Some of your favorite places to camp/boondock in N. Utah (Provo: 2015, camping)

[grooveman]

We are planning to travel down I-15 to North Central/North East Utah in the first couple of weeks of May to explore and do some camping. The original plan was to travel farther south but rising gas prices may prevent us from doing so.

We would love to hear from anyone that lives in that area that would be able to share some of their favorite spots for camping, preferably near a lake.

Also, what are the temps typically like that time of year? We will be bringing our travel trailer but obviously plan to spend a lot of time outside so hopefully it won't be too cool.
It's just the Wife and I with our dog. We prefer the less crowded areas.

Thanks in advance!

[ChrisC]

One of my favorite areas is in the high Uintahs--around Soapstone Basin on up toward Mirror Lake. There are a number of campgrounds along the road. Problem is, it might likely be too cold for your tastes and/or not have the snow completely melted. I've been up there in July and August and had snow falling! But it is spectacular (if you're into the alpine meadows and mountains sort of thing).

You might want to restrict your activities to the lower Wasatch Front campgrounds. Problem is, it's generally a mess (lot's of people) anytime around here. Provo Canyon has some nice areas. Alpine Loop between American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon (if it's open) has some great areas.

One of my favorites in the area is Payson Canyon/Nebo Loop. Assuming it's open and the snow has cleared, it's a beautiful place to go. There are quite a few campgrounds (Blackhawk is a nice one), several small lakes, and plenty of hiking trails all over the place.

If you want less people, a good bet might be Fairview Canyon (up to Skyline Drive area). It's absolutely awe-inspiring up there and the road is kept open all winter even though it gets up to elevations approaching 9000 ft. It will certainly be cool/cold at night any time of year. The snow may be melted sufficiently by the time you go. That area would be worth the time; it's really nice. If you have time, go over the top and down Huntington Canyon when you leave.

As far as northeast Utah (other than the Uintah Mountains), it's mostly arid desert or semi-arid steppe, which is pretty in it's own kind of way. But you won't get much in the way of pine trees and alpine settings. If you want to check that area out, you'll need to look into Duchesne, Roosevelt, or Vernal area. Duchesne has Starvation Reservoir. North of Vernal is Flaming Gorge--which takes you back into a more alpine setting.

Also if you are into a desert setting, there are a few campgrounds and it is still fairly tolerable (as far as heat) in the area south of Price--the San Rafael Swell/Sinbad area. Very interesting/pretty desert county. Even the drive along I-70 from Fremont Junction to Green River is worth it just for the scenery.

Anyway... a few ideas! If you want to stick close to the Wasatch front area, Payson Canyon and Fairview Canyon might be the best choices. Neither are very crowded yet and shouldn't start getting really congested until July or so.

[lolagranola]

Actually, our favorite place to camp in in Idaho, near Burley. City of Rocks National Reserve. We don't rock climb (we call it "rock-hike", some call it "bouldering") but it is a world-class destination for rock climbing. It is VERY rustic, no mini-mart, two faucets, two or three vault-toilets. It is a totally unique place, check it out!

City of Rocks National Reserve - Fees & Reservations (U.S. National Park Service)

[grooveman]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully the weather will cooperate or we will have to bite the bullet and drive farther south.

[markg91359]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully the weather will cooperate or we will have to bite the bullet and drive farther south.

Grooveman,

We've had quite a winter this year and the mountains along the Wasatch Front are packed with snow. We'll probably have some flooding in some areas as this melts. Some of the camping suggestions for Northern Utah that I have heard here are wonderful campgrounds. I love both Soapstone Basin and Mirror Lake, but honestly I think even with a trailer both will be pretty much out of the question in May. Mirror Lake will probably be closed and Soapstone Basin will be snow packed. One of my favorites is in Logan Canyon. Its called Guinvah Malibu, but I honestly wonder if the Logan River will be overflowing its banks and making camping there difficult to impossible.

If you want to camp in Utah in May, you really need to head south. Perhaps, more significantly the best camping in Utah is in the south. You need to be aware that although many of these campgrounds are way south that many are at high elevations and you can expect plenty of snow there too. For example, Bryce Canyon is lovely. However, I think given its elevation (8000 feet) that I wouldn't consider going there either until we are in the midst of summer.

Here are some suggestions if you are able to find the extra time and make use of them:

1. Snow Canyon State Park and Campground near St. George (very southern Utah).

2. Arches National Park at Moab. You may actually be able to find one of the few spots inside the park if you get there in the middle of May during a week day and don't come late in the day. If not, there are a number of private campgrounds in and around Moab.

3. Canyonlands National Park. Also, near Moab. At that time of the year you could probably get a space inside the park.

4. I might check the weather first on this next one. You might also consider the Fruita Campground inside Capitol Reef National Park. Its a great campground, but the elevation in Wayne County is fairly high, so I'm not sure what it may be like in terms of weather there.

5. The Watchman Campground inside Zion National Park near Hurricane and Springdale (again, very southern Utah). If temps warm up, it could start getting pretty hot here, but after this year, I'm just not expecting that.

Good luck, but I would really rethink a plan to camp in Northern Utah.

[InSandy]

I'm with those saying early May is not the time to be camping in most of the best places in Northern Utah. About the only place I can think of by a lake would be Antelope Island. May can be a great time out there before it gets too hot. Antelope Island State Park | Utah State Parks You can watch the buffalo and antelope, get some great shots of the sunset over the lake, explore the Fielding Garr home, bike the roads, birdwatch etc.

You might also be interested in Crystal Hot Springs north of Brigham City: Crystal Hot Springs : Home Always enjoy a good hot soak.

Another place that is nice in May, but not anywhere near a lake is Simpson Springs out in the west desert west of Lehi (way west). There is something good about a desert in the spring. You could continue on (if the road is dry) out to the Fish Springs Wildlife refuge which is an important stopover for many migrant birds. May is a little late for them, but you could see the water :-)

[sp2007]

Last May I camped near East Canyon State Park (on a map, its directly east of Bountiful and south of Morgan). We had 6 inches of snow fall on us at night. It was sorta fun with the kids but I wouldn't do it again.

I would listen to the advice given here in this thread.

[fittj]

When we lived in Utah me and my wife camped once at Granit Flats near Tibble Fork Reservoir in May and it was a good place. It's up American Fork Canyon and it's very scenic and Beautiful. It's just off of the Alpine loop, which is on the back side of Mount Timpanogos. Here's a couple of links to photos that were taken on our little camping trip on May 12th, 2007.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jasonfitt/JasonNycole#5078405636972414914
https://picasaweb.google.com/jasonfitt/JasonNycole#5078405486648559538

You can see that the leaves haven't even bloomed on the trees, but there was no snow and it was warm (spring came early that year, however). I'm currently living in Knoxville, TN right now so I don't know what the conditions are like there at the moment. Based on news reports and other people's posts, there still may be some snow at the campsites. What you should do is call the various campgrounds and see if/when they're open (see http://www.reserveamerica.com/campgroundSearch.do for contact information).

Here is some guy's YouTube Video of the place.


YouTube - Low light video with a 7D and 17-55 F/2.8 Canon lens

[berger1234]

A really good area is the causey dam area about 30 minutes east of Ogden past Pineview Reservoir. There is some really good area's below the dam, and if you go there later in the year it has some of the best cliff jumping in the state. There is cliffs anywhere from 5 to 50-60 feet? Its alot of fun, with some good campsites right below it. The reservoir isn't big enough for boats, but if you want to just go relax in the summer to cool off and maybe camp overnight it's the perfect place I think