Best Glamping near Helper, UT

I've camped at this campground twice now; once in August of 2020 and once in July of 2021. Both times the experience has been good. The campsite has potable water and vault toilets. Before my two visits, I reserved my sites on recreation.gov. This made the experience hassle-free.

One thing to note is that although you can tent camp at this site, the majority of campers are those using RVs. I enjoyed my experience tent camping. However, if you are somehow bothered by RVs or excess noise, you might want to find another campground.

Overall, a good place to stay and I will certainly be back.

My family and I love camping and have been building our camping arsenal and experience. This campsite gave us a good time and also helped us realized what we needed to add to our “Need to Buy List: Camping Edition.”

First, the Pros of the visit.

1. Designated campsite with deck, fireplace and table! Deck was well built, practically brand new and the same with the fire pit. The fire pit is a smokeless one so the smoke would travel through a ventilation built into it.
2. Has service! We had full bars throughout the campsite. We were even able to watch the Rookie in our tent before bed!
3. Gas station is just 5 min down the road! Nice little gas station that’s prepared to help you with almost all your needs, including flushable toilets!
4. Strawberry reservoir is about 15 min from the campsite and there’s plenty to do there! I won’t go in to detail but we spent majority of our day there.

Now the Cons.

1. The campsite is in the middle of a sketchy RV graveyard! Abandoned buildings and RVs were scattered all over the vista. It was sorta creepy but if you like that kind of thing, go for it!
2. No shade in sight! No trees or anything to provide shade from 7:30-6ish (the sun goes behind the tent around 6). So bring a canopy or two because we forgot to bring one and were scorched! Also the tent heats up like a sauna with the sun beating on it, even with all the windows down and doors open. So if you’re planning on coming back for a relaxing afternoon nap, good luck with that!
3. The wind will take your tent if you’re not careful! The wind gusts would be so powerful at times it would almost carry out tent away from us. We had ours on the deck and it was an ample target for the biggest tent-napper out there: the wind. Without a way to put stakes because you’re on the deck, we were exposed. Thankfully they had cinder blocks under the deck we could use but man it was surely a pain in the butt! So come prepared!
4. Bring bug spray and sun screen! We got burnt so badly and there were ants and ant hills everywhere! I counted at least 5 different ant species crawling around the camp table.
5. Private property signs everywhere. We wanted to explore around our campsite but due to so many private property and no trespassing signs, we never got to explore around us because we thought we would get shot.

Overall, it was not a bad campsite! I think our experience wasn’t the best but that’s mainly due our unpreparedness and lack of experience. There’s many things to do in Fruitland area and also places where you can enjoy the peace and quiet! I hope our learning experience can benefit anyone interested in go to this campsite! Happy camping!

This is a nice campground to stay in if you want to explore the canyons.  The location is perfect for day trips into the canyons to search for petroglyphs and historic cabins.  The scenery is amazing.  The campsite had a real nice covered picnic table and a fire pit. There were no hookups but they say they have potable water you can use.  They also have firewood you can purchase but we brought our own.  We did not use the showers but they do have them available.  The bathrooms have flush toilets and running water and were very clean.  There are historic cabins you can rent or you can camp in your tent or RV.  We were there in April and it wasn't too busy so it was pretty quiet.  I would stay here again and recommend it to anyone who wants to explore the area.

I would reserve a spot ahead of time, avoiding any site in loop 'E'. That loop is for those planning to camp with horses. There are hitching posts at every site, therefore, lots of horse poo. And not the best place to take a dog because of all the horses in the area.

The camp host at loop 'E' and 'D' is very nice, and is willing to split up group areas to individuals who have no where else to set up camp. If you do this, expect to get to know new people as you will share a fire pit and eating area.

The fee to camp for one night is $20, but that includes access to any of the Payson lakes, which is $8 for day use.

We didn't go on any hikes during our stay, as we bummed at the beautiful lakes (only the middle of the three lakes is dog friendly) all day. However, there is plenty of hiking in the area.

Very hot. Around 90 degrees. Wake up and get breakfast early. Then enjoy the water in the heat!

P.S. 3 stars due to the fact that I had to camp in horse crap.

This is a great place to camp. You are really close to fifth water and the start of the trail to the hot pots. There is lots of big cotton wood trees for shade. The spots are big enough for a tent or RV. All spots have a nice picnic table and fire ring. There is bathrooms close and they are clean. There is a really nice river walk trail that is fun for kids and adults and the fishing is really good in the river that is close by. I have stayed here a few times and have never found a spot I didn't like. It can get busy in the summer so call or reserve ahead of time. there are lots of single sites for $24 a night or or group sites of $48 you can also reserve a huge group site with pavilion and up to 75 people for $145 a night which is awesome if you want to do a family party or reunion in an amazing canyon. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/uwcnf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=9855&actid=29

The views are amazing lots of red rocks and cliffs to see. Lots of great hikes, the fishing for brown trout, and cutthroat trout in diamond fork river or the fifth water river can be amazing and you don't see a lot of anglers so that makes it way fun. If you stay here make sure to take the time to hike up to fifth water hot pots it is amazing.

There were some bugs but not to many to be annoying. I have seen snakes on some of the hikes so watch out where you step. I have seen elk, deer, moose, wild turkeys, and black bear in and around the area and campsite so don't leave food in your tent and clean up your campsite.

This is a very clean campground the camp staff takes pride in this campground. There is firewood available from the camp staff and fire is legal in fire pits.

Lots of shade trees make it lots cooler in the summer so you can beat the heat.