USFS · Utah

Fishlake National Forest

Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. national forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.8 million acresUSFSUT38 campgrounds within 10 mi129 Forest Service sites465 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2 fires
active
12 Mile Rx (prescribed burn) · 35 mi from the center · 350 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateUtah
Size1.8 million acres
Forest Service code0408, region 04
Center point38.61° N, 111.94° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

5 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Fishlake National Forest20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.70 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.48 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.72 inches of precipitationApril: 0.59 inches of precipitationMay: 0.88 inches of precipitationJune: 0.55 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.29 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.37 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.14 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.16 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.56 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.65 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 25.3°F averageFebruary: 29.3°F averageMarch: 36.5°F averageApril: 42.9°F averageMay: 50.5°F averageJune: 60.3°F averageJuly: 66.4°F averageAugust: 64.2°F averageSeptember: 56.9°F averageOctober: 45.3°F averageNovember: 34.8°F averageDecember: 25.0°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Koosharem, 8 miles from the center point at 6,930 feet, station USC00424764 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year. The station sits about 2,800 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

26 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 12 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Adelaide Campground
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Anderson Meadow Campground
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Big john's flat CUA dispersed
First-comeUT
FS · Inside
Bowery Creek
Reservable42 sites
FS · Inside
City creek campground
First-comeUT
FS · Inside
Doctor Creek
Reservable34 sites
FS · Inside
Elkhorn Campground
Reservable8 sites
FS · Inside
Frying Pan
Reservable12 sites
Show 4 more

26 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 129

The Forest Service lists 129 recreation sites in this forest, among them 21 campgrounds, 19 OHV trails, 17 day hikings, 11 dispersed campings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 69 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 465 named trails in this forest, 2,082 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Paiute (D-4) ↗58.9
Paiute (D-1) ↗57.3
Great Western Trail, Loa ↗55.3
Paiute (D-3) ↗47.3
Great Western Trail (D-4) ↗38.5
Wildcat Trail ↗32.4
Broad Hollow-Sheep Valley ↗28.4
Slickrock Trail ↗25.6
Cove Mountain Road ↗23.6
Wet Hollow - Wades Canyon ↗23.3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 465 trails in Fishlake National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    12 Mile Rx

    35 mi from the center point · 350 acres

  • Prescribed
    Escalante Municipal Piles Rx

    49 mi from the center point

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 6 mi
Capitol Reef National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 172 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Utah

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking from here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country
    Kathy Copeland, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Utah's high Uintas
    Jeffrey Probst, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 100 classic hikes Utah
    Julie K. Trevelyan, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands And Arches National Parks
    Bill Schneider, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City
    Greg Witt, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Fishlake National Forest?

1.8 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Fishlake National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Fishlake National Forest in?

Utah.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Fishlake National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Fishlake National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.614° N, 111.944° W. Capitol Reef National Park is 6 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Fishlake National Forest right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest 12 Mile Rx at 35 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Fishlake National Forest?

Capitol Reef National Park (6 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Fishlake National Forest?

The National Register has 172 listings within 15 miles, including Robinson, William, House and Morris, Andrew James, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Fishlake National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.