We recently had the opportunity to spend a week in Hanksville Utah, and we were totally smitten! This tiny town feels like a totally underrated gem in Southern Utah, and we felt like it was every bit as cool as far busier locations like Moab and Kanab. As a fulltime travel family, we love visiting less busy places and thought you might like to know about it, too!
If you’re planning a Utah trip, here’s everything we’ve blogged about our time in Utah.
Hanksville Utah Places to Stay
Hotel
These adorable cabins are 100% where I would stay in Hanksville if I didn’t have an RV. They’re cute and cozy and super conveniently located for all of the Hanksville Utah adventures I’m about to share.
If you’re wanting to stay closer to Capitol Reef, I would choose The Skyview Hotel for the splurge stay or The Days Inn for a slightly more budget option.
RV Park
Duke’s RV Park is a no-frills, but pleasant stay right in Hanksville Utah. The town’s adorable coffee shop in a repurposed abandoned gas station is walking distance right across the street, and the RV park offers $7 showers to guests that are boondocking elsewhere (like we were!).
Boondocking
If you’re wanting a more budget stay and you’re prepared to be off-grid, there are some lovely boondocking spots right outside of town. Want to learn how to RV camp off-grid? We’ve got a guide for that:
Boondocking 101 Guide
This 10-page guide will assist RVers in learning the basics of boondocking, or camping off-grid! We share everything we’ve learned as a family living off-grid and boondocking in our RV.
We stayed in one of the pullouts on Gun Range Road, which had pretty views and was just 4 minutes outside of town. If you’re interested in our other favorite Utah boondocking locations, check out this post.
Hanksville Utah Hiking
Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley State Park is one of those underrated state park gems in my opinion. No trip to Hanksville Utah is complete without a stop! There are a variety of amazing trails you can take, or you can view the otherworldly rock structures from overlooks.
Bentonite Hills
The Bentonite Hills are absolutely breathtaking geological rock formations in blues and greens that are particularly amazing just after sunset. The prettiest place to find them is located just after the Mars Desert Research Station here. The road to get there is bumpy, but accessible with 2WD when it’s dry. High clearance would be nice to have, but not necessary. You can hike around the hills or just enjoy them from this roadside pullout. Drones give you a birds eye view that is even more impressive!
Neilson Wash
This short hike is one I just happened to stumble upon a blog post about, and I couldn’t find it on Google maps or AllTrails. It’s a wash trail with really unique rock formations, and we only went about a half mile in. Totally worth it! Park here alongside Factory Butte Road and walk as far as you feel comfortable.
Leprechaun Canyon
Leprechaun Canyon is a fun and short hike in if you’re not experienced and equipped for canyoneering. It’s gorgeous mid-day when the sun is shining down on the canyon walls, highlighting their deep red color. Definitely pack water for this one, as you’ll be exposed hiking into the canyon!
Hanksville Utah Other Attractions
Burpee Dinosaur Quarry
Burpee Dinosaur Quarry is an amazing active dig site that’s further up the road from the Bentonite Hills. In the spring, real paleontologists and volunteers will offer tours of the site (check with the Hanksville BLM office!), but it’s worth the drive out at any time. The dinosaur bones are exposed and in a gorgeous setting. Please treat the site with respect! The road doesn’t require 4WD when it’s dry (and you shouldn’t attempt it with any vehicle if it’s wet!), but high clearance would be helpful.
Moon Overlook Vista
This overlook is breathtaking, particularly at sunset. It looks as though you’re looking out over the surface of the moon. The drive out is fairly easy, I recommend taking Skyline View Road instead of Coal Mine Road.
Rockhounding (selenite & jasper)
It’s unsurprising in such a supernatural feeling landscape that the rockhounding opportunities would be amazing. The Hanksville Utah area is known for its Selenite and Jasper, and you can collect some on local BLM land. Check for the land ownership of the place you’re in, and verify the collection rules. We love using the Rock Identifier app to help us figure out what we’ve found!
Rockin’ Riddle Rock Shop and Carl’s Critter Garden
There is a really neat rock shop in town called Rockin’ Riddle Rock Shop that’s worth a stop when it’s open. Carl’s Critter Garden is a funky and free sculpture garden that’s reminiscent of quirky Route 66 roadside stops.
Stan’s Burger Shak
Stan’s Burger Shak has surprisingly delicious curly fries and milkshakes for a burger place attached to a gas station. Don’t miss the Grasshopper shake, which to me tasted like Thin Mint soft serve.
I hope this post helped you in your Hanksville Utah trip planning! It’s a tiny town with a lot to offer, and a wonderful uncrowded alternative to busier places like Moab.
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For more of our favorite Utah destinations, check out these posts:
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One response to “Hanksville Utah: Southern Utah’s Best Kept Secret”
[…] The Neilson Wash trail doesn’t appear on Google Maps or AllTrails, so I’ll share the coordinates to the start of the trail here. You just park your car on the side of Factory Butte Road and walk down into an amazing looking wash for as far as you want, then walk back. This is a fabulous short hike if you’re in the Hanksville area, as it’s on the same road that leads to Factory Butte and the Moon Overlook. More about all of that in my Hanksville post! […]