Utah is home to 2 of the nation’s hardest to book campgrounds. Here’s how to secure a spot.

These days, happy campers are those who plan ahead.

In the past year, at least 84 million people camped in America, and among them, 5.5 million were first-time campers, according to a recent report from the camping app Dyrt.

That means campgrounds are becoming increasingly hard to secure. The report stated that about 45% of campers find sites already sold out when they try to book a spot.

Some campgrounds are more competitive than others, whether due to their location, amenities or stunning views. The No. 1 most in-demand campground in the country is a tie between the Nevada Beach Campground near Lake Tahoe and the Twelvemile Beach Campground near Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, according to Dyrt data. The coveted locations are fully booked 99.4% of the time.

But Utah is one of the only states home to two of the nation’s hardest to book campgrounds. They are:

• Devils Garden Campground, located in Arches National Park near Moab — fully booked 99.2% of the time, making it 3rd on Dyrt’s list.

• Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park — booked 95.9% of the time, coming in at spot No. 8.

Devils Garden Campground (Arches)

Devils Garden is the only campground in Arches National Park, offering 51 campsites nestled in the shadow of Skyline Arch.

The park itself is relatively small, traversed by a main road that covers about 18 miles in its entirety. With well over 1.5 million visitors a year, “it makes sense that the campground would be difficult to book,” said Karen Garthwait, spokesperson for the Southeast Utah Group of national parks and monuments.

During peak season, which spans March through October, the campground is only accessible with a reservation. Devils Garden is available for booking up to six months in advance. Two big party campsites, which can accommodate up to 25 people, can be booked a full year in advance — and they often are, Garthwait said.

Campers come from all over to the small, red-rocked park. “Utah license plates are not in the vast majority,” she said.

For those willing to brave the chilly nights of winter camping, Devils Garden is much more available. From November through February, it is first come, first served. During that time, the campground’s vacancy usually depends on the weather. Garthwait encourages visitors to consider off-season camping, saying, “it is a totally different way to experience the park.”

Devils Campground will likely remain the only camping option inside the park for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve all heard that song about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot, right?” said Garthwait, citing the song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell. “So one of the challenges of managing public lands is trying to strike that balance between preserving the place that people are coming here to experience and providing the infrastructure that is appropriate to meet that demand.”

Reservations for the Devils Garden Campground can be made through recreation.gov. Fees vary, but standard individual sites cost $25 a night.

If the popular campground is already booked, visitors can still stay in the area at campgrounds outside of the park. Many of those options are first come, first served, said Garthwait.

Fruita Campground (Capitol Reef)

The Fruita Campground is Capitol Reef’s only developed campground, with 71 individual campsites. Reservations are accepted and encouraged six months ahead of time.

“In recent years, there has been a steady increase in overnight stays in Fruita,” said Gloria Kann, who works with the campground’s fee program. She noted that the number of visitors has increased by more than 10,000 in the past decade.

Visitors usually stay for about two nights in the lush river valley, enjoying green grass and red cliffs, she said. It costs $25 a night.

The campground features picnic tables, fire pits, grills and restrooms with running water and flush toilets. Out of all of its amenities, the campground’s nearby fruit orchards might be the biggest draw.

“Capitol Reef has heirloom varieties of cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples, and pears growing in orchards,” said Kann. While visitors do have to pay to take fruit home, it’s free to enjoy within the orchard — fresh from the source.

“There’s nothing better than eating a perfectly ripened, sun-warmed apricot or peach that practically falls off the tree into your hand,” said Kann.

Unlike shopping in a grocery store, consumers at Fruita’s orchards will be able to tell when the produce is perfectly ripe. Kann shared a helpful tip: “If you have to tug on the fruit, it is not ready yet.”

Campsites can be reserved on recreation.gov from March 1 through Oct. 31. From Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, all campsites are first come, first served.

Visitors are encouraged to explore recreation.gov’s free alert system, which notifies them if a site is available for their preferred date.

Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.