05 reviews
Price
$10/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
47 campsites
Season
Campground will open...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Very Pet Friendly
Price
$10/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
47 campsites
Season
Campground will open...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Very Pet Friendly
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138 South Main Street, Loa, UT 84747
RV campers who want a cheap base for fishing rainbow and lake trout at Johnson Reservoir or Fish Lake will get solid value here. Paved pull-throughs handle big rigs fine, the dump station is on-site, and summer highs stay comfortable in the low 70s.
The closest reviewer comparison was camping 10 feet from your neighbor, with no trees, no shade, and no barriers. Tent campers also get nothing here: rocky sagebrush ground and the site types list RV-only.
Reference information about Paiute Campground sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p><strong>Overview</strong><br />Piute Campground is 29 miles north of Loa, Utah, on Highway 25 adjacent to Johnson Reservoir at 8,800 feet elevation. With 48 pull-through camp sites, Piute campground is ideal for large groups or individual campers looking for a secluded experience.</p><p><strong>Recreation</strong><br />Visitors enjoy hiking the non-motorized trail from the campground to nearby Tasha Creek and beyond. Johnson Reservoir has a boat ramp and nearby Fish Lake has many more amenities.</p>
The elevation is 8,800 ft. The campground, one of six in the Fishlake Recreation Area, is a converted parking lot that is slowly being upgraded. The parking aprons are paved side-by-side pull throughs. Sage and grass separate the camp sites providing no privacy. There are nice views of the Johnson Valley Reservoir on one side and spruce and Aspen covered mountains on the other three sides. The dense sage brush and rocks may make pitching a tent somewhat of a Fishlake National Forest 301 challenge. Johnson Valley Reservoir is a quiet man-made lake. The campground is pack it in, pack it out. 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 17 through September 15
Fish Lake is 2,500 acres. Boat ramps are available at private resorts - no fee. There are primitive boat ramps scattered throughout. Fishlake National Forest 302 Johnson Valley Reservoir is 500 acres and has one free boat ramp on its eastern shore. Hiking: Lakeshore Trail (Sections 1 and 2 - foot, horse & mountain bike) - 5.5 miles Lakeshore Trail (Sections 3 and 4 - foot and horse) - 5.5 miles Doctor Creek (foot and horse) - 3 miles Pelican Canyon (foot and horse) - 5 miles Tasha Creek (foot and horse) - 8 miles Crater loop (foot and horse) - 6 miles Fishing: Fish Lake - Rainbow, Splake, Lake and Brown trout Johnson Valley Reservoir - Rainbow, Cutthroat and Brook trout
Fish Lake is 2,500 acres. Boat ramps are available at private resorts - no fee. There are primitive boat ramps scattered throughout. Fishlake National Forest 302 Johnson Valley Reservoir is 500 acres and has one free boat ramp on its eastern shore.
The parking aprons are paved. The waste station is available for no fee at 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 16.1 miles to campground sign. Turn left at sign into campground.
Official information for Paiute Campground from the federal Recreation.gov facility record. View official page →
Paiute Campground is 29 miles north of Loa, Utah, on Highway 25 adjacent to Johnson Reservoir at 8,800 feet elevation. With 48 pull-through camp sites, Piute campground is ideal for large groups or individual campers looking for a secluded experience. Paiute Campground is located near Johnson Valley Reservoir in the Fishlake National Forest of central Utah. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing and exploring local trails.
Fish Lake is Utah's largest natural mountain lake, covering 2,500 acres. It is famous for its 20-40 pound Mackinaw lake trout. Anglers alos enjoy fishing for rainbow trout and splake. Boating, canoeing, swimming, and scuba diving are popular activities.
The 5-mile Pelican Canyon Trail begins near by. It leads through meadows and dense forests of spruce, pine and aspen as it climbs to the 11,633-foot Fish Lake Hightop.
The popular Lakeshore National Recreation Trail exteds around the eastern side of the lake. Hikers are rewarded with stunning lake views after climbing 900 feet in elevation.
All sites in the campgroung are single-family sites.
Pit toilets and drinking water are provided during regular operating season. Roads and parking spurs are paved.
Water is shut off during shoulder seasons. Campground acess is limited by snow.
The campground sits at an elevation of 8,800 feet on a sagebrush-covered hillside on the valley floor, offering sweeping views of the Aspen, Pine and Cottonwood forest.
Johnson Valley Reservoir is near by, offering fishing and boating opportunities. Visitors enjoy hiking the non-motorized trail from the campground to nearby Tasha Creek and beyond.
<p>Piute Campground is 29 miles north of Loa, Utah, on Highway 25 adjacent to Johnson Reservoir at 8,800 feet elevation. With 48 pull-through camp sites, Piute campground is ideal for large groups or individual campers looking for a secluded experience.</p>
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Summer brings the best conditions. Daytime highs hover around 70-76°F, but nights drop into the 30s and 40s even in July and August. The campground opens in May and closes at first snow. Boating, fishing, hiking, and biking are all accessible once the season starts. Weekends in midsummer see the most visitors, though with nearly 50 sites, crowding isn't usually a problem. Seasonal potable water is available when the campground is open. By late fall, temperatures swing wider and snow arrives, shutting down access until spring.
Campground open May–mid‑Sept; summer days 70–76°F provide best conditions though nights are cool.
Potable water is available May through September, dry camping in shoulder months as access allows.
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