Joes Valley Reservoir

Site was clean and quiet. Weren’t too many campers around. Lots of trees for shade. Lake is drying up and looks a bit sad. Water is far out from any marina or anglers point so if you plan to fish or kayak be ready for a good walk Or a drive to take you to the other side of the lake! Also campground does not have dumpsters. You are required to pack everything out so try to have as little of garbage as possible or make space for it with you to take.

Even with the effect of the drought this campsite is still beautiful. No facilities except fresh water fountains and vault toilets sparsely located. Very quiet during the week, weekends busy but respectful. Road into camp is paved but curvy.

The camp sites were great. They were clean and well kept. The water was really low. We don’t own a boat, so we were shore bound. Lots of rocks and trash on the shores and the sand was like quick sand along the water. Long story short, don’t go to hang out by the water and swim.

It is also worth noting that there is water available, but not at each site.

I've camped at this campground twice now; once in August of 2020 and once in July of 2021. Both times the experience has been good. The campsite has potable water and vault toilets. Before my two visits, I reserved my sites on recreation.gov. This made the experience hassle-free.

One thing to note is that although you can tent camp at this site, the majority of campers are those using RVs. I enjoyed my experience tent camping. However, if you are somehow bothered by RVs or excess noise, you might want to find another campground.

Overall, a good place to stay and I will certainly be back.

I found Joe’s Valley reservoir on a Facebook group and I hadn’t ever heard of it. After seeing the pictures, my family decided to give it a shot and we were not disappointed. The drive up along the river is so beautiful. It is a little narrow, but there was some equipment out so it appeared they were working on the road and fixing it up. Take it slow with the big rigs.

My kids loved the water despite the wind throughout the day. There were a fair amount of people boating, swimming, fishing, kayaking, etc around the shoreline near the marina, but I didn’t feel it was too crowded at all.

We camped in site 49 which is a double site. The site has two picnic tables and a double wide parking pad. Trees are limited except with the sites on the rim starting with number 7.

I would definitely come back.

Since I was about 3, my family has gone to Joes Valley Reservoir for an extended family reunion! We tend to reserve the entire lower loop for a week in August. It's a bit of a downhill walk to the lake, but worth it given that there are plenty of fish and crawdads to catch for a big fish-fry! 

There are toilets and picnic tables, and the roads have been paved in recent years. The best part about the campground is its ability to host a large group. The area is spread out yet open enough to feel like everyone has their own space and still together as a group. So, if you're wanting to plan a family trip, this may be where you want to go! 

It is a bit noisy, however. Everyone has 4-wheelers and most people bring RV's with generators... so expect some noise, lol.

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.

Right near the reservoir, I had a freat, secluded time, while in between bouldering seasion. Will visit again but will camp roght outside park with the other renegades