Willow Creek Road Dispersed Site lets campers bring pets into a free camping area where fires are permitted. Several pet-friendly dispersed camping options exist throughout the Manti-La Sal National Forest region, including Jimmy's Fork Dispersed Campsite and Ephraim Manti Dispersed, all offering free camping with no reservation requirements. The dispersed sites receive excellent ratings from visitors who appreciate the privacy and remoteness. Most established campgrounds in the area, including Manti Community, Joes Valley Campground, and Palisade State Park, also welcome pets while offering various amenities. The campground at Palisade State Park provides electric hookups, water hookups, showers, and sewer connections for RV campers with dogs.
Ferron Reservoir Campground's remote location appeals to campers seeking quieter experiences with their pets, accessible via an hour-long drive on a one-lane dirt road but manageable for most vehicles. Dogs must be leashed throughout all campgrounds in the national forest area. Potters Pond Campground sits at over 9,000 feet elevation with mild warm days and cool nights, making it comfortable for pets during summer months when lower elevations experience extreme heat. The Arapeen Trail system provides extensive OHV access near many campgrounds, with hundreds of miles of trails where dogs can accompany their owners. Campgrounds near water features like Joes Valley Reservoir and Palisade State Park allow convenient access for dogs that enjoy swimming, though some ponds may contain blue algae during certain seasons. No trash receptacles exist at most dispersed sites, so campers must pack out all pet waste and garbage.
$10 - $18 / night
"Weren’t too many campers around. Lots of trees for shade. Lake is drying up and looks a bit sad."
"Right near the reservoir, I had a freat, secluded time, while in between bouldering seasion. Will visit again but will camp roght outside park with the other renegades"
"It is RIGHT next to a mountain bike trail, so expect some early-morning bikers to be coming down. Overall, it was a great place to camp."
"Campsite I stayed at/the drive up is amazing during sunset"
$10 - $18 / night
"There is no shortage of biking, hiking and riding trails. The campground sits adjacent to the Arapeen Tail which is a network of OHV trails. We stayed two nights here and wished we could stay more."
"Didn’t stay at the campground drive down an oil rig road and found a camp spot with no one around!!."
$10 - $40 / night
"Manti Community is located just outside of Manti UT and is easily accessible via a dirt road. It's never full and rarely has any people."
"This is a forest campsite with vault toilets nearby. Lots of wildlife especially small furry ones. Dirt road into the site is bumpy. Great for peace and quiet."
$35 - $300 / night
"There are great atv trails nearby. There is a great golf course right next to the lake/campground. The restaurant at the golf club has really good food. The bathrooms are kept clean."
"This place is a great place to camp if you have one of the single or double site next to lake. There is plenty of grass and great facilities. The group site on other side of road is not the best."
$10 - $40 / night
"It was a really nice camp ground with a lot of off road trails. Cant swim in the lake because its really small but it has a lot of fish. A lot of cows and horses roaming freely."
$50 - $300 / night
"Not too far off the highway and I felt like I was up deep in the mountains. This park is beyond pretty. Staff was great. All around great visit."
"The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because some of the sites aren't level and are pretty close to each other. I had to use 3 yellow square leveling blocks on the left side."
$25 - $30 / night
"They were redoing the Dam while we were there last, so we couldn’t enjoy the lake. We did, however, head up the mountain and had some good success fishing close by."
"I selected the Millsite Campground because of its proximity to the Moore Cutoff road’s interesting geology, located a few miles away."
GuideThis is a rest stop. It's great. There is a dog park. Water to hook up to for a fill. There are a ton of picnic tables and a paved walking path through an outdoor educational museum. bathroom too. Perfect for an in between salt lake and Moab.
TravelerAwesome first camp of the year. Booked as soon as the state parks opened back up. Place really gave that “middle of nowhere feel”, lake and surrounding area were beautiful. Campsites were simple and bathrooms were nice. Only issue we had was we accidentally booked a site without electric. Could’ve been more clear on website, but also likely a rookie mistake being our first camp in Utah
RangerWe chose this area as a central location to Moab, Provo and SLC! Nice scenic drives to all of those places from camp and did not feel too far out. Campground was clean and well kept. Staff is very nice and helpful. It will be beautiful in a few years with the landscaping investment they have made. Plenty of individual showers. I recommend the ones at office building, they are bigger. Laundry facilities great. Huge plus is dish washing sink with hot water. It is always nice to not have to wash dishes in camper. Dog park, playground and splash pad. My only caution is that it is between Highway and railroad tracks so if you are noise sensitive be aware. We didn’t notice any major noise and slept very comfortably with the nice flowing River behind us. Helper is cute town to explore.
ScoutWe love going to this Park in Castle Dale. Castle Dale has so much to offer us because we have 3 kids and there is so much to do in the area. Our kids are 9, 7 and 3 1/2 so it makes things very convenient and easy for us to go there and we can rent ATV's locally as well and there is a lot of close by site seeing.
The park has a new owner and they have been consistently improving the parks. We were there about a month ago and they just opened up the laundry facility and club house, I hear they are going to add a dog park , provide propane sales and even have charging stations for EVs. Love that they are making these improvements shows that they really care
GuideBeautiful RV Park!! Friendly service! Escorted to our Site# 201 which backed up to the Price River. Site was super level for us. Great space between neighbors on our side of the park. There is a picnic table. However, we took our chairs down to the river bank each evening. So tranquil and relaxing! Laundry room is nice and all machines were in working order. We did not use the restrooms but took a peek in and they are all clean and look new. Beautiful mountain scenery as well. AT&T, T-Mobile Cell Service were excellent. No issues with their WiFI. So many cable channels! If there was one Con, it was that the dog park/run area was muddy. Looks like they are watering the area to maybe get more grass to grow. However, there are plenty of other grassy spots with Dog Waste Stations and bags to walk your dog. Street traffic noise can be heard. We do have a white noise machine and it did not interrupt our sleep. Enjoyed our relaxing stay here! Highly recommend!
TravelerStayed here at the end of the camp season. It’s a nice campground, but the spots are a little confusing. First, their normal campsites are really small. We’d actually accidentally set up residence in a double spot without knowing it. So that was unexpected, given the spots are kind of pricey already (normally it’s $23/night, but the doubles were $46/night). And although we only had 6 people (limit for a single site is 8), we also had to pay an additional $8 for the extra car. Besides that, it’s nice that they allow pets.
ScoutWe camped here in May, 2024, on our way north, traveling through Utah. What looked like a nice campground from the Utah State Park website was not a nice campground. Firstly, the bathrooms were not clean. Second, this seems to be a hang-out for the locals in Huntington, especially the teens. Third, what few trees there are, are half-dead from not being watered. There is evidence that a lot have been cut down, probably because they died entirely. It is a mystery that a state park, with a reservoir, does not water the grass and trees in the campground! Fourth, and most importantly, there is semi-truck traffic on the highway that borders the campground, about every 5-10 minutes, day and night, no exaggeration! Drive a few hours northeast and camp at Green River State Park in Green River, UT. That is truly a nice, park-like setting, away from the noise of I-70.
LegendWe were blown away at how tranquil and beautiful the surroundings are at Potters Pond Campground. The abundant trees and brush truly make one feel like they are a million miles away from home. The journey to the campground starts at Millers Flat Road which is a dirt road that is for the most part well groomed/maintained. It is very bumpy, but can be done with most vehicles. We were towing our 24' TT so we were going slow. It is about 8.3 miles of dirt road to the campground from UT 31. The sites are spaced far enough from each other which gives you plenty of room to spread out and relax. The short walk to the pond is easy and you will appreciate the stillness of the water. Most people were either fishing or enjoying the pond on a row boat. Not 100% sure if the pond is okay to swim in as there are no signage and the presence of blue algae is apparent. Potters Pond is part of the USDA national forest and is wide open and plenty of trails to hike/bike. The campground is adjacent to the Appain Trails where one has access to 300+ miles of off-road enjoyment.
The campground does not have any potable water or any services. There are vault toilets spread out throughout the grounds. Also, there are no dumpsters....so what you bring in, you have to take with you. The campground is situated above 9000ft elevation so the days are mild warm and the nights can be cool to cold. If you're looking for solitude and nature, this is the place to go!
ScoutClose to nature, the lake, the stars, and the main freeway. Optional add-on elec. hookup nice for charging EV car or Rv hookup. Picnic table, fire ring, and small deck for tent, plus access to potable water on site. Nice panoramic views of Utah mountains and sunrise and sunset. Back roads great for a walk or e-bike ride. Great stargazing at night. Cell service good, no shade.
The Manti-La Sal National Forest spans nearly 1.4 million acres across central and southeastern Utah, with elevations ranging from 5,000 to over 12,000 feet. This diverse terrain creates dramatic temperature variations, with high elevation areas like Potters Pond experiencing summer highs rarely exceeding 75°F while lower campsites can reach 90°F during the same period. Winter access becomes limited above 8,000 feet due to snow accumulation from October through May.
Fishing opportunities: At Millsite State Park Campground, the reservoir provides good fishing despite occasional seasonal challenges. As one visitor noted: "We did, however, head up the mountain and had some good success fishing close by."
Hiking near waterfalls: The area offers trails suitable for most skill levels. "Manti Community is located just outside of Manti UT and is easily accessible via a dirt road. It's never full and rarely has any people. There are lots of 4-wheeling trails and a nice waterfall nearby," according to one regular visitor.
OHV adventures: The extensive trail network offers routes for all skill levels. "Endless trails to ride/hike good camping and fishing highly recommended!!!" commented a visitor about Joes Valley Campground. The area connects to multiple designated routes across the national forest.
Secluded camping spots: Many campers value finding private areas away from crowds. A camper at Willow Creek Road - Dispersed Site shared: "Just off of willow creek rd. Turn left at the map coordinates. You are at almost 8000 ft so not a winter camping spot. There is some ATV traffic but respectfully slow."
High elevation cooling: Summer heat relief attracts campers to higher elevation sites. "This was a great site to stop and pitch my rooftop tent. Not too far up the canyon, and it was very quiet. It is RIGHT next to a mountain bike trail, so expect some early-morning bikers to be coming down," reported one visitor.
Mountain bike access: Trails connect directly to some campsites. One camper at Willow Creek Road mentioned: "Great dispersed place to stay. Was there on a thursday and saw 2 other people. Campsite I stayed at/the drive up is amazing during sunset."
Remote access challenges: Some pet-friendly camping areas require preparation for rough roads. A visitor to Ferron Reservoir Campground shared: "This campsite was perfect for me. Remote (about an hour on a one-lane dirt road) and quiet with beautiful scenery. I happened to have the place to myself which was even better."
Seasonal closures: Most forest campgrounds close from late October through May due to snow. "You are at almost 8000 ft so not a winter camping spot," reminds one camper.
Limited amenities: Dispersed camping areas lack facilities. "We didn't get reservations (it was winter), but you might want to since it's a small and beautiful site," advises a camper about Millsite State Park, contrasting with dispersed options.
Swimming options: When traveling with kids who enjoy water, consider locations with safe access points. A visitor to Palisade State Park Campground noted: "They also rent paddle boats and canoes if wanted. Have a sandy little beach as well. We mostly go for the fishing though."
Wildlife watching: Smaller animals provide entertainment for children. "This is a forest campsite with vault toilets nearby. Lots of wildlife especially small furry ones," mentioned a camper at Manti Community.
Campsite selection: For families with pets, avoid sites with hazardous features. One camper warned: "The site is not level and is covered with crushed rock instead of smooth gravel. Two of my three kids tripped and fell. The crushed rock is sharp and both kids that fell had several cuts."
Level site challenges: Many pet-friendly campsites require extra equipment for RV leveling. A camper at Pleasant Creek Ranch mentioned: "The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because some of the sites aren't level and are pretty close to each other. I had to use 3 yellow square leveling blocks on the left side."
Hookup availability: Most forest service campgrounds lack hookups, but some private options exist. "The sites are close together so you don't get a whole lot of privacy. The staff were steady busy leveling off the gravel in each site and mowing the lawns," noted a Pleasant Creek visitor.
Road access limitations: Large RVs face challenges at certain campgrounds. A Lake Hill Campground visitor warned: "Nice large campsites. Can be hard to navigate with a large trailer or RV."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Manti-La Sal National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Manti-La Sal National Forest is Joes Valley Reservoir with a 4.1-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Manti-La Sal National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 136 dog-friendly camping locations near Manti-La Sal National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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