Most
of the picnic areas are located low in the canyon. The Dogwood
Picnic
Area is the first you will encounter, this area is
located approximately 1.1 miles past the electronic sign at the
base of the canyon. The Dogwood crag is located nearby, many
people pack a lunch and a rope. Group day use sites are available for reservation.
Ledgemere
is up next, 1.4 miles past the sign. A number of picnic tables
and grills cozy up next to the river. The Penetentiary crag is
located just up the hill a bit.
The
Birches picnic area is 1.7 miles from the sign, another area
that cozies up next to the river.
Storm
Mountain Island is probably the most developed picnic area in
the Big Cottonwood Canyon. Picnic areas, playgrounds and
sporting fields all abound. There is some pretty good
climbing located nearby as well. Located about 2.6 miles past
the sign. Group day use sites are reservable.
Moss
Ledge is the highest of the picnic areas, located 4.9 miles past
the sign. There are several nice hiking trails located nearby.
All
of these picnic areas fill up rather quickly, expect to be
eating your lunch with quite a few other people.
The
two campsites in the canyon are both located at high elevation.
Spruces is the lowest of the two, it sits at an altitude of 7100
feet, 9.4 miles from the sign. It can get a little chilly even
in the summertime. Featuring 97 individual sites and 9 group
sites, this is a pretty big campground. The sites vary from
close together little plots to spaced out plantations. About
half of the sites are reservable. Small tributaries of the creek wander throughout the
campground. Nearby hiking trails lead off to Donut Hole Falls.
Each individual site is $14.00 per vehicle, additional vehicles
are $5.00.
The
other campground in the canyon is probably the best. Redman
campground is located 12.7 miles from the electronic sign, it
sits at an altitude of 8100 feet. There are 39 sites available,
don't believe the numbering. A few sites were taken out when
they installed new bathrooms, not a bad tradeoff. The sites in
the bottom loop of the campground are definitely better spaced,
site #25 is the plum. Site #25 is located near the river
segregated away from the rest of the loop. Redman sites
are $14 as well.
The
reservable sites in both of these campgrounds are usually taken
well in advance. You've got to be there on a Thursday to ensure
a "first come first served" site for the weekend. As
I've said, this area is pretty popular with the valley folks.
Nearby Area: Little Cottonwood Canyon
Resources
Maps
Campground
Reservations
Spruces
Redman
Shopping
Books
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6875 South Kiesta, West Jordan, UT 84084