites at Ken's Lake Campground are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 38 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Ken's Lake Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Ken's Lake Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the Bureau of Land Management in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Ken's Lake Campground (Moab Field Office, Utah) via campanac.com