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Best Campgrounds near West Valley City, UT

1,216 Reviews

West Valley City camping options primarily concentrate on established campgrounds within a short drive of the urban area. Salt Lake City KOA provides a central base with 180 sites offering full hookups for RVs and tent camping areas beneath mature shade trees. Several campgrounds in the surrounding region include Great Salt Lake State Park Campground to the west and Mountain Shadows RV Park to the southeast in Draper. While most sites near the city are developed facilities with amenities like showers and electric hookups, Millcreek Canyon offers backcountry dispersed camping opportunities for those seeking more primitive experiences.

Camping in this region follows distinct seasonal patterns, with higher elevation sites like Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon and Tanners Flat only operating from late May through mid-October. Lower elevation campgrounds remain open year-round, including the city-adjacent KOA and Pony Express RV Resort in North Salt Lake. Reservation requirements vary significantly, with most established campgrounds requiring advance booking while dispersed sites operate on different permit systems. Summer temperatures can exceed 100°F in the valley while mountain campgrounds remain significantly cooler. A camper noted, "The surrounding area is not so nice. Lots of noises from traffic, trains, airplanes, and the factory across the street. I would recommend staying outside the city."

Many visitors highlight the convenience of staying at urban campgrounds when visiting Salt Lake City. The city-based KOAs and RV parks serve as practical bases for exploring the metropolitan area while still offering camping amenities. Several campgrounds feature mature trees providing shade, though sites tend to be close together with limited privacy. Higher-rated campgrounds like Bridger Bay on Antelope Island State Park balance proximity to urban areas with natural surroundings. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, noise concerns appear frequently in urban camping locations, with one camper reporting, "We did wake up to the sounds of the street behind us and happened to come on lawn service day next door but other than that it was a pretty nice spot for a rest."

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Best Camping Sites Near West Valley City, Utah (200)

    1. Salt Lake City KOA

    45 Reviews
    Salt Lake City, UT
    8 miles
    Website
    +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. Pony Express RV Resort

    15 Reviews
    North Salt Lake, UT
    11 miles
    Website
    +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."

    3. Spruces - Big Cottonwood

    33 Reviews
    Mounthaven, UT
    20 miles
    Website
    +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"

    4. Granite Flat (utah)

    38 Reviews
    Mutual Dell, UT
    23 miles
    Website
    +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."

    5. Tanners Flat

    19 Reviews
    Snowbird, UT
    18 miles
    Website
    +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."

    6. Great Salt Lake State Park Campground

    7 Reviews
    Magna, UT
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (801) 828-0787

    $20 - $60 / night

    "We really enjoyed our one night stay on the beach at the Great Salt Lake State Park. Beach sites are primitive, however, the park also offers 5 RV sites with hook-ups. Free showers. Helpful staff."

    "Nice campground next to the great salt lake. Only complaint was sand gets just about everywhere so be prepared."

    7. Mountain Shadows RV Park

    10 Reviews
    Draper, UT
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (801) 571-4024

    8. Bridger Bay Campground — Antelope Island State Park

    53 Reviews
    Hooper, UT
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (801) 773-2941

    $20 - $200 / night

    "One 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."

    "By far one of my favorite stops through Utah ❤️ absolutely breathtaking views, along with scenic routes to see wildlife such as the bison."

    9. Willow Park Campground

    17 Reviews
    Lehi, UT
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (385) 201-1000

    $25 - $175 / night

    "This campground was nestled in the middle of Lehi Utah and it was a great place for us to swing in for one night."

    "We were able to get a spot next to the Jordan River under a beautiful tree. We brought our 16ft camper and didn’t need to back it in or anything."

    10. Little Mill

    21 Reviews
    Mutual Dell, UT
    24 miles
    Website
    +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 lake is right up the road and a great place to swim and fish. There is a sliding rock for kids to climb and play on near the camp grounds. So many bike and walking trails."

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Recent Camping Photos near West Valley City, UT

269 Photos of 200 West Valley City Campgrounds

Recent Reviews near West Valley City, UT

1216 Reviews of 200 West Valley City Campgrounds

  • Adam O.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 24, 2025

    Split 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.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 10, 2025

    Great 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.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 10, 2025

    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.

  • J
    Nov. 7, 2025

    Salt Lake City KOA

    Great Campground, Weird Area

    The campground itself was really great, surprisingly nice! It was just surprisingly to see the location of the campground itself, with views of the mountains all around, the campground is located in the city, and kind of a slightly shady area as well. We felt safe once we were on the campground, but the drive in was a little sketchy at best.

  • C
    Nov. 3, 2025

    Heber Ranger Station

    Just a quick stop

    A great place to just spend a night. This is a parking lot of a ranger station ( and because the federal government is shut down, now staff is here) but parking lot is clean and even big enough to turn around our 40’ motorhome and tow vehicle. No hook ups, and road noise is pretty bad.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 23, 2025

    Miner's Canyon Dispersed

    Beautiful Area, But

    Close to civilization but far enough to get a healthy dose of quiet darkness. The campsites are drive-in and a decent size, far apart from each other, but keep your eyes peeled for deep potholes and broken glass. The few times we’ve stayed here we’ve enjoyed ourselves, but this seems to be a very popular spot; on several occasions we’ve made the 1+ hour drive out here, only to find every single spot taken. It appears that the same campers are out here frequently, and for long periods of time. Would be nice if people would limit their own stays for the consideration of others to enjoy this area as well, instead of treating it like their own personal property.

  • Bill B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 15, 2025

    Century RV Park

    Friendly and helpful staff

    Convenient and reasonable. They closed the swimming pool and spa for the winter. The shower was clean.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 14, 2025

    Springville / Provo KOA Holiday

    KOA

    Well it's your topical RV resort. It doesn't have a fire ring and it's by train tracks and a freeway. Also, your packed in like sardines. However, it will do for overnight. I have to say it is clean and kept up well. But if you're into private camping with space, this isn't for you.

Guide to West Valley City

Camping spots near West Valley City, Utah primarily concentrate along the Wasatch Front in surrounding canyons and state parks. Elevation ranges from 4,300 feet in the valley to over 8,000 feet in mountain campgrounds, creating significant temperature differences between locations. Mountain campgrounds generally remain 15-20°F cooler than valley sites during summer months when temperatures regularly exceed 90°F.

What to do

Hiking trails access: Little Mill campground serves as a convenient base for exploring American Fork Canyon with direct access to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. "Great relaxing family time, fishing on river close, close to tribble fork and silver lakes," notes a visitor at Little Mill.

Paddleboarding: Silver Lake Flat and Tibble Fork reservoirs near Granite Flat campground offer no-wake water recreation. "We were able to paddle board which was a blast! The owner was very nice and welcoming," shares a visitor to Granite Flat.

Wildlife viewing: Bridger Bay Campground on Antelope Island provides opportunities to observe free-roaming bison and other wildlife. "The bison are free grazing all around and a few came right up to our campground in the early morning! There are plenty of hiking trails to choose from with varying skill levels," reports a camper at Bridger Bay.

What campers like

Urban convenience: Salt Lake City KOA offers modern facilities within city limits. "The staff here are awesome. And the camp has a lot to offer!" says one visitor, while another notes, "We have stayed here several times when visiting family in SLC. Facilities are clean and the staff is nice."

Mountain seclusion: Spruces Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon provides a forest escape. A camper explains: "We did not hear any road noise at all, just the sound of wind in the trees and the water flowing. It was so peaceful!" Another adds, "I just recently stayed at the Spruces. Loved it. Very peaceful. I stayed in campground #47. Right near the end of the loop before it goes into the peaceful forest section."

Lakeside views: Great Salt Lake State Park offers unique beach camping experiences. "We tent camped on the beach and loved it all from the oolitic sand to the absolutely insane sunrise view from the window of the tent!" shares one visitor.

What you should know

Seasonal water availability: Water access varies significantly at mountain campgrounds. A recent visitor to Spruces campground reported: "I got an email informing me to bring all of the water we need, as of now there is no water."

Road noise levels: Some canyon campgrounds experience unexpected traffic noise. At Little Mill, a camper noted: "My only reason this campground didn't get 5 stars is due to the horrible road noise. I seriously thought I was at a truck stop off the interstate. Honking and racing cars until 3am just ruined it."

Bug conditions: Bridger Bay Campground visitors encounter seasonal insect issues. "The scenery is stunning and it's cool to see the Bison and Pronghorn. But honestly, it's hard to walk or bike because the bugs are so bad. I don't just mean the odd bite, I mean coated in biting gnats as soon as you go outside your vehicle."

Tips for camping with families

Playground facilities: Pony Express RV Resort includes multiple family amenities. "Nice bathhouses with private shower/toilets. Great play area. Bikes available including kid sized. Paved 80 mile bike trail along Jordan River Parkway. Giant chessboard. Nice pool area," reports a visitor to Pony Express RV Resort.

Urban park camping: Willow Park in Lehi offers accessible camping for families seeking minimal travel. "This has been a great experience so far been here twice this year. I really enjoy this camping ground, clean very friendly staff and running water bathrooms," notes a camper at Willow Park.

Shoulder season benefits: Tanners Flat campground offers advantages during non-peak times. "September/early October gives cooler temperatures and less crowds, and we got to see some lovely fall colors. The camp hosts were excellent as well. As SLC natives, we're making this our yearly fall tradition!"

Tips from RVers

Site spacing considerations: Mountain Shadows RV Park in Draper offers varying site configurations. One RVer explains: "Challenging back-in for our 30' ft travel trailer. Very cramped spot. Fortunately, we arrived before neighbors on both sides did. Neighbor on the right side was kind enough to put his awning in making our morning departure easier."

Hookup options: Great Salt Lake State Park provides limited RV accommodations. "Small RV park at state park with marina right on Great Salt Lake," notes one visitor, while another adds, "This is a pretty cool spot right next to the Great Salt Lake making for some nice views (sunset and sunrise were killer)."

Reservation timing: For national forest campgrounds, early booking is essential. A camper at Spruces advises: "Be aware of your travel plans and book early because the campground fills fast."

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the best camping spots near West Valley City, Utah?

Within 45 minutes of West Valley City, Bridger Bay Campground — Antelope Island State Park offers spectacular wildlife viewing with bison, antelope, and deer, plus stunning sunset views over the Great Salt Lake's mud flats. For those seeking a quiet retreat, Anderson Cove provides a peaceful oasis away from city noise with beach access and plenty of bathrooms. Other excellent options include Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon for mountain scenery, Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City for those wanting full amenities, and Soldier's Pass for free dispersed camping with established fire rings near Utah Lake. Most sites within an hour's drive require reservations during peak summer months.

Are there good fishing spots at campgrounds near West Valley City?

Rock Cliff Area Campground — Jordanelle State Park offers excellent fishing opportunities with clean facilities and full hook-ups for RVs. The campground provides access to Jordanelle Reservoir, known for rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, and perch. Echo Island RV Resort is another great option with access to Echo Reservoir for fishing, plus plenty of room to walk and wildlife viewing opportunities. Nearby alternatives include Miner's Canyon Dispersed for lakeside camping, though be prepared for some litter at this free site. For river fishing, consider areas along the Weber and Provo Rivers, which are known for their trout populations. Most fishing areas require a valid Utah fishing license.

What campgrounds near West Valley City have hiking and bike trails?

Cascade Springs Dispersed Site offers excellent access to off-road trails with panoramic views of Mt. Timpanogos. The area is popular for off-road activities and hiking with spectacular mountain vistas. Granite Flat provides a quiet camping experience with access to nearby trails and two lakes, making it ideal for hikers. Site 58 specifically sits above a stream in a shaded area. For additional options, Millcreek Canyon offers backcountry camping with extensive hiking trails, while Soldier's Pass Utah Backcountry features easy to moderate hiking trails and is especially popular with ATV and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Most trail-accessible campgrounds are open May through October, weather permitting.

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