Monticello, UT
Bears Ears National Monument
Six campgrounds and vast backcountry across Utah's red-rock monument.
Bears Ears National Monument protects a landscape rich in Indigenous history, dramatic geology, and outdoor recreation near Monticello, Utah. The monument draws visitors seeking rock art sites, ancestral pueblo structures, world-class rock climbing, and remote backcountry exploration across red-rock canyons and high desert plateaus.
Six campgrounds serve as bases for exploring the area: Creek Pasture Campground, Creek Pasture Group Site, Hamburger Rock Campground, Indian Creek Falls Group Site, Superbowl Campground, and Superbowl Group Site. Each offers different settings and group capacities for visitors planning backcountry trips, climbing expeditions, or cultural site visits.
No permit is required to camp or recreate throughout Bears Ears. The monument's canyon systems, river corridors, and designated climbing areas remain accessible year-round, making it a destination for photographers, historians, climbers, and wilderness travelers seeking solitude in one of the Colorado Plateau's most storied landscapes.
Experiences
Camping
Explore 6 camping locations in Bears Ears National Monument.
Creek Pasture Campground
Creek Pasture Group Site
Hamburger Rock Campground
Indian Creek Falls Group Site
Superbowl Campground
Superbowl Group Site
Common Questions
What visitors most often want to know about Bears Ears National Monument.
Do I need a permit to camp at Bears Ears National Monument?
No permit is required to camp at Bears Ears National Monument. Camping is managed through six sites in the Indian Creek area, split between individual campgrounds and reservable group sites, so how you plan your stay depends on group size.
How do I get a spot at Creek Pasture, Hamburger Rock, or Superbowl Campground?
These three campgrounds are first-come, first-served and cannot be booked ahead on Recreation.gov. You self-register on arrival and pay $15 per night, with electronic Scan & Pay available through the Recreation.gov app, and stays are capped at 14 days.
Can I reserve a group campsite at Bears Ears?
Yes. Creek Pasture Group Site, Superbowl Group Site, and Indian Creek Falls Group Site can each be reserved in advance on Recreation.gov, hold up to 50 people, and cost $65 per night.
How do cancellation alerts help with these group sites?
Since Creek Pasture Group Site, Superbowl Group Site, and Indian Creek Falls Group Site are reservation-based, they can show as fully booked even when a spot later opens up. Open Canyon watches those listings on Recreation.gov and can notify you if a cancellation frees up a date you're after.
What's near the Indian Creek campgrounds at Bears Ears?
The campgrounds sit along Utah State Route 211, a short drive from the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and from Newspaper Rock. Hamburger Rock Campground is about 3 miles from the Canyonlands entrance, while Superbowl Campground is roughly 6.5 miles away.
What is the Indian Creek area of Bears Ears known for?
Indian Creek is internationally known for its crack climbing routes on the area's Wingate Sandstone cliffs. The broader monument also holds rock art sites and ancestral pueblo dwellings, making it a destination for both climbers and those interested in cultural history.