Kaysville Wilderness Park

¼ hr + 10 min hike T

This is a nice wooded area with a few great camping spots. This is also called East Mountain Wilderness Park on google maps. They have recently added some new metal fire pits/grills and picnic tables. There is a water fountain and restrooms in the parking lot, but they are closed in winter (there is a porta-potty instead). There are a lot of nice biking trails here. See 'Mountain Biking Layton to Kaysville' under 'Other Great Scouting Ideas' for a fun biking and camping trip. There is also a compass course set up that you could do for an activity. Look for the starting post on your way in on a post on the right side of the dirt road. It is a real challenge.

This could be used in the winter as well. The main trail is usually well packed and you could use tarps to drag extra gear in. You could find a closer site that isn't very level in the summer and use the snow to make it level. There is a place that could work if you take the trail that goes north directly from the parking lot (not the main trail above the parking lot) and curves to the right.

There are four established sites with picnic tables and fire pits. They can be reserved a few weeks ahead at the Kaysville City web site:

https://secure.rec1.com/UT/kaysville-ut/catalog/index?filter=bG9jYXRpb24lNUI4ODMwJTVEPTEmc2VhcmNoPQ .

There is a map of the sites at: https://www.kaysvillecity.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Wilderness-Park-13 . The campsites also show up on Google Maps now.

If you reserve a site and someone is there, ask them to move. There is a sign at the entrance to the park where they post the reserved site dates. So check that before you use an established site. There have always been other troops that just show up and there are other places to camp. Fires are supposed to be off the ground, so take a fire bowl or something unless you reserved an an established site.

The park is east of highway 89 on 650 North in Kaysville/Fruit Heights just between the Animal Shelter and the Wahsatch shooting range. From Highway 89 go east on 200 or 400 North (the road changes here) Kaysville and take an immediate left. There is a large parking lot on the north side of the road where you have to park and pack in from ¼ mile to ½ a mile. The trail in is just above the parking lot off of 650 North heading north. Some of the better spots are further back. A wheelbarrow makes it nice for hauling gear. Don't bother taking firewood since there is plenty there, and it needs to be cleaned up anyway.

The Johnson site can be easier accessed from the north. There is an unnamed road off of the frontage road by Green Ridge Christmas Trees.

This is the Howard site and is about a half a mile in on the right.

This is the Johnson site and it about a mile in, the largest site. Follow the main trail going in keeping to the left until you see the sign shown below.