Free camping is available at Poverty Kiosk OHV Area, located just east of Zion National Park along State Highway 9. Managed by Kanab Field Office of Utah Bureau of Land Management (BLM), this is a staging area for network of OHV trails. It’s also an entry point for Parunuweap Canyon WSA.
Map of Poverty Kiosk OHV Staging Area…
The white shaded polygon in the map represents the area of recommended camping. You are still allowed to camp anywhere on BLM land, however keep in mind that this area is popular with OHV trail riders, and if you camp anywhere else you’ll encounter a lot of noise throughout the day.
Camping at Poverty Kiosk
Poverty Kiosk OHV Staging Area is a hidden gem for nature enthusiasts considering it doubles as the northern gateway to Parunuweap Canyon Wilderness Study Area. Even though it’s also a staging area for OHV riders, it’s not really that terribly noisy.
As long as you camp within the white-shaded area depicted in the map above, you won’t have to worry about trail riders buzzing past you. They’re going to be headed further south from here.
Views of the area are still quite spectacular, even though you’re located 4.5 miles from Zion National Park’s east entrance. You have Indian Knoll to the east, and of course Parunuweap Canyon to the west and south.
There are wild animals that roam through here, mainly mule deer, and with them mountain lion. But you’ll also spot hawks and eagles soaring above.
How crowded is Poverty Kiosk? During the week, you won’t find that many people camping here. It’s on the weekend that this area tends to fill with afternoon riders.
How difficult is the access road? It’s a very short, 0.4 mile, hard packed dirt road in, and not really that bumpy or rutted.
How is cellular signal? Fair to moderate across the three major carriers.
Parunuweap Canyon Wilderness Study Area (WSA)
The northern arm of Parunuweap Canyon is located along BLM Roads 1625, 1630, and 1635. The canyon presents stunning views of rock formations and affords plentiful viewing of mule deer, mountain lion, eagles and hawks. Read more about Parunuweap Canyon.
