Rock Canyon
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- Sites
- 64 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 14 notices
In the agency’s own words
Rock Canyon Campground is located on scenic Squaw Peak Road, far above Utah Valley at an elevation of 6,500 feet. Visitors enjoy exploring local trails. Keep reading
Recreation
Rock Canyon Trail begins in the campground, offering excellent hiking and biking opportunities. The Squaw Peak Trail to the summit of Squaw Peak can be accessed just outside the campground. Squaw Peak Road is open to mountain biking. Rock Canyon is a rock climber's paradise, with hundreds of climbing routes available.
Facilities
This primitive campground contains four group sites, each named after a notable figure in U.S. Forest Service history. Sites contain picnic tables and campfire circles; some have serving tables. Vault toilets are provided. Roads and parking spurs are gravel. A host is located at nearby Hope Campground.
Natural Features
This isolated campground is forested with dense stands of maple, scrub oak and fir trees, which offer plentiful shade. Grassy meadows and wildflowers dot this beautiful area. Stunning views of Rock Canyon and a sliver of Utah Valley are visible from a turnout just before the campground. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (385) 273-1100.
Nearby Attractions
Part of the Wasatch Mountain Range, situated between American Fork Canyon on the north and Provo Canyon on the south, Mount Timpanogos Wilderness offers abundant rugged terrain embellished with waterfalls and summer wildflowers. You'll find forget-me-nots, alpine buttercups, bluebells, and columbine blooming in high alpine meadows. There are also outstanding glacial cirques and moraines. You'll have an excellent chance of spotting Rocky Mountain goats in the Emerald Lake area, as well as mule deer, elk, and moose. There are about 17 miles of maintained trails accessible from two trailheads: Timpooneke and Mount Timpanogos. Both trails lead to the summit of Mount Timpanogos at 11,753 feet. The stretch between Timpooneke and Aspen Grove is 12 miles long and passes through the heart of the area.
Charges & Cancellations
Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under "Late Cancellations" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees. Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure. Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as "Recreation.gov 877-444-6777." Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July 2018.
What the agency tells you
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
No water available on site; bring all water needed for your stay including drinking water
Dogs or Domestic Pets Owners must -Control the dog by a leash not to exceed six feet (6’) at all times -Clean up dog feces immediately -Limit two dogs per campsite Do not allow dogs to -Rush, threaten, or attack people/animals -Obstruct or interfere with people, vehicles, or property -Cause damage to vegetation, habitat, or harass wildlife
Everything else this campground posts · 11
Campground Etiquette and Rules Gates open at 7am, Gates close at 10pm Quiet Hours are 10pm to 6am No generators after 10pm Camping is allowed only within the designated space provided. Do not go beyond the boundaries of your site Maximum 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 prohibited in the campground Leave No Trace -Put all garbage in dumpsters, when provided, or properly stored in your vehicle or bear box -Remove all personal property and trash when leaving -Unclean campsites will be reported to the District Ranger LEO -Leaving food/trash in an unoccupied campsite may result in a $5,000 fine This is a 'pack it in, pack it out' facility; please bring garbage bags 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 Max Vehicle Length includes tow vehicle
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 -SR 92 road is very narrow. Max length of vehicle and trailer longer than 30 feet is not recommended. Much of Squaw Peak Road is narrow, steep and winding
Please check-in with the host at Hope Campground on your way to the site.
Advance Reservations Reservations are required and must be made at least 5 days in advance Walk-ins/first come first serve not available for these sites
Firewood -$9 (available at Hope campground)
Please understand that camping is an outdoor experience; we do not give refunds for weather or natural conditions Cancellations within 24 hours prior to arrival date will forfeit the entire use fee. Group Site Cancellations within 14 days will forfeit entire use fee No-shows, early departures, or cancellations after the arrival date are not entitled to a refund Failure to arrive at the campsite by 12pm the day after scheduled arrival and does not cancel the reservation, will forfeit site and 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 here for more info about the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest For more info, call Pleasant Grove Ranger District at 801-785-3563 or Utah Recreation at 385-273-1100 Visit our website gocamputah.com or 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 info 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
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 6 · 4 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 20 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- VAULT TOILETS on 4 of 6 campsite records
Around the campground
- On the water
- Waterfall, Lake, Meadow
- Biking
- Hiking
- Mountain biking
- Picnicking
- Climbing
- Night sky · 454th darkest of 458 in UT
- Bortle 5
- Fall color · reported 10 days ago, 10 km away
- Past peak
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 4 of the 6 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
“Cash, Check, or Scan & Pay (with recreation.gov app) 3 Overnight Group Sites - $111.00 , capacity - 45 people 1 Overnight Group Site - $208.00 , capacity - 90 people Extra Vehicle - $10.00 per vehicle Firewood - $9.00…” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own fee record
“Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees - Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. - Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservat…” · this campground’s own no-show terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 7
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
6 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 4 mapped sitesAll 6 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 4 of the 6 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 6 of the 6 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| ROCA | Albert F. Potter | group standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 177 ft | 1,328 ft | 210 ft | $98.30–$184.20 |
| ROCA | Aldo Leopold | group standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 243 ft | 1,267 ft | 386 ft | $98.30–$184.20 |
| ROCA | Gifford Pinchot | group standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 177 ft | 1,265 ft | 234 ft | $98.30–$184.20 |
| ROCA | Vivian West | group standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 243 ft | 1,429 ft | 182 ft | $98.30–$184.20 |
| S&P | Group Large, S&P | type not stated | 20 ft | $98.30–$184.20 | |||
| S&P | Group Small, S&P | type not stated | 20 ft | $98.30–$184.20 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
HopeUinta National Forest · 3.0 mi
CherryUinta National Forest · 8.8 mi
Theater in the Pines9.4 mi
Mt. TimpanogosUinta National Forest · 9.6 mi
WhitingUinta National Forest · 9.8 miBalsam CampgroundUinta National Forest · 11 miFrom I-15, take exit 272 toward 800 North/Highway 52. Proceed east on 800 North to the mouth of Provo Canyon. Go left into the canyon on Highway 189 for 2 miles to the Squaw Peak Road turnoff. Turn right onto Squaw Peak Road and continue 9.5 miles to the campground. The first 5 miles of Squaw Peak Road are paved. The last 4.5 miles to the campground are on maintained dirt/gravel.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Provo, UT
Typical weather
Typical October night 31°F, day 59°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 15°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Rock Canyon is in Utah’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Mike Kennedy (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →