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The North Creek Lakes (Barkers) would be a good option. Though the road is dirt in to the Barkers, it is a good road and you could drive it in a car. From the the campground, you have a lot of lakes to hike to as options.
You could also camp in the Pleasant Creek campground and hike into Oak Creek Reservoir, or camp around the Deer Lake trailhead and hike into the lakes around Deer Creek.
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Thank you for the advise. One of the boys that LOVES to fish had to have a leg amputated about 9 months ago due to an infection that got a little out of control. He had a prosthetic now and assures me that he can hike with the best of us (and I believe him) but putting a pack on him may be too much too soon. Are there any lakes around barker that you recommend within 5ish miles?
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[quote betterthanwork]Are there any lakes around barker that you recommend within 5ish miles?[/quote]
All of them.
I know. I get it. But, it's the same old thing in every thread that starts with "boulder mountain". It's not hard. There is a ton of info out there for anyone willing to look for it. But, I get it. It's easier to ask and let someone else dig up the info for you. Here is an excellent place to start: [url "https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/b-mtn.pdf"]https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/b-mtn.pdf[/url]
And, because I'm nice, I'm attaching a topo map as well (1 square = 1 square mile)
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Thank you very much for your help! I have tried to do a lot of homework on the area but the one think that I cant manage to find anywhere is "Though the road is dirt in to the Barkers, it is a good road and you could drive it in a car" There are roads everywhere but are they roads or ATV trails? If it were just me and I had the time to explore I would just pack up and go check it out before I took the boys down there but unfortunately that is not the case. I really do appreciate the point in the right direction and I am very sorry if I struck a nerve.
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It’s true, the dirt road into Barker Reservoir is a very good dirt road. From the trailheads at Barker there are several hikes into the other lakes in the region. Round and Long Willow Bottoms, Dougherty Basin, Joe Lay, Yellow, etc.
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I've never been there but in doing my own research on the area a couple months ago I found that according to the DWR pdf on the Boulder mountain lakes that Barker Reservoir is managed with "Opportunity (meaning a lot of small fish)" Rainbow trout, and "Quality (meaning a good amount of good sized fish) Brook trout. To me this plus the fact the road goes right to it would make Barker Reservoir a good base camp (lots of smaller rainbows to keep the kids busy and possibility of some nicer brook trout to keep things interesting).
For change of scenery and possibly even bigger fish, though likely fewer and farther between, Lower barker, Joe Lay, Flat, Yellow, & Blue Lakes all are managed for "Trophy (meaning a few very large fish)" Brook, Tiger trout, and even Splake in Lower Barker. All those lakes are within 1.25 mile (as the crow fly's) of Barker Res. Barker Reservoir has so many options nearby that it is the location I chose while doing research a couple months ago, that will be the first place I will explore when I get a chance to head down South.
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Hoobie, you nailed it. The Barkers offers a lot of different types of fishing opportunity. Combine the fishing with the road, the campground, and the number of lakes and hikes, and it is probably a good safe bet for scouts. Posey Lake is another good option although it doesn't have near the fishing options close by. Posey has a good campground, a good day hike up to the lookout, and if you get adventurous, Tuley (spelling?) is close by that you could hike into.
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Betterthanwork -- You'll be there in June. Remember Dougherty Basin will still be closed to fishing. Don't go get a ticket!
Also, this is bear country. And it is serious -- this is an area that is known for bears. Make sure you put some firm rules in place with your scouts: keep camp clean, and no food in tents! This would include toothpaste and deodorant. Keep that stuff in a truck.
June is also a good time of year to have a snow storm. Do your duty as a scout leader, and make sure everyone is prepared.
Finally, have fun. This area is a great area. You really can't go wrong here. It has it all -- opportunity and trophy. Some of the biggest fish on the mountain are swimming in that area. 10lb +
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+1000 on being extra careful with food. About a decade ago on a very dry year my son and I ate dinner down along the Burr Trail planning to camp the in GSE National Monument in late May. It was unusual warm so afterwards we drove up to near The Box in the southern Boulders. Never had any food out at all but my dogs woke me up at 2 am to chase off a bear. They spent 40 minutes chasing and barking at the thing treed before coming back. Each bark echoed 5 times when the perused it into The Box. The bear came back 2 more times only to get chased off each time. Molly, my little lab bull terrier mix was ecstatic to chase off the bear each time with the help of my ultrafast border collie. However it wasn’t a very restfully 2 hours until that bear finally quit coming back. In the morning I found a few hard cider bottle that were unopened about 50 yds from where we were camping. I assume some on had dumped out left over food with the unopened bottles and probably why the bear kept coming back. These dry years are always hard on bears so be extra careful. I do know a scout leader in Colorado that had one of his scouts get bitten in the leg through the tent by a bear that same dry summer. Scout the area for crap the slobs throw out - that was also a huge problem in the area that 11 yo in American Fork Canyon was camping when the black bear killed him about a dozen years ago.
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] If any of you have any advise or suggestions about a location I would really appreciate it. I know the Unitas well, and have led many boys through that beautiful country, but moving south is a little more uncharted territory
