Two Tooele County hotspots for locals and tourists will open in time for Easter weekend camping.
Campgrounds in Settlement and Ophir canyons will open on April 1, according to Dave Brown, Tooele County trails and canyons coordinator.
The two campgrounds, combined with Middle Canyon’s campsites, had over 30,000 campers last year. Two-thirds of those campers came from outside Tooele County, according to Brown.
“Back in 2007, when the recession hit and gas prices started to go up, we saw a surge in out-of-county visitors to our campgrounds and canyons,” he said. “People from the Wasatch Front came out here because they couldn’t afford to go to Lake Powell. They liked what they saw and our facilities, and have been coming back ever since.”
Brown said he sees a lot of families in the county’s canyons.
The canyons and campsites have become a popular destination spot for young families that want to get away for a weekend and create some memories, according to Brown.
“For $30 they can buy a tent for the family and then camp for $10,” he said. “We see lot of families with young children that come up the canyons to camp and have fun.”
Settlement Canyon has 19 campsites, plus 12 RV sites with full hookups along with a pavilion that can be reserved for group events, according to Brown.
There are two restrooms in Settlement Canyon. One is a vaulted restroom. Brown describes the other as “full-service,” with hot and cold running water.
Tooele County charges $3 per vehicle for a day pass to Settlement Canyon, $10 per vehicle for camping and $20 for the RV sites.
Fees for Settlement Canyon are collected at a booth at the mouth of the canyon.
The pavilion in Settlement Canyon saw 7,000 people in 2014 as it played host to events from weddings to funerals, according to Brown.
Paid camping debuted in Ophir Canyon last year with 12 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings. The canyon also has a vaulted restroom.
“The paid campsites in Ophir worked out well last year,” Brown said. “They were every popular and we were able to improve the safety and cleanliness of the canyon.”
Campers in Ophir Canyon place their payments in an envelope picked up from a site near the mouth of the canyon and drop it in a sealed drop box. A receipt, filled out by the camper, is displayed on their vehicle’s dashboard. Only cash or checks are accepted.
Check out time is 10 a.m. and the maximum allowable stay in Tooele County canyons is seven days.
Campsite users must have a vehicle and picture identification, according to Tooele County code.
Campsites in both Ophir and Settlement canyons are available on a first come, first serve basis with no reservations, but that may change later this year, Brown said.
“In about a month we will launch an online reservation and payment system,” he said.
Canyon campers are advised to follow “leave no trace” principles, which include travel and camping in established areas, dispose of waste properly, minimize campfire impacts and observe fire restrictions, respect wildlife, and be considerate of others.
Glass containers, littering, and dumping are prohibited in the canyon. Each are class B misdemeanors, which may bring a fine of up to $1,850 and one year in jail.
In 2014 Settlement Canyon filled up on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day weekends. Campers were detoured to Ophir and Middle canyons on those weekends, Brown said.
Along with camping, the campsites in Tooele County’s canyons also offer access to hiking trails, off-road vehicle paths and other recreational activities.
Ophir Canyon has become a popular weekend camping spot for people who want to ride recreational vehicles on the county’s Lion Hill Loop Trail, according to Brown.
“It’s a 7.5-mile loop that takes you up to where you can look down onto the reclamation project in Mercur and then to the Silverado Traverse where you have a breathtaking view,” he said. “Moving on, you can see the Buffalo mine and then look down on the rooftops in Ophir before you wind up back where you started.”
Settlement Canyon offers access to Tooele County’s Dark Trail and Left Hand Fork Trail for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. Off-road vehicles are prohibited in Settlement Canyon.
Fees collected for camping are used to cover costs of patrolling and cleaning the canyons as well as for maintenance and improvements to campsites, according to Brown.
But the fees aren’t the big pay off for the county, he said.
“You can see the cars coming up the canyons from out of the county,” Brown said. “They are loaded with shopping bags full of food from Tooele County stores, they buy gas at our gas stations, and food at our restaurants. I’ve seen them stop at Steadman’s and buy an ATV while they are here. The money they spend in our county helps our local stores and increases tax revenue for the county.”
A light snow season this year may lead to an early opening for Middle Canyon, which started paid camping in 2014. Middle Canyon has 42 campsites.
Middle Canyon might open around the first of May, according to Brown.
“We’ve been up to the top of the canyon and there is no snow,” he said. “Last year we didn’t get into Middle Canyon until Memorial Day weekend, but if weather permits, we may get it open earlier this year. But we usually coordinate opening Middle Canyon with Salt Lake County’s opening of the road up Butterfield Canyon.”