BLM · Monticello, UT

Sand Island Group Sites

Sand Island Campground’s two group campsites are ideal for groups wishing to be close to the town of Bluff and the San Juan River. The area offers outdoor enthusiasts many options for river floating, scenic driving and rock art viewing.

More like this: reservable in Utah · pets allowed in Utah · group sites in Utah · dark sky in Utah

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Aerial photo of Sand Island areaAerial photo of Sand Island areaA photo of Group Site BA photo of Sand Island Group Site A
Photos courtesy of Bob Wick/BLM, BLM · Recreation.gov

Site mix

group shelter nonelectric2
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

2 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteEntrySurfaceShadePeople / vehiclesFiresAccessible
Group Site APull-throughGravelNone20 / –Yes
Group Site BPull-throughGravelNone40 / –YesYes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions
Fees$65 per night
Dark sky4 miles from Bluff, Utah, a certified International Dark Sky Community
AccessibilitySite Group Site B is listed accessible

Group Site A is located near the boat ramp and features picnic tables, a fire grate, a shade structure and has water nearby. The site may be reserved in advance for groups of 10 to 20 people for a maximum of fourteen days. Group Site B can accommodate group sizes from 15 to 40 people and is located in Loop B of the campground and features picnic tables, a large fire grate, a shade structure, water on site and a single vault toilet. The group sites do not have dump stations or electric hook ups. There are dumpsters located at the campground entrance.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Sand Island Group Sites30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.83 inches of precipitation, 2.5 inches of snowFebruary: 0.62 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowMarch: 0.47 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowApril: 0.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.20 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.62 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.94 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 0.84 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 0.77 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 0.48 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowDecember: 0.67 inches of precipitation, 2.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 31.5°F averageFebruary: 38.1°F averageMarch: 47.4°F averageApril: 55.3°F averageMay: 64.1°F averageJune: 73.7°F averageJuly: 79.8°F averageAugust: 77.4°F averageSeptember: 68.0°F averageOctober: 54.2°F averageNovember: 40.9°F averageDecember: 31.4°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Bluff, 3 miles from the campground at 4,319 feet, station USC00420788 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 7 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 7 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Sand Island Campground is located on the north bank of the San Juan River about 3 miles west of Bluff, Utah, on the south side of Highway 191.

Nearest townMonticello, Utah
Coordinates37.2631° N, 109.6122° W · Directions ↗

Explore

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Manti-La Sal National Forest begins about 9.2 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

Sand Island Campground is beside the San Juan River.

Recreation

Sand Island is the main put-in for the 102-mile section of the San Juan River between Montezuma Creek and Clay Hills Crossing that provides boaters with access to spectacular canyons rich in scenery, geology, archeology, history and wildlife. Within the campground there are numerous petroglyphs and pictographs on the ledges above and it is a popular destination for both sightseeing and bird watching.

Nearby

Sand Island is close to Goosenecks State Park, Bears Ears National Monument (Shash Jaa Unit), and Cedar Mesa.

Guidebooks for Utah

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Sand Island Group Sites?

Sites at Sand Island Group Sites are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Sand Island Group Sites?

$65 per night

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Sand Island Group Sites?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Sand Island Group Sites have?

2 sites, including 2 group shelter nonelectric.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there showers or a dump station at Sand Island Group Sites?

The group sites do not have dump stations or electric hook ups.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Sand Island Group Sites?

Yes, pets are allowed at Sand Island Group Sites. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Sand Island Group Sites?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there accessible sites at Sand Island Group Sites?

Site Group Site B is listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Sand Island Group Sites good for stargazing?

Bluff, Utah, a certified International Dark Sky Community, is 4 miles away. Skies that dark carry for miles; a moonless night here should show the Milky Way.

Source: DarkSky International

Is there cell service at Sand Island Group Sites?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE and AT&T 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is there to do at Sand Island Group Sites?

Sand Island is the main put-in for the 102-mile section of the San Juan River between Montezuma Creek and Clay Hills Crossing that provides boaters with access to spectacular canyons rich in scenery, geology, archeology, history and wildlife. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Sand Island Group Sites?

Monticello, Utah. Sand Island is close to Goosenecks State Park, Bears Ears National Monument (Shash Jaa Unit), and Cedar Mesa.

Source: Getting there