Bridger Bay Campground, near Antelope Island State Park, is a fantastic spot for those looking to soak in stunning views and enjoy the great outdoors. With spacious sites that come with picnic tables and fire pits, it’s perfect for gathering around the fire after a day of adventure.

This campground is known for its breathtaking sunsets and the unique opportunity to see bison roaming nearby. Visitors have raved about the cleanliness of the facilities, including the bathrooms and showers, making it easy to stay fresh during your stay. One camper noted, “Beautiful views of the lake. Hook ups were really easy to use for the trailer.”

While the campground offers electric hookups and allows pets, be prepared for some pesky bugs, especially near the water's edge. Many campers have mentioned the swarms of no-see-ums and mosquitoes, so packing some good bug spray is a must. 

For those eager to explore, Antelope Island State Park provides a wealth of outdoor activities, from hiking to wildlife watching. The park is a haven for nature lovers, with pronghorns and other wildlife often spotted around the area. Whether you're here for a quick getaway or a longer stay, Bridger Bay Campground is a solid choice for enjoying the beauty of Utah's landscape.

Bridger Bay Campground — Antelope Island State Park

Hooper, UT is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Hooper. Discover great camping spots near Hooper, reviewed by campers like you.

Hooper

The Best Camping Near Hooper, Utah

I camped here on the way back to Maine on an extensive road trip. There is a fee to get over the bridge to the island and the bridge does close daily at 10pm so be aware of that. I stayed at the Bridger Bay campground which had unbelievable views of the great salt lake. The one thing that was unfortunate was the brine flies that were in abundance everywhere. They are small tiny flies that really don't bother you much but cover EVERYTHING, your tent, your car, your chair, everything. The sites are not very secluded but given the terrain on the island there is not much you can do about that. Other than those things, the setting is incredible, the sunset unbelievable, and the free roaming buffalo, amazing. I would definitely stay here again, just possibly at a different time of year or with a lot of bug spray.



Bridger Bay Campground (Antelope Island)

This is a great state park to go and visit. I stayed at site 6 in mid April. There is no tree coverage, but each campsite has an awning for shade. I highly recommend hiking to Frary Peak. There are many other great hikes, buffalo, and antelope.

Bridger Bay CG AISP

Spent one night basking in the beauty of this park! The scenery is stunbing with bison and antelope roaming free! Saw tond of bison grazing! Stayed at Bridger Bay site # 19\. Secluded, yet not too far away from people. Set up the tent facing the mountain range and watched the silhouettes of the antelope prancing in the evening. Such a dreamy place!!

Gorgeous Park!

We stopped here for two nights without a reservation. The views of the lake are stunning, especially at sunset.

A happy find

**Campsite Review:**

We were here for two nights and had two different experiences. Not to say that either of the nights were particularly bad experiences, but it did feel like the second night was way different from the first.

When were driving from the "main land" to the island there was a distinct smell from the lake. I knew there would be a smell, but wasn't 100% prepared. Although, the first night at the campsite we didn't smell anything....but the second night we did.

At the campsite itself there were only vault toilets, no hookup, but there were flush toilets and pay showers about a mile down the road near the public access center.

The thing I loved about the island was the abundance of wildlife, and how frequently you saw it. Of coarse there are antelope, but they also have a herd of buffalo, deer, coyotes, and big horn sheep.

It was neat camping on the Great Salt Lake, but I think I'd like it during fall or winter just a little better.

For a video review of this site [CLICK HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gdFg4x66ug)

**Product Review:**

Being a Ranger with TheDyrt often gives me the opportunity to test out products, and on this trip I was able to try out some freeze dried meals from [Mountain House](https://www.mountainhouse.com/).

I'm not a huge backpacking food prep person. I know a ton of other campers who love to create their own recipes, and throw them in the dehydrator to get the ready for the backcountry. I'd rather buy pre-made meals that I know are going to work when I'm ready for dinner after hiking all day.

I've had meals from Mountain House in the past, but this allowed me to try some recipes that I hadn't had before. I have some goto meals that are awesome, and so far the new one's that I've tried have been just as good. The one that surprised me the most was the the [breakfast skillet](https://www.mountainhouse.com/m/product/breakfast-skillet.html?variant_id=183), this has definitely made it to the "goto" list!

For a extended video review of this product [CLICK HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kIvgP7qIM)

**Camping with the GO: Day 8**

During our road trip around the US, I was able to try out the [GO](https://www.sylvansport.com/go/) camper from [SylvanSport](https://www.sylvansport.com/). After camping in the GO for about a week now, we are still finding things to impress. One things we really like is how easy it is to crank the tent into place. I've been around other pop-up style campers and love how much smoother the cranking system is on the GO!

Ranger Review: Mountain House meals at Bridger Bay Campground

I attempted to camp at Bridger Bay Campground after driving from Yellowstone NP to Salt Lake City in mid August. It is located on Antelope Island within Antelope Island State Park. Antelope Island is an island located on the Great Salt Lake a few miles from Salt Lake City. I chose this campground because it seemed close to the major routes I was taking back towards California. I arrived after sunset and was happy to make it onto the causeway before they shut the gates. Arriving at the campground I noted that most of the sites were taken by trailers and RVs, which should have been a sign. After finding an open site, I got out of the car to one of the most horribly infested campsites I had ever seen. The air was thick with flies and mosquitoes making it miserable to try and unload and set up. The camp site also had several rats scurry around as I flashed my headlight around. At this point I decided to leave, so I did. I had never left a campsite before due to unsavory conditions, nor have I left one since. I got back in my car and drove back over the causeway. The gate was shut, but thankfully opened to let me out. While I’ve heard pleasant things about the island it may be best visited in a different season or time of day. I thoroughly enjoyed the motel I found. Here is more information about the [campground](https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/park-fees/) and about the [park](https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/). I hope to make it back someday to watch the Pronghorns, but will not plan on camping.

Land of the swarming mosquitoes and rats

Clean campground. We stayed there in late March. I don't think I'd go much later in the year. There's no trees so not much in the way in shade. The water was pretty warm and stayed shallow for a long ways. The down side showers were very expensive and never saw any water available so what we took is what we had.

The wild life was amazing. Plenty of bison, antelope, rabbit &amp; and cyotees.

I felt it was one of the most patrolled campgrounds I've stayed at by both police and rangers.

Great wildlife

Going into Antelope Island we had the voices of the critics in our minds: sand is too hot, it is too smelly, the brine flies etc; we were pleasantly surprised. I do believe that the circumstances can change, like the lake level, on a daily basis.

Badger bay is a no amenity, basic campground with a commanding view of the salt lake. There are vault toilets and shaded picnic tables. All of the sites accommodate small RVs, some of the sites may not provide a level tent pad. 2 was terrific! The sites are pretty roomy too.

We loved going for a dip in the lake. We went early on a late June morning before the sand became too hot, and walked the distance barefoot. We only noticed the wet dog smell as we entered the park—but that could change. The brine flies were actually pretty cool. They only hang out on the shoreline for a small distance. They don’t bite and they left our path in droves as though they were enacting the parting of the sea. Honestly, I find houseflies buzzing around my head to be more irritating. The water was smooth and partial buoyancy is cool. Swimmers would be advised to keep cuts out of the water. The brine shrimp don’t bother anyone and float around like typical lake debris.

There are showers at the swimming beach close to the campground. There are basic no-soap cold water rinse showers outside and private pay showers too; bring quarters.

A place for open minds

So smelly but so worth it. Beautiful campsite .. but no privacy. Woke up with the bison .. walked to the top of the lookout and woke up with the sunrise over salt lake .. very clean .. bathrooms, showers .. in the summer it does stink and is buggy near the lake. Worth running throught the gnats to get to the water though .. in my CT born eyes.

Stinky Piece of Heaven

This place is weird and awesome. There's bison roaming around, badgers, and tons of great birds to watch. There's some really cool stuff scattered along the beach along the Salt Lake. Cool spot, highly recommended. 

Beautiful Island, Great Wildlife

We loved antelope island. With one more day we could have accomplished our whole geocaching adventure.

Our start was a little rough, we were using a new tent, a very large 10 man tent to help accommodate our dogs and kids but it rained the first day with crazy winds and while we were in town shopping (it was raining after all) our fly lines pulled out and the tent partially collapsed, getting everything very wet inside. Thankfully, there was a laundromat not far away and we were able to dry everything.

We booked 3 nights at the park. The drive in is long and the bugs were really bad on the drive in but once we got past the marina, the bugs were gone. We didn't notice much for bugs the rest of the time we were there. There was a slew of other wildlife there. We saw bison regularly, we heard and saw coyotes a couple nights. We saw plenty of antelope. Our campsite was pretty good. We saw mountains in almost every direction. We had a couple spots where it was more hills then anything but beyond those were mountains. It was hazy for a lot of the time, with all the rain on the first day and cloudy for a lot of the rest of it but it did warm up a bit and hiking was comfortable. The island is covered in geocaches so we enjoyed that part of the stay for sure. Sight seeing was great too.

We were in camp site 18 in Bridger Bay. The site wasn't overly spacious. It was also very rocky. You could either get your tent stakes in to a very soft spot or you couldn't get them in at all. The restroom was a vault but it lacked a smell, was clean and well stocked. It did flood some when the heavy rains came. We were able to walk to many spots on the island. We took a trail that would have gone to the other side but we only went halfway. We didn't notice much of a smell from the water, just sort of smelled like the ocean. By the marina and the drive in it did smell though. Just not in our camp area or where we were hiking. Bison frequented the area, even came right through camp. All the picnic spots in the sites were concrete slabs. The fire ring was buried in the concrete. That was ok, the provided fire grate was hard to work and our tripod isn't designed for rings under the ground so that was a challenge too. There isn't any shade except the shade shelter. It was far away from the fire ring so make sure you bring chairs to sit around the fire.

There are pay showers available and flush toilets over at ladyfinger, where the beach is, as well as a little restaurant. Those bathrooms were heated and had running water.

Overall, I look forward to returning. Maybe when it's a tad warmer. The nights were super cold.

Mountains all around!

Beautiful park, awesome animals. TERRIBLE FLIES. We had no idea there was little flies that could bite like a bee sting, but there was. And we couldn’t get away from them. This was a trip we left phones at home and just wanted to get away, but we flew over it on the way in. There’s so many trails here and we so many bison it was awesome to see, a mini Yellowstone with sub par “campgrounds” which made us feel like we were still in the city due to them having concrete and artificial sun shades which was necessary.

OWWW

Be warned!!!  If you decide to hike anywhere on the island while the bugs are hatching you will need a ton of bug spray and bug nets to cover every inch of you!

We decided to do Frary Peak and were eaten by bugs for a lot of the trio especially the portion that goes to the west side of the mountain.  The only thing that gave us any saving grace was the stronger winds while we traversed along the ridge at various points.  Had a great view of the bison from above but will probably only visit in fall or winter from now on

Beautiful and unique, but an insane amount of bugs May-July

Beautiful views, if you can stand the bugs. We stayed one night in the RV campground. Dry camping. Tried to walk down the the water, when the bugs weren’t eating us alive, the smell of all the dead birds at the water was making us gag. Did drive over to the ranch area and walked around without any problems with bugs or smells. The wind was crazy that night and we could literally feel the camper rocking back and forth. Still a beautiful place to camp, and I would go back with netting to wear over my head. 

Bugs, bugs, and more bugs!!!

Beautiful relaxing campsite. Spent the night at Bridger’s Bay this past weekend and was pretty nervous having heard bad things. There were some mosquitos but otherwise no bugs, having grown up camping in the woods of Wisconsin and Georgia the bugs here are way better than that. Campsites are well spaced out so we didn’t hear any of our neighbors, plenty of starlight, beautiful sunrise and sunset, and amazing views of the lake. We saw plenty of bison and mule deer and had a wonderful time. Would definitely recommend as long as it isn’t may/June when the bugs are especially bad

Place Gets a Bad Rep

One of our favorite state parks in Utah is only~45 minutes away from Salt Lake City! There are bison, antelope, deer, and many other animals that call this island home. On the west side of the island are extensive muds flats that give you one of the best sunset views in Utah. One of our favorite things to do on the island is hike Frary Peak which is the high point of the island. The top portion of the hike is a rocky scramble, but there are plenty of side trails to beautiful viewpoints during the hike. 

  

As for the best season to visit the island, we are partial to winter due to the absolute lack of bugs and stunning contrast of the bison on fresh snow. Our 2nd favorite season is early spring before the bugs come out in full swarm! I wouldn't recommend visiting in late spring or summer as there are swarms of all kinds of biting bugs and the temps can be unbearable.

Amazing in the Right Season!

Super nice car camping sites with amazing views of the lake. Not much privacy because there aren’t a lot of trees, but the sites are spread out. Nice bathrooms. Little running trail right by the campground. 

Gorgeous camping right on the lake!

By far one of my favorite stops through Utah ❤️ absolutely breathtaking views, along with scenic routes to see wildlife such as the bison. They had selective campground area sectioned off near the Bay Area, and also group camping spots that where much larger and secluded near the Bay Area as well.  

☀️🏔🧡

Located right by the beach entrance, this campground has lots to offer including a very well designed campsite. Fire pits are nice benches are brand new and everything is very clean.

Beautiful site!!!

Beautiful island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. The bison are free grazing all around and a few came right up to our campground in the early morning! There is a ranch on the far side of the island (Fielding Garr Ranch) which is adorable and definitely worth a visit. We went in Oct. 2020 so it was not very busy and it felt like the closest neighbors were pretty distant. There are plenty of hiking trails to choose from with varying skill levels. Absolutely will return!

Picturesque Landscape

Spacious sites. Really great giew of Salt Lake. Bison roaming the campground. Only downside, no blockers from wind. Nice pavilion for shade and a picnic table, in ground fire pits, and large parking areas. The campground fee does include the day use fee, unlike where we are from in Colorado. Loved the site. Would return. We had a tent and it was very windy, one of our poles snapped. 

Great experience. 

Very beautiful spot on an island in the middle of Salt Lake. Several campgrounds to choose from. Beautiful sunsets. Well kept and convenient sites. Bathrooms and showers available in the park. The only problem we had was trying to pitch the tent in such rocky soil. And there aren’t any trees to speak of on the island. But we did have a bison walk through our campsite, which was cool. Breathtaking sunsets!

Unique picturesque spot

We needed a place to stop on our drive to Yellowstone and this spot popped up on our radar. We had no idea how beautiful this overnight stay would be! First on the drive across the causeway the smell of the lake was a little overwhelming but there is no trace of it on the campground. The spots are well separated, there are toilets on site and the entire campground looks generally very well kept. Very pleased with our choice! The sunset over the lake was spectacular and the pictures don’t do it justice. 
EDIT - my first review said there was no lake smell on the campground. Well, during the night the wind changed and blew a full heavy load of sulfur smell into our RV. It didn’t stop and it was hard to sleep. If you’re into sulfur smell like rotten eggs, it’s awesome, otherwise you might want to reconsider 😉 great place, just smelly 😀 

Gem around Salt Lake City with an amazing sunset view - the smell!

We got a pull through site and it had a beautiful view of the lake. It’s very quiet here, no hook ups and can only use the generator during certain hours. The sites are spaced far apart. At night you can hear some animals howling and in the daytime you can see antelope and bison. It’s a beautiful place! I just wish it had hookups and a shower.

Amazing view with animals 

Clean sites, well spaced out, great views, and lots of wildlife. The lake is very dry right now though

Great views

Great place to see some wildlife and you are still relatively close to the city. 
I saw Bison, coyote, cool spiders and tons of birds and insects. 

Antelope Island

Great little campground. Amazing views of the lake and mountains. Looks like they were finishing adding new bathrooms and showers. There is a loop trail that you can join from the south end of the campground that go’s along the the shore toward White Bay and around the hill. Watch for bison!

Beautiful!

Sites have new hook ups and bathrooms. Nicely done!
Bison are plentiful and we even had one walk through camp. 

Bison in camp! (Site #33)

We wanted to love this place! Historic island, right near the “water” (you’re still a good 1/2 mile from the water in April). The spots are decently spaced, you get a covered picnic area + grill/fire pit. 

But when we stepped out of our truck - THE BUGS swarmed us. It was so unbearable we had to pack up &amp; leave (your $30 camping fee is NON-refundable). This place is probably doable if you have a trailer/camper. We have a RTT and it just would have been miserable! For reference we came by on 4/20/22. The island was already quite crowded and most of the camping spots were taken. 

Nice spot, had to leave due to bugs

campground itself was pretty nondescript. lots of loud kids when i was there, i ended up moving to a different campsite because they kept running through mine. definitely a spot for families to go camping, but it was a fine stop for the night. great opportunities for astrophotography and sunset photos. saw some buffalo, pygmy owls, and got to float in the salt lake too. 

incredible sunsets, cool wildlife

Wow...what a place. Whoever planned and designed this  campground is to be commended. All of the sites in Bridger Bay are at least 100 feet apart and have a paved parking pad along with a metal roofed  pavilion placed on a cement pad that covers your aluminum picnic table and has a campfire ring set off to the side.  You can choose either a pull through or back in site. The upper sites (25-64) of the campground have water and electric. These sites are on the side of the mountain with spectacular views. The sites (1-24), below this area are laid out the same way, but have no water or electric at their site, though you can fill your tanks with fresh water and there are 2 bath houses; 1 has showers
 There is dump station at the upper part of the camp that allows for 2 campers to dump at the same time. There are 3 bath facilities at the upper camp, but only one has showers. The bathrooms are very, very clean.
You have spectacular views of the Salt Lake , the mountains and a 360° view of sky. We had a great view of the moon and watched the International Space station fly over. Tonight, we hope to see the Blood Moon lunar eclipse.

There's lots to do here...miles of biking, hiking or if you prefer, a great driving tour of the island. Bison roam freely on Antelope Island, as do pronghorn deer, fox and a few other wildlife.
There's only one down side to the park...the no see ums and other bugs. They are relentless, unless the wind is blowing the right way. No bug spray, scented candles/oils, Thermal cell or even campfire deters them.
Head netting is strongly recommended.

Awesome campground

This place is full of wildlife! Tons of Bison, Pronghorns, Deer, Owls, Rabbits and Birds. But I should of done my research first! We are here in JUNE and this place is full of MOSQUITOES!!! We are full of bites and super itchy. The front gate has a sign saying NO FUNDS for insect problems. Unfortunately, looking forward to our EXIT, since we are trapped inside our 5th wheel. Other than the insect problem, this place is pretty cool. I absolutely love animals. 

Beautiful Wildlife but ....

This campground was a last minute detour for us since there was stormy weather hitting our destination to the north.  What a lovely surprise.  We were here in the beginning of June and the bugs were not bad at all.  It was windy, so that probably helped with the bugs.  There is a loop for rent camping and a large loop with hookups.  We stayed in a hookups site with our pop up tent trailer.  Every spot is nicely thought out and spaced out.  There really isn’t a bad spot.  We saw bison all over the island and even in the campground.  It was super cool.  Highly recommend this hidden gem of a campground!

Incredible lakeside campground

We came right after mosquito season and had a blast. Nice and peaceful! The night sky is more than amazing, the animals are fun to watch. Great place to relax!! Partial hookups were great and appeared new. The entire campground looks like it’s recently gotten a facelift. Very nice accommodations. 

Love love love

When I go camping, I always expect a fair amount of bugs. What I experienced here was unlike anything I’ve encountered before. Anytime you’d step foot outside, you would be covered in a swarm of mosquitoes. Bug spray and bands provided minimal help, but nowhere near what they normally would have. 

Good luck with the mosquitoes 

What a great find this was. Perfect break after a long day driving. I was able to go hiking in the morning and watch the sunrise and the herds of bison. Extremely clean campsite and restrooms 

Meadowlarks and bison

We Enjoy winter camping. Unfortunately this site just turns into paved dispersed. Amping in the winter months. No working power sites, toilets locked up, and still cost 30 bucks. Just find some of the endless BLM in the area. 

Truthfully not worth it.

All sides of the island are so great to visit. Stayed here a couple of times, people complain about bugs, but I find them manageable. That being said. There are lots of flying lake bugs. Camp site was clean and pretty basic. Showers at bridger bay are clean and basic. Would stay again. Love seeing the Buffalo

Spacious campsites, with asphalt pads, covered picnic table, fire pit. In the wide open with no trees. Was super windy during our stay and the wind howled. Site 55 was pull thru site with water and electricity. Dump station near by. Entry fee into the state park included with campground fee. 

Great value, large csmpground

We spent sometime here. It was a busy time especially with the eclipse. We had to leave the park and find another place. I loved the bison visits every morning by our site 40, 29, 40. I hated the bugs. They were horrible. We couldn’t even sit out at the table to have dinner.  I know now not to come in October 

Great price easy check in & hook up

Super nice campground in a fascinating area. We were in a pull through spot (BB42) and the hook ups (water/electric) were great.

  

Watching sunset on the lake and seeing bison lounging on the beach was magical. Plenty of pronghorns prancing around and we also grabbed soft serve from the nearby concession stand.

  

The sites are well spaced and have been staggered so that the site across from you does not block your view. Love the forethought.

  

Only downside was the bugs. The camp host did send out a notice about the bugs before our arrival, but we did not anticipate the literal swarms of no-see-em's and mosquitoes.

  

Can't blame nature for naturing though :)

The Bugs Are Back

Amazing sunset. Not much coverage but nice covered picnic benches and toilets and showers. Gets a bit warm during the day and the “no see ums” will bite if you get close to the waters edge.

Nice views for the night

Beautiful views of the lake. Hook ups were really easy to use for the trailer. Bugs were minimal. Bathrooms were very clean. You’ll check in when you enter the park and if you don’t have a reservation, they’ll assign you a spot at the gate and have you pay there.

Beautiful Views

Stayed at Bridger Bay Sept 18-19 in one of the sites nearest the water.   Great timing as there were virtually no bugs and the water was warm enough to paddle board.  Lots of Bison and a Great Horned Owl spend an hour in a tree by our Bean Trailer.  Hiking the beach was otherworldly and we will definitely return.

Great way to the the Great Salt Lake

We traveled to Utah from California for our annual Christmas camping adventure. This was our first spot, and it was a wonderful place to start. We don’t have to worry about the bugs, being it’s December. There were a few other campers, but there were a few others. 

Photos of Bridger Bay Campground — Antelope Island State Park

Real photos from real campers