Camp along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir, or rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard on its clear waters. Hike along park nature trails through a petrified forest, but remember to take only photographs. Some say the petrified wood is haunted and removing a piece brings the taker nothing but bad luck.

Lake View Campground — Escalante State Park

This is a beautifully maintained campground just outside of Escalante, Utah. The park rangers are extremely helpful and gave us great information about the park itself and things to do in the sorrounding area. There are many nature trails around the park that offer learning opportunities about the area's geological features and of course the amazing petrified forests of the region. It was an especially hot few days when we visited, so being right next to the Wide Hollow Reservoir was wonderful. We spent an afternoon laying in hammocks by the water, swimming around and even rented paddle boards for a few hours. There are standup paddle board, canoe and kayak rentals available by the dock (which is also a great place to go swimming and fishing!). The day use fee is $8 and camping is $20 per car. We had two tents at our site but they did not charge us a group fee. There are also RV camping options available. The bathrooms here are very clean and the showers were very refreshing after a hot day of hiking and swimming. There is even a camp kitchen area which were really helpful for scrubbing our cookware after many days of staying in more primitive campgrounds. All in all I would say that this is one of the best maintained state park campgrounds I have ever stayed in. It offers a bit of everything and is super family friendly as well!

A campground that offers a bit of everything! 

We tried to camp directly at Calf creek falls, but it was very over crowded. The host referred us to a few primitive camping sites that were about 1 mile from the camp ground. They were on the right hand side just off of the road, but you would think you were in the backwoods. It was cold and rainy when we camped but the views and surrounding area were beautiful! It was convenient to head back to Calf creek and hike both upper and lower. If you're in the area and don't mind primitive camping(no facilities or running water) I would highly recommend it. It was worth dodging the large crowds and loud campsites for a quiet spot. 

Primitive Camping by Calf Creek Falls

We took the route of Hurricane Wash to camp under Hamblin Arch. It was about 11 miles each way. The Sneaker Route and the Crack in the Wall are shorter routes and I would absolutely recommend those instead. Camping directly under the arch was gorgeous. We went in late March and the weather was perfect. Room for three tents directly under the arch. 

Coyote Gulch 

We stayed there for memorial weekend. We had to book a long ways in advance because there are not many established campgrounds in the area! This one is well-maintained, has restrooms, a large group area and is located in one of my favorite places in Utah! It is right next to a lake and a petrified forest, so even hanging out at the campground is fun. It is a little ways off the highway so you do not hear any of that noise. All around it was a great experience, in fact I am headed back again this year.

Campground stay was great! 

I feel we got lucky with our camp site, not close to the RVs and hidden by shrubbery from other sites. We went in late April 2017, a bit windy and cold but worth it! Beautiful hiking trail that starts at the mouth of the campground. Its is close to Bryce, Kodachrome, and Staircase. If you don’t mind gravel road driving you can even get a trail that leads to Lake Powel. There are facilities for showering and bathrooms. It is also right on the edge of a lake. 


accessible with amenities 

make sure you go up by posey lake in the woods but also make sure you head to the dino tracks at the end of the BLM roads around there and stop at devils garden along the way 

utterly amazing 

Our original camping spot was invaded by small ants but the office was super accommodating when we wanted to switch spots. We were able to move to a great spot near the bathrooms. Sadly there aren’t many trees for hanging hammocks in the single spots.

its close to the town of Escalante and close to some great hikes!

Very Welcoming and Accommodating

Very well taken care of State Park campground. Sites are spaced nicely, most have a fire ring and a grill. Some site have ample tree shade, others come with a sun shade over picnic tables. The earth is very fragile in the Utah desert so the campground has a dishwashing station with running water and a very powerful hose to help prevent erosion within the campground.  Be sure to not dump anything in the campsite and extinguish all fires.  Bathrooms/showers are clean and maintained. I did not see any hookups for RV’s although many were camping. An hour drive from Bryce Canyon NP and less than 3 hours from Moab. 
There is a trail up to the petrified forest that is a ~40 min hike, as well as an entire fully preserved petrified tree that was relocated to the park to be held on display. 
The park itself is about a mile outside of the town of Escalante, UT. The town is small but has a couple gear/outfitting shops, grocers, coffee and ice cream. Great place to camp or pass through if you are doing a tour de Utah. 


Nice 

We stayed here during our fall trip to Utah this year.   We find the state parks offer more services and don’t tend to have the large crowds like the National Parks, especially in Utah.  This park is next to a nice reservoir that provides boating and fishing options for campers.  The camp itself is just off the main highway and can be accessed by both large trailers and RVs.  This park has a wonderful view to the west over the lake with hillside to the east.  The park staff were really customer friendly.  Our site had some privacy even during the busy fall period.  They have all the facilities you need including showers, water, power, and a dump station.  While this may note have the natural beauty of the nearby parks, it’s situated between Zion and Arches National Park and makes for a nice stop over.  The hikes in the park are terrific and you can see a number of examples of petrified wood and other interesting geological rock areas.   

Nice Utah State Park with Fishing 

I love all of the near trails, it is very private and clean. 
The reservoir is great to cool down from the heat, it offers options for fishing, Kayaking and swimming. 
The bathrooms are very clean and they also have showers and a fill up and dump station. 


Beautiful 

A beautiful, small Utah State Park located next to Wide Hollow Reservoir lake in Escalante Utah.  Close to Bryce NP without the crowds.  Excellent hiking trails.  The Petrified Forest Trail offers outstanding views of the lake and valley, with a few examples of petrified logs.  However, if you really want to see hundreds of petrified log segments, take the Sleeping Rainbows Trail off of the Petrified Forest Trail.  Note, the trails are marked Moderate in AllTrails for a reason, with ample scrambling and climbing.  The reservoir is open for fishing and boating.  The park offers a variety of sites for tents and RVs, including partial hook-ups (electric and water).  There are showers, a dump station, and firewood available.  An excellent little park!

Hidden Gem

Stayed here awhile back with a group on an environmental science trip. Had an awesome time! Tent campsites were nice with shade areas perfect to set up a hammock. There were several other groups at the campground and everyone was respectful. There is a dock that can be used for kayaking at the reservoir which is highly recommended!

Awesome spot outside Escalante

Was in a tent. Some spots shaded, some not. Might want to call to make sure if you need shade. The petrified forest trail was a lot better than I expected. Do the full loop. Extremely close to town and services.

Great spot, ok facilities

It can get COLD in the winter! All sites have a view of the lake. Showers were clean and warm! Everything was excellent. Typical of most Utah state parks.

Excellent facilities and camp sites!

**General:** This small (26-site) campground is about two miles west of the small town of Escalante and 44 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park, situated along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir. 

  

**Site Quality:** The sites vary: some have very long pull-throughs, some have very small driveways, some are not quite level, and some have covered picnic tables while others do not. Sites A-D in the Lakeview section have water and electric. Site D is a very long pull-through and likely has the best view of the reservoir, however, there is a paved path that passes by it, so it is not as private as some others. Each site has a fire pit and a bbq grill. There is also a group site in the Lakeview section. The layout is a little wonky but once you drive through once or twice, you get the hang of it. 

  

**Bathhouse:** There is a small basic bathroom with a flush toilet and sink in the A-D loop and a larger one with showers that is more centrally located. Both were clean.

  

**Activities/Amenities:** There is a short but steep Petrified Forest Trail. I followed signage in a counterclockwise direction and it was very well marked until I reached the top and then…it wasn’t. I got lost twice and ended up backtracking the way I came. If you hike this, I recommend taking a map. There is also fishing and, in season, swimming in the reservoir. 

  

We had a pleasant but short (one night) stay at this campground, which was completely full on a Tuesday in late April so I would recommend reservations regardless of when you plan to visit.

Small campground close to town

We dried camped next to the lake. Loved it the spots are quiet 
We paid $25 for seniors 

Camping at Escalante

What a place!! Great camp, the ring we were in is brand new.  Overlooking the lake.

Hidden Jem 

Unfortunately only stayed here one night, wish it could have been longer. This campground is located near a reservoir. We stayed in the RV full hook up site, which seems to be a fairly new added section to this campground. Sites are pretty level and great fire pit and covered picnic area. This campground had thermostat controlled bathrooms and had the cleanest showers I’ve encountered so far. I loved hearing the ducks. The staff at the gate were funny and nice. There are hiking trails here. The reservoir looked pretty low, which I hope was just because of the time of the year. Would definitely stay here again.