Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Salt Lake City, UT is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Salt Lake City is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Salt Lake City, UT. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
"Red Pine Lake is located up Little Cottonwood Canyon, on the south side of the road."
"wonderful place to backpack up to during the week. can access 3 different beautiful lakes from this drainage and 2 beautiful peaks!"
"An amazing spot to drive to and spend the day or backpack in and spend a night or two. Be warned you will need a 4wd vehicle if trying to go up the road after a rain storm. "
"You can’t drive to the coordinates, you have to park at the uppermost parking lot for Silver Flat and hike up to a camping spot. Camping anywhere along that road will give you gorgeous views, though!"
"great hike to the lake!"
"Aside from the excessive litter in a few places, This was a great place to give my 5 year old a taste of backpacking."
"It was just off the road and basically no privacy but I was just looking for a safe place to sleep and that’s what I got!"
"These campground spots are hidden within trees up the dirt road just past Silver Lake flats on the dirt road. The dirt road gets rough and rocky, but is driveable."
$20 / night
"Good hiking trails with great views and lots if animals to see."
$10 / night
"Nice hiking trails around. It gets cooler at this elevation so bring a jacket even in the summer."
"There are multiple spots to set up camp with private fire pits and trails nearby."
"Several fire pits, large covered lighted pavillion with three rows of picnic tables. Large grassy field, two wooded areas, boarders a residential neighborhood, flushing toilets."
ScoutGreat place for dispersed camping. Sometimes there are fire bans so pay attention to that. Be sure to practice leave no trace!
LegendThis 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! $
RangerCute 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.
TravelerYou 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!
LegendYou really need to know this: No dogs are allowed because this campground is in the Salt Lake City watershed.
And this: As inviting as the water running through the campground may look, you are not allowed to swim, wade or wash in it.
One more thing: Gate closes at 10 pm although that didn't stop some partiers at the next site in from us. They partied and left around 11 or so. There was no payment tag on the post. The exit is open but has tire shredders if you enter over them.
A pleasant surprise at a Forest Service campground: 10 lbs of ice for $2! (There was also the usual bundle of firewood for $6.)
An unpleasant surprise: Old, dirty bathrooms. I've seen cleaner vault toilets elsewhere than these flush toilets.
There is no water for now (July 2018) in bathroom sinks or at spigots. The host said something about a pipe issue and water needing to be tested. That covers the amenities other than dumpsters.
What about the sites? We arrived on a Sunday morning when the host was putting up signs indictating which sites were reserved. We had 3 possible sites among 1 through 19 and grabbed #9, a pull through site with a buffer between the road in the parking/small RV area.
Sites in the other area (higher numbers) were becoming available, but that area's host said many of the sites were only appropriate for tents.
Our site #9: There are a few steps down to the picnic table, fire ring and grill plus a separate area to the left for a tent. See photos.
General site info:
Some sites have a concrete pad for the picnic table, etc.
Many sites have an area for the tent that is away from the picnic table and concealed from the road.
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.
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.
LegendOne 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.
GuideAbsolutely awesome spot. Hosts were really friendly. Stayed in my pop up camper for a night and there was tons of space for pop up and our site (A1) was the best in the campground, I think. It was secluded with tons of trees. Not all sites had a lot of tree cover. It wasn’t right off the river but it was still only a 30 second walk to the river. There were fire bans in Utah but because of the type of fire set up on concrete and built in fire places, we were able to have a fire all night which was awesome. Also my buddy is a professional singer and brought his guitar so I’m impartial. We had such a great time!!
Salt Lake City, Utah, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for beautiful landscapes and recreational activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Salt Lake City, UT is Red Pine Lake with a 4.7-star rating from 7 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 23 tent camping locations near Salt Lake City, UT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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