Gooseberry Campground

Nice campground to spend the night in. Beautiful trees in the fall. Would have rated 5-stars except for the dead coyote 2 feet from my car door when I woke up.

A nice little campground. Nothing fancy. No campground host. It is a rather open campground. Most of the sites do not have trees/shrubs around them. Sites #12, 13 and 14 are the best for trees. We were in #12. It had a great place for a four-person tent, right next to the creek. There were several Red-naped Sapsuckers in the area we were excited about. We were there two nights on Wednesday/Thursday. We had the place to ourselves. The Gooseberry Rd is paved all the way to Fish Lake and is spectacular as it climbs to 10,500 feet of elevation. We also hiked the trail from the south side of the campground up to the saddle. The trail peters out in a few places in the grass, so be on guard.

I first visited in May 2020, fun trip started with hail and snow ended very sunny and perfect. came back September 2022. Planning again this September. Good base camp placement for a cooler place to stay if you are visiting Capitol Reef, The Swell, or Fishlake.

Solid campground. We were trying to reach dispersed campgrounds further up the mountain, but the roads were impassible with snow, and this was a nice fallback. $14/night, or $7 with America the Beautiful pass. Had a group site that would be fun for a large party. Vault toilets were nice, the lower one seemed to have a fly problem that the higher one did not.

Amazing campsite, easy to get to on paved road about 9 miles off the 70. Watch for cows along the way and in camp.. They are your alarm clock with their bellows! I stayed in Camp site 7, by the creek (and road, so if you are sensitive to the one off cars now and then, pick another site). Toilet and water directly across from this site, but not too close. Family of hummingbirds to keep you company and a lone mouse in the middle of the night (keep your trash secured). This site is perfect for tents and a truck or car. My tent is 12' when open and fit fine. Sturdy table and fire ring (bring your own wood) and stove shelf or prep area included in site. No garbage service so pack it in and out. It's cash only, so bring exact $10 and a pen to write on your envelope once you have selected your site. I arrived at 3.30pm on a Saturday late July and there were only 3 sites left, which went quickly. It does get really chilly at night, so pack according! Mornings in the summer will heat up quickly, but the minute the sun goes down, make sure you have your layers and a good 🔥. Salina, the town, is close and you can get supplies: wine, wood or food, easily and get back to site to enjoy the amazing stars. I camped alone and wasn't bothered except for the loud kids and barking dogs, but not enough to not go back. Highly recommended if you want a higher altitude camp site in the summer to cool down or on your way back from a road trip to Colorado. It's 5 hours from Vegas and about 7 hours from the Denver area.