Best Campgrounds near Emery, UT

This has to be one of the coolest campsites I have ever been to. Such pretty views and in the NP! There is a pit bathroom and fire pits and picnic tables at each site. We had it all to ourselves in July. Only thing to worry about is how windy it gets at night!

Great for hunt camp or family camping. Easy access to fishing and off-road excursions, hiking and photography.

A large space, though uneven in parts. We pulled in later so there were a few folks already parked up for the night. A quiet nights sleep.

Well spaced, paved camping sites in a shaded campground. Fruit orchards all around with the Fremont River flowing nearby. Heated bathrooms that are spotless. Stop by the Gifford house for fresh baked pies. As of October 2024, the visitor center parking lot is still under construction, and the scenic drive is closed for the same. Also. Make a campsite reservation before you arrive as there are no payment stations in the campground. If you don't the visitor center has Wi-Fi as there is no cell service in the park. Oh. And loop C is the only campground that allows generators. Enjoy Capitol Reef.

Great place to stay close to Torrey, Utah, and Capitol Reef NP. There are lots of places to choose from with some spots with make shift fire rings. Great views of the Boulder Mountains, Thousands Lake Mountains, and Capitol Reef in the distance. There are no restrooms, water or electricity. Close to Torrey where you can find the essentials.

If you have a 4x4, we recommend pulling back slightly to the right as far as you can. We went back and got tucked into a more secluded nook with a good fire ring. It looks bumpy and uneven, but it’s possible to level a vehicle that’s 21 feet and under.

The hike up above the site is really beautiful. The trail took us up above the cliff edge that borders the site. From there you have sweeping views of the valley and out to the mountains in both directions.

Important to note:

1. There are no toilet facilities and no places to dig a hole
2. There were people using generators
3. If you tuck back into a far site, you can avoid most the the road and generator noise
4. If it’s going to rain, this would be a slick and slippery location
5. The Wild Rabbit Cafe in Torrey is an excellent place for breakfast and coffee

Large campgrounds in area including this one. Camped in September (Doctor Creek CG up road was closed). Quiet, clean. End of tourist season and so couple of nearby stores were selling out their ice cream--Got giant couple of scoops in a bowl. For water/boaters & fishing, mainly, typically sold out during summer. Sites go in rows inching up-slope and some have nice views of lake.

Smallish beautiful campground. Site 9 but sites 4, 5, 12 good too. 1 is private but away from toilets. Nice view down the valley to Electric Lake. Decent distance to Scofield. Relatively quiet but sites are fairly close together. 

Food aside: Ate Knorr rice with chicken, spiced it up, and Hatch tortillas for dinner. Also Sprouts Hatch M&C with Wal Mart chicken packet and Old El Paso ranch sauce, both good.

Stayed in site 8, which has a shallow and uneven driveway. We used several leveling blocks which helped. Site 6 is ideal in terms of proximity to toilets and relatively level site with trees and a water tap just adjacent. There are 9 total sites, 5 are group sites so tend to be LOTS of people around. Group sites are large and are only$20/night and site 9 is roomy, relatively private and has vault toilets adjacent. Walking trails in/around campground.

Lots of families. Safe. Rather enjoyed a sing-along one night with LOTS of kids.

2nd stay (June): Stayed again for 2 nights, this time in spot 6 which is roomier than 8 and one of only a few single family campsites. Renovation installed a new picnic table and fire pit but removed the tent pad. Water tap still adjacent. 

Big family gatherings due to large family spots, across were 6 RVs in one spot and trucks parked everywhere including on the grass. Fairly quiet and respectful but dogs were allowed to run loose and while seemingly friendly, they were not supervised for pooping. This also means bathrooms were under serious strain esp re: available toilet paper.

Nearby: On Hwy 31, appear to be a variety of dispersed camping spots, most are not well marked. Some appear to have names, but not sure if they are reservable. Most are for "groups" but are typically only $20/night, some smaller group sites are only$10/night. Seem to be largely FCFS. Several have vault toilets adjacent.

Visited nearby Huntington Lake State Park, which is relatively modest in terms of facilities, basically a lake and a campground (no shade). The sites adjacent to the lake look nice (~sites 1-5) and have partial hookups but the trees are sparse. There is a trail around the lake, but it appears mainly to be a gravel road with some benches here/there.

Food aside (freeze dried packs with our own add-ons): Had Peak beef pasta marinara with italian and garlic seasoning. FQ (fart quotient) is low. Had garlic mashed and Hatch green chile mac (from Sprouts). Added pepper jerky to the mashed before water and the cheese (Mexican blend) and one packet of fajita chicken (Wal Mart, about $1.25) and some Kinder's smoked garlic into the mac when it was ready. Also crumbled some 4 cheese Triscuits on top. 

Had Mountain House freeze-dried scrambled eggs in wheat tortillas with cheese, bacon (in at finish), and pepper jerky (in with water). Two servings would have made~4 burritos. Also recommend cutting back on the water to ~2/3-3/4c. Added pepper, garlic powder to eggs. 

Had Mountain House pad thai with chicken for dinner. Didn't add sriracha seasoning but put our own smoked garlic, Wal Mart applewood smoked chicken packet and the supplied lime, peanut butter, and nuts (supplemented the nuts with our own).

Up the canyon road, past the south campgrounds. BLM site and fees required. We paid $15 for 1 night. Quite and great views of Temple mountain.

Tranquil, don’t make the mistake of reaching over the fence to take a picture and accidentally touching the electric wire. It was literally the shock of my life lol.

This spot is up on a hill top. Plenty of spots to camp. Nice views, good fall breeze. There are 2 Porta potty on site. The only issue I didn't like was right at the entrance for the first 75 feet there were a lot of rocks sticking up out of the ground. Made it very uneven. Had my wife get out to make sure I didn't rip anything off the RV. We run a 36' Solitude. Only 7 miles to Capitol Reef visitor center.

We needed a place for the night after leaving the crazy busy area of Moab and this was the perfect spot. We will absolutely return again but with the ATVs.

There were several people camping and riding their ATVs and SXSs but when the sun went down it was quiet and so dark. The night sky is beautiful.

Pack it in and out but a perfect place for us. It had rained the day we arrived and it was not muddy and no problem getting in and out.

The road getting in has a bit of wash board so just take it slow.

Literally first road outside of West entrance to CRNP. It’s pretty rocky, would come during daylight to setup. Portapotties on site.

1/2 off with an America the Beautiful pass. I got lucky and I was able to reserve a spot on short notice and it was one of the best spots for a truck camper which was right next to the tent camping area. Site 42. It is crowded! The sites are right next to each other. More like a really nice RV park..sort of. Normally I don't do NP campgrounds for this reason. I just needed one night before finding some disbursed sites. As with other National Parks like Bryce or Zion, if you plan to see the sites more than camping then get a motel or cabin. I will say, it is in a beautiful location.