Rising as green oases above the junction of I-15 and I-70 in central Utah, the several mountains and plateaus that form the Fishlake National Forest are a vital resource for the intervening valleys. Water, recreation, wildlife, timber, grazing, geothermal energy, and minerals come from the Forest. Residents from surrounding areas and adjacent states visit the Forest for climatic relief in the summer and hunting in the fall.
The first unit of the Forest was reserved in 1899 by President McKinley to protect the watershed of Fish Lake and the Fremont River. In 1906 and 1907, the Beaver, Fillmore, and Glenwood Forest Reserves were proclaimed by Theodore Roosevelt in response to petitions from local citizens. Overgrazing of the mountains by transient bands of sheep was crowding out the domestic stock belonging to valley residents. Overgrazing also damaged watersheds, resulting in flash floods that inundated towns at the mouths of canyons and silted in irrigation works necessary for farming the arid valleys. During the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, watershed and range management were the two dominant issues on the Forest. Since World War II, other uses have increased, with recreation and wildlife management joining watershed and range management as dominant concerns.
The 1,424,524-acre Fishlake National Forest of today lies mainly in Beaver, Millard, Piute, Sevier, and Wayne counties. There are 101,162 acres of private and State land within the proclaimed boundaries of the Forest.
The Resources - Forest lands annually provide about 1.3 million recreation visitor days, 611 thousand acre-feet of water, 133 thousand animal unit months of grazing, 10 thousand Christmas trees, 17 thousand cords of firewood, and about 3 million board feet of timber. A coal mine on the Forest produces about 2.2 million tons per year, while a cement plant produces 650 thousand tons of cement each year from a limestone quarry on the Forest. From about 400 to 1,150 AD, native Americans of the Fremont culture occupied the Forest. A major archaeological find of the largest known Fremont village site is now interpreted at a State Park along I-70 within the Forest's boundaries.
Recreation Opportunities - The mountains and plateaus provide a wide variety of scenery and climatic zones. Much of the lower elevation land is covered with sagebrush, pinyon pine and juniper trees, while red-rock desert can be found at the southeast corner of the Forest. At higher elevations, meadows are interspersed with bands of aspen and conifer. Here, there are 76 perennial streams and about 60 ponds and reservoirs enhancing recreational opportunities and providing enjoyable camping spots. Crowning the Forest is the alpine zone of the Tushar Mountains, where peaks exceed 12,000-feet elevation. The stark terrain and wide vistas make for a visual feast.
Fish Lake-Johnson Valley, a 13,700-acre area including 2,500 acres of lake and 670 acres of reservoir, receives 25 percent of the recreation use on the Forest. Mackinaw up to 35 pounds, splake and several species of trout can be caught year round. A full range of public services and facilities is available from three resorts at Fish Lake. The Tushar Mountains contain several loop roads and opportunities for camping, fishing, hiking and sightseeing. The remainder of the Forest also offers a wide variety of landscapes and solitude for those wanting to get away from others.
Popular areas such as Fish Lake are generally crowded on weekends and holidays. There are many other areas of the Forest that provide opportunities for solitude or dispersed camping. Utah is famous for big game hunting. The Fishlake National Forest is home for one of the largest deer herds in Utah, and the elk herd is increasing rapidly. Thousands of hunters come to the Forest each fall.
On the Forest, there are 29 developed recreation sites consisting of 19 campgrounds, 9 picnic grounds and 1 boating site. Fourteen of the campgrounds are for family camping. They range in size from 7 to 68 units and in elevation from 5,500 to 9,300 feet. The smaller units tend to offer more solitude than the larger ones. There are five group campgrounds which can be reserved for family reunions or organizational gatherings. These sites will accommodate from 15 to 300 people. Most picnic sites have both family and group units. Some units can be reserved, while others are on a first come basis.
About 2,400 miles of roads, mostly unpaved, provide access to nearly all of the Forest. High clearance vehicles such as pickups are desirable to traverse most of them. A few roads, such as the highway to Fish Lake, are paved so passenger vehicles can easily travel them.
Use on the 1,040 miles of trails varies from infrequent in remote areas to heavy on the Fish Lake shoreline trail which is one of two National Recreation Trails on the Forest. The other is the Skyline Trail in the Tushar Mountains, which offers an alpine setting amid peaks over 12,000 feet.
There are three resorts on the Fishlake National Forest, all located at Fish Lake. They offer cabins, motel units restaurants, boating rentals, launching ramps, supplies, and gasoline. These resorts are Bowery Haven Resort (801) 830 2788, Fishlake Lodge (801) 836-2700, and Lakeside Resort (801) 836-2755.
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