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You want well-maintained facilities and lake access at high elevation during summer months.
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Price
$25 - $110/night
Booking
Reservable
Sites
10 campsites
Season
Open May 15th to Sep...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
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Select a month, then check for open campsites
Price
$25 - $110/night
Booking
Reservable
Sites
10 campsites
Season
Open May 15th to Sep...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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138 South Main PO Box 129, Loa, UT 84747, USA
You want well-maintained facilities and lake access at high elevation during summer months.
You need guaranteed cattle-free tent sites or prefer budget camping without premium amenity costs.
Reference information about Frying Pan sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p><strong>Frying Pan Campground</strong></p><p><strong>Overview</strong><br />Frying Pan Campground is on the Fishlake Scenic Byway Highway 25 in central Utah, three miles north of Fish Lake at 9,000 feet elevation. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing and exploring local trails.</p><p><strong>Facilities</strong><br />The campground has one group site that can accommodate up to 100 people and up to 30 vehicles, with picnic tables, a campfire ring and large parking area. Several single-family sites are also available. Flush and vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Roads and parking spurs are paved. </p><p><strong>Natural Features</strong><br />The campground sits on a sagebrush-covered hillside above the valley floor and offers views of the north end of Fish Lake Basin. Aspen trees forest the site, providing limited shade.</p><p><strong>Recreation</strong><br />Fish Lake is Utah's largest natural mountain lake and covers 2,500 acres. It is famous for its 20-40 pound Mackinaw lake trout. Anglers also enjoy fishing for rainbow trout and splake. Boating, canoeing, swimming and scuba diving are popular activities. The scenic Lakeshore National Recreation Trail extends around the eastern side of the lake. Hikers are rewarded with stunning lake views after climbing 900 feet elevation.</p>
The elevation is 8,800 ft. The campground, one of six in the Fish Lake Recreation Area, winds up a mountainside providing each camp site with a pleasant view. Aspen dot the campground's grass understory with lacy shade provided to the camp sites. Set away from the Recreation Area's main concentration of activity, this is a pleasantly tranquil campground. Privacy between camp sites is fair to good. Fish Lake is a natural cold-water lake occupying a graben (a down-faulted valley). The size and depth of Fish Lake suggest great conditions for sailing and water skiing but the water temperature discourages such activities. There are privately operated resorts within the Recreation Area that offer various services such as boat and slip rentals, bait, limited groceries and showers.
Open May 15 through September 15.
Coin-operated, wheelchair friendly showers are available at the Mackinaw campground (Forest Service).
Fish Lake is 2,500 acres. Boat ramps are available at private resorts - no fee. There are primitive boat ramps scattered throughout. Johnson Valley Reservoir, located north of Fish Lake, is 500 acres and has one free boat ramp on its eastern shore.
The parking aprons are gravel. The waste station is available for no fee in the Fish Lake Recreation Area at the turn into Doctor Creek campground.
From Loa, UT, take State Rt. 24 west 12.7 miles to Fish Lake and State Rt. 25 signs. Turn right at signs onto Rt. 25 and go 14.5 miles to campground sign. Turn left at sign into campground.
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Best season: summer. Summer offers the most reliable access and the fullest range of activities — expect crisp mornings and pleasant afternoons that usually stay in the 50s–70s°F range at 9,000 ft, making hiking, fishing and boating on Fish Lake very comfortable. This is peak accessibility (campground open May 15–Sept 14) so trails and lake services are available, with July and August delivering the warmest, sunniest weather and long daylight for outings. Crowds increase in mid-summer but Frying Pan remains a quiet, Peak months: July, August, June, September Avoid: October, November, December, January
Open and busiest May 15–Sept 14; crisp summer temps, long days; some late-summer mosquitoes reported.
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There are no electricity, water or sewer hookups at the campground.
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Pulled from per-site mentions in 50 reviews.
Site 003: Spacious but sparse on shade; suitable for large tents..
Site 004: Good shade from Aspens; stays cool due to elevation..
Site 007: Nice clean site but requires driving to reach the lake..
Group Site G1: Large and accessible; suitable for family reunions.
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