MIRROR LAKE HIGHWAY, Summit County — Kevin Christensen and his friends knew they would have a tough time finding a campsite this holiday weekend.
They just couldn't believe popular spots, like Lilly Lake up the Mirror Lake Highway, are still closed.
"This is a perfectly good spot," Christensen said. "I've been out here for the past couple of hours walking around and it definitely doesn't seem necessary."
Those who came early to the campsites that dot the forest just off the highway were fortunate enough to get a spot. But by Saturday afternoon, most of the campsites in the area were taken.
Taylors Fork, Beaver Creek, Trial Lake, Lower Provo, Moosehorn, Butterfly, Wolf Creek, and Lilly Lake campgrounds are still closed.
The Forest Service says the closures are for weather reasons or because crews haven't had a chance to clean out winter debris.
Closed campgrounds had a locked gate at the entrance with a "road closed" sign at the entrance. Christensen wasn't sure if that meant no cars allowed or no one allowed inside. He and his friends considered parking on the road and walking to a campsite.
"People are confused because they're closed, but it doesn't make sense why," he said. "I don't know why it would be closed due to the water or snow or anything like that."
Kathy Jo Pollock, spokeswoman for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, understands the frustration, but says there are reasons for the closures, even if they don't seem immediately clear.
"We've had a lot of road damage, rock slides and washouts," she said. "We need to be able to get in there and have a look around before opening them."
As for camping beyond the signs?
"You are not supposed to go around it, and you can be fined," Pollock said, adding fines run from $175 to $5,000.
That goes for dirt bikes, bicyclists and hikers, too.
Camping areas remain closed in other parts of the Wasatch as well.
Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon is still covered with snow.
The same goes for the road up Farmington Canyon. A washout from heavy rains took out a large chunk of the road, closing the area and Sunset campground above the washout.
"I think it's been about twice in my career where we've had campgrounds closed this late, and that was in the '80s and early '90s," Pollock said. "So it's been quite a while we haven't had all our campgrounds open by the 24th" of July.
Workers at Kirkham's Outdoor Products in Salt Lake City know about the late winter. Sales were slow until about two weeks ago.
"I've been here for 12 years, and from what I remember, this is probably about the latest it's been pushed for camping and backpacking in sales," said Andy Church, a sales manager at the store. "It just made our spring season slower. We had to push back some new orders and adjust staffing. But it's picking up now."
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