Set at 8,300 feet in the southern end of the Uintas, embraced by a broad sandy beach and steep mountains, Moon Lake is one of Utah's best-kept secrets, which seems only fitting. The lake holds a number of secrets and mysteries. Tales of a long lost gold mine lure prospectors to the area. Stories of a Moon Lake Monster, among other legends, keep others away. According to the locals, Ute Indians won't come near the lake in deference to certain superstitions, although their reservation is just a few miles away.
Even the origination of the lake's name and its depth - some say the bottom has never been found - are uncertain, but what is certain is the ice-cold lake water and the three streams that feed it, an abundance of trout, deer, elk, moose, eagles and even an occasional bear, hiking trails, thick forests, cool mountain air and a rare alpine beach.It's enough to keep a loyal group of city dwellers, oblivious to local superstitions, returning annually.
"We have the same people come year after year, some of them from the very beginning, and now their children are coming," says Cal Clark, a semi-retired Salt Lake lawyer who, with help from his wife and children, has maintained and operated the Moon Lake recreation area for 28 years. "We don't advertise," he says. "People come mostly by word of mouth."
They come to fish, camp, hike, fish, get away, play on the beach, fish, ride horses, play basketball and volleyball and fish, in about that order. Many bypass the campgrounds to rent, at bargain prices, one of the 20 cabins that are tucked away in a thick stand of lodgepole pines and aspen at the edge of the beach. The cabins are not luxury accommodations, but they are adequate and comfortable, with beds, a table, refrigerators, ovens, heaters, hot and cold water, flush toilet and shower.
Night or day, the prevailing sound of the area is the wind in the trees, not screaming three-wheelers, whining boat motors and noisy neighbors. This is no place for the jet set.
"We have a different type of clientele," says Clark. "Mostly family types, church outings and reunions."
Moon Lake - so named, locals guess, either because of its crescent shape or because of the round mountain that borders it - is deep in Ashley National Forest, 32 miles north of Duchesne. It's a natural lake, but during the depression a dam was built to raise the level of the water, which, these days, is in need of further raising.
"This is the lowest I've ever seen the lake this time of year," says Ed Clark, Cal's son and the resident fishing guide.
Mines and monsters aside, what makes Moon Lake unique is the broad stretch of sandy beach that runs the entire length of its western shore - a rarity in the Rocky Mountains.
"It's the only one I know of that has that much sand on it," says Reay Jenssen, who has served as a ranger in the area for 31 years. "Most are all rock when the water goes down."
In the mid-summer weeks, when the place finally starts to heat up, the beach serves as a playground, although few dare to venture into the icy water (34 degrees in deep, 50 or so on the surface).
As for boating, the lake is almost exclusively the domain of fishermen. There is no man-made launching facility, which limits the size of boats and their motors (read: few, if any, water skiers and power boats). Fishermen not content with fishing on the shore troll the shores in small boats with quiet trolling motors or anchor at the mouth of the lake's streams to fish for kokanee salmon and trout.
Fishing isn't limited to Moon Lake. From there, one can hike or ride horses up the trail through forests of Douglas fir to Brown Duck, East and Odyssey basins (the Clark outfit provides horsepack trips of varying lengths and expense into these regions).
"There are 44 lakes and 38 streams in the area," says Ed Clark, who has explored the territory throughout most of his 27 years. "If you took the whole circuit of lakes it would take three days. You can catch rainbows, browns, cutthroat, eastern brookie, kokanee salmon. There's a lot of wildlife up there, too - elk, moose, deer. I saw fresh bear tracks around Brown Duck (Creek)."
Straddling the border of the primitive area, the lake - and the surrounding region - has lost none of its raw beauty. The snow-capped mountains are covered with thick forests. The water and air are clear and clean, the trails endless and seemingly seldom traveled. All reason enough to see Moon Lake. Never mind the tales of the locals, who say, as Jessen reminds us, "There's been a lot of talk over the years of a Moon Lake Monster."
*****
(Additional information)
Moon Lake facts
Daily rates:
Cabins $9-34. boats $18-$30, horses $30.
Activities:
Stream and lake fishing
Horse pack trips
Horseback riding
Hiking/backpacking
Boating
Volleyball/basketball/horseshoes
For reservations (Sept. 1-May 31):
3015 Thackeray Pl.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
582-7687 or 454-3142