3rd annual sand-castle building contest coming to Yuba State Park

3rd annual sand-castle building contest coming to Yuba State Park

(Cheston Slater/Yuba State Park)


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YUBA STATE PARK — Yuba State Park offers nice sandy beaches that provide excellent sand-castle building — prompting an annual competition.

Yuba Reservoir was built between 1902 and 1917 by local farmers and ranchers who didn’t want to lose their water rights, according to the state park website. The area was established as a state park in 1970.

Yuba Reservoir is the fifth largest reservoir in Utah, and as such, offers miles of sandy beaches, according to park manager Cheston Slater. The first sand-castle building competition was held in 2013 and park officials decided to make it an annual event.

This year’s contest will be held July 11 from 1-4 p.m. with registration beginning at noon, Slater said. Prizes will be awarded for the best sand sculptures. Individual categories are $5 per person and the team event is $10.

If you don’t want to build a sand castle, here are some other activities to try at Yuba State Park.

Zip lines

Yuba State Park installed the first zip lines in a Utah State Park, Slater said. The 650-foot and 850-foot zip lines were added to the park in 2014, adjacent to the reservoir and near the Oasis Campground. Zip line rides cost $10 Monday through Wednesday and $15 Thursday through Sunday. Group zip lining is also very popular and costs $200 for 40 people for one hour, Slater said.

The park also offers midnight zip lining once a month, and the next events are July 24 and Aug. 25. Midnight zip line rides are $5 per person.

Camping

The park has five campgrounds. The Oasis Campground is the most popular and has 28 campsites, most of which have electricity and water hookups, Slater said. Its campsites have shade, grass and are located near a restroom area with running water and showers. It also has a sand volleyball court, a boat launch ramp and is close to the Docks at Yuba rental store.

The North Beach and West Beach campgrounds offer primitive camping without any designated areas. People can camp right on the beach at these campgrounds, Slater said. The Eagle View Campground is located on the east side of the reservoir and has 20 campsites that offer awnings for shade, picnic tables and grills.

The Painted Rock Campground has 41 campsites with full hookups for RVs and trailers. It also offers a group site and has a boat launch ramp.

The park also has two cabins available for rent. Each cabin has heating and air conditioning, but no running water, Slater said. However, there is a water hydrant available outside each cabin.

Fishing

Yuba Reservoir is well-known for its big northern pike and holds the current state record at 27 pounds, Slater said. The reservoir also has big and small mouth bass, walleye, perch and catfish. In 2013, the Division of Wildlife Resources began stocking the reservoir every year, and in May, they stocked it with 30,000 perch.

Cheston Slater/Yuba State Park

OHVs

Slater said the park is “extremely ATV friendly” and each of the campsites are accessible to ATV trails. He said there are hundreds of miles of trails around the park with the most popular trail system located on the west of the reservoir adjacent to the Oasis Campground.

“I think we are just unique in the sense that many state parks don’t allow OHVs,” Slater said. “We allow them, we are friendly and you can access your campsite with them. The beach camping is also pretty unique, being able to launch your boat and launch from the shore and camp right on the sand.”

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Faith Heaton Jolley

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