Lakefront Camping In Northern Utah

Michael gives me very little input regarding our destinations so when he requested a return to southern Utah to visit the 3 “Mighty Five” National Parks that we missed in 2021, that’s where we are headed! It was a 500-mile trek from Jackson, WY. On our way south we stopped at a couple of northern Utah State Parks, where we had two of the best campsites we’ve ever had!

Our first stop was Bear Lake State Park, honestly because it had full hookups. We arrived on Labor Day when the campground changed to be first come first serve and we scored an incredible lakefront site.

Bear Lake is a huge natural lake on the Idaho/Utah border. It is nicknamed the “Caribbean of the Rockies” because of its brilliant blue color from a high concentration of calcium carbonate. It is gorgeous water that I was never quite able to capture in a photo.

It was a short work week and we were so happy with the view and the hookups that we just relaxed at the campsite every afternoon. There are a couple of interesting things in the area we missed. There’s hiking around Logan Canyon and the National OR/CA Trail Museum is on the north side of the lake and gets rave reviews if we ever come through the area again.

The area around Bear Lake is known for growing raspberries and for raspberry milkshakes. We learned that the plants were wiped out by a virus in the early aughts. All the restaurants that sell the shakes close after Labor Day, so we only got one, which was all we needed anyway.

On Saturday, we moved to Jordanelle State Park where we had another amazing lakefront campsite. This one only came with water and electricity. And the fanciest firepit ever.

Jordanelle is a reservoir in the Wasatch Mountains, 10 minutes from Park City and 45 from Salt Lake City. The area gets 3-400 inches of snow every year! There are ski resorts in every direction and the area was also the location of the 2002 Winter Olympics. We really liked being close to Park City. The main street is full of high-end outdoor gear stores.

Unfortunately, we had several hazy days from the Idaho wildfires and then I guess fortunately for Utah, several days of rain.

On Sunday, we took a drive through the scenic Big Cottonwood Canyon and a short hike to a lake at the Brighton Ski Resort.

Ski towns seem to turn into mountain biking towns in the summer. We keep thinking about buying lift tickets at a ski resort to do some downhill mountain biking, but it always seems expensive and probably above our skill level anyway. We found some nice free trails at Round Valley Park and did that one afternoon.

On Friday, we had Vietnamese takeout from Oh Mai for dinner with Michael’s cousin and family who live in SLC. It was nice to see familiar faces, be with family, and get some Utah travel tips.

On Saturday, we went to tour SLC. We started out with the Living Room Trail on Univ. of Utah’s campus to get a view of the city.

Next, we went to walk around Temple Square. There were many young women missionaries there to give tours and answer questions. Unfortunately, the main Temple is completely covered with scaffolding and hard to see.

We did get to go inside the Tabernacle, home of the famous Tabernacle Choir, and listen to someone practicing the organ. We also took a guided tour of the Beehive House, which was Bringham Young’s home.

Last, we headed to Great Salt Lake State Park to just get a view of the drying-up lake. The water had receded so far it’s hard to see and it smells bad. The guy at the entrance booth told us that he sailed in the lake from the 70s until 2 years ago when the marina became defunct. It is so sad to see these lakes in the west drying up.

On Sunday, our route out of Park City took us through Provo Canyon. It was a beautiful drive and the leaves were already changing (mid-Sept). It may be the only Fall color we see this year.

Next up is Capitol Reef National Park!