U.S. Forest Service · Fishlake National Forest · Loa, UT

Doctor Creek

Doctor Creek Campground is located next to Fish Lake in the Fishlake National Forest of central Utah. Visitors enjoy fishing, boating, wildlife viewing and exploring local trails. Located within the Aspen Pando Clone it is a great explore this world renound natural treasure.

Closed for the season Reservable · Recreation.gov 34 sites 99 ft max No hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: reservable in Utah · big rigs in Utah · pets allowed in Utah · group sites in Utah

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of FRRD, HCR · Recreation.gov

2fires
active

Fremont River Rd Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 5 mi away

1 more within 50 miles

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups		28
Group sites		2
Host/management		4

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 99 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

30 sites in 4 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible
GRPA	DOCT	Group	Back-in	99	Gravel	150 / 2	Yes
027	Double	Standard	Back-in	45	Gravel	20 / 2	Yes
030	Double	Standard	Back-in	51	Gravel	20 / 2	Yes
GRPB	GRPB	Group	Back-in	99	Gravel	150 / 2	Yes
003	SING	Standard	Back-in	54	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes
004	SING	Standard	Back-in	55	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes
005	SING	Standard	Back-in	52	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes	Yes
006	SING	Standard	Back-in	47	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes
007	SING	Standard	Back-in	62	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes
008	SING	Standard	Back-in	51	Gravel	10 / 2	Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Max vehicle length	99 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Fees	First Come First Serve. 1st. Occupy campsite, note number, return within 30 minutes. 2nd. Fill out envelope and enclose fee. 3rd. Detach stub and deposit envelope in fee box. 4th.
Accessibility	Sites 005, 009, 018, 023 are listed accessible

The campground contains two group sites that can accommodate up to 150 people each, both with shelters, tables, campfire rings and grills. Several single-family sites are available as well. Mallard Day Use site is located within the campground. Flush toilets and drinking water are provided. A dump station is located at the campground entrance. Roads and parking spurs are paved. Three resorts are located in the Fish Lake Basin, offering camping and fishing supplies, RV parks with hookups, cabin and boat rentals, marinas, gas, restaurants, groceries, laundry facilities and showers. The resorts are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

Status	Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
Season	May to September
Forest	Fishlake National Forest
Booking	All reservations are taken for
Fees	Half of the sites are reservable, the other half are first-come first-served. All campgrounds on the Fishlake National Forest are managed by High Country Recreation under the terms and conditions of a concession permit that was issued to them by the Forest Service in 2020.
Rules	Camping is limited to 16 consecutive days. OHVs are not allowed in the campgrounds. Pets are required to be on a leash.

Fishlake National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Koosharem, 8 miles from the campground at 6,930 feet, station USC00424764 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year.

Getting there

From Highway 24 northwest of Loa, Utah, take Highway 25 northeast approximately 7 miles to the campground.

Nearest town	Loa, Utah
Coordinates	38.5278° N, 111.7450° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

Prescribed
Fremont River Rd Piles Rx
5 mi from the campground
Prescribed
Salina Canyon East Rx
22 mi from the campground · 17,375 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump station

Dump station ↗

0.3 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Doctor creek campground Drive Through

Worth a stop

The 5-mile Pelican Canyon Trail begins nearby at Bowery Creek Campground. It leads through meadows and dense forests of spruce, pine and aspen as it climbs to the 11,633-foot Fish Lake Hightop. Johnson Valley Reservoir is just north of Fish Lake, offering additional fishing and boating opportunities.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.2 mi
Lakeshore ↗
18.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
0.2 mi
Doctor Creek
1.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
3.2 mi
Pelican Canyon
3.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
3.9 mi
Right Fork Pelican Canyon
1.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
4.6 mi
Pole Canyon ↗
9.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike

Trailheads within three miles

0.2 mi
DOCTOR CREEK TRAILHEAD ↗
Fishlake National Forest · Season June
2.1 mi
RUST SPRING TRAILHEAD ↗
Fishlake National Forest · Season June

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Fishlake National Forest.

in
Fishlake National Forest ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 1,787,979 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

FS · UT

Mallard bay overflow rec site

First-come0.5 mi

FS · UT

Mackinaw

Partly reservable2.5 mi

Partly reservable6.6 mi

Cabin and lookout rentals nearby

FS · UT

Mt Terrill Guard Station

Cabin rental13.004488021353016 mi

FS · UT

Aquarius Ranger Station

Cabin rental24.728921612325824 mi

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Loa Tithing OfficeBuilding · Loa · 10.3 mi

Natural features

Doctor Creek sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet on the southern tip of Fish Lake on Mallard Bay. A series of ponds, known as Coots Slough, dot the area just south of the campground. Aspens and cottonwoods provide limited shade in this sagebrush-covered area. Sites on the outer edge of the campground offer excellent lake views but no shade.

Recreation

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 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 in elevation.

Guidebooks for Utah

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

Best Tent Camping: Utah
Jeffrey Steadman, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
Hiking from here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country
Kathy Copeland, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
Backroads & byways of Utah
Christine Sjöquist, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org

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

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Doctor Creek?

Sites at Doctor Creek are reservable on Recreation.gov. All reservations are taken for Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Doctor Creek?

First Come First Serve. 1st. Occupy campsite, note number, return within 30 minutes.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Doctor Creek?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Doctor Creek open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season May to September.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Doctor Creek have?

34 sites, including 28 standard sites without power and 2 group sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Doctor Creek?

Recreation.gov lists no practical vehicle capacity limit for the largest site here, which usually means pull-through or open parking. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are there showers or a dump station at Doctor Creek?

Flush toilets and drinking water are provided.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Doctor Creek?

Yes, pets are allowed at Doctor Creek. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Doctor Creek?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there are 2 active fires within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one. Camping is limited to 16 consecutive days.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Doctor Creek?

Sites 005, 009, 018, and 023 are listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Doctor Creek?

Fish Lake is Utah's largest natural mountain lake, covering 2,500 acres. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Doctor Creek?

Loa, Utah. The 5-mile Pelican Canyon Trail begins nearby at Bowery Creek Campground.

Source: Getting there