Are you planning a tent camping trip to Emery? We've got you covered. Finding a place to camp in Utah with your tent has never been easier. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Emery, Utah's most popular destinations.
The Ferron - Muddy Creek Recreation Area is a favorite for campers and fishers. It begins at Wagon Ridge Road on the north and extends south to the Forest Boundary. From foothills near Ferron, Utah it extends west to Skyline Drive. It is located in Emery, Sanpete and Sevier counties and the closest towns are Ferron and Emery, Utah. It can be most easily accessed from SR-10 and I-70. Portions of the Arapeen OHV Trail System are in this recreation area, small reservoirs and dispersed camping sites offer great opportunities for fun on the Forest.
Ferron Canyon Picnic Area is a small picnic area near the Black Dragon Trailhead on the Ferron Canyon Road. It is set along Ferron Creek at 6400' elevation and offers a quiet, shady spot for a picnic, or for a rest after a hike. There is one vault toilet available during open season.
The Swell is also known as a great place for dispersed camping. Dispersed camping is a term used for camping outside of a designated campground. For those looking to strike off and find the ideal spot to pitch your tent, keep in mind that there are no services – no trash removal, no facilities, no access to water, meaning it is NOT for the casual camper.
Bellevue Flats is the staging area for the 4 primitive routes in Sids Mountain WSA
Upper Six Mile Ponds Campground is just ten miles from Sterling, Utah at an elevation of 8,400 feet. A mixed forest of spruce, pinyon, juniper, fir, and aspen covers the area, offering partial shade. Summer wildflowers and wildlife are abundant. Canoeing and fishing for trout are popular at the ponds. Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. "Dispersed camping" is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest outside of a designated campground, and is generally allowed anywhere unless posted otherwise. Many people drive out on Forest Service roads into the woods and find spots that meet the needs for their camp. Dispersed camping may mean no toilet facilities or treated water are located nearby. Typically, dispersed camping is not allowed near developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas or trailheads. Some dispersed sites are provided with fire rings and in those cases please use them as they are designating that area as the spot to safely have a campfire. Finally some dispersed sites have a designated footprint for use. If you see a site with any type of barriers or fencing please respect these areas by not pulling motor vehicles or OHV’s. They are there to preserve the surrounding forest making it enjoyable for all.
Guide
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.
Traveler
Excellent boondock site. I had no problem with my thirty foot travel trailer. Excellent AT&T coverage
GuideGreat 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.
Traveler
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:
Ranger
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.
Ranger
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.
Ranger
Stayed 6/1-4 in space 9. Very shady campground and campsite. Creek runs thru but not by this site. Only 1 vault toilet for the family campground, so walked over to Group site toilets which were cleaner. One trail out of camp to Rock Canyon but it was fairly steep and rocky so didn't do much of it. Did walk up and down paved road into camp and then on dirt roads off main road that had a few FCFS dry camp pull out areas along the creek. Campsites well spaced many with good views of valley or the red rock cliffs. No ATVs allowed in campground. Spaces 15 and 20 were also good, 10 is double size but same price with large drive and nice views to red cliffs. Camp host unobtrusive.
Would be great during fall colors. Saw some bear scat on trail closer to I-70
Ranger
Dirt road in, off the hwy, was a bit rutted, but we made it okay in van. Took our chances on a FCFS spot, #8 which looked fairly level but was not. There were 2 bathrooms we saw and the site was mostly equidistant from both, and a bit of distance away. Beautiful canyon with walls rising up both sides but were just passing thru so didn't get to see much and didn't stay but basically overnight. Seems like some interesting pull out boon-docking sites on way in but bathroom in day use parking was locked in the am when we left.
Ranger
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).
Traveler
Just needed to find a place for the night and this was perfect! No one around, huge site, beautiful views and free! Cows meander around the campsite..didn't bother us. If you go past where the directions take you, there are 3 or 4 spots that are also nice. Road is easy to travel.
Scout
Up on a mesa (not super high that it’s a tough climb), on Notom road which is paved, then turn on dirt road not far from Hwy 24 (maybe 1/4-1/2 mile). Only two other campers about a football field apart from me. Amazing view of Henry mountains and sunrise!! Made it slowly in my front wheel drive van over the rocks that stick up. No problem. Just slow.
Traveler
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.
Scout
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.
GuideThis 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.
Ranger
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.
TravelerLiterally first road outside of West entrance to CRNP. It’s pretty rocky, would come during daylight to setup. Portapotties on site.
Ranger1/2 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.
Ranger
This campground has like 5 spots. A short walk to amazing views. Pit toilet and that is all. The campground was clean - people have done a really good job of packing out their trash. The road in and out requires high clearance for sure. I would not do it with 2WD or AWD. It is worth it if you have a capable vehicle.
Guide
Nice remote site. Two bathrooms.
Guide
Hot dry but nice shade at each campsite
GuideStayed for two nights in September 2024. Close to park attractions. Fantastic nighttime telescope activity on Friday night. No hookups but potable water and dump station available. No showers.
LegendForested campsites in a narrow canyon. Busy on weekends. Got the last first served sit at 3pm Friday. Sites next to the main road. Traffic peering into the campsite. Young fit crowd. Weak cell reception.
Traveler
About 10 minutes from Goblin Valley State Park. There’s dispersed camping all along Temple Mt Road and Goblin Valley Road. Follow any of the dirt roads to plenty of sites. We first picked a site on top of a hill but quickly realized how windy it could get so we set up camp just after turning left down Goblin Valley Road. We had the whole place to ourselves, very quiet and great views of the Milky Way. No bugs at night but as soon as the sun came up the mosquitos came out and we quickly left.
Traveler
There are signs mentioning danger like "nearly no car can make this road" or "floods". The street is a little bit bumpy in the beginning but then fine.
For me it was perfectly fine and had a good sleep.
Absolutely no reception on any provider for me
GuideStayed a couple of nights ago, lots of sites all with fire rings. Easy turn off right near Capitol Reef NP which is wicked convenient. There are no facilities here so keep that in mind. Was extremely windy and had intermittent rain/thunderstorms passing through (that don’t show up on weather/radar) so something to consider during this season if you’re tenting it like us. The ground is also majorly rock so staking tents for the wind is very difficult. All that being said the views are amazing & hearing coyotes off in the distance gave some cool ambiance
GuideGreat spot for a stay overnight! Although there isn’t water, there is a clean outhouse to use.
We loved the spot we had which was equipped with a picnic table and fire ring (all sites have this).
The views from being so high up are great. That being said the wind can get a little crazy at night so roll up those awnings before bed.
Road in is a little bumpy (we came from Highway 72) but it was a beautiful drive.
Guide
We spent 3 nights here right along the reservoir and it was great. Although it was “busy” there was plenty of space between us an our neighbours.
We rock a rooftop tent so it was easy to level. Bugs were minimal during the day. Mosquitos ramp up at night but they didn’t seem to want anything to do with us.
Saw plenty of people fishing during the day.
There are washrooms nearby but they aren’t super close to all camping areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Emery, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Emery, UT is Willow Creek Road - Dispersed Site with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
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