0
Pull-thru
USFSDixie National Forest · Utah
Cowpuncher Guard Station
Overview Cowpuncher Guard Station is located in the Dixie National Forest, 20 miles northeast of the town of Escalante in southern Utah.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.8,425ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rig30 ft
Electricnonesites
From St. George4h53real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 8,425 ft, Cowpuncher Guard Station has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 18°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 8 named hiking routes, 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on big-rig fit.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Apr
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
82%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 26
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 3.
57°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
St. George
205 mi
4h53
02
Moab
217 mi
5h49
03
Salt Lake City
277 mi
6h49
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 12.5 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
1
Accessible
1
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
8
Trail segments
16
Peaks
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
12.5 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.