H
Hannah B.
Scout
ScoutMountain Valley RV Resort
Feb Ski Trip
Loved this spot! Very affordable, great amenities.
Best Campgrounds near South Salt Lake, UT
Camping options around South Salt Lake encompass established campgrounds, RV resorts, and dispersed sites within nearby canyons. The Salt Lake City KOA provides urban camping with full hookups and amenities including showers, toilets, and a pool, while mountain camping can be found at Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon and Tanners Flat in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Millcreek Canyon offers backcountry camping with more primitive facilities. Most campgrounds accommodate both tent and RV camping, with some locations like Pony Express RV Resort also offering cabin rentals for those seeking additional comfort.
Seasonal availability varies significantly throughout the region, with many mountain campgrounds operating only from May through October due to snow conditions. Spruces Campground typically opens in early June and closes by mid-September, while Tanners Flat operates from late May through mid-October. Year-round camping is limited primarily to lower-elevation RV parks and the Salt Lake City KOA. Reservations are strongly recommended during summer months when campgrounds fill quickly, especially on weekends. Several campgrounds require advance booking through recreation.gov or state park reservation systems. "The location is convenient when visiting Salt Lake City, but expect urban noise including trains, traffic, and airplanes," noted one KOA visitor.
The camping experience varies dramatically between urban and mountain locations in the Salt Lake area. City-adjacent sites provide convenience and amenities but come with urban noise and less privacy. A reviewer mentioned that the Salt Lake City KOA is "a well-cared-for campground with a playground for kids," though some visitors noted concerns about the surrounding neighborhood. Mountain campgrounds offer cooler temperatures and natural settings with access to hiking trails and scenic views. Granite Flat and Little Mill campgrounds near Provo provide more forest immersion with basic amenities like toilets and water. Elevation differences create significant temperature variations, making mountain campgrounds particularly appealing during summer heat. Several canyon campgrounds feature nearby streams or rivers, adding to their appeal despite more limited facilities compared to urban RV parks.
Best Camping Sites Near South Salt Lake, Utah (225)
1. Salt Lake City KOA
44 ReviewsSalt Lake City, UT5 milesWebsite+1 (801) 328-0224$50 - $189 / night
"I had the wonderful opportunity to stay the night at Salt Lake City KOA!"
"We wanted to explore Salt Lake City so decided to stay at this downtown KOA. It is a large and crowded RV park but right on a Transit line (UTA light rail Trax) and biking distance to downtown."
2. Spruces - Big Cottonwood
32 ReviewsMounthaven, UT15 milesWebsite+1 (801) 733-2660$29 - $327 / night
"Bathrooms always close by, no showers. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit. If you’re lucky, you can get a site close to the creek. Nice, cool nights in the summer."
"Right up Big Cottonwood Canyon, this campground has the advantage of being up the canyon so you feel far away from the city, but close enough that you could go on a work night and still make it to the"
3. Pony Express RV Resort
15 ReviewsNorth Salt Lake, UT9 milesWebsite+1 (801) 355-1550"Convenient location right off the highway with full hook ups and nice paved sites. Dog areas, playground, games, and a pool."
"These sites a so close to each other. We only stop here to stay the night. WiFi is ok-phone hotspot is better.
Staff is great."
4. Tanners Flat
19 ReviewsSnowbird, UT14 milesWebsite+1 (801) 733-2660$29 - $215 / night
"It was quiet, tucked away from anyone. Didn't really see anyone for the three days we are there. Our site was next to the river, which really helped drown out all other sounds! "
"We had site 11 close to the bathroom and in a flat, sunny clearing surrounded by trees. You could hear the nearby road a bit and see the mountains a little bit."
5. Granite Flat (utah)
38 ReviewsMutual Dell, UT20 milesWebsite+1 (801) 785-3563$27 - $355 / night
"Tucked in very back. Long ways to walk from car. Water spout next to car area. Will be sharing parking with 2 other sites. 2 lakes nearby. Fire pit with grill gate. Shaded area."
"Utah is such an amazing place to visit for the outdoors. My family and I come here once a year because we love hiking and being in the outdoors."
6. Millcreek Canyon Backcountry Camping and Yurts
8 ReviewsMounthaven, UT11 milesWebsite"You can backpack in and camp anywhere a 1/2 mile from any road like the other nearby canyons. Good trails to approach from are Church fork and Lambs Canyon Trailhead."
"Millcreek Canyon is home to some wonderful trails that can be accessed by foot or bike. Although the canyon offers many hiking trails, the main use of the trails seems to be for trail running."
7. Redman Campground
15 ReviewsBrighton, UT17 milesWebsite+1 (801) 733-2660$29 - $215 / night
"This is super close to my favorite mountain bike ride in Northern Utah - The Wasatch Crest Trail. As you can tell in the pictures, this area is very lush and rich with pine trees."
"The campsites are clean, the bathrooms are exceptionally clean with flushing toilets, you are a walk or hike away from Brighton and immersed in some of the most beautiful mountains around."
8. Mountain Shadows RV Park
10 ReviewsDraper, UT14 milesWebsite+1 (801) 571-40249. Hailstone - Upper Fisher Campground — Jordanelle State Park
38 ReviewsPark City, UT26 milesWebsite+1 (435) 649-9540$35 - $50 / night
"This isn't the prettiest lake. It is nice and big, but since it is one of the closest to Utah Valley and Salt Lake Valley, it gets a lot of traffic."
"We stayed at the "McHenry" campground in a spot right next to a creek. The traffic noise was a bit prevalent during the day because it's close to the highway. Great tent pad."
10. Little Mill
21 ReviewsMutual Dell, UT21 milesWebsite+1 (801) 785-3563$27 - $227 / night
"We got a site with access to the river which my kids really enjoyed. There was a fun giant "sliding rock" in the area to climb on. Lots of trees for hammocks."
"The site we stayed at had many trees around to hang hammocks and also eat and picnic in the shade. There are brand new camp fires in all sites."
Recent Camping Photos near South Salt Lake, UT
311 Photos of 225 South Salt Lake Campgrounds
Angie M.
Salt Lake City KOA
Jeremy J.
Affleck Campground
Jason H.
Jordan Pines
Melissa K.
Tanners Flat
Tom B.
Spruces - Big Cottonwood
Stian M.
Bountiful B Dispersed
Derek E.
Red Pine Lake
Megan W.
Lake Desolation Primitive Sites
Becbecandbunny O.
Great Salt Lake State Park Campground
Brian H.
Redman Campground
Michael P.
Albion Basin
Emma H.
Silver Lake Backcountry
Recent Reviews near South Salt Lake, UT
1314 Reviews of 225 South Salt Lake Campgrounds
- EElise F.
TravelerSalt Lake City KOA
Winter camping in Salt Lake City
We winter camped here so we could ski. It’s a great location about 40-50 minutes to 6 resorts. It is in the city so not in the wilderness but all the sites have one tree and a patch of grass and a picnic table. There is a small off leash dog pen and a self dog wash. Also hot tub, showers, toilets that were clean. We did not use the hot tub or the laundry. The campground is well maintained. Our first site was slightly unleveled so we asked to switch and they accommodated that request. We did have to pay a little extra for that site. We stayed a total of 3 nights. We were going to stay longer but learned that you can’t have dogs in Cottonwood Canyon which meant we couldn’t ski at those resorts so we asked to get out of our reservation early and the KOA accommodated that as well.
- SSandraTraveler
Pine Creek Campground — Wasatch Mountain State Park
Stayed in yurt
The yurt was a great experience during the winter. The entire campground was closed, except for the yurt and the couple cabins on site. It was super quiet. It had 2 electric fireplaces which kept the yurt nice and toasty. It has a bunk bed with queen size mattresses which were comfy. There was a refrigerator and microwave. There is access to potable water right outside the yurt. You do have to walk about 500 yards to the yurt from the parking space, but the privacy is worth it. Rate was $75 per night during the week and $100 per night during the weekend. I will definitely be returning.
- DDouglas C.Scout
Saratoga Springs Backcountry
Multiple spots for dispersed camping
3 stars as dry and dusty with no facilities, but a good place to stop for a night if passing thru or many nights if you're an ATVer.
We live near the area and if you take the dirt Soldier Pass road off highway 68 between Lake Utah and Cedar Fort, there a many many good and level dispersed sites. Lots of junipers once you climb in elevation. No houses within miles. The Utah County gun range is located ~1 mile off highway 68 on this road, but better camping spots are further on anyway. The main dirt road is county maintained and can be done by any car. As is the road up to the Lake Mountain summit for great views and additional sites.
There is a free formal BLM dispersed camping area off highway 68 a few miles north of Soldier Pass road. Zero facilities. There are campers on it year round. Spots on both sides of the highway. Look for signs. To me, these sites are kinda bleak, but have good lake views. Between late May and late Sept sites near the lake will experience Utah Lake midges. They're a love bug that live in the lake and emerge only to mate. They don't bite, but they do swarm. You'll experience fewer as you move away from the lake.
Chris R.
GuideCrandall Cove Campground — Rockport State Park
Great view and good for quick overnight stay
We had the campground loop all to ourselves in mid October. Sites have a gazebo with table means less stuff to unpack and setup. We just pulled out the tent and camp stove and that was it. Clean and maintained restrooms all close in tight loop. Firepit next to tables. The view is really great and birds are nearby as it seems to be a bird sanctuary. Easy to get to and not far from highway. Star show was good as well.
- PPam J.Guide
Lodgepole Campground
Return Trip
We stayed here in the summer of 2024 and placed it on our places to return to. We returned here in July 2025. The sites we were in was long and level. We loved sitting outside watching the numerous birds and chipmunks that were in the campground. The camp hosts were friendly and kept the campgrounds looking nice.
Adam O.TravelerSplit Rock Bay Backcountry Campsites — Antelope Island State Park
Incredible, with some caveats
Disclaimer, this was my first backpacking trip, and my first solo camping experience.
The first thing I’ll note is that I could not find a map that showed exactly where on the split rock loop trail the sites were. The maps you get at the gate do not show it. You just have to start hiking and hope you see it. That eventually led to the main issue I had with the campsite, more on that later.
I have 37lbs on my back, partly because it’s November and I want to make sure I’m warm, and partly because I’m toting in 5.5L of water since there is no water source.
I begin hiking and eventually I see another backpacker coming the other way. I say “did you camp?” He says no, he was going to stay the night, but there’s a herd of Bison that are currently crossing the trail and he didn’t want to wait. As I’m coming up on the spot he’s talking about, I catch the end of the herd moving south and I’m able to pass them with minimal wait time.
I continue hiking, up to the split rock bay loop, where conveniently there is a sign that points toward the campground. Yay! By this time I’ve seen a huge herd of Bison (50 or more individuals), a big buck, 20 or so other deer, and with the fog and haziness, some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. Quite incredible.
I find the tent site #3 (my watch says exactly 4.5 miles from the car) and set up my tent. During this time, I’m hearing some weird grunting sounds in the distance, I pop my head out of the tent and look west toward the lake shore. And there’s the herd of Bison I encountered before who crossed the trail. They went west around elephant rock, and I went east. I beat them by about 20 to 30 minutes. At this time I record a video with my phone and state “hope they aren’t coming over here”.
I’m filling my sleeping pad with a mini pump and when I’m done I pop my head out of the tent. They had, in fact, started coming over here. They were quite close. In sort of a panic, I grab some essentials, zip up the tent, and head for the rocks on the hills and wait them out.
Unfortunately I didn’t grab my Garmin or my warm clothes, and it is taking them forever to get past the tent site. The sun starts getting low and I’m getting cold. The Bison sometimes get curious about my tent and approach it, but never do anything. I have my Apple watch and it has an SOS feature, I thought about using it, but eventually they pass and I can get back to set up.
So, this is where knowing exactly where the campsite was in relation to everything else would have been useful. I would have seen the direction they were going and possibly known that they would be crossing right into the camp area, and I probably would have made some slightly different choices.
They (the Bison) stopped for the night in split rock canyon, so I could hear them all night while in my tent. It was always difficult to tell if they were getting closer or farther away, so the night was a bit sleepless.
Also, though the weather says the temperature is 40F, the higher humidity and breeze from the lake can make it feel a lot colder. I did have some chilly moments with a 20F comfort rated bag and a 5.4R value pad. In the morning, condensation was everywhere.
The next morning had a “dense fog” warning in effect, which made for some more awesome scenery.
I broke camp and started back to the car at around 8AM. I decided to take a detour out to Elephant Rock to see if I could see the camp site from up there. This added another 3 miles to the track back, so 7.5 miles total. As I’m coming around the corner at the top to the spot where I’d be able to see the sites, I encounter a lone Bison bull just chilling up there on the trail, no other animals in sight. So, I couldn’t actually get to the spot to see over, but the view was amazing and it was fun to see a Bison in a spot it felt like he shouldn’t be able to get to.
As I turn around, the “dense fog” warning becomes a reality, and it suddenly gets much much colder. Makes for some amazing visuals way up there.
Overall, it was a very awe inspiring and fun trip, with some interesting bits. I do think they should better mark the spots on the map just so people can plan better, especially if there’s going to be massive herds of Bison cruising through camp at any point.
tl;dr: pack warmer than you think (if you’re going to go in the later months) and watch out for Bison. Incredible views and wildlife encounters make it all worth it.
Tamie S.GuideGreat Horned Owl Campground — Deer Creek State Park
Quiet and secluded
We took a wrong turn in the campground and ended up in an area with no hookups. But it was quiet and secluded and close to the water. The campsite was fairly level and there were clean restrooms.
- JJennifer N.Traveler
Foothill Clearing with a View
Nice views
They have camp rings for fires and also grills! One or 2 was missing the garage to the grill but other than that it was good.
Guide to South Salt Lake
Camping sites near South Salt Lake, Utah offer access to both mountain and urban experiences, with elevations ranging from 4,300 feet in the valley to over 8,000 feet in nearby canyons. Temperature variations between mountain and valley locations can exceed 15°F, especially during summer months when canyon campgrounds provide natural cooling. Winter camping is limited primarily to RV resorts and lower-elevation facilities as mountain roads become impassable.
What to do
Hiking to Donut Falls: Just a short distance from Spruces - Big Cottonwood, this family-friendly trail leads to a unique waterfall formation. "Great one. Right by water but gets a heck of a lot of sun in the morning. Enjoyed my stay," notes Tom B. about camping at Spruces.
Winter snowshoeing: Some campgrounds remain accessible in winter months for the adventurous. "Wonderful winter wonder land you can snowshoe into in the winter and camp at!" describes Shilah M. about winter options at Spruces Campground.
Jordan River biking: Near Pony Express RV Resort, visitors can access an extensive paved trail system. "Paved 80 mile bike trail along Jordan River. Giant chessboard. Nice pool area," explains Janet H., highlighting additional recreational amenities.
What campers like
Creek-side sites: Campers appreciate waterfront locations for natural cooling and ambient sound. "Tanners flat is a close trip up Little Cottonwood Canyon. NO Dogs allowed in the canyon- it is a watershed," notes Andrea P. about Tanners Flat.
Wildlife viewing: Many mountain campgrounds offer opportunities to observe native animals. "This campground is quiet and has abundant wildlife. It's better for small campers or tent campers as the driveways were not designed for big rigs," mentions one reviewer about Redman Campground.
Fishing access: Several campgrounds offer direct access to fishing spots. "We catch something every time we go," writes Derek E. about the fishing at Jordanelle State Park, while Pony Express RV Resort provides access to the Jordan River for urban fishing.
What you should know
Seasonal road closures: Mountain campground access depends heavily on road conditions. "The surrounding area is full of closed roads making this spot inaccessible," warns Hannah P. about Granite Flat during early season.
No-dog zones: Several canyon campgrounds strictly prohibit pets due to watershed regulations. "We had planned to camp here but dogs are not allowed. This campground looked like an awesome spot," writes Natalie B. about Redman Campground.
Noise considerations: Urban campgrounds experience city noise while canyon sites can be quieter. "There are multiple trains/sirens/large semis blowing by all night," warns North Idaho N. about Salt Lake City KOA.
Reservation requirements: "Be aware that this campsite reservations for the weekend fill up quick. I checked in late may and every weekend until September was already booked," cautions Ash S. about Granite Flat campground.
Tips for camping with families
Playground facilities: Certain campgrounds offer dedicated children's areas. "A well-sized playground that's clean but overrun with unsupervised kids," notes Amy about Pony Express RV Resort.
Stream play options: Campgrounds with safe water access provide natural entertainment. "We take tubes and float in areas of the river. The kids play in the river. Just a fun time," describes Kelli R. about Millcreek Canyon.
Multi-age activities: "We saw moose, went fishing, and even stopped for icecream at stone hass in the solitude village right up the street," shares Andy M. about Spruces Campground, highlighting varied activities for different interests.
Educational options: "Close to Timpanogos Cave trailhead," mentions Andrea P. about Little Mill campground, referencing the nearby national monument offering ranger-led cave tours appropriate for school-age children.
Tips from RVers
Site limitations: Many mountain campgrounds have restricted RV access. "It is very very busy and pretty tight quarters. If you're looking for a little more privacy from neighbors this may not be your best bet," cautions Sydney Z. about Granite Flat.
Full hookup options: Urban RV parks generally offer more services. "Pull throughs or back in on paved level sites. Picnic table. FHU. Sites typically close with grass area separating. No shade or privacy," details Janet H. about Pony Express RV Resort.
Off-season availability: "Good place to plug in at night between ski days," notes Terry G. about Salt Lake City KOA, highlighting its year-round operation for winter sports enthusiasts.
Low clearance routes: Some mountain campgrounds require careful navigation. "We stayed in HS site 100. Absolutely beautiful view and great access to park city. Showers were clean. Only downside was the dump station near us was pretty awful smells and the site was very unlevel," reports Scott B. about Hailstone - Jordanelle State Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near South Salt Lake, UT?
What camping is available near South Salt Lake, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, South Salt Lake, UT offers a wide range of camping options, with 225 campgrounds and RV parks near South Salt Lake, UT and 52 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near South Salt Lake, UT?
Which is the most popular campground near South Salt Lake, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near South Salt Lake, UT is Salt Lake City KOA with a 3.7-star rating from 44 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near South Salt Lake, UT?
Where can I find free dispersed camping near South Salt Lake, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 52 free dispersed camping spots near South Salt Lake, UT.
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