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The Great Basin National Park region surrounding Garrison, Utah offers several tent campgrounds set against the backdrop of Nevada's high desert and Utah's western mountains. Grey Cliffs Campground stands as a tent-only option within Great Basin National Park, while Snake Creek Campground provides primitive tent sites approximately 15 miles from Garrison. These areas typically require visitors to bring their own water and essential supplies due to limited facilities.
Most tent campgrounds feature basic amenities including picnic tables, fire rings, and vault toilets, though services vary considerably between established and primitive sites. The Snake Creek Road access requires careful navigation, with multiple tent sites situated along this dirt road that explicitly prohibits RVs and trailers due to narrow passages. Access to remote tent camping locations like Eagle Peak and Squirrel Springs demands patience, as one camper noted: "About 9 miles from Highway 487 along a narrow dirt road." Dispersed tent camping options exist throughout surrounding BLM lands, with Marjum Pass offering open sites with minimal facilities but stunning views.
Tent campers particularly appreciate the solitude found at these remote locations, with sites sufficiently spaced to provide privacy despite the open terrain. The higher elevation tent campsites remain cooler in summer but may experience unexpected weather changes. Snake Creek area offers multiple primitive walk-in tent locations with creek proximity at certain sites, providing both ambiance and a potential water source if properly filtered. Backcountry tent opportunities exist for those willing to venture farther from designated campgrounds. According to one visitor: "It's a great spot to hike up to Johnson Lake. It's a very peaceful site next to the creek with only 2 other campsites." The area's tent campgrounds showcase exceptional stargazing opportunities due to minimal light pollution and clear desert air, making them a strong choice for tent campers seeking dark skies in the western Utah region.
"While Grey Cliffs campground didn't impress me as much as the other campgrounds as it was more open with far less trees than the others, you won't have the RV crowd here, this is a tent only campground"
"We drove around for a while and finally found this spot. The group sites were closed due to the pandemic but they did have individual first come first serve sites - you had to drive in to see it."
from $20 - $30 / night
Check Availability"Campground sits between the road and Snake Creek and sits among small and medium sized trees which provide some shade."
"FREE Site: Squirrel Springs Campsites (First past bathroom)
Vehicle: GMC Terrain
Equipment: Tent
AT&T and T-Mobile: Slow but useable
The Squirrel Springs Campsites are about 9 miles from Highway"
"There was a fire ban when we went, so we had to use a camp stove, but there is a fireplace and a grill at the site as well as two picnic tables and a vault toilet."
"Parking for the campground is just past the vault toilet. If your group has multiple cars more could park at the pull off at the vault toilet."
"Campground is clearly marked, and is on the south side of the road at the second vault toilet along Snake Creek Road. Campground sits between the road and Snake Creek, which was dry in June."
"Flat parking, pit toilet, fire ring, grill, picnic tables, large and flat tent sites. Site is on the road but nobody passed by during my end of October visit."
"There are picnic tables and fire rings (so it’s primitive, I guess, but not dispersed) but you are asked to keep yourself within 30 feet of them and not so far off the beaten path that things get unwieldy"
"Arrived around 3-4pm, very limited spots left. No cell service! Stayed in a 4wd van"
"Eagle Peak is by far the nicest campsite location along Great Basin National Parks Snake Creek Road."
"Pull off right next to freeway, large parking areas on both sides. More areas beyond fence on the north side. Stayed close to the entrance and didn't explore much."
"You don’t have to drive through the gate, although I recommend you do for a more secluded spot slightly further from the road. It gets a little sandy, so be wary with your 2WD vehicle."
"The hike goes up through some dry drainages before finally rising to the saddle east of the summit. This thing is huge!"
"The BLM land on the way up to the Notch Peak Trailhead campground is a wide open desert area that is best suited for off-road vehicles. No facilities, but scenic skies. "
"Photos are of the Western slope pouring out of the canyon. As you exit the Canyon heading West, there are pull offs on both sides of the dirt road."
"And has ~2000' of vertical rise and lies 4000' above the surrounding valley. Theres some good climbing in the canyon but there is room for plenty of development."
TravelerFlat parking, pit toilet, fire ring, grill, picnic tables, large and flat tent sites. Site is on the road but nobody passed by during my end of October visit. Rate free camping inside the National Park.
RangerThe only campground in Great Basin that is open year round. We stayed in site 18, on the lower loop - recently redone sites and clean pit toilets. The lower loop has good spacing and most sites are flat- but not much cover from the sun. The upper loop has more cover but many of the sites are on a slope. There is hiking from the campground, and a short drive to the Lehman Caves visitor Center and other hikes. It had snowed a day before we arrived, and road to the summit was closed near the top. Quiet and peaceful - it was a new moon and we had phenomenal dark skies.
GuideBeautiful campground. Pinion pine and juniper. Nice trails. Each site has a picnic table on a cement pad with a metal shelter over it. Some sites are not quite level but nothing too extreme. Well maintained.
GuideThis state park is a gem and the rock formations are absolutely gorgeous! Only one other camper in the campground, free push showers (the pushing is kind of annoying but I'm not complaining because they were free), flush toilets, potable water, and trash disposal. Each site has a fire ring, charcoal grill and a picnic table. We were bummed that we couldn't have a campfire because all NV parks are under fire restrictions right now. Clear night for stargazing 🌌 Definitely plan to come back here to hike the hikes!!
TravelerSo glad we took the detour on our road trip. Gray Cliffs was perfect for stargazing, with very little light pollution. Campsite#2 had unobstructed views of the sky, and we saw the Milky Way and even a few shooting stars. I took this photo with my iPhone 14 Pro’s Night mode, using a tripod and remote. The outhouse was close to our campsite and fully stocked. Each camosite has a picnic bench and fire ring.Cell phone reception was limited in the area.
ScoutNo facilities or anything on site, just a large gravel pit and lot on the far side. Shaded by the mountains to the West so it is significantly cooler than in the open sun even before the sunset. No direpits or anything so be totally self sufficient
TravelerA basic full hook up campsite. Gravel lot, level spots. Super clean bathrooms, showers with hot water. Laundry $3, wash and dry. Showers included with $56 daily fee, though available to non campers for$5. The attendant is not on site but responds to messages quickly through Hipcamp.
Baker is tiny, get supplied before you get here, no grocery store, one small cafe. Gas brutality expensive. Park is beautiful, cave tour awesome.
GuideIt's a small campsite, about 15 spots. Spaces are nice and plenty of room to move around. Campground is SUPER clean, thank you Tom! Had 5G from t mobile. Not to far of a drive to Ely!
TravelerThe sites are mostly big rig friendly. The booking window of 4 days was interesting. best sites 9,5,7,16,4,11,3. We picked 4 because of the creek, and it was good, but just a wide side of the road rather than a private site.
Tent camping near Garrison, Utah offers primitive camping experiences at elevations ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 feet in the shadow of Wheeler Peak. Sites across the Great Basin National Park region experience dramatic temperature shifts, with summer days reaching the 80s and nights dropping to the 40s. The arid climate requires careful water planning as most camping areas provide no potable water sources.
Hike to Johnson Lake: Eagle Peak Campsites serves as an ideal starting point for hiking the Johnson Lake Trail. A camper notes, "Eagle Peak is the last camping area you can drive to along Snake Creek road. Hiking trails for this area of the park are just down the road."
Trilobite hunting: Areas near Marjum Pass Dispersed Camping offer fossil exploration opportunities. "Home to one of the biggest cliffs in North America and you've probably never heard of it. Notch Peak is just to the south of the campground," reports one visitor who also mentioned the area's "world class trilobites."
Stargazing: The dark skies above Great Basin National Park provide exceptional star viewing. At Grey Cliffs Campground, a camper shared, "The night sky is amazing at Great Basin. Very little to no light pollution."
Creek access: Multiple primitive sites along Snake Creek Road feature creek proximity. At Monkey Rock Group Campsites, "The creek running near by was small but made perfect background noise," according to a recent visitor.
Privacy between sites: Campers appreciate the spacing at several campgrounds. One Grey Cliffs visitor observed, "We found that the sites were pretty private and not on top of each other at all. The cliffs here are very pretty and are a nice backdrop."
Free camping options: Many sites along Snake Creek Road offer free camping with basic amenities. A camper at Squirrel Springs Campsites shared, "This was a pretty nice site with a picnic table and fire ring with grill grate. This was a pretty good site to crash for free, although the dirt road was tedious."
Road conditions: Access to Snake Creek camping areas requires careful navigation. One Squirrel Springs visitor warned, "The Squirrel Springs Campsites are about 9 miles from Highway 487 along a narrow dirt road. We past 2 or 3 already taken spots and a group site before reaching these sites."
RV restrictions: Several camping areas explicitly prohibit larger vehicles. At Monkey Rock, a camper cautioned, "The information on the parks website is a bit misleading. Road is not for RV's or trailers. Just after you enter the park on Snake Creek Road a sign clearly indicated no RV's or trailers past the roads first pull out."
Water planning: Most tent sites require bringing your own water. A visitor to Pinnacle noted, "This is a dry campground, the creek is also dry here so come prepared."
Weather changes: Higher elevation means unpredictable conditions. One camper at Squirrel Springs reported, "Beware this is also at a higher elevation than the Lehman Caves area. We woke up to a couple inches of snow."
Restroom access: Some primitive sites offer toilets while others don't. At Eagle Peak Campsites, "An ADA accessible vault toilet is located at the campground, and is also the location of the trash and recycling bin."
Site selection: Different campgrounds have varying amenities for families. Grey Cliffs Campground includes "fire rings with grill grates. There are 2 ADA Accessible campsites site C3 and A8 both sites are located next to accessible restrooms."
Dog restrictions: While dogs are allowed at most campgrounds, trail access may be limited. One Grey Cliffs camper mentioned, "Dogs are allowed at the campsite but not on a majority of the trails at Great Basin."
Alternative BLM sites: When Great Basin campgrounds are full, nearby BLM lands offer dispersed options. A visitor to Notch Peak Trailhead shared, "The BLM land on the way up to the Notch Peak Trailhead campground is a wide open desert area that is best suited for off-road vehicles. No facilities, but scenic skies."
Ground conditions: Tent staking can be challenging in some areas. A Grey Cliffs camper reported, "The ground is so rocky it became very difficult to drive a spike into the ground far enough to work and not bend them. Do not bring a large tent, the pads are small."
Emergency preparedness: Cell service is unreliable throughout the region. A visitor to Notch Peak advised, "Make sure you have a spare tire and a way to reach someone in an emergency as you most likely wont have service."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Garrison, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Garrison, UT is Grey Cliffs Campground — Great Basin National Park with a 4.1-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Garrison, UT?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Garrison, UT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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