We've been coming to Utica and Union for years. Weekdays are the best if you want to find an actual campsite and avoid most of the crowds. Saturday nights are terrible now as lately large groups overcrowd campsites and party into early Sunday morning. The lake and area is beautiful with excellent trails into the Carson/Iceberg Wilderness and great for water activities. There is a lot of trash and litter, so please bring an extra trash bag just to help clean-up after others. No potable water, and you need to pack your trash out to the containers a few miles away at the crossroads.