Camp Floyd State Park reports rebound in visitation, pushes museum and facility upgrades

Clay Shelley, park manager at Camp Floyd State Park, told the Utah County Commission the park's visitation and programs are recovering from pandemic lows and outlined capital and programmatic plans for the coming year. “From July 2020 to June 2021, we had 6,043 visitors,” Shelley said, adding that the park normally draws “15 to 20,000.”

Shelley described a rebound in school programming, events and interpretive offerings. He said Camp Floyd hosted five events last year, ran 25 school programs that reached about 2,424 students, expanded summer camps and restarted a summer concert series. New or improved amenities include a CXT restroom at the cemetery, a new stage for concerts, an outdoor kitchen for cooking demonstrations and an ice machine the park purchased to meet visitor demand.

The park manager also discussed plans to partner with Fairfield Town on a new combined town-hall/museum building. Fairfield received a $350,000 grant from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums; Shelley said part of those funds are earmarked for archaeological clearance to ensure construction does not disturb historic resources. “The town received a grant for 350,000,” Shelley said, describing the funding split: archaeology first, then construction and museum outfitting.

Commissioners asked about specific exhibits (including a possible Pony Express donation) and about visitation patterns with nearby population growth; Shelley said agricultural and residential development around Cedar Valley and Eagle Mountain is increasing the park's visitor base. Commissioners encouraged staff outreach to schools and community groups and thanked Shelley for the report.

The commission did not take formal action on the update; staff said a larger annual report will be provided next year if visitor recovery continues.