The drive up SR-101 and how the canyon is laid out
State Route 101 Paved to Hardware Ranch Gravel spurs branch off
The canyon mouth is right at Hyrum's shoulder. From the junction of SR-165 and SR-101 on the south edge of town, State Route 101 heads east and slips into the canyon within a couple of minutes, then follows the Blacksmith Fork River upstream. The first several miles are paved, easy and family friendly, the kind of drive you can do in any car with kids in the back, and pullouts along the river make natural stops for a picnic or a few casts.
Partway up, around six to seven miles in, the Left Hand Fork road branches off to the south. That is the gravel side canyon that leads to the Spring and Friendship campgrounds and the Richards Hollow trailhead, and it is where most of the fishing and OHV traffic peels away. Stay on the main highway instead and it keeps climbing along the river toward the upper end of the canyon and Hardware Ranch, roughly 15 miles up from Hyrum.
Two things are worth knowing before you go. Cell coverage drops off fast once you are in the canyon, and there are no services past town, so fuel up and carry water. And this is bear country: the campgrounds post food storage rules for a reason, so keep a clean camp whether you are staying the night or just stopping to eat.
The details
The three campgrounds, Pioneer, Spring and Friendship
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Vault toilets, no water
Blacksmith Fork Canyon has three developed forest campgrounds, and they are small, plain and quiet by design. Pioneer is the biggest and the closest, sitting right on the Blacksmith Fork River about nine miles up the main highway at roughly 5,600 feet, with 17 single sites tucked under box elder and willow. It is the one most people picture when they think of camping in the canyon, and its riverside sites go early on summer weekends.
The other two are up the Left Hand Fork road. Spring Campground is a tiny spot, only three single sites, about twelve miles up at roughly 6,000 feet, the highest and most primitive of the three. Friendship Campground is another few miles on, about fifteen miles up at roughly 5,600 feet, with five single family sites and one group site that holds a larger party. All three have vault toilets and picnic tables and fire rings, and none has drinking water, so you pack in every drop you plan to use.
Because these are concessionaire run forest campgrounds, the open dates, fees and reservation windows shift from year to year. Check Recreation.gov or the Logan Ranger District for the current season and to reserve a site rather than banking on a walk up spot in July.
| Pioneer | Spring | Friendship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance up | About 9 miles | About 12 miles | About 15 miles |
| Setting | On the Blacksmith Fork River, off SR-101 | Up the Left Hand Fork road | Up the Left Hand Fork road |
| Sites | 17 single | 3 single | 5 single, 1 group |
| Elevation | About 5,600 ft | About 6,000 ft | About 5,600 ft |
| Season | Summer, confirm dates | Summer, confirm dates | About early May to early October |
The details
Before you go
- No drinking water at any of the three campgrounds. Pack in all the water you will need.
- This is bear country. Follow the posted food storage rules and keep a clean camp.
- Pioneer's riverside sites fill first on summer weekends; reserve ahead when you can.
- Confirm current open dates, fees and stay limits on Recreation.gov before you count on a site.
Fishing the Blacksmith Fork and the Left Hand Fork
Wild brown and rainbow Native Bonneville cutthroat
The fishing is a big part of why the canyon draws so many Cache Valley regulars. The main Blacksmith Fork River, right along SR-101, holds wild brown trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and cutthroat, and the lower river gets stocked with rainbows, so it fishes well for beginners and old hands alike. Fish tend to run in the modest, catchable range rather than trophy size, which suits a relaxed afternoon on the water.
Turn up the Left Hand Fork and the character changes. That side stream and its little tributaries hold stronger populations of native Bonneville cutthroat trout, Utah's state fish, which the Division of Wildlife Resources works to protect across the Bear River Range. It is smaller, tighter water than the main river, more of a hike and wade than a roadside cast.
Rules and limits vary by stretch, and special regulations can apply where native cutthroat are the focus, so read the current Utah fishing guidebook for the section you plan to fish before you drop a line. A Utah fishing license is required for anyone of licensing age.
The details
Trails and ATV routes up the Left Hand Fork
Richards Hollow Shared hiking and OHV routes
Most of the canyon's trail action is up the Left Hand Fork side. The Left Hand Fork road itself is the main artery, a graded route that hikers, bikers and OHV riders all share, with the first few miles gentle enough for families before it climbs into rougher country. Off it, the best known route is Richards Hollow, which leaves the Left Hand Fork road and climbs toward Forest Road 052.
Richards Hollow is used by both hikers and riders. The signed trailhead sits up the road past Friendship Campground, with a small parking turnaround and a restroom. On foot it is a pretty climb past a waterfall; on a machine it earns its difficulty rating from at least one rocky, technical side hill section that takes some care. In spring it can be muddy and the creek crossings run high.
OHV and ATV access in the canyon is on designated forest routes only, and open routes and rules change from year to year. Before you ride, pull the current motor vehicle use map for the Logan Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and check for any seasonal or wildlife closures, so you know which roads and trails are open the day you go.
The details
Check the season and the current OHV rules before you go. The gravel side roads and campgrounds run on a summer season and can be muddy or gated in the shoulder months, and the creek crossings on the Left Hand Fork trails run high and cold during spring runoff. Confirm current road status, campground dates and food storage rules with the Logan Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest first.
Ride only open, designated routes. OHV and ATV use in the canyon is limited to routes shown open on the current motor vehicle use map, and seasonal or wildlife closures can change year to year. Pull the current map and check for closures rather than assuming a route from last season is still open.
