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Washington Lake Campground is located just off the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway on the shores of Washington Lake at an elevation of 10,000 feet. The byway cuts through the Uinta Mountains, which are known for their abundant recreational opportunities and scenic beauty. Recreation Washington Lake offers canoeing, kayaking and fishing for rainbow, brook, cutthroat, tiger and albino trout. The popular Crystal Lake Trail begins within the site. Numerous additional hiking, biking, horseback and off-road vehicle riding trails crisscross this beautiful region. Facilities This campground contains five accessible group sites, four of which accommodate up to 50 people each; the fifth accommodates up to 100 people. Sites are equipped with picnic and serving tables, campfire circles, grills, concrete site pads, limited tent pads and limited parking. Several single and double-family sites are available, all with picnic and utility tables, campfire rings and concrete site pads. Some have tent pads. The lake is not visible from the group sites, but most single and double sites have nice lake views. Vault toilets and trash collection are provided. Firewood is available for purchase from the host. Roads and parking spurs are paved. 41 single sites - $23.00, capacity - 8 people 4 double sites - $46.00, capacity - 16 people 4 small group sites - $130.00, capacity - 50 people 1 large group site - $190.00, capacity - 100 people Day Use - $9.00 Extra Vehicle - $9.00 per vehicle Natural Features A forest of pines covers the shores of the lake, providing limited shade in the campground. Summer wildflowers dot the landscape. Summer temperatures range from 50-85 degrees. Nearby Attractions Mirror Lake Scenic Byway parallels the Lower Provo River as it snakes across a portion of the Uinta Mountains, leading to numerous high alpine lakes and streams, countless trails, breathtaking scenic viewpoints and various campgrounds. The High Uintas Wilderness can be accessed from several trails along the byway. Charges & Cancellations Change and Cancellation Policies and Fees Overnight and Day Use Facilities: To ensure fairness, reservation arrival or departure dates may not be changed beyond the booking window until 18 days after booking the reservation. Camping / Day Use: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation (including campsites, cabins, lookouts, group facilities, etc.). The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. You can cancel or change reservations through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late Cancellations Overnight and Day Use Facilities: Late cancellations are those cancelled between 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on the day before arrival and check out time on the day after arrival. Individual Campsites: If a customer cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival they will be charged a $10.00 service fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation fee will apply. Cabins / Lookouts: Customers will be charged a $10.00 cancellation fee and forfeit the first night's use fee if a cabin or lookout reservation is cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Facility: If a customer cancels a group overnight facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date they will be charged the $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's use fee. Cancellations for a single night's use will not be assessed a service fee. Group Day Use Area: If a customer cancels a group day use facility reservation within 14 days of the scheduled arrival date, they will forfeit the total day use fee with no service fee charge. No-Shows Camping / Day Use: A camping no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Reserved campsites and group overnight facilities will be held until check-out time on the day following your scheduled arrival. Group day-use facilities will be held until check-in time on your scheduled arrival date. If a customer does not arrive at the campground or group facility by check-out time the day after arrival or does not cancel the reservation by the times listed under "Late Cancellations" above, the customer may be assessed a $20.00 service fee and forfeit use fees. Refunds Customers must request refunds no later than 14 days after the scheduled departure date. Recreation.gov will not grant refund requests after 14 days of departure. Reservation Fee: For some facilities, tours or permits an additional reservation fee is charged. For some overnight and day-use facilities, an additional non-refundable reservation fee may apply. The non-refundable reservation fee for tours and tickets is $1.00. The non-refundable reservation fee for permits varies by location. Refunds for Bankcard Purchases: Refunds for bank card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank card. Refunds for Check or Cash Purchases: Refunds for Recreation.gov payments made by check or money order, and cash payments at selected campgrounds will be issued a check refund. A refund will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval. Please Note: Refund requests made during or after departure can only be processed when approved by the facility management staff based upon local policy. Refunds for Emergency Closures: In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team will attempt to notify users and offer alternate dates (as appropriate). If this is not possible, reservations will be cancelled and all fees paid will be refunded. Reservation fees for free tickets are non-refundable in the event of an emergency closure. Recreation.gov Billing Information Reservation transaction will appear on customer's credit card statements as "Recreation.gov 877-444-6777." Changes to Policies and Procedures Recreation.gov reserves the right, when necessary, to modify reservation policies. These policies were last updated July 2018. ADA Access: N
From Salt Lake City, Utah, take I-80 east for approximately 30 miles to Exit 146 for Highway 40 toward Park City/Heber City/Vernal. Take Exit 4 onto Highway 248 toward Kamas. Take left onto UT 32 then right onto Highway 150 (Mirror Lake Scenic Byway). Go north approximately a half-mile to campground.
From Salt Lake City, Utah, take I-80 east for approximately 30 miles to Exit 146 for Highway 40. Go south on Highway 40 for approximately 13 miles and take left onto UT Highway 32. Stay on UT-32 for 16 miles (there will be a 4-way stop in Francis.) Take right onto Highway 150 (Mirror Lake Scenic Byway) in Kamas. Go north approximately a half-mile to campground.
From Provo, Utah, take Highway 189 thru Provo Canyon to Heber City. At the junction with Highway 40 in Heber, turn left and stay on Highway 189 thru town. At the north end of Heber, turn right onto UT Highway 32. Stay on UT-32 for 16 miles (there will be a 4-way stop in Francis.) Take right onto Highway 150 (Mirror Lake Scenic Byway) in Kamas. Go north approximately a half-mile to campground.
41 single sites - $23.00/day, Capacity - 8
4 double sites - $46.00/day, Capacity - 16
4 small group sites - $130.00/day, Capacity - 50
1 large group site - $190.00/day, Capacity - 100
Extra Vehicle and Day Use Fee $9.00
It was our first time camping there. We had lots of fun. The lake was amazing! We did go at the beginning of July and froze at night. We really needed to pack warm cloths for at night.
Lovely little campground. We stayed at the group site and it was clean, quiet and nice. They had a large charcoal grill, serving tables and three big picnic tables surrounding a fire pit for our group to use. There were only 3 tent spots but plenty of room for campers. Down the hill was a little stream that ran through the meadow. Walking distance to Washington lake. The pit toilets were well taken care of and didn’t feel as yucky as others we have used. (Someone had put Bounty dryer sheets in there and it was a game changer.). Don’t miss Upper Provo Falls when in this area, BEAUTIFUL!
Side note....We also visited the “fairy forest” near Shady Dell campground. My kids thought it was fun but honestly I was disappointed with the amount of painted rocks, literally thousands, left by campers over the years. If it were a true fairy forest it would have been a really cool thing. There were a few fairy houses but the majority of it is a bunch of family reunion, memorial and church groups who have wanted to leave their mark in the beautiful forest making it look trashy and gaudy in my opinion.
Hard to review this one as it is the only time we’ve been here! The lake is beautiful and The camp host family takes good care of the facilities! That being said the mosquitoes were the biggest issue! The campground is built around some swampy areas, which are prime mosquito habitat! Bug spray is a must and lots of it!
If you're looking for one of the most scenic campgrounds in the Uintah mountains, Washington Lake does not disappoint! With only 39 campsites, you can avoid the crowds that Mirror Lake draws (Sooo many people . . .) Paved sites with many having beautiful views of the lake and big enough to accommodate even large RVs. We stayed in site 19 (a double) and easily shared with our friends - we have a 26' trailer and they have a 28' trailer. The campground is very well kept and the host is very friendly. The Lake is fuller than last year at this same time, but with the drought, expect it to be low by season's end. Only drawbacks are no water available and LOTS of hikers on the Crystal Lake trail that goes through the campground.
Overall great experience, so here’s a summary:
🚽: probably the best smelling outhouses I’ve ever used. Kind of a weird comment, but it makes a difference—not wanting to vomit while going to the bathroom like at mirror lake.
🐶it can be hard to find dog friendly campsites, but it was super nice that this area is really open to dogs.
💦: there’s no water, but there are comfort/water stations close by.
🏕: the campsites are so big and pretty well spaced apart (the only exception being the lake-side spots being a little closer together together, but I feel like we all understand why). And the cement pads surrounding the fire were pretty big. Oh! And the little stands for your camp ovens. So cool.
🛶: the lake was really nice and serene. Some paddle boarders, some fishers.
🧍♀️🧍♂️: the camp hosts were super friendly and nice.
