How this picture was made
Photorealistic landscape photograph at golden hour on a high plateau in south-central Utah in autumn: a large clear blue mountain lake ringed by sweeping hillsides of golden quaking aspen and dark conifer, high open plateau ridgelines beyond, deep blue sky, warm low sun and long shadows, no people, no boats, no buildings, no signs. 35mm lens, natural color, faint film grain.
Fishlake National Forest
Camp here — Fishlake National Forest
71 camps mapped in this forest, 50 of them free. Tap one for its topo and aerial, the weather, the water, and how far you will be from fuel and a shower.
- FreeFish Lake National Forest
- FreeAnderson Meadow Rec Site
- FreeBetenson Flat Trailhead
- FreeBig John's CUA Dispersed
- FreeBig Lake CUA Dispersed
- FreeBosman-Big John Flat Trailhead
- FreeBrown's Hole Trailhead
- FreeBullion Falls Trail System
Where dispersed camping is listed — Fishlake National Forest
The Forest Service lists dispersed camping as an activity at these 21 places. That is the agency saying it is allowed somewhere in the area — not a campsite we have mapped, and not a spot we can put a pin on. Read their page, then check the district for the rules that apply on the day.
- Anthony Flat Trailhead
Anthony Flat Trailhead is in a beautiful meadow with conifer and aspen trees around the edges for shade. There is a vault restroom, and an information kiosk. Camping, hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, and OHV riding on…
the Forest Service page for it → - BIG JOHN'S FLAT CUA DISPERSED
Dispersed Camping Area Located just south of the Tushar Mountain Peaks, Big John Flat area is a favorite recreational spot because of its large meadows that have spectacular scenery. This area also offers opportunities for winter…
the Forest Service page for it → - BIRCH CREEK TRAILHEAD
Trailhead #66A. This trail accesses several different horse and foot trails.
the Forest Service page for it → - BLACK FLAT CUA DISPERSED
Dispersed Camping Area.
the Forest Service page for it → - BOSMAN-BIG JOHN FLAT TRAILHEAD
This trailhead provides access to the Paiute 01 ATV trail. About a half mile to the north, Skyline-Big John Flat Trailhead provides access to the Skyline National Recreation Trail as well as the Piute 01 ATV trail. About a mile…
the Forest Service page for it → - Beaver Ranger District
The Beaver Ranger District covers the southwest portion of the Fishlake National Forest and offers a wide variety of recreational experiences. Camping, picnicking, ATV riding, hiking, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and sight…
the Forest Service page for it → - Fremont River Ranger District
Fish Lake is the big draw on the Fremont River Ranger District, offering anglers a chance to catch MacKinaw, splake, rainbow and yellow perch. With three resorts, cabin rentals, and campgrounds, visitors can plan to stay awhile.…
the Forest Service page for it → - Gates Lake CUA Dispersed Camping
Gates Lake dispersed camping is located next to Gates Lake reservoir at an elevation of nearly 9,800 feet and is shaded by aspen and conifer trees. Facilities include a vault restroom and information kiosk. Gates Lake reservoir…
the Forest Service page for it → - Hunters Flat Trailhead
Hunters Flat trailhead is located in a large meadow at an elevation of about 8,500 feet with aspen and conifer trees around the edges. No facilities are provided. Dispersed camping, hunting, wildlife viewing, and OHV riding on…
the Forest Service page for it → - INDIAN CREEK CUA DISPERSED
Access to this area is available via Indian Creek road, FR-119. Located 8 miles north of Beaver, and 11 miles northeast of Manderfield. This is a Dispersed Camping area with a number of areas for primitive camping. *No camping or…
the Forest Service page for it → - Koosharem Canyon/Paiute ATV Trailhead
Koosharem Canyon/Paiute ATV Trailhead is located at an elevation of about 7,400 feet with pinyon and juniper trees for shade. Facilities include a vault restroom, information kiosk, picnic table, gravel parking, and dispersed…
the Forest Service page for it → - Lower Box Creek Trailhead
Lower Box Creek Trailhead is located at an elevation of over 7,000 feet in a canyon along Greenwich Creek with cottonwood trees for shade. Facilities include an unloading ramp, information kiosk and vault restroom. Paiute Side…
the Forest Service page for it → - MAX REID (PAIUTE) TRAILHEAD
Trailhead #01. The Dry Creek Trail Paiute #01 Trail is accessed via Forest Road #475. This ATV trail heads south along Dry Creek where it eventually turns into a very rough mostly ATV trail. If you stay on forest Road #475 it…
the Forest Service page for it → - MORRELL CUA DISPERSED
Dispersed Camping Area
the Forest Service page for it → - Oak Ridge Trailhead
Oak Ridge Trailhead is found on an old drill pad on a windswept ridge at an elevation of nearly 8,700 feet. Facilities include a gravel parking lot, information kiosk, and vault restroom. The Great Western Trail for 50" ATVs,…
the Forest Service page for it → - PLANTATION FLATS CAMPING AREA
Dispersed camping Area. Facilities include vault toilet in the area.
the Forest Service page for it → - Richfield Ranger District
On the north east corner of the Forest, the Richfield Ranger District offers visitors a variety or recreational experiences. Camping, picnicking, hiking, ATV riding, hunting, fishing, and sightseeing draw people from near and far.
the Forest Service page for it → - SOUTH CREEK (LOWER) TRAILHEAD
Trailhead. This trailhead provides access to PST #068, one of the most used and popular side trails of the Paiute Trail System. It is strictly limited for ATVs that are 50" or less. This trail is narrow and very rough in certain…
the Forest Service page for it → - THREE CREEKS TRAILHEAD
Trailhead. The Three Creeks Tr ailhead is a wonderful access point to numerous ATV, horse and foot trails. These trails seem to loop together providing miles of recreational activities. Access is via State Route #153, where there…
the Forest Service page for it → - ZEDDS MEADOW CUA DISPERSED
A dispersed camping area.
the Forest Service page for it → - ZEDDS MEADOW REC SITE
A day use area.
the Forest Service page for it →
Where the camps cluster
The place
The Fishlake National Forest sits in the high plateau country of south-central Utah, scattered across roughly 1.8 million acres and nine counties from a headquarters in Richfield. It is not one solid block of woods but a set of forested highlands -- the Tushar Mountains, Monroe Mountain, the Sevier Plateau, the Pahvant Range and the Fish Lake Plateau -- rising in green, aspen-covered islands above the dry valleys and red rock of the surrounding Great Basin and Colorado Plateau country.
Its heart is Fish Lake, which the Forest Service calls the largest natural mountain lake in Utah, a cold, deep sheet of water ringed by aspen and famous for its trophy fishing. Around it stand the two features the forest is best known for: mile after mile of quaking aspen -- including the celebrated Pando clone -- and, to the west, the tall volcanic crest of the Tushars, the third-highest mountain range in the state.
History
The Fishlake National Forest was established on July 1, 1908, formed by combining the earlier Fish Lake and Glenwood National Forests into a single unit. Its high, well-watered plateaus have drawn people far longer than that: the land holds sites such as the Chalk Creek rock art, and Fish Lake itself was long a gathering place. In one documented transaction from March 10, 1889, Native water rights to the lake were sold for nine horses, 500 pounds of flour, a steer and a suit of clothes -- a small window onto how the region changed hands in the settlement era.
Wildlife & plants
The forest's aspen groves, conifer stands and mountain meadows support a full range of Rocky Mountain wildlife. Elk, mule deer, black bear and cougar all range here, along with moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats in the higher country and wild turkey in the woods below. Beaver work the streams, and the skies hold eagles, owls, woodpeckers and hummingbirds. Fish Lake and the forest's other waters are the draw for anglers, and the same big herds of deer and elk that make this prime hunting country are also, in one famous spot, a management headache: heavy browsing by deer and elk is one of the pressures on the young shoots of the Pando aspen clone.
Notable features
The forest's signature wonder is Pando -- Latin for 'I spread' -- a single male quaking aspen whose root system sends up tens of thousands of trunks that only look like a separate forest. Every one of its roughly 47,000 stems is genetically identical, sharing one enormous root system that covers about 106 acres and weighs on the order of 13 million pounds, which makes Pando one of the largest and heaviest known living organisms on Earth. Its exact age is uncertain -- current research puts the root system in the range of thousands of years, well short of older headline estimates -- but it is unquestionably ancient, and it is slowly struggling, thinned by drought, browsing animals and decades of fire suppression. Nearby, Fish Lake spreads out as the largest natural mountain lake in Utah, while to the west the Tushar Mountains climb past 12,000 feet to Delano Peak at 12,174 feet, the high point of a volcanic range that ranks third-tallest in the state.
Camps are sourced from public U.S. Forest Service recreation data and have not been personally visited. Roads shown are Forest Service passenger-car routes (maintenance level 3–5) and may be seasonal or gated. Always confirm access, fees and fire rules with the ranger district before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.