What to know about hiking trails and campgrounds this Memorial Day weekend
May 25, 2023, 7:00 PM
Water rushes down Big Cottonwood Creek in Big Cottonwood Canyon as outdoor recreation officials call for attention to safety at a press conference on Friday, April 14, 2023. The officials encouraged people to stay away from the spring runoff water and use extreme caution with kids and animals when around water. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah has begun to warm up, a lot of snow is melting in the canyons. What does this mean for hiking trails and campgrounds as we near Memorial Day weekend?
In a special episode of Dave and Dujanovic broadcast live from Big Cottonwood Canyon, co-hosts Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic share a few tips and tricks on things to know during your Memorial Day weekend outings.
Hiking trails this Memorial Day weekend
Noriega and Dujanovic spoke with a local hiker familiar with Big Cottonwood Canyon. According to the hiker, snow is melting on a lot of the “low altitude” trails.
“The trails near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon are the low altitude trails … [they] seem to be opening up because the low altitude snow is melting,” he told the co-hosts. “Bell Canyon Trail down by Little Cottonwood and Ferguson Canyon Trail are both opening up for people.”
The local hiker does advise that people stay out of and away from creeks, especially if they have pets.
So, what about campgrounds?
In addition to hiking trails, Noriega and Dujanovic discussed the state of many of Utah’s campgrounds.
Devan Chavez with the Utah Department of Natural Resources said there are “quite a few (camp)sites available” in several state parks.
“There are sites at all the big places that you would expect like Antelope Island, Bear Lake [and] Jordanelle,” he said. “Now, even some cabins are still available … at Kodachrome Basin State Park.”
However, he said the campsites go quickly. Luckily, statepark.utah.gov makes it easy to reserve a spot. Just click “reserve,” according to Chavez.
“We’ve actually added a ‘camping this weekend’ button that you can click, and it’ll show you all the different state parks that have availability for this coming weekend,” he said.
Listen to the full segment below.
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
