Best Dispersed Camping near Smithfield, UT

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.

There are some pretty good spots with shade for dispersed camping up green canyon

Dispersed camping around a reservoir. Road in is unpaved in fair to poor condition. Quiet and peaceful though.

Very private boondocking area about 10 miles off the highway. Wide open area; fairly level in the campsites we saw. The road is okay if you go slowly; we came in with our 31’ class A pulling a 12’ box trailer. There’s a bathroom about 6 miles in. Good Verizon service.

Two nice boondocking spots just a short drive on a tight dirt road off the highway. The campsite on the right is bigger, the one on the left is very small. Very popular for hunters in September, so you'll have lots of people walking right by your camp. The views are beautiful, but it can get quite blustery. We weren't able to have a fire when we stayed there.

About 1/4 mile down a dirt road from Hwy 39 is a good single boondocking spot with a great view. Not for large RVs. Our 17 ft trailer with 4x4 was tricky to get into the spot because the loop was so small. Has a fire pit but with fire restrictions we didn’t have a fire. The view is fantastic of hills covered with aspen and fir trees. Quiet but cars can be heard now and then.

There are many other boondocking spots in this area but this one is a good one.

Road to dispersed camping is closed Dec 1 - April 15. Permit fee is $10 for 3 days. We had a quiet ( only a couple of other campers further up) and enjoyable overnight visit but road was quite icy. So we did not explore far. Birds in caves in side of valley. Well loved trail starts a short distance up the road. Looks like a beloved student hang out in the area with picnic tables so you may want drive further in if visit in summer.

I wandered in after dark and the dirt road was easy to navigate. No one was around for miles which was quite nice! A few people drove past (I assume to go hunting) but not much traffic noise. Peaceful along the water. Clean bathrooms. Because of the regulations I wasn’t able to make a fire and had to stay overnight at the designated camp spot but I would definitely recommend this spot.

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.

Easy to access, and very beautiful. There are tons of great sites secluded from others

Tons of land, tons of campsites.. but most are "occupied" by empty trailers with no other vehicles or people around. There's empty cars parked on top of fire pits, no tents or any sort of life nearby. Felt strange.

This road is rough and very bumpy. Didn't feel comfortable "taking over" a campsite with things already parked there. Wouldn't recommend coming here.

Great campsites next to the lake. Excellent views and quiet. Only saw a couple other campers off in the distance. Lots of birds and ducks to watch.

Saw a moose way off in the distance.

There are tons of free site all up and down the main road. The only problem is it is busy if you leave on Friday plan to get there by 3 at the latest. Spots fill quick.

Absolutely beautiful location off highway 89. A popular place especially for ohv-ers. Lots of places to park but most of them seemed to be “claimed” (tents or trailers with no vehicles) for the upcoming weekend. That is the only reason for the loss of one star. We were there on a Thursday night just for and one night stop-and-go, so any of those claimed spots we could have used had they not been there.

There is a creek that flows back and forth around the area, we had that for our soundtrack as we slept.

At about mile 2 from the turn-off, there is a cattle guard and clear signs that the road is public but the land is not. It is possible that there is another cattle guard further up and more dispersed passed it as we saw more rvs head up and not turn around and come back, but we did not investigate that.

Well worth the trip in the search for a spot though. It was an amazing stay.

About 15 mins outside of Logan up a beautiful canyon. Headed up around 4pm on a Saturday during Memorial Day weekend so didn’t have high hopes but found a spot with a fire ring almost immediately! There was also another spot open down the road. Lots of people camping, hiking, mountain biking, and ATVs, so some traffic on the road, even after dark. Road ends a few miles in with a closed gate. There was a huge campsite back there with about 3 RVs parked.

Pit toilets and the entrance and a little bit up the road, very clean!

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!

Perhaps a little too close to the university in Logan Utah it was busy that Friday night. I think all the spots filled by 7pm some 50 people there that night. There is close spots for small couples and large groups and also more private spacious spots for people with pets like me

Sites were perfect for our overnight needs, but there were a ton of vehicles, dirt bikes, runners and we were woken up at midnight by explosions. I'm assuming they were kids down the road drinking and having fun, but they were setting off mortars at midnight on a Wednesday. Great location, but the locals use the heck out of it.

Easy to find by putting the coordinates provided in Google Maps. Came in after dark and easily found a site about 1/4 mile or so up the road. Road is a bit bumpy but nothing major. Our truck handled it with ease, but even a sedan would probably be fine.

The site we chose had a fire pit and plenty of flat ground to set up. A tent, van/truck, or small trailer would work well. There are some larger more open areas that could accommodate an RV.

Great views of the canyon! It was raining most is the the time we were there, so I can only imagine what it is like on a nice summer day.

There are a couple outhouses. Did not see any sinks.

Overall highly recommend.

We didn’t have a problem finding a spot but it was very busy with lots of road traffic even until late. We woke up to our car being drive-by paintballed. It cleaned off easy, but not fabulous. Another camper left their fire ring with smoldering coals and didn’t extinguish it. Good for a quick place to sleep on your way through town, but not a super relaxing experience.

Very loud, with folks driving around until the AM. Definitely a local party spot.

Many good spots. Close to the road so you can hear some car which was no problem. Lots of trees. Shaded which is great in the summer.

(October 4th, 2023) Stopped here for a night on a road trip and it was the perfect place for some down time. There were still open spots when we got here late; we snagged a cool site with a small cave and a climbing route a decent way down the road. In the morning we hiked around some of the trails and explored the area. Even though it rained, it was a beautiful place to see some foliage! We only saw a few other people but it was the middle of the week and weather wasn’t great.

Ended up driving this road up to Idaho to find a bigger spot and some solitude. Took the dirt road for about 30 minutes and got the most perfect spot. Nobody was near us and the view was amazing. We went at the beginning of June, it was a bit chilly some mornings and at night, so come prepared.

I have grown up camping in the Franklin Basin area. It is the perfect location for anyone looking for places to hike or ride. There are many different places to visit throughout the area such as the "Plane Crash" site, Beaver Creek, old logging trails, and more. If your looking for a place to just get out in the dirt and relax, this is the place.