Shady Dell Campground, near Kamas, Utah, is a solid choice for those looking to immerse themselves in the beauty of the Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest. This spot offers a mix of tent and RV sites, making it accessible for different camping styles, and it’s a great base for exploring the nearby hiking trails.

The campground is known for its clean vault toilets and friendly hosts, which campers appreciate. Many visitors enjoy the proximity to a lovely creek, perfect for a refreshing dip or just relaxing by the water. As one camper noted, “It’s a great campground close to the creek & a good jumping point for hikes in the Uintas.”

While there are no electric hookups or showers, the shaded sites provide a comfortable atmosphere, especially during the warmer months. Campers have mentioned the pleasant surroundings, with plenty of trees and a paved drive loop that makes navigating the area easy. 

For those who want to explore, the Fairy Forest is just a short walk away, adding a touch of whimsy to your stay. Keep in mind that the campground can get busy, especially during peak season, so arriving early is a good idea. Whether you're camping with family or friends, Shady Dell Campground offers a welcoming environment to enjoy the great outdoors.

## Overview

 Shady Dell Campground is nestled in the curves of the Provo River. The campground is located on the beautiful Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah at an elevation of 8,200 feet. The Uintas are known for their abundant recreational opportunities and scenic beauty. 
## Recreation

 The Lower Provo River can easily be accessed from the campground and offers good trout fishing. Soapstone Basin is nearby, with miles of exciting off-road vehicle trails for riders of all skill levels. Numerous additional hiking, biking and horseback riding trails crisscross this beautiful region. 
## Facilities

 This campground has 19 single and 1 double campsites. Each site offers a picnic table and fire ring. Vault restroom facilities are available throughout the campground. 
## Natural Features

 The campground is situated among a dense forest of pine, fir and aspen trees, which provide ample shade and beautiful fall color. Thickets of willow line the Lower Provo River, which flows alongside the campground. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Mirror Lake Scenic Byway parallels the Lower Provo River as it snakes across a portion of the Uinta Mountains, leading to numerous high alpine lakes and streams, countless trails, breathtaking scenic viewpoints and various campgrounds. Fishing, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and biking are popular activities. The High Uintas Wilderness can be accessed from several trails along the byway. 
## Charges & Cancellations

 Reservation Cancellations & Changes Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). Changing an Existing Reservation: When changes are made prior to the cut-off window: If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If they choose to depart early, they may forfeit the recreation fee for the day of departure. There is no change fee if the customer wants to switch sites that are the same price with the same reservation dates in the same facility. If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers who cancel a cabin or lookout reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Group Day Use Area: Customers who cancel a group day-use facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will forfeit the total day-use fee. Changes or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window: Once a reservation date has begun, customers cannot change a reservation using the online system or through the Call Center (see below for early departures). If the location is staffed, on-site personnel may or may not be able to assist with changes or cancellations (check with local staff). No-Shows Overnight and Day-Use Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date (or for day-use facilities, by check-in time the day of arrival). Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date and will hold group day-use facilities until check-in time on the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first nights recreation fee for a campsite or forfeit the entire day-use fee for a day-use facility. Early Departures If a customer departs prior to the scheduled check-out date, they may be eligible for a partial refund. Please notify staff at the facility if you depart early to allow others to use the site. Customers may notify the call center to request a refund of remaining unused nights. If a customer requests a refund for an early departure after the facility check-out time has passed, the customer will not be refunded for that night and is eligible for a refund on any additional nights that will not be used. Interagency Pass Discounts The following are the only Interagency Passes that provide a discount on camping reservations and some tickets: Senior Annual Pass Senior Lifetime Pass Access Pass Golden Age Pass Golden Access Pass Eligible pass discounts only apply to individual campsites and may apply to a ticket for the pass holder. Interagency Pass discounts do not apply to group reservations, cabins, shelters, and multi-use sites (doubles, triples, etc.). Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount. The holder of the pass must occupy the site for which the discount is applied. The pass can only be used for one site during a time period. Refunds Customers may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Customers may also initiate a refund request through the call center at any time after their reservation has ended. Fees: Applicable fees, such as reservation fees, service/cancellation fees, lottery application fees, and change fees, are non-refundable. Debit or Credit Card Purchases: Refunds for debit or credit card payments made after October 1, 2018 will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. In the event that a customer has cancelled this card, they will need to contact their card company to have the funds released. We cannot issue refunds to any card other than the one used to pay. If a customer paid with a debit or credit card prior to October 1, 2018 their refund will be issued in the form of a Treasury check. Check or Cash Purchases: Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. You may update the address at the time you request the refund. It may take up to 6-8 weeks for the Treasury check to arrive. Please make sure your address is up to date in your customer profile. Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within your Recreation.gov customer profile. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transactions will appear on customer's credit card statements as \"Recreation.gov 877-444-6777 NM\" Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated September 2019.

Shady Dell Campground — Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest

Join the fun near Kamas. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Kamas. Find the best campgrounds near Kamas, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Kamas

The Best Camping Near Kamas, Utah

This campground has a paved drive loop, as well as paved camp sites. There are trees off of the road side, but not a lot around your camping area. There are pit toilets, as well as fire pits. It cools off nice in the evening

Near the Fairy Forest

This would be a much nicer visit during a wet year or during spring for that matter. It is close to the Hwy so you get traffic noise and the Provo is even farther away than it is at Soapstone but only $2 cheaper. Also while there I ran into quite a few cows that were moving about the campground. While this happens at many of the campgrounds at the south end of the Hwy I feel there were an exceptional amount of cows at this [campground](https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/uwcnf/recarea/?recid=9650) (maybe because it was so shady?) So other than having shade (which place doesn't in the Uintas) this campground is one to skip, at least this year, or at best a last resort. To stay here you'll have to pay $21 a night for the campground and for the [Mirror Lake Hwy Rec. Pass](https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/uwcnf/recarea/?recid=9908) that is $6 for 3 days and $12 for the week. There is also 1 double site here that is available for $41

Shady as the name implies but close to the HWY and a dry creek

This is a great car camping location in the Uintas.  There are about 20 camp sites, we stayed in spot 10 and loved it!  It had perfect shade and morning sun.  It is a little far from trail heads or lakes but good for families who want to car camp.  We would definitely return and hope for our exact same location.  

Great Car Camping

This camp site surprised me, good location for driving to various hikes in the uintas, a nice river runs along several of the camping sites. Worth checking out. I stayed at site 10 and it was close to a water faucet which was nice. 

Hidden gem 

Lilly pad campground and some other sites further up were closed for the season so we ended up here in a first come first serve spot. Very pleasant, would have picked a spot right on the nice little river. Definitely go across to the fairy forest - it’s literally right in the campground. 
Didn’t have a working water spigot near us which was a bummer. Vault toilets were some of the worse we’ve (smelt).
Very very nice hosts and lots of shade 

Pleasant spot

Stayed here over the weekend for 2 nights in July 2022. Great campground with super clean vault toilets (they got a bit smelly during the afternoon but overall very clean). We stayed in site 19 as it was the last one available when I booked a week prior. Would’ve preferred a different site because 19 is right next to site 20 which is a double site. There was a big family group there who were very friendly, but left their generators running ALL night for their big trailer. I was in a small pop up trailer with my dog &amp; boyfriend. My boyfriend &amp; I hardly slept. It was clearly posted on the camp entrance sign that you can’t run generators from 10pm-6am.  Other than that, great campground close to the creek &amp; a good jumping point for hikes in the Uintas. Lots of other dogs there too which made my dog happy. 

Photos of Shady Dell Campground — Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest

Real photos from real campers