Top 10+ Tent Campgrounds near Salt Lake City, UT

One of our favorite state parks in Utah is only~45 minutes away from Salt Lake City! There are bison, antelope, deer, and many other animals that call this island home. On the west side of the island are extensive muds flats that give you one of the best sunset views in Utah. One of our favorite things to do on the island is hike Frary Peak which is the high point of the island. The top portion of the hike is a rocky scramble, but there are plenty of side trails to beautiful viewpoints during the hike. 

As for the best season to visit the island, we are partial to winter due to the absolute lack of bugs and stunning contrast of the bison on fresh snow. Our 2nd favorite season is early spring before the bugs come out in full swarm! I wouldn't recommend visiting in late spring or summer as there are swarms of all kinds of biting bugs and the temps can be unbearable.

I attempted to camp at Bridger Bay Campground after driving from Yellowstone NP to Salt Lake City in mid August. It is located on Antelope Island within Antelope Island State Park. Antelope Island is an island located on the Great Salt Lake a few miles from Salt Lake City. I chose this campground because it seemed close to the major routes I was taking back towards California. I arrived after sunset and was happy to make it onto the causeway before they shut the gates. Arriving at the campground I noted that most of the sites were taken by trailers and RVs, which should have been a sign. After finding an open site, I got out of the car to one of the most horribly infested campsites I had ever seen. The air was thick with flies and mosquitoes making it miserable to try and unload and set up. The camp site also had several rats scurry around as I flashed my headlight around. At this point I decided to leave, so I did. I had never left a campsite before due to unsavory conditions, nor have I left one since. I got back in my car and drove back over the causeway. The gate was shut, but thankfully opened to let me out. While I’ve heard pleasant things about the island it may be best visited in a different season or time of day. I thoroughly enjoyed the motel I found. Here is more information about the campground and about the park. I hope to make it back someday to watch the Pronghorns, but will not plan on camping.

The location of these grounds is money. You have direct access to the bike path that leads directly into Old Town Park City and links you with lots of other trails. It’s right off the highway, so access is easy and there’s a Whole Foods, restaurants, gas and outlet shopping all less than a mile away. By car, Park City is about 15 min away, Salt Lake City is about 30 min. The star rating of these grounds can really be variable based on where your spot is located. There are 4 tiers of spots (the grounds are literally tiered), the top of which are reserved for newer, specific class vehicles. These spots have concrete pads and grass next to them and are available for ownership. You’re right on the road, so I’m sure noise can be a factor. The second tier still has full hookups but are gravel and have a bit nicer views, and road noise is blocked. The third tier, the one in which we were, are PHU. Half these spots are all gravel and very, very close. So close that our neighbor’s slide out prevented us from really using the picnic table. But it’s okay bc the picnic table was broken and gross. Some of the spots on this tier have meager plots of grass, a shaded structure and overlook the stream. They seem a bit nicer. Ours abutted the dirt wall and had a lot of wildlife (marmots? Chubby squirrels?) running around. They seem harmless, if just bold. The hookups were fine. The fourth tier has more PHUs and tent camping on nicer, grassy plots with the creek surrounding. I think we wound up with the crappiest location, but I’d still rate these grounds 4 stars. The pool/ hot tub was small but decent and has a lovely view. The other amenities are nice-to-haves. They have a lot of rules including no wood fires, though staff seemed friendly and not at all overbearing. We booked only about a week ahead of time, so we knew we wouldn’t have one of the better plots. The place was emptier on the weekdays and filled-up on the weekends. We enjoyed our stay as there’s a lot to see and do in the area and you’re barely at the campgrounds. Bring your bikes!