Wonderful, small camp ground located way out in the boonies, and established by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s(as were most of the roads in the area). As the other poster noted, the access road is rather ‘rustic’ & I wouldn’t want to tow a trailer using just a 2WD vehicle, nor would I dare try driving a big motorhome down it – if you’re considering either, scout the road out first. If you’re camping out there and major rainfall occurs, unless you’ve got a heavy-duty 4WD with off-road tires, you’re probably not going to be leaving for a while, perhaps several days, until the road dries up somewhat. But all of those risks are what really helps keep the Oak Grove campground rather small & cozy, and best-suited for the people who are really into roughing it, not the type that like camping, but want to be able to go into town for a pizza or otherwise just be a quick & easy drive away from civilization. Due to the elevation & shade presented by the numerous pine trees, this is one of the few camp sites in the St George area that would be tolerable in the late Summer & Fall, where temps in St George can easily be 110 degrees in the day.
Chris C.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Philadelphia, PA
If you want to stay in a very rustic setting away from the crowds of Zion, Bryce, etc. yet avoid the bright lights of St. George, this US Forest Service campground is the place to go. Getting there is half the fun. At the end of Oak Grove Rd. in Leeds, keep going into Dixie National Forest on a gravel/dirt road and follow the signs for Oak Grove Campground. You start out in desert scrub, pass through stunning multi-colored rock formations, then end up in a low-height forest near the end as Pine Valley Mountain looms above. All along the route(which parallels Leeds Creek), you’ll keep going up– at least a couple thousand feet in elevation gain, so keep your eye on your engine temperature. The road gets rougher, especially near the end, but was passable by a non-4WD car. I even saw a camper trailer parked there, so someone was able to defy the posted cautions against bringing a trailer all the way. Note that there are also a number of random campsites along the access road as well if you lose your nerve while driving. The campground itself is small– only about 9 sites, but nestled in a shaded grove area with many pine trees as well as the namesake oaks. Several families were camped there and were playing in the creek, which was running at an especially high level. As the USFS is wont to do, you won’t know if there’s potable water available until you actually get there– the notice board informed campers that water was not available there at the moment if they wanted to get water, they’d have to drive white-knuckled back to Leeds to get it. There was also a sign posted halfway down the access road saying that the campground was full, but it looked semi-permanent and when I got to the campground several sites were available. Only a single pit toilet was available, but at least it was fairly clean. The campground is also the trailhead for the Oak Grove trail up Pine Valley Mountain. More on that in another review.