A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Moon Lake Guard Station

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Ashley National Forest, Duchesne County, Utah. About 8,000 feet. 18.1 miles from Tabiona.

Managed by
Forest Service Ashley National Forest
Elevation
About 8,000 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
1 1 cabin electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Welcome to one of the gateways to the High Uintas Wilderness with multiple recreation opportunities. Moon Lake Guard Station is located near the shores of the scenic two mile long Moon Lake on the southern slope of the 13,000 foot peaked Uinta Mountains. Visitors come to enjoy cool mountain air, fishing, canoeing and motor boating, scenic vistas, hiking trails and horse rides.

Recreation

Moon Lake offers great boating, canoeing and fishing. Anglers fish for tiger, rainbows, cutthroat, and brook trout, kokanee salmon, splake, and artic grayling. Tiger and rainbow trout are actively stocked annualy. The Lake Fork Trail and Brown Duck Mountain Loop hiking/esquestrain trails begin at Moon Lake Campground offering excellent opportunities in the High Uintas Wilderness where numerous alpine lakes provide great backcountry fishing. The Fish Creek Trail begins at the Moon Lake Dam and ascends northeast up to Center Park, climbing 8,200' to 10,400' over 5.6 miles.

Moon Lake Resort is adjacent to the Guard Station and offers small engine boat rentals. Flying J Outfitters is located one mile before Moon Lake Campground, at the Lake Fork Trailhead. They offer both scheduled and walk-up horse rides as well as drop and pack trips into the High Uintas Wilderness.

Facilities

The Guard Station cabin can sleep a maximum of four overnight guest. The cabin contains one twin-size bunk bed and one queen size bed, though no linens, bedding or pillows are provided. Level parking is provided for a maximum of two vehicles. The cabin has flush toilet, running water, shower, wood stove, and electric lights with modern appliances. No tent or RV camping is allowed.

There is no campfire ring and no fires are allowed.

Family reunions or other large gatherings (more than four people) are not allowed.

Guest are expected to clean the cabin before leaving.

Natural Features

The Guard Station is situated near the lake shore at an elevation of 8,000 feet where lodgepole pine, aspen, and Douglas fir provide shade away from the lake. Wildlife and flowers both flourish in the canyon.

Nearby Attractions

Moon Lake Campground and Moon Lake Resort are adjacent to the Guard Station.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • accessible swimming
  • backpacking
  • beachcombing
  • biking
  • birding
  • boating
  • canoeing
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • horseback riding
  • jet skiing
  • motor boat
  • non-motorized boating
  • other recreation concession site
  • photography
  • scenic drive
  • swimming
  • water access
  • water activities
  • water skiing
  • wilderness
  • wildlife viewing
  • wood cutting

The land around Moon Lake Guard Station

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated March 11, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.