Federal land managers say a new campground near Capitol Reef National Park should help to alleviate the impacts of growing visitation to Utah’s outdoor gems.
Bureau of Land Management officials announced Tuesday that they’ve signed a decision that will create the Beas Lewis Flat Campground, flipping an unmanaged dispersed camping area into a managed facility. The site, located less than a half-mile from state Route 24 between Torrey and Capitol Reef, will feature 45 campsites in its first phase.
“The (bureau) is committed to increasing recreational access while maintaining responsible resource stewardship,” said David Mortensen, the bureau’s Richfield field manager, in a statement. “By authorizing this campground, we’re improving the visitor experience and addressing long-standing concerns about unmanaged dispersed camping in the area.”
A mix of single, group, recreation vehicle and tent camping sites are expected within the forthcoming Beas Lewis Flat Campground. It’ll also feature vault toilets, garbage bins, fire rings and picnic tables, all of which will be designed to “blend with the natural landscape” in its initial phase, according to the agency. At least some of the sites will be dedicated to people of all abilities within the campground.
New interpretive signage will also be added, including information about the benefits of the region’s dark skies, according to the agency.
A design phase is expected to begin this winter before construction next year, bureau officials added. Funding will partially come from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation’s outdoor recreation initiative and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, the bureau’s official charitable partner.
Bureau officials cited the impacts of growth at Capitol Reef National Park as a need for the project. It recorded more than 1.4 million visits in 2024, its highest visitation since being established as a national park in 1971. As of Oct. 31, over 1.2 million people visited the park this year, which is almost double the park’s annual average visitation in the early 2010s.
The Beas Lewis Flat Campground could be expanded to as many as 95 sites in the future, as outdoor recreation interest in the area grows, according to agency documents. There’s no timeline yet for that expansion.