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Many of you may know by now, one of Matt’s and my favorite pastimes is going camping. We love being out in nature, sleeping under the stars with the cool breeze, and waking up to the rising sun.
Typically, when we go camping, we love to get out and hike to see the amazing views that that place has to offer.
A couple weekends ago, we decided to do things a little differently, and do a relaxing camping trip for a change.
This camping trip was going to be a family camping trip. My parents, younger sister, and older sister along with her family of 5, were supposed to join us for a night up Payson Canyon. Unfortunately, our plans for this trip changed last minute when my dad, mom, and younger sister all tested positive for COVID-19.
Instead of going up the canyon and hanging out the 10 of us, it ended up just being Matt and I. We were definitely sad that the rest of my family couldn’t join us, but we weren’t going to let that stop us from going camping (we will take any excuse to go camping!).
You can check out some of our favorite things we never go camping without here.
About Payson Lakes
Payson Lakes is a local favorite, whether you are going to camp for the night, or just going up for a day at the lake. It is popular and known for fishing, canoeing, paddle-boarding, and swimming. Payson Lakes is well-liked for its fun recreational activities, it’s beautiful scenery, and it’s location from town. Conveniently, it is located just 12 miles from Payson, Utah.
Payson Lakes consists of three lakes: McClelland, Box and Big East Lakes, with the most popular and biggest lake being Big East Lake. This lake has a small beach area, flushing toilets, and picnic tables. The lake is surrounded by a paved nature path with many outlets, at which you can relax, fish, or swim.
Payson Lakes Campground
Payson Lakes campground consists of three different loops that include both single and double campsites and lots of sites for RV’s. Each site has it’s own picnic table and in-ground fire pit. Many of the sites are shaded and are surrounded by aspen, pine, and fir trees that provide sufficient privacy between sites.
Payson Lakes campground fills up quick with reservations. We had to reserve ours months ahead of time. We booked the campsite for a Friday and Saturday night.
We left for Payson Lakes as soon as Matt got home from work. Once we got there, we set up camp and started a fire. For dinner we roasted cheddar sausage and hotdogs and for dessert we made my favorite: campfire cones!
Campfire cones are really easy and so yummy, especially when camping. This year, we pre-made our cones at home, wrapped them in tinfoil, and put them in a bag so that when we were ready for dessert, they just needed to be put onto the fire to get warm and gooey. This ended up working so great, and we didn’t have melted chocolate and marshmallows sitting in the car or the cooler.
To make campfire cones, simply purchase some waffle cones and fill them up with whatever sounds yummy to you. My favorites are: mini marshmallows, milk chocolate chips, and Reese’s peanut butter chips. Matt’s favorite is: mini marshmallows, milk chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips, but we have also tried white chocolate chips, Andes mints, and Heath toffee bits.
After dinner, we played some games, relaxed, and read before going to sleep.
In the morning we made a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and potatoes. A friendly neighborhood camper’s puppy ran over to hang out with us for a bit. I’m sure he smelled the bacon we were cooking. 🙂
After breakfast, we decided to head out to Big East Lake to try some fishing. We got to the lake around 10:30 and it was already really crowded, but what else can you expect on a Saturday morning at a beautiful mountain lake, right?
We were lucky to find a spot in the parking lot beside the lake. We grabbed our poles and our tackle box and started walking along the paved trail to the opposite end of the lake. Most of the little outlets along the trail were already claimed, but we managed to snag one before the rest of the crowds arrived.
We tried fishing for about 45 minutes, hardly long enough, I know. But unfortunately, because there were so many people on the lake, kayakers just couldn’t resist floating over our lines. Eventually, we had had enough. The lake was getting extremely crowded and loud, and we came up to be in nature. So, we packed up and started heading back to camp.
As we were leaving, we noticed that because the parking lot was full, there were tons of cars lining the side of the road leading down to the lake. This just re-confirmed our choice to leave the lake and head back to camp where we knew it wouldn’t be so busy. (So, if you are going to come up to Payson Lakes, make sure to get here early!)
When we got back to camp, we played some more games, relaxed a bit more, and even took a nap. It was wonderful and so quiet, since everyone else was down at the lake. After having another sausage and hotdog dinner, we decided to pack up camp and head home so that we could be at church the next morning.
This camping trip was so different than the trips we usually take. We loved not having a set plan and being able to relax to our hearts’ content. We definitely would recommend Payson Lakes to anyone who likes camping and wants somewhere that is close.
However, because of all our other BLM (Bureau of Land Management – meaning free camping on public land) camping earlier this year, we have decided that the isolation that BLM camping provides is just too good to give up. This was such a fun and relaxing weekend, but we can’t wait to go back and camp in the middle of nowhere again.
Let us know in the comments below where your favorite place is to camp!
Until next time!
We have been to Payson Lakes too! It was just as you described it! Close and a great camping spot!