Tucked into wetlands along the Provo River along the Jordanelle Reservoir’s eastern shore, Rock Cliff Campground is a staging point for adventures on the more natural side of Jordanelle State Park. Lacking the highly developed infrastructure of the park’s western shore, campers here will find greater seclusion and hiking options unavailable near Hailstone.
Rock Cliff Campground offers 48 walk-in campsites split into three loops—Riverbed, Aspen Grove, and Upland Meadow—across the Provo River from the Rock Cliff Nature Center. Of the 48 sites, six are ADA-accessible campsites with closer access from the parking lot. Sites are more private than those across the reservoir in Jordanelle State Park Campground, and many of them are enclosed with tree cover. The campground also offers hot showers and flush toilets—the experience here is natural, but not necessarily primitive.
The nearby Provo River is an enticing backdrop, creating a peaceful, natural atmosphere, and the nearby adventures mirror this quality. The day use area near the campground features a boat ramp, but it can only access the waters of the Jordanelle Reservoir when they are highest, in the spring. During the neap tide, so to speak, the area around the boat ramp becomes one of the reservoir’s best fishing spots, and anglers have access to a fish cleaning station here. Note that anglers are restricted from using bait along the Provo River near the campground; artificial lures only here. Accessible from the campground, the Perimeter Trail is more than 15 miles long and parallels the shore of the Jordanelle Reservoir. The Rock Cliff Nature Center is also nearby and features instructive dioramas of park ecology and a geocache adventure. The area surrounding the nature center is also a birding hotspot, and the center offers a birding checklist of species including the northern pintail, bufflehead, Pacific loon, and wild turkey.
Note: Rock Cliff Campground is open from May 15 though September 15 and may open later than typically scheduled in the spring due to flooding.
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