About Spruces - Big Cottonwood
Number of accommodations: 96
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Fishing
Hiking
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Rates, Sites & Availability
96 Sites Available
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Site Details
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96 Sites Available
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Reviews (312)
What Guests Are Saying
The campground at Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon offers beautiful scenery, friendly staff, and well-maintained sites, making it a popular choice for campers. Many visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, great hiking options, and clean facilities, despite some complaints about the restroom situation and water availability. While there have been issues with locked bathrooms and high traffic on weekends, overall experiences highlight the campground's charm and natural beauty.
What Guests Are Saying
The campground at Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon offers beautiful scenery, friendly staff, and well-maintained sites, making it a popular choice for campers. Many visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, great hiking options, and clean facilities, despite some complaints about the restroom situation and water availability. While there have been issues with locked bathrooms and high traffic on weekends, overall experiences highlight the campground's charm and natural beauty.
Review Summary
hector m
VerifiedSeptember 4, 2025 • Stayed at: 085, Loop: UPPR
peaceful and beautiful, this has become our favorite location and the staff is so nice and helpful..
Robin P
VerifiedSeptember 4, 2025 • Stayed at: 058, Loop: UPPR
Flush toilets are not functioning. Port-a-potties in place.
Allie M
VerifiedSeptember 4, 2025 • Stayed at: 049, Loop: UPPR
Alway love camping at Spruces! They have everything you need for everyone from campsite close to each other to one's more isolated. Have gone here for years and will continue to for many more!
Joan K
VerifiedSeptember 2, 2025 • Stayed at: 035, Loop: LOWR
THE RESTROOMS HAVE BEEN LOCKED ALL SUMMER AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO ONE WORKING ON FIXING THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEWAGE SYSTEM. WE LOVE GOING TO THE SPRUSES AND HAVE BEEN GOING THERE FOR MANY YEARS.
SOME OF THE SITES ARE RESERVED SO NO ONE CAN USE THEM AND THE PE0PLE NEVER SHOW UP.
THERE SHOULD BE AN ACCOUNTABLE SYSTEM THAT WOULD WORK BETTER.
Mike B
VerifiedSeptember 1, 2025 • Stayed at: 013, Loop: LOWR
Friendly staff, clean site, and beautiful location!
John T
VerifiedSeptember 1, 2025 • Stayed at: 062, Loop: UPPR
Disappointing the restrooms and water not working.
Katsí P
VerifiedAugust 27, 2025 • Stayed at: 071, Loop: UPPR
The camp ground is beautiful. The camp hosts were nice, I just wish there was some sort of schedule as to how often they come around. We had a hard time tracking them down to get firewood even though we were two camp sites away. There was drinking water available but no restrooms, only porta potties. They were very clean on Friday but were getting a little full Sunday. Campsite 71 was beautiful and private. No back in, so not a great spot for trailers or car camping. There were two parking spaces perpendicular to the camp site. There was a slight hill to bring things back and forth, so a wagon is recommended for hauling stuff. Space for two tents. Access to river. The bees were a little annoying, there seemed to be a little underground next in the site, but the smoke from a fire helped. You could hear cars from the highway but the river drowned it out at night. Overall, great experience with this campground and campsite. I would definitely recommend and come back again.
Lisa p
VerifiedAugust 17, 2025 • Stayed at: GRP5, Loop: GRUP - OVERNIGHT
Wary, clean
Sarah A
VerifiedAugust 15, 2025 • Stayed at: 040, Loop: UPPR
Great campground near lots of nice hiking. There was no running water when we were there but it was not a big deal---the port-o-potties were very clean. We have a large tent--our site had an ample area for setting it up but we would have had trouble fitting it into some of the sites we walked past.
Twila M
VerifiedAugust 12, 2025 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: LOWR
Non working bathrooms because they don't want to fix a water leak is very inconvenient
Location Spruces - Big Cottonwood
Address:
Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd
Salt Lake City, UT, 84121
United States
Latitude & Longitude: 40.6406 / -111.636
Elevation: 2251 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check out time
12PM
General
- This Campground is in Bear Country - Always store food and trash securely to avoid attracting wildlife - Failure to comply may result in fines up to $5,000, removal from your campsite and/or imprisonment - Remember, a fed bear is a dead bear; your actions can save lives
- Dogs are NOT allowed (only service animals) and owner may be fined $650 This is a watershed area; -Visitors will be fined for bringing domestic pets or livestock into the area -Wading and playing in the water is not allowed
- Gates open at 7am, close at 10pm. Camping is allowed only within the designated space provided. Do not go beyond the boundaries of your site. Max occupancy is 8 people per single site. Reserved campsites will be held until 12pm on the day following your scheduled arrival date. Horses/Off-road vehicles are strictly prohibited in the campground. Leave No Trace. Cleaning fish, animals, or bathing where drinking water is supplied is strictly prohibited. Fireworks or other explosives are prohibited. Discharging of a firearm in the campground is not allowed. No fighting or boisterous behavior. Be courteous to your fellow visitor. Keep noise at a reasonable level. No amplified music is allowed in USDA Forest Service campgrounds and facilities. People come to the campgrounds for peace and quiet.
- This is a 'pack it in, pack it out' facility; please bring trash bags
- There is a 2-night minimum stay on weekends; 3-night minimum stay on holiday weekends
- Trailers/Campers and RVs: Come with your RV/trailer water tank filled. Hooking up to spigots or the power in the restrooms, even for medical devices is strictly prohibited
- First Come First Served (FF) sites For reservable sites, reservations must be made at least 5 days in advance You must claim a FF site in person on the day you wish to check-in A site listed as FF does not guarantee availability, Recreation.gov does not update FF occupancy The only way to know if an FF site is available is to arrive at the campground on the day you plan to check-in Availability cannot be predicted Many sites are in remote locations, we cannot contact camp hosts about availability Recommended arrival times vary by day. Weekends and holidays typically fill more quickly To claim an FF site, you must be present, occupy the site, and pay at that time There is no waiting list for FF sites
- Extra Vehicle -$10 per vehicle, per day (paid on-site cash/check) Firewood -$9
- If you booked at a discount without a Senior or Access pass, you'll need to pay the difference in cash/check upon arrival. Only Senior or Access passes qualify for discounts and proof of ownership upon arrival is required
- Off-road vehicles are not allowed in the canyon.
- Please understand that camping is an outdoor experience; we do not give refunds or credits for weather or natural conditions. Cancellations within 24 hours prior to arrival date will forfeit the entire use fee and a $10 cancellation fee. No-shows, early departures, or cancellations after the arrival date are not entitled to a refund. If a guest does not arrive at the campsite by 12pm the day after scheduled arrival and does not cancel the reservation, will be charged a $20 service fee and forfeit the first-night use fee.
- For more information on visiting Bear Country visit wildawareutah.org wildlife.utah.gov For campground Rules and Regulations visit gocamputah.com/rules
- Click herefor more info about the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest -For more info, call Salt Lake Ranger District at 801-733-2660 opt 3 or Utah Recreation at 385-273-1100 -Visit our website gocamputah.comor Facebook facebook.com/letsgocamputah To reserve a campsite call Recreation.gov reservation line 1-877-444-6777
- Don't Move Firewood: Help prevent the spread of tree-killing pests in our national forests by obtaining firewood within 10 miles of your destination and burning it on-site. For more information click here
- Please note: Utah Recreation is not responsible for accident or injury to any person or property resulting from the use of this facility and is not responsible for the loss of money or valuables of any kind. The user of this permit assumes full and complete responsibility for the conduct and actions of all members in their party
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Last updated: June 4, 2026
