Between July 2025 and June 2026, Jordanelle State Park logged 828,300 visits, according to TownLift's report on Utah State Parks visitation. That made it the sixth busiest of Utah's 46 state parks. Most of those visits are built around boats, beaches and campsites, and that version of the park is now mostly packed away. Since October 31, the campgrounds have been closed until May 1, the Marina Store is shut for the winter, and docks, fish-cleaning stations and restrooms are being closed in stages as the temperature drops.
What's left is roughly 22 miles of trail, a wetland boardwalk, and a reservoir sitting low after the irrigation season. For Hideout Canyon, the closest entrance to all of it sits on SR-248.
Half the summer price, entered from your side of the water
On November 1, the park switched to its off-season fee schedule, which runs through April. Prices dropped at every access point, and at Ross Creek, the entrance closest to Hideout Canyon, the vehicle fee was cut in half.
| Entry at Ross Creek | Peak season, May–Oct | Off-season, Nov–Apr |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle, per day | $20 | $10 |
| Senior vehicle, 65+ | $10 | $5 |
| Pedestrian or walk-in, per person | $5 | $3 |
| Day-use cabanas and pavilions | $50 cabana, $250 pavilion | Free, first come, first served; day-use fee still applies |
The cabana change is easy to miss. In summer a cabana costs $50 and covers one vehicle. Through April, cabanas and pavilions go to whoever arrives first and pays the regular day-use fee.
If a household plans to make Jordanelle a weekly habit through spring, the 2026 Utah State Parks annual day-use pass costs $125, or $65 for Utah residents 65 and older. It covers the passholder and up to seven guests in one private vehicle. At $10 per visit, the pass pays for itself on the thirteenth off-season trip. It also lets a carload of Thanksgiving guests in on one entry.
What still works after the shutdown
Utah State Parks says the park "never closes its gates." Day use runs 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. all year, and the Ross Creek day-use gate runs 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Here's how the winter setup sorts out, per the park's winter guidance:
- Roads: All day-use access roads are plowed through the winter.
- Boat ramps: The main and PWC ramps at Hailstone are plowed until the reservoir ices over. A seasonal wedge dock stays at both ramps until then.
- Restrooms: Hailstone keeps heated restrooms at the top of the main ramp and at the PWC ramp.
- Lodging: Cottages can be reserved year-round. All other camping is closed for the season.
- Fishing: The fish-cleaning stations are shut. Once the reservoir freezes, ice fishing begins, and anglers may use OHVs only to get from the ramps onto the ice.
The park also points to its elevation, saying the air there "is free from inversions/settling pollution." That's worth knowing as the valley inversion season approaches.
Ross Creek, the north arm and two short loops
The state's 2026 Jordanelle brochure places the Ross Creek Trailhead off SR-248 between Park City and Kamas. It has parking, trash cans, two vault restrooms, hitching posts, and non-motorized access to both the reservoir and the Perimeter Trail. The vault restrooms are included in the park's gradual seasonal shutdown, so the heated ones at Hailstone are the only sure option once it gets cold.
The trailhead also runs two loops sized for a quick outing before dinner:
- Wada Way, a 1.85-mile loop
- Keetley, a 1.69-mile loop
For a longer day, Ross Creek is also a doorway onto the Perimeter Trail, which runs from Crandall Point near Hailstone through Ross Creek and ends at Rock Cliff. The park lists the full trail at 22 miles. It's non-motorized, with hiking, biking and horseback riding allowed, and Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are welcome. The park also says Ross Creek gives anglers access to the reservoir's north arm, "which is known for its bass fishing."
Dogs come with clear rules. They need a leash six feet or shorter on land, and they aren't allowed in public buildings. In the reservoir itself, the park allows them to swim off-leash.
What the low water left at Rock Cliff
The quiet season at the reservoir follows a busy fall below the surface. The Park Record reported in October that by the end of summer, the water had dropped far enough to expose the hills and cliffs along the shoreline. The paper explained that rising and falling water strips out shoreline plants. State biologists have linked that loss of cover to declining fish populations and to stunted smallmouth bass at Jordanelle.
On October 15, at the end of the irrigation season, crews from the park and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources put more than 150 artificial habitat structures into the Rock Cliffs section of the reservoir. They came in four types. Some give hiding spots to predator fish that wait for prey, and others shelter smaller and larval fish while they feed. The larger ones stand about five feet tall and are weighted with cinder blocks. They went in as clusters roughly 30 feet wide and 90 feet long.
Tyler Robinson, a DWR sport fish biologist who organized the project, told the Park Record that he expects the structures to be covered in algae and plants within a year. He added:
"If anglers can find these, it'll be a good area to fish."
Above the waterline, Rock Cliff is the gentlest walk the park has. Raised boardwalks and maintained trails pass through upland sage and wetland and end at a view of the Provo River flowing into the reservoir. The brochure mentions golden eagles and red-tailed hawks over the water, and mule deer, elk and moose grazing along the river at Rock Cliff. The park and the Wasatch Mountain Institute have reopened the Rock Cliff Nature Center and are rebuilding it into an education center with programs year-round. Hours change, and the park asks visitors to call the Hailstone office first. Once snow arrives, the Nature Center rents snowshoes in sizes from child to adult.
A Black Friday walk, then enchiladas in Kamas
The park's free Holiday Waddle is on Friday, November 27, from 10 to 11 a.m. It starts at the 3-Rocks Trailhead at Rock Cliff and goes to the overlook, a moderate one-mile round trip that the park describes as family friendly and open to leashed dogs. The hike itself is free, but regular park entry fees apply. It may be canceled because of weather or trail conditions, and the event page posts updates.
By the time the walk wraps up, Pa'l Corazón at 30 N. Main St. in Kamas has been open for lunch since 11. The Park Record profiled the restaurant after it opened in September following four months of renovation. Owner Hugo Leonardo, who also runs Leonardo's market and taquería in Park City, builds most of the menu from family recipes from Guerrero. The enchiladas divorciadas come with two different salsas and crumbled queso fresco instead of melted cheese, with rice and beans in a heart-shaped dish on the side. The seafood dishes draw on Acapulco, and the dessert menu includes a chocolate tres leches cake. There are 10 tables, and the Park Record reported they often fill. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
Further out, the park's calendar lists its annual First Day Hike at Rock Cliff on January 1, 2027, an easy two-mile round trip that looks out over the Provo River inlet and the reservoir. Off-season rates stay in place until May.
At Golden Eagle, the Jordanelle is the view outside every window, and this fall's low water has left more of its shoreline showing. Schedule a personal tour this month, and we'll walk you through the homesites that look out over the water.
