Best Tent Camping near Wellington, UT

Juniper is a primitive site with 3 vault toilets and dumpster. A couple of the sites are secluded. All of the campsites are within walking distance to the water. Finding level ground is somewhat challenging. We drove to the improved camping area and pay for shower use. The DNR staff have all been helpful and friendly. Only 2 of the sites have real shade. There appears to be breezes to wind in the evenings. Our tent trailer handled all. Dogs are allowed and most people clean up after. After memorial day the most used vault toilet needed attention.

Arrived late afternoon on a Wednesday in mid September after trying some of the dispersed spots and not finding quite the right fit. Several of the loops were closed for the season, but we found several good sites right on the bluff above the water. Great views, and a little path down to the waters edge (which we made use of right away with the pups, who enjoyed a good romp in and out of the water). Be forewarned, though: the sand is the dark red variety and a wet dog will need a shower to get this off.

Plenty of potable water spouts and restrooms. Most of the campers were in RVs or trailers, but a tent would be fine here. The sites each had two picnic tables, metal fire rings and three sided, roofed shelters in case of rain or wind. They aren’t the largest sites, but there is decent spacing between sites. Some have some tree cover, but most are exposed.

We had a visit from a herd of cows right after sunset on the beach in front of our site. They looked at us curiously for a few minutes before moving on, but we could hear them mooing periodically throughout the evening so I don’t think they went far.

Good one night spot or longer if you have a boat with you for the lake. It was quite warm in the afternoon when we got here, though it cooled off quickly when the sun went down. Comfortable sleeping.

We stayed this weekend (early May 2021) at the Swinging Bridge South Campground and had a great time. The campground includes:

• Tent pads at every site
• Plenty of space to pull up in one's vehicle
• Accessible unisex pit toilet
• Picnic tables at every site
• Metal fire rings

The cost is $15 per night with a limit to 2 vehicles per site and up to 10 people per site, with half-price discounts for National Parks/Interagency Passes. There are neither trash receptacles on-site nor potable water, so plan to pack in/pack out.

This dog-friendly BLM campground made a great home base for adventuring in the Buckhorn Wash and Little Grand Canyon overlook area. There was minimal road noise at night, though you can hear neighboring campers since it's a fairly open campground. On our night it was rather windy so plan to bring strong tie-downs for your ground tent if you plan to use the tent pads.

Joe's Valley Reservoir Campground is in the Manti-La Sal Forest about 22 miles off the main road (Route 10). The water and OHV trails outside the campground are what draw people here. 

No campsites are close to the water, but you can find a path to the water from the campground and there are nice views from many sites. The marina and boat launch are past the campground entrance. This is not the type of place for a quiet camping experience, but I didn't expect that at a reservoir campground with nearby OHV trails. (Trail maps are on the back of the information board as you enter.)

Sites 1 through 7 are the only non-reservation sites, but we had no problem on a Thursday afternoon choosing a site for one night among the reservable sites. Based on the reservation placards on the posts, the campground was filling up on Friday.

Site notes:

• Our site (23) was wide and deep and had lots of trees. We enjoyed the privacy as we couldn't see sites on either side, and we were far enough back that we couldn't see the site across the road.

• As you enter, sites 7 up through the 20s have many tall trees. The other side of the campground is more open, and the trees are not as tall.

• Double sites (D on the post, 17 out of 48 sites) cost $18 instead of $10. A double site has two picnic tables and a pad that is double in width. There are no discounts on double sites with a pass such as the America the Beautiful Senior Pass.

• Tenters, this doesn't look like the best place for tents, but people were managing to find relatively flat spots.

• Pads on single sites for back in or pullthrough easily accommodate large trailers and fifth wheel campers. That translates to many generators which can be run from 6 am to 10 pm.

• ATVs and larger OHVs are popular. People were riding the smaller ones on the campground loops...fast.

This is a no frills Forest Service campground with vault toilets and drinking water. Be prepared to take your trash home because there are no dumpsters.