Campground Review – Fossil Valley RV Park – Vernal, UT

Fossil Valley RV Park, Vernal, UtahDescription

The Fossil Valley RV Park & Self Storage campground is an oasis of cool shade in the heart of Vernal, Utah. This is an older, but very well-maintained campground where mature shade trees and green grass sites lend a peaceful park-like atmosphere. This campground is a good place to stay while exploring around Vernal and nearby Dinosaur National Monument.

Location

Fossil Valley RV Park
999 US-40
Vernal, UT 84078
Park: (435) 789-6450
Latitude: 40.452059 N, Longitude: -109.545617 W, Elevation: ~5,328 ft (1,624 m)

Details

We stayed for one week at Fossil Valley RV Park & Self Storage in mid-June of 2017. The campground manager was friendly and helpful during check-in. We really enjoyed the cool green shade at our site. The park has little extra room for overflow parking – there are several tight spaces at the office.

Cost

For seven nights at a 50 amp full hookup pull-thru site, we paid about $36 per night, including Good Sams discount, county & state taxes. The park has weekly and monthly rates. The park did not charge extra for pets or an additional vehicle.

Amenities On Site or Nearby

The campground offered basic amenities, including full hookups, antenna TV feed, laundry room, WiFi, restrooms and showers. Grocery stores, restaurants, automotive and other services are nearby in Vernal.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 3/5

The campground is easily accessible from US-191. Lanes in the park are well-maintained asphalt. The park has pull-thru and back-in sites, as well as tent sites, and can accommodate large rigs. The campground facilities have provisions for Universal access.

Facilities/Amenities – 3/5

The campground offers basic amenities, including full hookups, antenna TV feed, laundry room, WiFi, restrooms and showers. Grocery stores, restaurants, automotive and other services are nearby in Vernal. The park also has self storage units with separate access lane on one side and back corner of the property.

Site quality – 3/5

Sites are basic, including only the full or partial hookups with 50/30/20 amp electric, and antenna TV feed. Sites are level, surfaced with gravel, and have a nice grassy median area with picnic table. Sites are wide enough to accommodate slide-outs and awnings and there is a grassy strip between sites.

Scenic Value – 3/5

The campground is within an urban area in Vernal so the area surrounding the park is not scenic. The campground itself is set back from the street and has a nice park-like atmosphere.

Location/Isolation – 3/5

The campground feels like green oasis isolated from the urban sprawl outside of the park. Unfortunately, much noise from busy US-191 and other nearby streets intrudes on this otherwise peaceful campground.

Paws Friendliness – 3/5

The campground is pet friendly, but does not have an enclosed pet run or cleanup stations. The campground is not that large so it may take several laps to get a decent walk with your pet. The cool shade and green grassy sites is very nice for pets.

Overall Rating – 3/5

Overall, the Fossil Valley RV Park & Self Storage campground is a nice place to stop while exploring around Vernal and nearby Dinosaur National Monument. We would certainly visit again when passing through the area.

Additional info

Internet access

We received a moderate to strong 4G Verizon signal at this campground. We did not need our cellular antenna and booster to improve MiFi hot spot internet access. The campground provided free WiFi, but we did not use this during our stay.

Water Quality

The water at this campground tested very hard (also high pH & high alkalinity, but still in safe ranges) – we added our water softener to the water filtration stack.

Nearby attractions

Here are a few local attractions:

  • Dinosaur National Monument & Dinosaur Quarry
  • McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs
  • Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
  • Utah Field House of Natural History & Dinosaur Gardens
  • Green River – rafting & fishing
  • Hiking, biking, ATV & 4-wheeling trails

 

Photos

999 US-40, Vernal, UT 84078

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