Dave Webb
July, 2026
My family has enjoyed some epic camping trips. We prefer dispersed camping – not in campgrounds – where the kids have room to run and get a little crazy. We camp near the places we want to play – often near fishing waters, great hikes, scenic attractions or rock hounding areas.
Last weekend we had a great time camping along the Fremont River, in a meadow area just upstream from Mill Meadow Reservoir. We relaxed at camp, enjoyed the scenery, fished the reservoir, watched wildlife, and kayaked down the river. The grand kids loved it.
Utah was experiencing record high temperatures that weekend, with temps in Salt Lake City hitting 109 F, but conditions were delightful up on the mountain. It felt hot when in direct sunlight but actually cool in the shade. Nighttime temps were perfect, not too warm or too cold.
Mill Meadow is located north of Loa, downstream from Fish Lake. Dispersed camping is allowed along the lake’s shoreline and in the meadows upstream. We chose a meadow area with large willows that provided great evening shade.
The reservoir level was low but the paved boat ramp was still usable. We fished from a large canoe that we launched from the shore on the reservoir’s north end. There is a pit toilet near the boat ramp but no other facilities.
Utah has had terrible wildfires, but close to our camping area. Fire restrictions were in place and so we were not allowed to build a campfire, but that was not a problem because it was plenty warm.
We came prepared with a propane stove for cooking and a small tent for our porta potty.
FR036 runs along the east side of the reservoir and continues up toward Fish Lake. It is paved and in good shape. We drove a short dirt spur down to our camping area. People with motor homes and travel trailers often set up base camp at or near the reservoir and take day trips to explore the surrounding area, which includes Capitol Reef National Park.
We could easily walk from our camp to the north end of the lake, but we usually ended up driving a rough dirt road the followed the river to the lake’s shoreline.
Fishing was best during the early morning and late evening hours, but was actually pretty good all day long. The kids all caught fish. Most of the fish were small but fun to catch. Virtually every lure we tried worked. We caught rainbows, browns, and a hybrid fish called a wiper. (Wipers were stocked to help reduce the number of small fish and bring the reservoir to a more healthy balance.)
We saw mule deer, pronghorns, squirrels, chipmunks and many kinds of birds.
All in all, we had a great weekend at a very nice camping area.