This past summer was the first time I have ever been to Fish Lake and I instantly fell in love! This is one of those places where you can go and find serenity and it doesn’t have that overcrowded feeling like you can get with some of the other popular lakes and mountain destinations in Utah. Fish Lake is the largest natural mountain lake in the whole state as it’s almost 6 miles long and 1 mile wide. Plus it sits at 8,848′ elevation so you get that high alpine lake feeling with the mountain air and breeze – it’s the best!
Fish Lake attracts visitors from all over the country for it’s trophy fishing, stellar camping, exploring, horseback riding, biking, hiking and more. Plus because of it’s remote location without city light pollution it is classified as a dark sky and the nights here are truly spectacular. Seeing the stars scattered across the sky is something you’ll have to see for yourself to believe how amazing it is. There are also two resorts to stay in that have a Marina, General store, Restaurant, Rentals for boats, Kayaks, Gear and more. There are also multiple campgrounds to choose from, an RV park and cabins for you to stay in. You can still choose to primitive camp which is definiteley more our style! So we like to take the back dirt roads to find our own spots where we can find more solitude, we are big fans of the rugged and wild terrain.
While there are multiple ways to get here, we like to drive in through Koosharem, this little town with lots of history and character. If you drive in this way make sure to visit the Grass Valley Merc. Co for some ice cream and snacks before you drive up to the lake. This is the original old town store and still has the old functioning post office inside.
We like to walk part of the Fish Lake Loop with our boys. This is a fun longer trail that is popular for hiking and biking around the perimeter of the lake . A portion of it can be accessed near the resort off the main road and it’s fun to be able to walk around the lake and find different fishing spots right off the shore. If you are just looking for a day adventure this can be the perfect activity!
I’ve become such a fan of visiting the same place each season to see how the mountain backdrop changes! The yellow aspens have been poppin with color this fall! If you want to see some amazing fall leaves and scenary from the trails try out Fool Creek Peak- it’s about 9 miles from Oak Creek Canyon Road. (This trail can be hard to access early spring and late fall due to weather so always check conditions before you go.) And just be advised this isn’t for the faint of heart if you try to do it with a baby on your back 😉 But the views you get are worth the steep climb and elevation gain.
In the fall, Fish Lake is also one of the prime viewing spots to see the Kokanee Salmon run up stream. Twin Creeks has a boardwalk to walk across and it is the perfect location for watching the bright orange salmon. This usually starts late September.
So whether you are looking for a week long adventure or a quick day trip there truly is something for everyone here! Now we just need to come back in the winter and maybe try out some ice fishing and snowshowing here next!
Gorgeous!
Thank you Cindy!
Beautiful shots of autumn colours. Love the sound of how the crisp high altitude air would feel, sounds like a good place to get up early and get out in that crisp air.
Definitely!! That mountain air just hits different at a higher elevation! The perfect weather when it’s scorching in the summertime!
Fish Lake looks lovely, especially since it’s tucked up in the mountains. I’m with you on returning to a place to see how the landscape transforms through the different seasons. The fall is always my favourite though. It’s neat that you can see the salmon swimming upstream in the fall.
Me too! Fall just makes everything feel magic and cozy with all the colors! I love looking at the leaves!
Beautiful scenes and a beautiful family Melanie. Thanks for sharing. Allan
Thank you so much Allan!
Im trying to find a good place to go this weekend for some awesome colors – this might do the trick! I really want to go somewhere south of SLC, and I can’t decide if I like Fish Lake or somewhere near Escalante more. It’s a hard decision!
As a child we tent camped at high altitude lakes in Oregon. There is nothing like the clean air and the bracing feel of the water. Thanks for sharing your little corner of Heaven.