Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Salt Lake City? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Salt Lake City. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Utah tent camping excursion.
12x12 tent pad in site. Primitive campsite with Vault restroom.(NO DRINKING WATER IN AREA) 5 miles from the main park, and boat launch. Site has shelter, table, grill and firepit. Area has access to river for fishing.
$25 - $40 / night
Primitive, backpacking/hiking accessible only
Ladyfinger Campground is great for small groups of four or fewer people. Tent camping only (limit of one tent per site). Hike-in sites (approximately 230 feet from the parking area). No water or electricity available. Water is available at Bridger Bay Beach, the Dump Station, and the Visitor Center. Pit toilets only. Flush toilets and showers are located at Bridger Bay Beach, 1 mile away. Dogs on leash are welcome. Fires are not allowed in Ladyfinger Campground. Quiet hours are 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. $20.00 per night. Fee covers one vehicle. Maximum site capacity is four people and one vehicle.
$20 / night
Salamander Flat trail connects the Timpooneke trail head with the Salamander Flat dispersed camping area and the Pine hollow trail. The trail starts by crossing a stream, then travels through large stands of fir trees, and crosses the road approximately 1 mile from the trailhead. The Salamander Flat dispersed camping sites and Junction with the Willow Hollow trail is .5 miles farther up the trail. From the dispersed sites, it is another .6 miles to the junction with the Pine Hollow trail #047.
Trail users should be aware of the high level of use that this trail receives, and should expect to see each type of user group on any given day. This trail is subject to a wet trail closure order during the spring and early summer. These closures help to protect and sustain the trail during wet periods. The trail will be signed as closed to all uses except hiking when these closures are in effect.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest outside of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no toilets, no treated water, and no fire grates are provided.
Camping in dispersed areas on the Forest is allowed for fourteen (14) days in any thirty (30) day consecutive period. Campers must move off Forest after reaching the 14-day limit. The stay limit also applies to all camping equipment (tents, chairs, ATVs, ATV trailers, etc.), even if used by a different person or group. Camping equipment must be removed by the end of the fourteen (14) day stay limit or the equipment may be impounded. Stay limits are implemented to reduce impacts to vegetation and wildlife habitat, as well as provide access to popular campsite areas for other visitors.
$10 / night
Reservations are required in advance. No walk-up reservations available. Please watch the Backcountry Camping Orientation Video. The Backcountry Campsites are primitive, hike-in only. Campsites are 5 miles from the nearest parking. Individual sites are designated with a tent pad and post. Tents must be within the tent pad. No water, shade or electricity available. Mulching, pit toilet available. Dogs on leash are welcome. Must clean up after your dog. Fires are not permitted. $20.00 per night. Fee covers one vehicle. Maximum site capacity is four people.
$20 / night
Salt Lake City Watershed Restrictions apply and are strictly enforced. Backcountry camping is not permitted within 200 ft of any open water (lakes, streams, etc). Pets are not allowed at all (not even in your car!). Swimming is not allowed in lakes or streams. Visitors must carry out everything they bring in, including food scraps and fruit peels. Follow general ""Leave No Trace"" guidelines for disposal of human waste. Pollution of any kind will not be accepted. Watershed regulations are enforced by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Salt Lake City Water Department, the Salt Lake City - County Health Department, the US Forest Service, and the Alta Marshal's Office. Violations constitute a Class ""B"" misdemeanor and in most cases a citation is issued to violators. Wilderness: This trail enters a designated wilderness area, special regulations apply including limiting group sizes to 10 or less, no mechanized use (including Mountain Bikes), and using Leave No Trace techniques are recommended. Campfires: Campfires are prohibited within Mill B South Fork Drainage in the Twin peaks Wilderness.
Legend
This is a simple site to get to. It’s only an hour from Salt Lake City and provides awesome picnic areas! Fun for the whole family; kids, seniors, pets, etc!
The fishing is really good too. We catch something every time we go.
Fully paved area, so no need to worry about clearance or bad conditions.
Be ready to pay the state park fee tho! $
Ranger
Cute park, just an hour from Salt Lake City. The main attraction is a reservoir but I think there’s hiking nearby too. We went with friends who have been going to this same place for years and they showed us the best places for swimming and diving. Seems popular for family reunions (and being in Utah family reunions are BIG). Campsite is State Park so it’s clean, basic facilities, and the usual not-super-private sites. Some are more wooded and private. No reservations so get there early in summer. The accessible sites looked very nice.
Traveler
You can get to this beautiful campground in under an hour from Salt Lake City and it's my favorite place to go when I want to camp and kayak! The campground and surrounding mountains are very scenic-it doesn't get much prettier! Plus if you like to have things to do while you're camping, this is a good area. You can kayak and paddle board at the lake, four wheel, etc. We always bring our dog and she loves it as well. Can't go wrong here if you want to mountain camp!
Legend
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.
RangerI 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.
Guide
I tent camped in the Great Horned Owl section which does not have hookups, though other sections did for a higher price. There were RVs in the same section and that blocked the views for a lot of the tent sites. I was charged an additional $15 just to have an additional car which I thought was pretty crazy. There are warm showers and reservoir access for boats included (I took my paddle board out and the water was pretty rough but fun) but $40 is a lot for a tent site this close to neighbors with generators who block the views.
Guide
The Lagoon RV Park has a lot to offer from tent sites to huge pull throughs for the biggest rigs. Right next door to the Lagoon Amusement Park, it is super convenient. Lots of grass and some decent space between sites. We stayed during the Halloween Fright weekend and from Wednesday to Friday at around 2pm, we were about the only ones there. Then the place exploded with campers and by 7pm the place was full. Nice bike and hike trails near by. Close to Salt Lake city. Don't miss the Big Cottonwood Canyon Drive up to Park City. Amazing.
Guide
Nice campground with plenty of group and individual sites. They have single, double, and group campgrounds. I camped in a tent spot (48) and had a ton of privacy.
No first come first sites, however, 4 days before all sites become fcfs if not taken.
Nice flush toilet bathroom. Gates close at 10 pm
Legend
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!
GuideThe area is so pretty! We tent camped in the Great Horned Owl loop and it was a well kept and tidy. The hosts were friendly and helpful. The sites are a bit close together but that could be a bonus for small groups that want to be near to each other. The day use parking lot is adjacent to sites 20 and 21. Read the descriptions when you book if you are tent camping, not all the sites are suitable for it. Site 20 was okay, but our tent ended up having to be on slight slope. We might try site 4 when the weather is cooler since it was a little more flat for tent camping, but it didn’t have much shade. The flush bathrooms were clean and the showers warm and convenient.
Ranger
Great place for tent camping
Traveler
Nice grassy area for tent camping, small river that runs through the campsite. Small shop on site along with showers, bathrooms and laundry.
Traveler
Great family place , large tent sites , bathroom , beautiful views, and clean water .
Ranger
I tent camped here in Aug. 2020. It was fine. Close to the interstate, for better or worse. I wanted to camp at the SLC KOA but it was closed to tents then.
ScoutI’ve been to a couple campground over the years, but this one is impressive. Perfect for tent camping and even tho your near kther people you feel hidden. 10/10
Scout
Great back in tent site. Big enough to accommodate out little guy silver shadow with 50/30/20 amp hookups.
Scout
Very nice bathrooms, worth the $25 if you’re in Salt Lake City area and need somewhere to stay
GuideBeautiful area and lots of first come first serve spots. Here late in the season so it was chilly but it is in the mountains! Winding road to get here from Park City but appears to be a shorter straight shot into Salt Lake City. Picnic tables and fire rings at each site right next to the parking site which works out well for a rooftop tent.
ScoutNothing special. RV park type camp ground. Tent sites right on top of each other. Expect people walking though your site all day.
ScoutA wonderful local campground close to Salt Lake City up big Cottonwood Canyon. Best for self contained camping. Clean flush toilets with good showers.
Traveler
(& have recommended!) The staff here was incredibly nice and accommodating. We tent camped right on the river and had a fire in the firepit! Easy access to VERY clean/nice restrooms. We would camp here again!
Scout
Beautiful view but the tent sites are small and right next to the road. The bathrooms were not being maintained, the smell spread across the campsite.
Guide
Great location to camp for touring Salt Lake City. Full hook-ups at a reasonable price. Sites are tight and busy on the weekends. Limited cell service.
Guide
Beautiful campground, lots of trees and privacy. However, you can’t bring big rigs there only smaller trailers or tent camping. Very close to Tibble Fork Reservoir where there’s great fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. You can swim too, but the water is pretty cold.
Traveler
We tent camped on the beach and loved it all from the oolitic sand to the absolutely insane sunrise view from the window of the tent! On the north side you see the lake and the south side you see the Rio Tinto smelter it’s a really cool dynamic. We have enjoyed our stay
Scout
Great tent sites, large & clean. Campground hosts take pride & keep everything tidy. Neighbors can be noisy during quiet hours, but that is no fault other than immature college kids.
RangerThe campground is on a little peninsula in the reservoir. It was very busy during the day but cleared out at night. The picnic sites (separate from the tents) have all the best views. The tent-only area is nice too with a little bit of greenery. It’s close to Salt Lake City and all the ski areas and it seemed like many of the day-use folks were quite wealthy. I’d probably choose another site in the future for personal preference, but everything is nice, clean, and about as expected.
Salt Lake City, Utah, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for beautiful landscapes and recreational activities.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Salt Lake City, UT is Big Rock Campground — East Canyon State Park with a 4.7-star rating from 7 reviews.
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