Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill is a family-operated campground and seasonal amusement and water park in Fruit Heights, Utah. The property began as a campground on June 4, 1967, when Grant S. Lloyd and his wife, Mary Lou, developed part of a former cherry farm near the busy Highway 89 corridor. The original business was called Crossroads Camping and was designed to serve travelers with camping, food, fuel, and a welcoming roadside stop. The site had previously been part of a 38-acre working cherry farm containing more than 700 trees. Some of the original cherry trees remain, providing a physical connection to the property's agricultural past and helping explain the Cherry Hill name. The business gradually expanded beyond camping as the Lloyd family responded to visitor demand for recreational activities. In 1978, the property added an 18-hole miniature-golf course, a game room, and a snack bar. Water attractions became the park's defining feature during the following decade. A two-flume waterslide was constructed in 1980, followed by a six-cage batting facility in 1984 and the Cardiac Canyon River Run tube slide in 1985. These additions shifted Cherry Hill from a basic campground toward a broader family-entertainment destination, while camping remained an important part of the site’s identity. Ownership and management continued within the Lloyd family. Grant and Mary Lou eventually passed the park to their sons, Bruce and Keith Lloyd. Under their direction, Cherry Hill expanded its family-oriented water attractions. Pirates Cove, a children’s splash area with a pirate theme and a 40-foot mock pirate ship, opened in 1994. In 2004, the park added Grant’s Gulch Lazy River, named in honor of Grant Lloyd. The project also included additional parking, a new changing room, and a snack bar. Day-to-day operations were later handed to Mitch and Jared Lloyd. Today, Cherry Hill is primarily a seasonal summer attraction centered on water recreation. Its offerings include Pirates Cove Pool and children’s water-play area, Grant’s Gulch Lazy River, Cardiac Canyon River Run, and the Double Dragons and Little Dippers slides. The broader attraction mix includes miniature golf, a rock-climbing wall, a jungle gym, a jungle-themed maze, camping facilities, food service, and related visitor amenities. Its positioning combines an outdoor campground with a compact, family-focused amusement park rather than presenting itself as a large-scale destination resort. The park experienced a significant local infrastructure incident in March 2024. Water drained from the lazy river entered the municipal sewer system, contributing to an overflow that sent sewer water into the basements of approximately a dozen nearby homes. The park had reportedly used the same drainage approach for about two decades, and investigations continued because the Cherry Hill drain could not immediately be established as the sole cause of the wider system failure. This event was a local environmental and public-infrastructure controversy rather than a reported change in the park’s overall business model.

Before becoming an amusement and camping destination, the Cherry Hill property was part of a 38-acre working cherry farm in northern Utah. Grant S. Lloyd, who had been raised on the farm, received the southern portion of the land after it was divided between him and his brother. The southern tract was slightly larger, but portions of it were not productive for fruit growing because of excess sand. Lloyd sold sand from approximately two acres to the Utah Highway Department for work associated with widening nearby Highway 89. The property's increasingly convenient position near a heavily traveled road encouraged Lloyd and his wife, Mary Lou, to pursue a more commercially intensive use of the land. The Lloyds developed complementary roadside businesses before opening the campground. A Chevron gas station was established nearby, and a restaurant was built on the property for lease. On June 4, 1967, the campground opened under the name Crossroads Camping. It offered travelers an inexpensive place to stay alongside food, fuel, and personal hospitality. The business initially focused on camping rather than amusement rides. As the campground gained popularity, the family added recreational facilities to give guests more activities during the summer season. On June 10, 1978, the site opened an 18-hole miniature-golf course, a game room, and a snack bar. In 1980, the Lloyds built a two-flume waterslide measuring approximately 375 feet. A six-cage batting facility followed in 1984, and in 1985 the park introduced Cardiac Canyon River Run, a tube slide designed to create the sensation of a turbulent river journey. These projects established water recreation as the central draw of the property and helped transform the campground into a hybrid campground and amusement park. By this period, Grant Lloyd had transferred the park to his sons, Bruce and Keith. Their stewardship brought additional themed attractions. In 1994, the park opened Pirates Cove, a children’s splash area built around a pirate theme and featuring a 40-foot mock pirate ship. In 2004, the family added Grant’s Gulch Lazy River in honor of Grant Lloyd. The expansion included 140 new parking spaces, a changing room, and a snack bar, strengthening the park’s capacity to serve day visitors as well as campers. The business later moved day-to-day management to Mitch and Jared Lloyd, continuing the family operating model. A batting facility was removed in 2014 to make room for a jungle-themed maze. The current attraction mix includes water slides, a swimming pool, a lazy river, children’s water play, miniature golf, a rock-climbing wall, a jungle gym, the maze, camping, and food-service facilities. The park is most active in summer because its principal attractions are water-based. In March 2024, the park became involved in a local sewer-system incident when water from the lazy river was drained into the city sewer network. The discharge contributed to an overflow that sent sewer water into the basements of about twelve nearby homes. Cherry Hill had reportedly used the same drainage method for roughly twenty years without a comparable recorded event. Investigations continued for months because officials needed to assess the full municipal system and determine whether the park’s drain was responsible for the entire overflow. The incident is the principal publicly documented controversy associated with the attraction in the available reference material.

• 2024

  Lazy-river drainage causes local sewer controversy

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  Drainage from the lazy river contributed to a municipal sewer overflow affecting homes near the park, prompting a prolonged investigation.

• 2014

  Batting facility replaced by jungle maze

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  The former batting facility was removed and the space was used for a jungle-themed maze.

• 2004

  Grant’s Gulch Lazy River opens

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  The park added a lazy river named after Grant Lloyd, along with parking, changing, and food-service improvements.

• 1994

  Pirates Cove opens

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  A pirate-themed children’s splash area featuring a 40-foot mock ship was added.

• 1985

  Cardiac Canyon River Run opens

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  Cherry Hill added a tube waterslide intended to simulate a turbulent river ride.

• 1984

  Batting facility introduced

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  The park added a six-cage batting facility, later removed to make space for a jungle-themed maze.

• 1980

  Two-flume waterslide opens

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  A two-flume waterslide approximately 375 feet long marked a major expansion into aquatic entertainment.

• 1978

  Miniature golf and guest facilities added

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  The property introduced an 18-hole miniature-golf course, game room, and snack bar.

• 1967

  Campground opens as Crossroads Camping

  [1]Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org

  Grant and Mary Lou Lloyd opened the property as a campground serving travelers near Highway 89, with food and fuel available nearby.

A family-oriented Utah campground and compact seasonal water park combining overnight camping with accessible aquatic attractions and complementary outdoor recreation.

• Campground · 1967

  Camping facilities

  The original and continuing foundation of the business is a campground serving travelers and recreational visitors. Cherry Hill began as Crossroads Camping in 1967 and developed additional attractions around the camping operation. The campground is part of the park’s hybrid positioning as both an overnight outdoor destination and a seasonal family-entertainment venue.

• Water attraction · 2004

  Grant’s Gulch Lazy River

  Grant’s Gulch is a lazy-river attraction added in 2004 and named in honor of founder Grant S. Lloyd. Its development formed part of a broader capacity upgrade that also added parking, changing facilities, and a snack bar. The river is one of the park’s principal summer water attractions.

• Tube waterslide · 1985

  Cardiac Canyon River Run

  Cardiac Canyon River Run is a tube waterslide introduced in 1985. It was designed to imitate the movement and sensation of a turbulent river run, helping establish Cherry Hill’s water attractions as the core of its seasonal entertainment offer.

• Children’s water-play area · 1994

  Pirates Cove

  Pirates Cove is a pirate-themed children’s splash attraction opened in 1994. Its design includes a 40-foot mock pirate ship and is aimed at younger visitors seeking shallow-water play rather than large-scale slides.

• Water slide

  Double Dragons

  Double Dragons is one of Cherry Hill’s named water slides and forms part of the park’s summer aquatic attraction lineup. Detailed technical specifications and its opening date are not established in the available reference material.

• Water slide

  Little Dippers

  Little Dippers is a named water-slide attraction within Cherry Hill’s seasonal water park. The available reference material does not provide additional specifications or a confirmed opening date.

• Family recreation · 1978

  Miniature golf

  Cherry Hill’s 18-hole miniature-golf course opened in 1978 alongside a game room and snack bar. It broadened the park’s appeal beyond swimming and slides and remains part of the attraction mix described for the property.

• Family recreation · 2014

  Jungle-themed maze and outdoor activities

  The park’s non-water attractions include a jungle-themed maze, a rock-climbing wall, and a jungle gym. The maze occupied space formerly used by the batting facility after that attraction was removed in 2014.

• 2024

  Lazy-river drainage and neighborhood sewer overflow

  In March 2024, water drained from Cherry Hill’s lazy river entered the municipal sewer system and contributed to an overflow that sent sewer water into the basements of approximately a dozen nearby homes. The park had used the same drainage method for about twenty years, but the incident prompted months of investigation into the capacity and configuration of the broader sewer network. Available material does not establish that Cherry Hill’s drain alone caused the entire overflow.

  Source

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• 2014

  Replacement of batting cages with a jungle mazeStrategy

  Background

  Cherry Hill adjusted its attraction mix as the park emphasized broader family recreation.

  Action taken

  The six-cage batting facility was removed and the area was converted into a jungle-themed maze.

  Aftermath

  The change added another all-ages, non-water activity to the park’s supporting attractions.

  Source

• 2004

  Development of Grant’s Gulch Lazy RiverProduct launch

  Background

  The family sought to expand Cherry Hill’s capacity and strengthen its identity as a water-focused summer park.

  Action taken

  The park opened Grant’s Gulch Lazy River and added 140 parking spaces, a changing room, and a snack bar.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased the park’s water-park capacity and visitor-support infrastructure.

  Source

• 1994

  Launch of Pirates CoveProduct launch

  Background

  The park continued developing attractions for families and younger children as its business moved beyond its original campground format.

  Action taken

  Cherry Hill opened Pirates Cove, a pirate-themed children’s splash area with a mock ship.

  Aftermath

  The attraction became part of the park’s family-oriented water-play offering.

  Source

• 1980

  Expansion into water attractionsProduct launch

  Background

  The campground’s popularity created demand for additional summer recreation and encouraged the Lloyd family to diversify beyond overnight stays.

  Action taken

  Cherry Hill built a two-flume waterslide approximately 375 feet long.

  Aftermath

  The addition helped establish water rides as the park’s main seasonal draw and was followed by further aquatic attractions.

  Source

1. 1Cherry Hill (amusement park)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cherry Hill official websitecherry-hill.com