Blue Lake

Blue Lake is one of the small backcountry fishing lakes in the North Creek Lakes area of the Dixie National Forest, reached by a short side trail off the Barker Lakes Loop northwest of Escalante. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stocks it with brook trout, and it's used mainly by anglers working the loop rather than casual sightseers.

Good to know

• Reached via Forest Road 149 to the Barker Recreation Area, then the Barker Lakes Loop trail
• Backcountry campsite nearby with a bear box and fire pit
• A Utah fishing license is required; there's no fee to access the area
• Open unless snow blocks the road, typically late spring through fall

This is Forest Service land, not park land — dogs are generally fine and dispersed camping is common in the surrounding Barker Recreation Area, a different set of rules than inside Bryce Canyon National Park.