Fish Lake Area, Utah

Peculiar sign near Emerald Lakes

Emerald Lakes

One of the pristine meadows along Tasha Creek

Mount Marvine left and Fish Lake Hightop on the right.

The GWT is one of the smooth ATV trails around

 Mount Terrill. 

The trail on Fish Lake Hightop is open to mtn bikes. It's good most of the way.

  

⦁ Highway 25 goes north from highway 24 at mp 39 and goes past Fish Lake and two more lakes then on to highway 72. About midway along is where newly paved FR640 goes 28 miles to I-70 at the Gooseberry exit. Countless camp spots are along the way and paved pullouts that RVs can use. Fish Lake has a secret dispersed camp area on the south shore next to the big sign marking the boundary of the rec area. The rest of the campgrounds around the lake have a fee. Cattle are fenced out. Loa has a good supermarket and Family Dollar. Posted 2021.

⦁ MYTOGE MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 10311 has an easy route up the west side. Drive north a short way on the highway from Mill Meadow Reservoir to the sign for the Mytoge Mountain Rd. Follow that good road for miles to a fork with a sign for Crater Lakes. The remaining 5 miles is tricky for cars but mtn bikeable. Some 4wd spots are encountered at the lakes then the road ends at a fence el 9700 where foot trail #366 descends to the north end of Fish Lake. That would be another way in.  I walked along the right side of the fence to where it turns right then went to N38 35263, W111 38634 then 35256, 38571 then 35258, 38486 then 35214, 38312 then the reg and survey junk are at 35197, 38069. I left cairns and a track on peakbagger and so all the coordinates might not be needed. 2 hours, 600 gain, all easy. I had easy pathways around fallen trees. A quarter mile before the peak I crossed an abandoned trail but it's no good for this hike. The Mytoge Rd goes on 10 miles and meets highway 25 at mp 4.8 but it's not as smooth. LONG VERSION - starting at the Lake Creek TH el 8850 along  highway 25 makes for a 2 mile hike to the fence el 9700. A trail behind the restroom goes along the bank then you have to wade the creek to the trail on the far bank that goes to Porcupine Draw. Then at the "e" on the map there is a secret fork that goes up to the fence. I returned later and made a loop using trail #166 that goes to the Crater Lakes then down #166 and that took 3 and a half hours but I skipped the peak. Posted 2021.

⦁ HILGARD MOUNTAIN, U M PLATEAU - these two can be done on the same day. Take highway 25 to the east side of Johnson Valley Reservoir and turn on graded FR15. Go about 6 miles to a main fork where a sign points left to Upper U M Creek. Go left there on FR43 for half a mile to a sunny camp area with a good restroom. Cars could make it there then do both peaks with an ebike. The road goes on and becomes easy 4wd then after 3 miles it turns into an ATV trail that is ebikeable when dry. Go a mile and a third up the trail to a spotty elk trail at N38 43852, W111 37069 el 10100. A tenth mile before that I filled bottles at gushing springs. I walked the trail to 44109, 36848 then 44205, 36707 then at 44313, 36419 el 10700 I came to the rim and walked close to it to survey junk at 44006, 35482 el 11100. Just past that is an old sign post. 2 hours, 1000 easy gain. For HILGARD, return to FR15 and go another 4 miles or so to a faint logging road at 42007, 32692 el 10150. The last mile is easy 4wd. A hiker trail goes up it to 41399, 32700 el 10600 where the trail soon fades, but elk trails go up and angle to the right then comes the final ridge which is rocky tundra. The reg, approved by the Postmaster General, is at 41046, 32632 el 11533. 3 hours, 1400 gain, some very light brush. FR15 goes on to meet highway 25 at mp 23.9. Along the way, FR16 branches off and goes down to I-70. It's a decent road and about 4 miles along that is where rocky FR217 forks to the right and goes half a mile to the north ridges el 8800 of JOHNS PEAK el 9540. It's an easy hike to the reg on rocky tundra. Posted 2021.

⦁ EMERALD LAKES el 10260 are tucked in on the east side of U M Plateau. There was a trail once upon a time but now it's better to walk elk trails thru meadows. Take highway 25 to the east side of Johnson Valley Reservoir and turn on graded FR15. Go about 8 miles to FR1594 at N38 42185, W111 34281. That road is closed in a quarter mile at a green gate. Walk it to another green gate with a cattle poison sign. Go left along the fence to the next gate where a trail starts. But it goes off course and fades, so it's better to walk to a clearing at 42774, 34766 then to 42946, 34826 then 43033, 34943 then on to the east lake at 43186, 35172. I was able to walk the east shore for a fifth mile. I didn't try for the other lake. It takes an hour to the lake with 800 easy gain. Some light mosquitoes. This is best in late summer when meadows are dry. Posted July 3, 2021.

⦁ FISH LAKE HIGHTOP el 11633 has a 4wd road up the south ridge that nearly everyone uses for this peak. There is an option to hike a trail up the north ridge then down the trail along Tasha Creek. Leave a vehicle at the Tasha TH at mp 1.3 on FR640. Then drive to mp 7.2  and turn on the Cold Springs Rd. Stay left at main forks for the first mile and a half then go right at a main fork for the remaining 2 miles or so to Daniels Pass el 10242. The last mile is steep enough to need 4wd and is ebikeable. A kiosk is at the TH. The trail enters the forest at N38 40925, W111 42510 el 10350 and easy to follow all the way to the road el 11400 on the east side of the high point. Cairns lead from there to a break in the cliffs at 36377, 44375 then on to the reg at 36482, 44362. Then retrace down to Tasha Spring at 36404, 44141 el 11400. It's likely safe but I would filter it. The trail is a few feet to the north on the map but all I found was easy tundra. It can be walked down the drainage to 36381, 43618 el 11100 where the trail appears at the edge of the forest. It goes past several meadows that are as good as I've ever seen. Cattle have never been above el 9500 in this canyon as far as I can tell. At el 9220 there is a sign pointing left for a trail going a quarter mile to the Tasha TH. That took 6 hours, 20 minutes with 1400 easy gain. The app showed 14 miles. Light mosquitoes are along the Tasha Trail. This is one of the best summer hikes in the state. It's a good idea to take a phone with the topo in case miscreants knock down the cairns on the north ridge trail. MTN BIKE VERSION - the north ridge trail is open to bikes and well suited to them but bikers don't know about it. Rocks are rarely a problem and fallen trees, mostly below 11200, aren't numerous enough to be a deterrent. I would ride up the south road then down the north trail. Cars can make it to Hancock Flat el 10000. BOOBE MOUNTAIN el 10760+ is nearby. Drive on thru Daniels Pass on the main road for 2 miles then the high point is a fifth mile north at 42139, 43575. The main road ends at private land but a bad OHV trail drops down to Broadhead Lakes. It smoothes out at the lakes then goes on to a T at FR56 and that road goes back to the highway.  Posted 2021.

⦁ MOUNT MARVINE el 11610 has a decent route from U M Pass. Take FR640 to mp 3.8 and turn on a good road that goes 2 and a half miles to the pass el 10500 with good camping. A secret hiker trail at N38 40813, W111 38091 goes right of center up the ridge. It fades then I walked a passage at 40516, 38295 el 10950 and on to 40404, 38353 el 11100. I stayed in the trees on easy paths and then to minimize walking on rocks, I went up the east slope  to 40092, 38384 el 11200 and followed the easiest ground to the summit ridge about a tenth mile south of the summit at 40026, 38460 el 11600. A hiker trail goes left of center to the north side of the summit block where a class 3 stairway goes up to the reg at 40094, 38466. 3 and a half hours, 1100 gain. I rode my 125 east from the pass on a smooth ATV trail then hit the GWT at U M Creek. I went north over the divide and came back to the highway at Twin Ponds camp area. Rocks were rarely an issue. Posted 2021.

⦁ GATES LAKE - a good road leaves FR640 at mp 9.7 and goes to the lake but the last bit is steep. A restroom and tables are there. The first mile has camps with a Verizon signal which makes them hard to get. An ATV trail goes down from the lake to FR640 near Harves Reservoir. It has rocks but not bad. Posted 2021.

⦁ MOUNT TERRILL el 11547 is an easy tundra hike from the north. Take FR640 to mp 10 and turn on a 4wd road el 10500 that is mtn bikeable. Follow that for about a mile and a half then go left up to a repeater el 10850. An obvious trail runs toward the peak and fades in a saddle el 11000. Just stay right around a minor bump then on to N38 43136,  W111 39150 el 11250 then 43040, 39000 el 11250 and finally and elk trail at 42746, 38926 el 11450 goes up to the west side then it's a tenth mile to a repeater on top. 3 hours, less than 1000 gain, all easy. Good camps are along the 4wd road. Posted 2021. 

⦁ SALINA RESERVOIR is a camp area along FR640 at mp 12.5. It has a restroom. Cold Spring and Twin Ponds are along the next couple of miles and have restrooms. Gooseberry Campground is at mp 18.8 and is the only fee area along FR640. At mp 22 there is a large gravel parking area with a restroom. I-70 is at mp 28 and there is a free campground just to the east on the south frontage road at the GWT TH. Posted 2021.

⦁ FLAT TOP MOUNAIN el 8638 has a good ATV trail most of the way and it's ebikeable. Turn off FR640 at mp 14.8 and take the ATV trail at the end of the road. It goes across Niotche Creek to a fork. Stay left to a manmade foot trail at N38 48389, W111 35937. It goes toward the summit then veers left so get off for the last fifth mile thru light brush to the cairn at 48555, 35552. This walk takes less than an hour with hardly any gain. I followed the smooth ATV trail north down into Aspen Hollow then back to Niotche Creek. It goes up along the right bank of that then meets the gravel Browns Hole Rd and that goes back to FR640 next to Gooseberry Benchmark. This peak is mainly an excuse to take good ride. Posted 2021.

⦁ GOOSEBERRY BENCHMARK is 9313 is an easy one for anybody with an ebike or ATV. Take FR640 to mp 16.3 and turn on a good road. Go a third mile then left on an ATV trail. It goes a mile to the NW side el 8900 of the peak. Walk cow trails to a trail in aspen at N38 48570, W111 39220 el 9050. Go up and stay along the edge of the aspen to the reg at 48473, 39069. 40 minutes, 400 gain, some light brush. Posted 2021.

⦁ THOUSAND LAKES MOUNTAIN el 11306 has a lot of trails but the easiest is the one from Snow Lake. Take highway 72 to mp 11.5 and turn on a graded road. Stay right at main forks, except the one at Elkhorn Campground, for over a dozen miles to a fork at N38 24836, W111 27544 el 10500. Go right for a mile to a gate then another tenth mile where the trail crosses the road el 10700. Good camping there and some cars would make it. I followed the trail up then the summit is at 25018, 28754 with a reg approved by the Postmaster General. But I saved that for later and stayed on the trail to Flat Top Spring at 26217, 28940 el 11050. A pipe feeds into 2 aluminum troughs and 2 trails descend the rim there. I then went north on the trail to where it bends right then took a left fork there reading 26615, 28531 that took me thru the trees then I had a bald rim to walk on for nearly half a mile to the north point of the plateau. I then retraced back south to the summit then back to the start. That took 3 and a half hours and the only noticeable gain is the 400 feet up the trail. Mosquitoes were light. The main road goes on another 3 miles to Chaffin Spring but turns rocky after 2 miles or so. Sand Creek Spring produces a good stream crossing the road and there's no point in going past there. That's the biggest stream I saw. The roads here are good for cycles and ebikes. But one bad road is the signed spur road to Deep Creek Overlook. The first campground is nearly 3 miles in from the highway and it's free then Elkhorn but it has a fee. The last one is tiny and free at 26318, 27785 el 10500 and there are countless dispersed sites. Grazing is very light in the whole area. I saw several lakes but couldn't find the other 990 lakes. Posted 2021. HENS HOLE PEAK el 10860 has a logging road up the south ridge. It's a good one to do on the drive out. At 28407, 27613 el 9885 is where FR203 branches off from the graded road. It's 7 miles in from the highway and there's a good camp there. Go up FR203 for a third mile on easy 4wd to a logging road blocked by berms at 28396, 27918 el 9950. Walk it to a long clearing then when it steepens there's a lucky gap in the aspen making it easy to move right of center then on up to the reg at 29216, 28496. 90 minutes, 600 strenuous gain. Posted 2021.