Established Camping

Lower Bowns

7 Reviews

About

National Forest

Fishlake National Forest

Overview

Lower Bowns Campground is located on the east side of Boulder Mountain on the shore of Lower Bowns Reservoir at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing and exploring local trails.

Recreation

Popular activities in the area include hiking, biking, hunting and riding the Rosebud ATV Trail. Lower Bowns Reservoir offers boating, canoeing and fishing for rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout.

Facilities

This campground contains three accessible sites: one group site can accommodate up to 50 people, and two single sites can each accommodate up to 10 people. Vault toilets are provided, and roads and parking spurs throughout the site are gravel.

Natural Features

The campground is sparsely forested with pinyon pines and juniper, which offer only limited shade. Boulder Mountain lies to the west of the site, and Capitol Reef National Park's Waterpocket Fold and the Henry Mountains lie to the east.

Nearby Attractions

Capitol Reef National Park is just 45 minutes from the campground. This unique park offers excellent hiking trails, historic sites and breathtaking scenery. Sightseeing along Utah Highway 12, a National Scenic Byway, is very popular. Travelers visit from every corner of the world to gaze upon stunning red rock canyons and desert landscapes.

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

Trash
Picnic Table
Toilets
Alcohol
Fires

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Justin A.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2023

Surprisingly Pleased

Great Campsites! Calf Creek is close. The well manicured sites are on the left, somehow east to miss if not watching. I pulled a 25ft tongue pull trailer with a half ton but be careful, go slow! The long road down isn’t easy with heavy loads, the road is narrow. We had our daughter ride a bike ahead of us before we pulled out of ravine to hold off or warn oncoming traffic. We thought it was wise to put it in 4WD high but transmission in low, to grind out of the washboard roads and steep grades, it was a good idea.

Sitefirst on the left

Month of VisitNovember

Bentz E.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 25, 2021

Awesome place to camp near Capitol Reef

Awesome place to camp when you can't get a spot at Capitol Reef. It's only a 15 minute drive away from a great hike to a waterfall and you can swing over to Capitol Reef in about 40 minutes.

maura

Guide

Reviewed May. 3, 2021

Nobody around

Take the gravel road off rt12 that leads you down to the lake. There’s dispersed camping all the way down to the reservoir- just look for signs to make sure you’re not on private property. There’s a big clearing to your right about 3/4mi down the road. Lots of trees to hammock and I had no neighbors while I was there.

Month of VisitNovember

Location

Lower Bowns is located in Utah

Directions

From Torrey, Utah, take Highway 24 approximately one mile east to the junction with Highway 12. Turn right and travel 16 miles to Forest Road 186. Take FR 186 5 miles to the campground.