Utah Lake State Park is the end of West Center Street in Provo: drive west from downtown for about ten minutes and the road runs out at the gate. Inside is the most developed spot on the lake, with two marinas, the only public fuel dock on Utah Lake, a sand beach, a 31-site campground with hookups, a sailing school, a lakeside sauna, picnic pavilions, a disc golf course and the trail that now runs north into the restored Provo River Delta.
It is open every day of the year. It costs $20 a car in summer and $10 in winter. And it is, for most people in the valley, the place they mean when they say they are "going to the lake." This guide covers the park itself. For every other launch on the lake, see our Utah Lake marina guide; for the lake's ecology and history, our Utah Lake guide.
The basics
- Where: the west end of Center Street, Provo. Utah State Parks lists the address as 4398 West Center Street; other agencies use 4400.
- Drive: about 4.5 miles and 10 minutes from Center Street and University Avenue, by an OpenStreetMap routing estimate.
- Phone: (801) 375-0731.
- Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 to October 31; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. from November 1 to March 31.
- Elevation: about 4,500 feet.
- Drones: not allowed. The park is a no-fly zone because of the Provo airport next door.
What it costs (Utah State Parks, October 2026)
| Item | Season | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle day use | April to October | $20 |
| Vehicle day use, Utah seniors 65+ | April to October | $10 |
| Walk-in | April to October | $5 per person |
| Vehicle day use | November to March | $10 |
| Walk-in | November to March | $4 per person |
| Lakeshore Campground | Per night, first vehicle | $50 |
| Campground extra vehicle | Per night, maximum one | $40 |
| Old Ice Rink group pavilion | Per day, plus entry | $100 |
| Center Lawn group pavilion | Per day, plus entry (closed for construction) | $75 |
| Visitor center conference room | Per day, plus $50 deposit | $200 |
| Seasonal boat slip | April to October, annual pass required | $650 to $950 |
A Utah State Parks annual pass covers vehicle entry. For perspective, the BYU Daily Universe reported the entrance fee in May 2000 as $6.
The two marinas
Utah State Parks describes two marinas here, and they do different jobs.
The inner marina is the working harbor: four boat ramps, courtesy docks, a fueling dock with a marine pump-out, and lease docks. The park's concessionaire rents motorized and non-motorized craft from here. The Utah Lake Authority lists the park as the only public marina on Utah Lake with fuel, and notes a mast crane for sailboats.
The outer marina has the sandy beach and is set aside for swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking, so swimmers are not sharing water with boats backing down a ramp.
The park's ramp report names five ramps in total (Northwest, North Center, Northeast, the South Ramp at the marina, and a Provo River ramp) and in October 2026 listed all of them open "weather permitting," with a note that the South Ramp is the shallowest. That note matters this year: the federal snow survey put Utah Lake at about 50 percent of capacity on October 1, against 72 percent a year earlier.
Slips are fully rented for 2026. The park keeps two first-come waiting lists for 2027, for boats up to 27 feet and for large slips up to 52 feet, with a $30 application fee good from April to April.
Mussel rules: boaters must certify the boat is mussel free every time they launch. Boats that have been to Lake Powell or out of state must be professionally decontaminated or dried for 7 days in summer, 18 in spring and fall, 30 in winter, or 3 if winterized or freezing. Free professional decontamination is available by appointment.
The details for towing and sailing are in our guides to wakeboarding, waterskiing and tubing and sailing.
The beach, and the "Provo beach" confusion
Search for a beach in Provo and you will find two very different places. One is Provo Beach, the indoor surf and activity center at Riverwoods, which our Provo Beach guide covers. The other is the real lakeshore beach here, in the outer marina.
Two things to check before a beach day:
- The algae status. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality posts site-by-site harmful algal bloom updates for Utah Lake. In 2026 the whole lake went under a warning on July 30, and the state's September 30 update still listed a warning at the "State Park North Dike" site. (The park's own page showed "Algae: Clear" in mid-October; when the two disagree, go by the state's site-level update and its date.) Under a warning, the guidance is not to swim. Our algal bloom explainer walks through the levels.
- The bugs. The park warns that midges, non-biting flies that form columns along the roads from mid-spring through early fall, are the swarms that coat your windshield, and that mosquitoes are active over the same months. Repellent works on the mosquitoes.
The water is shallow and warms early. The Utah Lake Authority's access listing puts the average summer water temperature around 75 degrees.
The campground
The Lakeshore Campground, north of the boat launch area, has 31 RV sites with water and 30-amp power, plus a dump station, showers and restrooms nearby.
- Price: $50 a night for the first vehicle; one extra vehicle, space permitting, $40 a night.
- Booking: through the Utah State Parks reservation system. Its notice says individual sites are available on a four-month rolling basis (on January 10, for example, you can book through May 10), and you may book up to 13 days past the end of that window.
- Canceling: at least four days before arrival, an $8 cancellation fee plus the $8 reservation fee; inside four days, you also forfeit one night.
- Walk-ups: the reservation site notes that some sites may be available only at the campground on a first-come basis. Do not count on it in summer.
Our guide to camping when everything is booked covers what to do when the 31 sites are gone. The Utah Lake Authority also lists a private campground, Lakeside RV Campground, just outside the park gate.
Everything else inside the gate
- Bonneville School of Sailing. A U.S. Sailing-accredited school that has operated from the park since 2007, teaching from April through October. Its customers pay the park entry fee.
- Utah Lake Sauna. The park lists a lakeside sauna with a private changing room, a Himalayan salt wall, a hot room seating up to eight, an outdoor shower and a cold plunge.
- Disc golf. A course inside the park. Utah State Parks notes that two holes are unavailable because of construction on the Provo River Delta restoration.
- Picnic pavilions and cabanas, a playground, sand volleyball (at the Center Lawn pavilion, currently closed for construction), a visitor center, and Junior Ranger activities.
- Webcams. The park streams cameras at the north marina, south marina, entry, parking lot and overflow lot, sponsored by the Utah Water Ski Club and LakeMonster. Look at the parking lot before you drive on a July Saturday.
Fire: in October 2026 the park was under Stage 1 restrictions, which allow fires only in approved rings or grills at developed sites with pressurized water. Check the park's alerts before you pack charcoal.
The trail to the delta
The Utah Lake Shoreline Trail, in the Utah Lake Authority's description, starts just north of the park, passes through the restored Provo River Delta and connects to the Provo River Parkway. The authority's tip for anyone who only wants the trail: park on the street before the state park entrance to avoid the day-use fee and walk in on the paved path.
The delta side has a birding tower, benches, restrooms and non-motorized launching at the Skipper Bay trailhead, and fishing and camping are not allowed there. Construction has kept parts of the corridor rough; our news desk's Old Provo Channel update tracks what is open, and our birdwatching guide covers the wetlands.
Winter at the park
The park does not close. From November through March it opens 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and charges $10 a car, and in a cold winter it is one of the places the Utah Lake Authority lists for ice fishing. In 2012 the park manager at the time, Ty Hunter, told the authority that winter ice anglers there catch white bass and crappie.
Ice on Utah Lake is never a given. It forms differently every year, wind can open water quickly, and the lake's shallow shoreline hides currents near inflows. If you go out, measure the ice yourself and follow the state's ice guidance; our ice fishing guide covers the safety numbers. On a clear day the park in winter is quiet, cheap and very good for birds. Our page on Utah Lake in winter tracks when the lake has frozen in recent DWR reports.
A short history, including the ice rink
Utah State Parks' history of the site begins with the Domínguez-Escalante expedition, which came down Spanish Fork Canyon in 1776 and on September 21 climbed a small hill near the canyon mouth to look out over the lake. Mountain men followed, and Jedediah Smith, in an 1827 letter, was among the first to call the lake "Utah."
The harbor itself is a Depression project. Local boaters wanted a year-round launch, and in 1933 an application went to the Civilian Conservation Corps; the park's history says a marina was finished within a few years, after which Provo City built shoreline picnic and camp facilities. The site opened as a state park in 1967.
For years the park also had an outdoor ice skating rink. By May 2000 it was closed: the BYU Daily Universe quoted Florence Lane of Utah State Parks saying many visitors were disappointed it would be removed, but "there was not enough interest in repairing it. It just kept going downhill," and the plan was to build a pavilion in its place. That pavilion is still rented today as the Old Ice Rink Day-Use Group Pavilion, with water, two serving tables, two large barbecues and 14 tables, for $100 a day. We could not find a documented date for when the rink was built.
What is coming
KSL reported on October 7, 2026 that Utah Lake State Park is one of 11 sites sharing about $1.5 million in state boating-access money for projects in 2027. The report did not break out the park's share or the specific work.
A first visit, done well
- Check the DEQ algae page and the park webcams.
- Arrive early on a summer weekend, when the water is calm and the lot is open.
- Swim at the outer marina beach if the advisory allows, or rent a paddleboard from the concession.
- Walk or bike the shoreline trail north toward the delta tower.
- Stay for sunset. The park faces west across the lake to the Lake Mountains.
If you want the lake without the gate, our Sandy Beach guide and Provo Bay paddling guide cover the free access points.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to get into Utah Lake State Park?
What are Utah Lake State Park's hours?
Can you camp at Utah Lake State Park?
Is there a beach at Utah Lake State Park?
Can you swim at Utah Lake State Park?
Did Utah Lake State Park have an ice rink?
Can I fly a drone at Utah Lake State Park?
Is Utah Lake State Park open in winter?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Utah Lake State Park, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Park Fees, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Boating and Decontamination, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Current Conditions, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: History, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Things to Do, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Boat Ramp Conditions, Utah State Parks. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake Public Access Points (story map, updated Sept. 3, 2026), Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Things to Do at Utah Lake, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake harmful algal bloom updates, Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Water Supply Outlook Report, October 1, 2026, USDA NRCS. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Winter wonderland: Top 10 things to do at Utah Lake when it's frozen, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park campground details and reservation policy, Utah State Parks (ReserveAmerica). Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah Lake, a regular water playground, BYU Daily Universe. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah to bolster boating access at these 11 sites in 2027, KSL. Checked October 19, 2026.
- OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap data), Project OSRM. Checked October 19, 2026.
