Best Dispersed Camping near Ogden, UT

Campground Review: Dispersed camping at Pittsburg Lake, Utah

Because I am into hiking and exploring national forest camping this summer, I found a fun adventure at Pittsburg Lake in the Uinta National Forest in the Wasatch Mountains. Getting there—the hike is a 1.5 mile hike up to the lake. Getting to the trail head is a dusty, dirt road behind Midway, UT. You are driving on dirt road for approximately 6-7 miles and will encounter at least two stream crossings. One crossing is cobblestoned, the other is driving up the stream for 50 feet right before the trail head. Therefore, a high clearance vehicle is highly recommended, if not necessary. There are a lot of off roading trails back in this area so you will encounter lots of RZRs, dirtbikes, 4-wheelers, jeeps, etc on your way to the trailhead but a non-lowered car can handle the road if the driver is comfortable. The really rocky section is past the trail head. Anyway, long dusty road to the trailhead then then hike is 1.5 miles all uphill with 1500 ft of elevation gain. You are hiking on a very rocky old mining road. My husband and I decided we wanted to really punish ourselves and we hiked up with an inflatable paddle board in addition to my stuff for camping. The hike is totally doable even with a lot of gear, just go slow and be careful of your footing. To be honest, I felt sorer after the hike down then after the hike up. So you make it up the trail and you come to a beautiful, small alpine lake. The lake is approximately .33 miles around and has trout for fishing. There is even an old homestead cabin to explore. The lake has many human-made fire pits scattered all around depending if you want to be right on the lake or if you want to tuck back farther into the woods. I found a spot close to the lake for easy paddle board access where I could hang my hammock. This was my first adventure in hammock camping and I actually enjoyed it. The views are so pretty and you are on the backside of Snowbird Ski Area. The area was beautiful and I wish I saw more wildlife (I have heard rumors of elk and moose sightings).

I am giving this camping area 4 stars not because of the area itself (it is free, beautiful, relaxing, etc.) but because of the other people who were staying up there made it not the best night for a female solo camper with her dog. There was another group camping about 200 meters away but I don’t think they knew I was there and they were up late making a lot of noise. Every time I was about to fall asleep, I would hear them chop wood or yell for an echo or make some other non-natural noise that would keep me awake (plus my imagination would start to run away from me). There was also another couple who decided to camp up there and needed to borrow a lighter but ended up leaving around 2AM. So whenever they came close to my camp, my wonderful protective dog would growl and raise the alarm, again, inhibiting my ability to fall asleep. The other annoyance was the flies. I am not sure if it is just the spot that I chose that had a lot of flies or they would have followed me wherever I set up camp. They didn’t bite and were more annoying than anything. I think my dog ate a few dozen as they buzzed around her head. So due to those negatives, the spot gets dinged a star.

Overall, it was worth carrying the paddle board up to the lake as I was able to relax and float and tool around. You can’t go very far but being on the water is always a good time. I could read my book in the hammock and go for exploratory hikes in the area. Final thought, it is National Forest camping so please, please, please follow leave no trace principles to keep the area nice for future visitors.

Gear Review: Matador Camera Base Layer

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get the opportunity to test out gear from our awesome partners once in a while. While I was camping at Pittsburg Lake, I had the opportunity to try out the Matador Camera Base Layer. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to haul a bunch of gear up to Pittsburg Lake and it included by nice DSLR camera. Photography is a fun hobby I have been playing around with for a few years, but I come across the problem of how to safely get my camera places without carrying either an additional camera bag that takes up a lot of space or wrapping my camera up in a sweatshirt or other piece of clothing to protect it with a smaller profile. Well, the Matador camera base layer has officially solved my problem. Hooray! The base layer is basically a padded, contoured, dry sack for my camera. Place the camera lens down, then roll and clip the top like a dry sack. It has holes to allow your camera neck or wrist straps to come through so you can wear your camera while it is being protected. Because it is from Matador, it is super lightweight but it does not feel flimsy, thin, or not durable. I was able to stuff my camera in the top of my paddle board bag while hiking up and down and I felt comfortable that nothing would be broken when I got to the top. It protected it from the dirt and dust that gets on everything when you are camping so it helped to keep things cleaner. I also took my camera for a hike with no additional backpacks and I clipped the base layer around my wrist so it wouldn’t get in the way. Besides being a bit hot, it was a great way to keep track of the base layer. I cannot convey how happy I am to have this piece of equipment in my gear box. While I am no Ansel Adams, being able to take more pictures with my camera and not just my phone while I am out on adventures will add another dimension to my activities and help me develop a new skill. The only thing I might want to improve is a small piece of Velcro on the bottom to help keep the waterproof cover inside its little pocket. But this is so minor in the grand scheme of things. If you are into photography at all, I highly recommend looking into this product.

Green Canyon is one of Logan Utahs underrated and overused gems. The canyon itself is open for recreation of various kinds year-round.

During the summer months when most of us like to go camping, there are between 15 and 25 sites available on a first-come first-serve basis. Some of these are groups sites that can accommodate large gatherings. Most sites have established fire rings, however the overall site condition as well as the condition of the fire ring is sometimes questionable. This is usually due to high volume. This Canyon is also notorious for high school Gatherings, so there is usually a lot of pallet wood burned. You will find on almost every trip Nails screws Staples and broken glass. Beer bottles beer cans and cigarette butts are also pretty common unfortunately. (Wear good shoes!) Aside from questionable condition of the campgrounds, it is easy to get to and free. And relatively close to Logan. So it's easy to see why I get so much use.

Green Canyon is better known and more happily known for its trail that runs alongside the road. Local residents love this Trail for trail runs, or mountain biking. There are Vault toilets in the parking lot at the bottom, as well as at the very top where Green Canyon meets water shed Canyon.

In the winter months the road is closed, and is groomed by a local group named Nordic United. They groom it for cross country skiing several times a week and after every good storm. Trail is also used during the winter for snowshoeing, as well as Fat Tire snow biking.

To top it off in the winter at the top Powder Ridge ski touring also has a yurt you can rent if you are willing to cross country ski or Snowshoe to it. (See separate review).

Overall Green Canyon only gets 3 out of 5 stars because of its high traffic and high litter volume. Remember to leave no trace and always leave it better than you found it!

This canyon is within the Cache National Forest. Just outside of Logan, UT. Super easy access to a neat little canyon. My Honda Civic was able to navigate the gravel road far back into the canyon. There are two restrooms - one at the trailhead and one down into the canyon a bit. Several spots with picnic tables. Many pullouts / camping spots with stone fire rings on either side of the road. There were tons of mountain bikers around, as there is a mountain bike / trail running / hiking trail that goes through the canyon as well. Kinda crowded on the weekend. Lots of trucks, razors, and ATVs. BUT the canyon itself is cool and pretty. There is even a cave up on the left coming in and we saw some people bouldering up there. Overall not bad for a free place to stay! Met some super kind folks in there.

Stopped in Logan on our way through Utah. Logan has STUNNING and charming views of mountains and an vast valley. Green Canyon was recommended by a friend. Plenty great dispersed sites for car camping. Tons of little spots along a gravel road. Fire rings and multiple clean bathrooms are available. The sites has a bit of leftover trash and the occasional shard of broken beer bottles. Nothing horrible, but certainly a place where people like to party. Seems to be a highly trafficked location. Cool rock visuals above a majority of the sites. Also tons of trails and mountain bikers. Met some climbers working on a sketch little project on one of the many many boulders. Sounds like there’s some legit stuff farther down the canyon.

Myself and 7 other friends just drove up this last weekend and camped for 2 days.

We dealt with rain and even snow on the last morning… But there was green grass and a spot for fires and the Sheriffs rolls through and are super helpful as well.

We found a spot that was more of a hill, which made it neat to get around, but the site was LITTERED with spent ammo, broken glass and broken pieces of clay pigeons. Another group camping near us told us they found the same at their site so be weary of where you step up here.

Great for dispersed camping, but watch out for bears and mountain lions as well and make sure you follow the food rules and lock your cars. We didn't see or hear anything, but the Sheriff that stopped by warned us.

Cell service is also spotty here. I have Xfinity Mobile and I had decent coverage here and there.... everyone else had T-Mobile and they were also spotty, but more so compared to mine, so AT&T (who I think XM uses) is slightly better.

Especially if you get here before sunset, you can hike a little ways up the mountain and watch the sun go down, but once it does start to go down it gets real windy. All the breeze from the salt flats comes right your way. This location is also right in an outdoor shooting range with multiple spots so that’s a plus if you’re looking for entertainment. As a bonus for me at least, it’s close enough to the road that getting back to it won’t be a problem, and I don’t think the noise will be a factor because the wind takes the cake. Dirt road is also real rough, probably not for sedans.

Parked at Cecret Trail parking lot. I arrived at 10:30 PM so parking was not an issue. Was towing a small trailer, which had some difficulty handling terrain en route to parking lot. Area is not illuminated, as is expected, so I prepared a headlamp and a backup lantern for the hike. I packed some potables in a bear can because I was unfamiliar with the area’s ecology, but this is not necessary as bears do not have a presence in this area.

I embarked on Cecret Lake Trail and after a mile or so of mild hiking, arrived at the lake. I encountered a few innocuous nocturnal animals along the trail.

After assessing the topography at the lake, I continued towards the left most side of lake around the concrete bridge, and hiked upwards along trail for about 500 feet, until I found a clearing away from the trail, nestled between boulders.

I set up a two person tent on flat soft ground, padded by pine needles. Visibility was excellent and at some points I turned off my headlamp, to operate by moon and star light.

The night was quiet and peaceful, the silence periodically broken by a gentle breeze. If weather permits, leaving off the rain fly provides an exquisite view of the milky way as you drift off to sleep.

10/10 Sick af