Group
RV Sites
Tent Sites
Fires Allowed
Pets Allowed
Drinking Water
About Albion Basin
Albion Basin Campground, just 15 miles from Sandy, Utah, is set among shady white pines and aspens in its beautiful namesake basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon at an elevation of 9,500 feet.
Recreation
Hiking and mountain biking are very popular activities. Hikers enjoy the path to Cecret Lake, which begins at the campground, as well as the Catherine Pass/Sunset Peak Trail just down the road.
Mountain bikers often ride the Albion Basin Road and the trail to Germania Pass. Other trails include the Albion Meadows Trail and Cardiff Pass/Twin Lake Pass.
Facilities
The campground contains 18 "reservation" sites (16 single sites, one double and one triple site) as well as 6 single "first come-first served" sites. All come with picnic tables and campfire rings. Vault toilets are provided. Roads and parking spurs are dirt.
Natural Features
Albion Basin is renowned for its vivid summer wildflowers. The basin hosts the Wasatch Wildflower Festival annually in late July or early August, complete with guided nature walks.
Moose and deer frequent the basin and mountain goats can often be seen on the precipitous face of Devils Castle, just south of the campground. A small stream runs through the basin.
Nearby Attractions
Little Cottonwood Canyon is a beautiful area known for its soaring peaks, unique geology, pristine hidden lakes and cascading streams. Numerous additional hiking and mountain biking trails are found throughout the canyon. Rock climbing and fly-fishing are popular activities as well.
Snowbird Resort is just a few miles down-canyon, offering scenic tram rides, hiking, mountain biking, restaurants, groceries, an Alpine Slide, zip line rides, concerts and various festivals.
ADA Access: N
Sites
27
Fee Info
The maximum number of vehicles allowed on a site is 2 on a single with 1 included in the site fee, 4 on a double with 2 included in the site fee, and 6 on a triple with 3 included in the site fee. Extra Vehicle Fee: $8.00/car
Price
$25.00 - $75.00
Operator
National Forest
Access
Drive In
Contact
Location
Albion Basin is located in Utah
Directions
From I-215, take the 6200 South exit and travel a mile east to Wasatch Blvd. Take Wasatch Blvd 3 miles south to the junction with Little Cottonwood Canyon/Highway 210. Take a left at the junction and travel up Little Cottonwood Canyon 10.2 miles to the campground. The last 2.4 miles are on a maintained gravel road which has an information booth operated in partnership with the Ski Area; the hosts will direct you up the road to the campground.
7 Reviews of Albion Basin
Ranger Review: Mountain House Breakfast Skillet @ Albion Basin CG
Campground Review:
An absolutely amazing campground that sits at the very top of Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City. It is surrounded by snow even into August, and soaring peaks, along with gorgeous alpine lakes! Given its close proximity to SLC however, don't plan on walking up to a site Friday-Monday. These sites are usually booked through a couple months in advance, but occasionally you'll get lucky like us and be able to find something during the week. All the booking is done through the Albion Basin Campground website. Most of the sites are singles that go for $25 a night but there are also a couple group sites that go for $75. Each site has a large picnic table along with a metal fire ring with a BBQ grill you can flip over the top. There are also plenty of spigots and vault toilets scattered throughout the campground and the campground host has firewood that you can buy.
Nearby there are a plethora of outdoor activities and recreation opportunities! From riding mountain bikes around at Snowbird, to climbing cliffs on all the surrounding mountains. There are also easier day hike options like going 0.5 mile to Cecret Lake or hiking a few miles over Catherine Pass to the Brighton Basin where there are a ton of lakes around! If you want to make a summit and take in the view from above then Sunset Peak or Sugarloaf Peak are good half day hiking options. If you don't want to hike you can pay for a sky tram pass at Snowbird and ride up to Hidden Peak! For those looking for more of a challenge, Devils Castle offers a good close objective that can be done through a technical (all routes .10a+) face route or a low fifth class traverse that crosses the castle from east-west or west-east.
Product Review:
Being a Ranger for the Dyrt allows us to test and review gear from time to time! This time we got to test out the Mountain House Breakfast Skillet meal.
Pros:
- The pros as with all the Mountain House's we've eaten before, is the convenience of having a warm meal deep in the backcountry.
- It's also very convenient to be able to cook and eat out of the same pouch which cuts down on your cleanup and makes things a lot quicker and tidier.
- This is definitely in my Top 3 for Mountain House breakfasts along with the Southwest Hash, and Biscuits and Gravy. It's good because there are a lot of flavors and a little bit of starch in the hash browns to soak up the extra juiciness.
Cons:
- The only cons I could think of for the actual meal itself was that it needs a little more texture or crunch to help break up the monotony that is usually Mountain House. We brought some toast and tortillas , which are both easy to bring car camping and back packing.
- The other cons would be more in design of the pouch as they are not recyclable or compostable so they do generate a decent amount of trash just for the sake of convenience. They also tend to expand at altitude, but their newer Pro-Paks remedy that situation.
Score: 4/5
We've yet to find a Mountain House that we could eat entirely without getting tired of the flavor or consistency without having to incorporate other ingredients so this one gets a 4 as well. We have high hopes however for the Turkey Dinner that we're gonna try at Mt. Borah!
Wonderful Alpine Camping
This is primitive. Not much going on at this site except a place to pitch a tent. I am used to camping at a lake or river, as I like to do a lot of fishing. There is none of that here. This is a high alpine meadow, and it is gorgeous! You cannot get enough of the fresh air, flowers, views, etc. I am not used to just camping out in meadow, but I am going to do a lot more of it at this campground.
improved, tree-covered, well maintained, easy access to trails, scenic!
Reserve in advance at www.recreation.gov. Onsite camp managers are wonderful. The campground is located where the Alta ski resort chair lifts pass overhead. 6 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon, so convenient to Salt Lake City. Very well maintained. Moose, chipmunks, squirrels, and amazing wildflowers!
Beautiful!
The campground is so beautiful! The wildflowers are amazing and we couldn't get over them. One con was that the tent platform was slanted on a hill. Wah wah
So beautiful
We go here every august when the flowers are at their peak and it is so indescribably beautiful. I have been there in the other parts of the years and even wothout the flowers it is still stunning
Beautiful location, but make a reservation
This campground located at the top of little cottonwood canyon is a great relief from the city. But the city is close by, and so are the crowds. The city of Alta runs a shuttle to the area as parking is so limited for day hiking. The campground was quiet except for the motorcycles that seem to enjoy coming/going up the canyon. There is a great hike leaving from the campground to Cecret lake. But again it is very popular, so lots of people.
