Weekend expected to be full of activities — and crowds
Recreation outlook good for July 4th weekend
But, weekend travelers can also expect to bump into other travelers wherever they go.
They can, for example, expect most of the campgrounds to be full, the high country to be snowpacked and some of the scheduled activities to be crowded.
There were still some openings midweek for camp spots in some of the state parks. The most accessible were Antelope Island (14), Green River (23), Rock Cliff at Jordanelle (10), Snow Canyon (16), Starvation (18), Wasatch (11) and Yuba (42).
There were also overnight group sites open at Green River, Kodachrome Basin, Snow Canyon and Yuba, and day-use sites open at Huntington, Jordanelle, Rockport, Scofield, Snow Canyon, Willard Bay and Wasatch.
All of the ramps at state park reservoirs are open and are launching boats. While water temperatures are still a little cool at some sites, most are reaching the comfortable level.
The water temperature at Bear Lake this week, for example, was 63 degrees. Flaming Gorge was 64, Deer Creek was 57 and East Canyon was 58.
Most of the campsites within the national parks are on a first-come, first-served basis. The word from park officials, for those planning in-park stays, is "you should have been here yesterday."
Reserved sites in Zion National Park, for example, are full on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but there were a few openings on Monday, the day most people return home. Park officials say crowds start showing up on Wednesday.
Typically, camping spots are occupied days in advance of a holiday weekend.
The standard recommendation is that travelers would be wise to make reservations outside the parks and then make the drive into the park to spend the day.
The U.S. Forest Service reports that most of the available camping spots this weekend will be full.
Travelers can try and call for reservations, or then get into one of those open campgrounds on a first-come, first-served basis. Officials warn, however, that those sites will fill fast.
Campgrounds in the Ashley National Forest are open, with the exception of some higher-elevation sites that are still snow-covered.
All of the campgrounds in the Dixie, Fishlake and Manti-LaSal forests are open and water has been turned on.
In the Uinta National Forest, Wolf Creek campgrounds and the Nebo Loop Road are closed because of deep snow. The Tinney Flat campground in the Spanish Fork District is closed because of an avalanche.
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