Smith-Morehouse Campground

We took a quick weekend trip to Smith and Morehouse. It was our first time camping here and loved the camp sites. The camp hosts were so nice and went out of their way to check on us. This is a beautiful area, surrounded by aspen and pine trees. We had a spot close enough to the river that we could hear it all night long.

I really like the campground. Spots really vary in size. Pit toilets. Some spots right on the river. Some noise at night -- music and generators, but overall not bad. The reservoir is no wake and great. Not a lot of "beach" areas to sit around the edge of the water and they fill up quickly. Great kayaking.

Great little campground. Road is tight. Our 26ft trailer was a little hard to navigate within the campground.

Lake is really low and river is barely more than a trickle, but the scenery is post card perfect. Fall colors are amazing with patches of orange and yellow. Caught 4 small rainbows in the morning hours. Definitely a great campground but not much room to maneuver a trailer.

We camped in the lower area and enjoyed it. Sites are close together though. Not much room to maneuver a trailer over about 25 feet.

We went up pretty early in the season and it was a ton of fun! There was still snow on the ground and we got pretty cold sleeping on the ground, but we would do it again! Fished all night with a couple drinks, caught a couple and even cooked them right up at camp! Not sure what it looks like after all the snow melts, however it was an awesome experience.

There are some good hiking trails near by. The lake is walking distance and is not crowded. Lots of wildlife to enjoy and to be on the look out for.

Very peaceful, not a lot of people here. Perfect outdoor getaway!

I have great memories of camping at Smith & Morehouse as a kid! We practically had the campground to ourselves! This is not the case anymore- it’s always booked! Beautiful and clean campground in the high Unitas. Book early!

You can get to this beautiful campground in under an hour from Salt Lake City and it's my favorite place to go when I want to camp and kayak! The campground and surrounding mountains are very scenic-it doesn't get much prettier! Plus if you like to have things to do while you're camping, this is a good area. You can kayak and paddle board at the lake, four wheel, etc. We always bring our dog and she loves it as well. Can't go wrong here if you want to mountain camp!

Campground Review

This is a gorgeous mountain setting with perfect Summer temps. 

Pros

• Near water; a beautiful river and the reservoir of the same name
• It’s not far from civilization (under 30 minutes) if you need supplies, but it feels remote and secluded once you get there
• Basic amenities for a National Forest Campground are well-maintained (trash receptacles, toilets, water, fire rings, picnic tables)
• Camp Host on site (I guess this could be a pro or con depending on who you get [smile], but at least you know who to check in with); Camp host also notes names and dates on each camp site which added a sense of organization to the location
• Peaceful wildlife, like deer (see “cons” for another option here)
• Variety of vegetation (many different types of trees and wildflowers, etc.)
• Near other US Forest disbursed camping in case you need some time before or after your stay here

Cons

• Campsites are a bit on the small side and are close together (this is largely overcome by the lush vegetation; helps it feel private)
• This is bear country, so the signs say (wait, is that really a “con” or something unexpected when you’re camping in the forest? Just be aware)
• Can be crowded/booked in those lovely summer months

Product Review

I’m a happy Ranger for The Dyrt and from time to time I get to test and review products that may help make camping life even more awesome. Today, I am reviewing the Primus Tupike Two Burner Stove

(https://primus.us/products/tupike-stove-4)

I’m especially happy to review this product now because we had some bumps getting started (happy to report a happy ending here, details below and in videos). 

Pros

• Beautiful, solid, well-made stove (pans don’t move and neither does the stove)
• Easy to use (set up is a breeze, cleaning is made easy by its removable stainless drip tray, easy to connect to larger propane tank or use with smaller fuel cans)
• Nice features that are there if you need them, but they’re not in your way if you don’t (e.g., the wind flaps actually have a magnetic feature that stay closed if you don’t use them, the legs can be folded down when not needed)
• Love the igniters (appreciate not needing another tool to create the flame)
• The flames are highly adjustable which means, in part, that I can cook any type of food perfectly (even delicate things like crepes or other items that need to simmer at a specific temperature)
• Nice size for a camp stove (under 10 pounds, large enough to handle standard size pots and pans); not a backpacking stove but Primus has you covered there too
• Great customer service (the company quickly responded to our needs when it arrived with a broken part, felt like they would have helped us with any issues along the way; very knowledgable)
• Stove arrived quickly (as did replacement part/s)

Cons

• When the stove arrived, the sticker said it had been inspected/tested, yet it had a couple issues: 
• 1. A plastic piece in the handle was broken. I could still use it, but it was wobbly and obviously needed to be fixed and 
• 2. The igniters would not consistently light and I wasted gas and was annoyed to have to reach for a flame to manually light it. After some time and further inspection, we noticed that the igniters were adjusted differently. We took a chance and manually adjusted the ‘spark arm’ on the left burner to more closely match the angle of the one on the right (the right one lit much more often) and after some adjustment in this area, it worked like a charm…lights first time every time now! So if you have this issue and feel comfortable, you may want to try making an adjustment. If not, I’m confident the company will exchange it for you because as they did tell us, it should light easily and consistently. 

Final Analysis

• Anything you can do with a 2-burner stove at home, you can do camping with the Primus Tupike. 
• Construction is top-notch; stable, beautiful, easy to use and clean.
• Customer service is excellent. 

2. Product Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ToHT0ueLI

https://youtu.be/uLqmMJ5LGMc

3. Reviews on Other Sites

https://www.amazon.com/review/RWXD1G0D4F9JR/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/primus/tupike-stove/?review=37717

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5046-155/Tupike-Stove#reviews

Our family comes up here 2-3 times a year and we love it up here. There is always something to do up here. You can even snowmobile on the roads up here in the winter. The fishing in the lake isn't very good though, which is a bummer. Fishing in the river is a little better. You also have the option of hiking/backpacking up to Round, Sand, & Fish Lakes which have great fishing. In my opinion the worst time to come up here is in early July. We came up for a couple of July 4ths and were astonished at how many horseflies there were all of the sudden. That, and it is terribly hot up there in the summer. We like to go up for Memorial Day and Labor Day. It feels wonderful up there then! That's just my opinion, although you are reading this review, so I guess you care about my opinion. :)

Campground is on the edge of national forest. We did the long (15 miles?) Smith & Morehouse trail and this was the perfect place to crash afterward. Campsite is wooded with views of a lake surrounded by mountains. Feels very secluded. The facilities are pretty typical of a most basic state parks. Seemed less crowded than other UT campgrounds we visited that summer.

Clean area, plenty of activities to do close by, far enough away from civilization to make the trip worth it.

Very nice host. Campground peaceful with a nice stream.