Best Tent Camping near Hooper, UT

Absolutely awesome spot. Hosts were really friendly. Stayed in my pop up camper for a night and there was tons of space for pop up and our site (A1) was the best in the campground, I think. It was secluded with tons of trees. Not all sites had a lot of tree cover. It wasn’t right off the river but it was still only a 30 second walk to the river. There were fire bans in Utah but because of the type of fire set up on concrete and built in fire places, we were able to have a fire all night which was awesome. Also my buddy is a professional singer and brought his guitar so I’m impartial. We had such a great time!!

We were road tripping through with no reservations. The whole South Fork area has many campgrounds. Magpie is the first and one of the smaller of the campgrounds as you drive up the canyon. We drove through all the campgrounds and didn’t find any hosts to talk with to find out if we could occupy a spot. We thought it would be ok but weren’t sure if we could stay in a spot that had a weekend reservation posted. Plus there was simultaneously not very much shade and lots of overgrown vegetation that made tent camping not very feasible. All the sites with actual river frontage were occupied and most folks had campers. This was especially true at South Fork, Lower Meadows, Upper Meadows & Perception Park campgrounds. We finally found a host at Willows campground who explained the process but we didn’t see any sites we liked there. Magpie actually had some shaded sites so we headed back down there. We grabbed a spot that had no obvious river access but good shade right next to the host site. It was pretty overgrown but had enough of a flat spot to set up our tent and a big concrete pad for the picnic table and huge fire ring. Midweek it was only half full. Campground is literally mere feet from the road. Lots of road noise. Bathrooms were good enough. The host when he finally came around was very nice. The adjacent site was vacant (a double site that cost more $$) and we were able to get to the river there. We stayed two nights mid week and it never filled up but all the sites had weekend reservations. There isn’t a lot of hiking but if you like river recreation or we saw lots of paddle boarders headed up to the reservoir. We drove up Monte Cristo which was still closed for the season but probably would have been more our style. Birding was good around the campground probably due to the river. Again, road noise was annoying but expected. Also note that the forest service’s website was out of date as far as all the campgrounds in this area being open.

Let me start off by saying the other review for this CG is about 250 miles off target.  The Narrows CG the other person is talking about is located in Zion National Park near St. George/Springville in southern Utah.  There are no soaring sandstone walls here!  There are however amazing overhanging water sculpted limestone cliffs that contain some of the hardest climbing that the west desert of Utah has to offer!  There are a decent amount of routes on either side of the road with the majority of the routes being near the Upper Narrows CG. 

This CG is setup in much the same way as the Upper.  There are metal fire rings and picnic tables at each of the campsites with a vault toilet within a couple minutes walk from any of the sites.  There are only 3 sites and there are no water or trash facilities so bring all you need and then pack it all out!  The creek offers a nice respite from the heat in the summer and would probably be decent fishing as well.  I only saw a couple trout while wandering around but I'm sure there are more!

This campground much like the others in this canyon is situated along the banks of the South Fork of the Ogden River.  Before you get to Causey Reservoir and Weber Memorial Park, this is the biggest campground you'll encounter.  There are 35 single sites @23$ and 8 double sites @46$.  Some campsites are reservable and some are walk in sites.  A picnic table and metal fire ring is at each site along with vault toilets and drinking water scattered throughout the campground.  The campsites in the teens seemed to be the closest to the creek

As for activities to do in the area, there are plenty of options!  Right by most of the campsites you can fly fish or set off on a tubing adventure down the Ogden River!  It is required that you have a life jacket before setting off.  If you're looking for bigger accumulations of water you can either head back down canyon to the huge Pineview Reservoir or head up canyon to the steep walled Causey Reservoir!

Is the 2nd campground heading up canyon and is also the smallest campground in the canyon.  While this is the smallest campground in the canyon half of the sites in this little loop are really close to the road and therefore have a lot of noise associated with that.  The ones closer to the river, however, are great and have tent spots nestled away right next to the river.  there are 5 single sites and 1 double site with picnic tables, fire rings, and prep/serving tables at each site.  There is also drinking water and 2 vault toilets at the entrance to the campground.

For close recreation Pineview and Causey Reservoir are about equal distance and offer great respite from the sun with different experiences to explore!  At the mountain, cliff lined Causey Reservoir, kayaking and deep water free climbing are popular activities.  While at the larger Pineview Reservoir boating and water sports along with relaxing on the beach are more common activities, due to the gentle slopes of the reservoir.

While a little bit larger than its Upper Meadows twin it still sits on the south side of the river away from the road and therefore offers a bit of natural tranquility.  The campground is about half the size of the Perception Park Compound but will hold maybe 1/6 of the people so you'll have lots of distance between your neighbors.  You can choose from 17 single sites or 6 double sites @ 23$ and 46$ respectively.  Like the other campgrounds in the canyon the amenities are fairly primitive with fire rings and picnic tables at each site with drinking water spigots and vault toilets scattered throughout the playground.

For fun things to do in the area there is Causey Reservoir which is only a few miles up canyon!  It is a wonderful spot to kayak, canoe, or SUP around and also to access the cliffs for some deep water solo climbing!

Campground Review:

One of my favorite things about this campsite is that I had zero cellphone reception! I got to spend the day/night truly unplugged there are a variety of sites to choose from here including some with water access. The South Fork Ogden River runs right through the campground and is a great place to float, stick your feet in, or take a shallow dip. Warning: the water is freezing! Each site comes with a sizeable fire pit and picnic table. They all seem to be surrounded with trees and plenty of green! The spots also vary in privacy,and we unfortunately ended up in a spot with neighbors with a bright light on all night. Bright enough to obstruct our star view quite a bit. Otherwise, the view of the stars is breathtaking and you will wake up in a lovely canopy of trees.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get to review a lot of great products. On this trip I tried out two of Klymit’s high quality items. I already have a Static V2 sleeping pad that I love so I tested the Luxe Pillow and Quilted V Sheet. First of all, I cannot say enough good about the Luxe pillow! It is the most amazing camping pillow I've ever slept on. I even used it at my friend's house because it was more comfortable than her actual pillows. I am pretty picky with pillows because I have some neck issues and this pillow hits the spot. This pillow will be with me on every trip from now on, and it gets very compact for packing. The inflatable inside combined with the plush pillow case is a winning combination. Add the Quilted sheet to your Klymit sleeping pad and you will feel like you are sleeping in the lap of luxury. The combination of the pillow and sheet with my usual bag and mat made my slumber outside better than some I've spent in hotels. I can't say enough good things about these products!