China Lake
- May–Sep
- best months
Is China Lake open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
China Lake is a fishing lake in the Smith Fork drainage, within the Evanston-Mountain View Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah. The Forest Service manages the surrounding land, and the lake is not reservable. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Moon Lake weather station, which sits about 1,300 feet lower than the lake, show July and August highs around 77°F with lows near 48°F. Winters are cold, with January highs around 31°F. China Meadows campground is about half a mile away, and Marsh Lake Campground is about a mile off. The East Fork Smiths Fork and Wilson Peak hikes both start about 1.2 miles from the lake.
- China MeadowsCamping0.6 mi
- Marsh Lake CampgroundCamping1 mi
- East Fork Smiths ForkHiking1.2 mi
- Wilson PeakHiking1.2 mi
- Sargent Lake CutoffHiking1.2 mi
- Marsh LakeLake fishing1.3 mi
- Bridger LakeLake fishing1.8 mi
- StatelineCamping3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Sargent LakeLake fishing · ~2 min drive
- Henrys ForkRiver fishing · ~8 min drive
- Marsh LakeLake fishing · ~2 min drive
- DeadhorseRiver fishing · ~12 min drive
- Bridger LakeLake fishing · ~3 min drive
- Stateline ReservoirLake fishing · ~5 min drive
- Grahams ReservoirLake fishing · ~6 min drive
- Sawmill LakeLake fishing · ~10 min drive
- Bear LakeLake fishing · ~11 min drive
- Grass LakeLake fishing · ~13 min drive
Best time to visit China Lake
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
31° / 7°
Feb
34° / 12°
Mar
41° / 18°
Apr
49° / 24°
May
59° / 33°
Jun
69° / 40°
Jul
77° / 48°
Aug
77° / 49°
Sep
67° / 41°
Oct
55° / 31°
Nov
40° / 22°
Dec
31° / 11°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Moon Lake, UT, 26.5 mi away at 8,125 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
