Utah's Gunlock Falls Packed with Hundreds of Young People, Families

Utah is ramping up to reopen safely -- like lots of other states -- but these happy campers are ready to take a leap of faith into their regular routines ... including trips to state parks with waterfalls.

Check out the scene from Gunlock State Park Saturday, where we're told at least 1,000 people congregated to freefall dive into the pools of water covering most of the grounds. It's surreal -- both gorgeous for the scenery, but horrifying 'cause of how packed it is.

Eyewitnesses say a majority of these waterfall jumpers were young people -- you can probably tell as much by watching the videos and seeing them up close and afar-- but we're also told some families were out there too. No matter what ... none of them were social distancing anyway.

BTW, local reports say at least two other state parks -- Sand Hollow and Quail Creek -- ended up getting packed to capacity on Friday ... this after the state announced it was ready to start navigating the reopening of several businesses, to the chagrin of many ... including Salt Lake City's mayor, who warned her own residents to remain vigilant.

The official Utah State Park Twitter page has been advising visitors to practice #ResponsibleRecreation ... but it's pretty obvious, responsibility is out the window.