Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Tooele? Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. Search nearby dispersed campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
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
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.
There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It's your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience.
In most areas, dispersed camping is allowed up to 150 feet from a designated Forest Service Road, with some exceptions. Exceptions are based on protection of resources that may include water quality, soil conditions, and wildlife & fish habitat. No Dispersed camping within 100 feet of water (we recommend 200 feet). No dispersed camping where topography or existing vegetation limits vehicle travel (e.g. steep terrain, trees, brush). No dispersed camping within wet meadows or in saturated soil conditions. In these areas, walk-in tent camping and picnicking are allowed, however vehicle travel into these areas may be restricted. The public is asked to use existing pull-outs off the main road and walk in to take advantage of these areas that help provide clean water, productive soils, and habitats for fish and wildlife. Forest users can obtain Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM’s), that show where dispersed camping is allowed and roads and trails that are designated open to motorized vehicles
$6 / night
Traveler
This is BLM. A couple of different camping sites. Most have fire rings but no water or bathrooms. You will need a 4x4 with high clearance to get up the mountain (the road is rough). There are sites at the bottom of the mountain that you can get an RV or car in but those are crowded and around the shooting range. We had a great time at the top with beautiful views and quiet. Nobody else around. oHV area too.
Scout
Arrived very late. Very easy to find. Directions brought us right to the location. Road was rough into the sites and were hard to determine specific sites. Ended up pulling into edge of field. Definitely a good quiet night's sleep
Traveler
The views are great but the road is definitely washed out. You will need 4WD and high clearance to pass through the washouts and rocks which start near the entrance and go all the way to the top.
Guide
Rough roads. The main one isn’t so bad but the side roads are awful. Tons of flies. Like actually so many. Campsites are far away from each other which was nice. Fire ring was filled with trash. Lake is disgusting, dead fish on shore and trash, don’t swim in it. An obviously “long term” resident said he wouldn’t swim in it, one of the factories on the other side of the lake dump into it.
Guide
After a long day of travel we just wanted to get to any site and camp. This is a national forest so there is technically a park permit required. However, we have an annual park pass and they accept that as well. It is an honor system kind of park permit. They ask you to scan the QR code or pay at the self pay station. $10 for a 3day pass, $20 for a 7 day pass.
The drive up to this site is winding and the cars seem to be used to driving it because they come around the corners pretty fast. Drive carefully and stay on your side of the road. It site is just after mile marker 17.
The site is huge! Lots of space for people, cars, RVs and trailers. The road is paved until you turn in and then it’s a regular dirt road.
The major con in this park in general is the bathrooms are yucky especially at this site.
This seems to be a local hangout for the youngsters as well. They were not a bother to us however, they were letting loose, having a good time at their site. They left around 11 or so.
No service with AT&T
TravelerI want to start positive and say that the views are some of the best! Mt Tiponogous is in full view and the panoramic views are all great as well. It was only my group that camped up there the night we camped, but a couple people did drive by for some off road action. Speaking of off road action, the road is atrocious. Dont come unless you have some serious high clearance 4wd vehicle or you will bottom out and destroy your vehicle. I’m saying this as someone from Lake City CO who grew up driving the Alpine Loop, the road is BAD!
Guide
The road leading here is very bumpy. There are two specific spots that are really bad. 4x4 is almost a requirement. I did however see some people make it up in a van so it is possible. The coordinates lead to an open field with a lot of campsites. I would suggest parking in the lot a little further ahead on the left. This road is a popular destination so people ride up and down it a lot. The views are well worth it and there is also some hiking trails around here as well. There are more dispersed camping sites further along this road. I was able to get a very spotty one bar signal of Verizon while near the coordinates.
TravelerIt was very easy to find, since we could see RV since a long way down the road. We turned in and took one of the first sites though there were a lot of RVs further down.
A lot of the RVs looked like they were laughing the 14 day limit, almost to the point we were convinced they were living at this site. There was also several people with lose dogs, which made us not wanting to go closer to the water.
Otherwise the site itself is OK, it’s a little uneven, but we managed fine with our RV.
ScoutAll the sites said no reservation, first come first served, but they were all reserved with no campers. Camp host, as usual, nowhere in sight. I've camped in 43 states for decades and Utah is easily the worst state to camp at due to this system of theirs.
Also the drive up there is about 6 miles of winding hell with idiot children driving so fast I'm surprised there's not a death every day.
Scout
The drive up is beautiful but there is actually no drive in camping. Camping doesnt open until July 1st so take that into account.
TravelerHonestly, the only saving thing about this campsite is how beautiful it is. It truly feels like you are on top of the world. But, there were many downsides and we will not be returning. First, the road to get there was horrible. Don’t go up there unless you’re ready to do some off-roading. Second, the campsite had zero shade — so make sure to bring a canopy of some sort; there are no trees around the site. Third, the campsite is all gravel, so if you have a dog, be careful they don’t burn their paws (it was hot! We had to keep our dog in our man-made shade)! Lastly, at least 20 cars drove through the campsite per day, and this seems to be a spot a lot of people stop and get out and walk around. Then, someone set up camp right next to us! So, if you truly want to primitive camp, where it’s just you and nature, and have privacy, this is not the place to go.
GuideEasy drive into the area, paved road up until you turn down toward the lake. Nice gravel road for the next half mile. 6 other RVs here when I stopped on June 20th.
A little loud from the generators but sound of waves from the lake help drown it out.
Some established fire pits. Overall the place was clean and felt safe.
Guide
First of all there is no pull out at the coordinates. In fact it represents just as a reference for the highway road off the 80 highway you go along 196 and there are pull off roads leading to either straight up the side of a mountain or along the valley.
I parked at lone rock which is basically just a shooting range. You name it they obliterated it with ammo. Oh well I climbed to the top of the lone rock which was pretty epic. Fucking windy night and dusty I hate dust so much. Maybe if I parked down road inside the sagebrush it would have broke the wind. Also lone rock was full of trash :(
Glad I live in lush Colorado away from these deserts. Except alamoda area I guess.
GuideEspecially if you get here before sunset, you can hike a little ways up the mountain and watch the sun go down, but once it does start to go down it gets real windy. All the breeze from the salt flats comes right your way. This location is also right in an outdoor shooting range with multiple spots so that’s a plus if you’re looking for entertainment. As a bonus for me at least, it’s close enough to the road that getting back to it won’t be a problem, and I don’t think the noise will be a factor because the wind takes the cake. Dirt road is also real rough, probably not for sedans.
Traveler
We couldn’t access early June road still closed past the ski resort.
GuideThis point leads to a solar field - no camping here.
GuideBe careful there is a 5$ per car fee sneaking at the entrance. Pretty good trails on the way up but like in the Titlr I wasn’t able to make it
ScoutDon't come with a trailer. Just don't do it. Sure is pretty but we never made it to the top
Traveler
Nice place for a night. Fun if you have a Side by side or mountain bike. Some sites are very accessible, others need 4x4.
ScoutStayed for 1 night. Very quiet and private. I imagine if during the busy season this place would not be a great place to stay but the last week of April was not busy and it was very quiet.
GuideMy favorite place to camp. Other campers are respectful at night and friendly during the day. Nights are quiet and the moon is usually super bright.
GuideLots of spots to camp. 3 bars verizon. Very quiet. There were about 30 other campers and it was very quiet.
GuideI actually stayed a bit earlier on (at a trailhead parking lot; didn’t see any signs that said I couldn’t) down the road because this section of the road was closed and I just have to say what a fantastic view! The mountains up here are truly breathtaking and I would highly recommend staying anywhere in this area if you can. The weather was quite cold and crisp but worth every second of it. The night was quiet as I spent most of it in my car but the sunrise was like no other. Highly recommend
ScoutThe road gets graveled but dirt bikes and ATVs come through and mess it up some. Some of the spots have seen better days. If you get a good spot it's great. The view is pretty. Beware of coyotes if you have animals.
GuideCamped 10/20-22/2023. Lots of horse flys during the day, and evening/dusk swarms of mosquitoes along with morning just before sunrise. Without our screened in sun shelter, we would have been miserable.
Lots of four-wheelers and UTVs using the knoll and the trails. Extremely loud and stirs up lots of dust.
The no shooting/firearms sign at the entrance did not deter multiple shooters that were close by. There was lots of shooting and we found many empty shell casing laying about.
Many of the trails had fire pits built in the middle of them with lots of nails and broken glass laying everywhere. Be very careful driving a vehicle back onto the knoll.
Most level camping areas will be to the North/South of the actual knoll. Its also ideal to came around the knoll not only for level ground, but to avoid getting in the way of the four-wheelers/motor bikes.
We got cell service with both T-Mobil and Verizon.
No bathrooms, water, and very little shade shelter.
GuideThis is a beautiful lakeside camp site ruined by people who dump their trash on the side of camp and throw glass bottles everywhere. It might not be bad if you're secluded inside a plush RV, but it's definitely not a place you walk around with kids.
There are plenty of camp sites here so it's best to have an off-road capable vehicle that will take you away from most of the mess. The trails look like hard and rocky, but it's soft dirt so be careful of getting stuck in places with deep muddy ruts.
On a Tuesday night in October, it was nice and quiet. No bugs or high winds, although I'd recommend checking the weather forecast beforehand. There's nothing to protect you from the wind here.
TravelerPros: Gorgeous view of Utah lake. Sunflowers and purple hummingbird flowers galore…skyline and stars are stunning.. ample amount of spots. Don’t need 4x4 but could use it on some roads… there are plenty of mellow routes to take without needing 4x4.
Cons: So much trash, so dude was letting his hounds bark and roam the sites all night long,… I am putting black widows as a con, but I love them,.. also this is a recreational area so our neighbors kept going back and forth on their 4wheelers and made it pretty dusty.
The lake was beautiful, but we were told there was a red algae outbreak and advised not to swim but some locals.
All in all it was awesome,.. we cleaned up the trash on site and the noises neighbors left… view and sky is incredible!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Tooele, UT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Tooele, UT is Horseshoe Knoll - Dispersed Camping with a 3.9-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Tooele, UT?
TheDyrt.com has all 27 dispersed camping locations near Tooele, UT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
