Fishlake National Forest

Home to Pando, the world's largest known living organism -- a massive quaking aspen clone spanning 106 acres and weighing an estimated 13 million pounds, with a root system believed to be over 80,000 years old -- Fishlake National Forest encompasses 1.5 million acres of central Utah's diverse mountain landscapes. Fish Lake, the forest's namesake, sits at 8,843 feet elevation and is renowned for trophy-sized splake, rainbow trout, and mackinaw in a stunning alpine setting ringed by aspen and conifer forests. The Tushar Mountains in the western portion of the forest rise above 12,000 feet, offering challenging alpine hiking, backcountry skiing, and panoramic views stretching across much of southern Utah. The Black Rock Desert on the forest's western edge features dramatic volcanic lava flows, cinder cones, and ice caves that reveal the region's geologically recent volcanic activity. The forest's autumn aspen display is among the most spectacular in the West, with vast hillsides transforming into brilliant gold, orange, and red each September and October. ATV riding, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and hunting for mule deer and elk are popular activities across the forest's varied terrain from sagebrush valleys to alpine meadows.