Barker Lakes Loop

Best Time to Visit the Barker Lakes Loop

The source information for this listing doesn't specify a best season or current trail/road conditions for the Barker Lakes Loop. Since access runs the length of Forest Road 149 to reach the trailhead, it's worth checking current conditions before heading out rather than assuming the road and trail are clear. The route is rated easy and works for both hikers and horseback riders once conditions allow.

Barker Lakes Loop Trail Tips

• OHVs and e-bikes are not permitted on this trail — it's foot and horseback travel only.
• Several of the lakes along the loop (Blue, Flat, Yellow, Joe Lay Reservoir, Dougherty Basin, Round Willow Bottom, Long Willow Bottom) have backcountry campsites with a bear box and fire pit if you want to turn the loop into an overnight trip.
• This is Dixie National Forest land, not Bryce Canyon National Park — dogs are generally fine and dispersed camping is common, a more relaxed setup than the park's rules.

Getting to the Barker Lakes Loop Trailhead

From Escalante, head west on Highway 12, then turn north onto North Creek Road, which leads to Forest Road 149. Follow FR 149 all the way to its end — the drive covers about 16 miles from town to the trailhead, which sits at the north side of the Upper Barker Reservoir parking area. That's three connected roads in sequence (Highway 12, North Creek Road, then the full length of FR 149), so budget enough time to reach the very end of the forest road rather than stopping partway in.

What to Expect on the Barker Lakes Loop

The Barker Lakes Loop is an easy 2.9-mile route through aspen, mixed conifer, and meadow in the North Creek Lakes area of Dixie National Forest, northwest of Escalante. It's a straightforward day trip on foot or horseback that strings together a chain of small backcountry fishing lakes — Blue Lake, Flat Lake, Yellow Lake, Joe Lay Reservoir, Dougherty Basin, and both Round Willow Bottom and Long Willow Bottom. As an easy, multi-lake route, it works well as a relaxed day of lake-hopping, whether you're fishing a single lake or visiting several of them over the course of the loop.