This is the third State Park in this area east of Salt Lake City, the other two being Deer Creek and Wasatch. Rockport Lake is 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. I asked a Ranger why they call it a reservoir instead of a lake. He said that man made bodies of water are called reservoirs and natural ones are called lakes. So I asked him if he had heard of Powell Reservoir. He didn’t, and I told him it was more commonly known as Lake Powell. I gave him a wink and walked away. I like the word “lake” better. It is shorter and easier to spell.
Rockport Lake is about 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. It is home to first rate fishing, waterskiing, swimming, sailing, as well as ice fishing in the winter. The State Park has 5 developed campgrounds here. Cottonwood is on the river just above the lake. Crandall Coves, Twin Coves, and Juniper are on the lakeshore. Riverside is below the dam. Juniper is the only campground to offer hookups, flush toilets, and showers. The rest have vault toilets.
I stayed in Cottonwood 16, a large campsite with plenty of shade and privacy:
Saturday I drove to take photos at the three campgrounds on the lake. Below are some photos of a beach area, the boat ramp, and the marina store.
Sunday morning was overcast with scattered showers, so I did what any smart camper would do. I made tacos!
After the rain went away, I drove around the lake to Riverside Campground. Below is a photo taken from the dam looking across at the 3 lake campgrounds. The last one is of people fishing just below the spillway. I spoke to a few anglers and they said the fishing was excellent, with limits of 16” to 20” Rainbow Trout.
My next stop will be at Steinaker State Park, stopping along the way at Starvation State Park to take photos. It’s 170 miles away near the town of Vernal. They have some kind of dinosaur thing going on there, so I will check it out.
Finally, a word of warning. My campsite in Cottonwood was near the river. Due to the large amount of snowfall this year, the river was still running high. This resulted in swampy spots remaining near me. Which means mosquitos. I always carry repellent, which I applied to my arms and legs. Now, when guys are out camping, sometimes they like to piss on a nearby tree or bush, especially if they have had a beer or two and don’t want to walk all the way to the bathroom. So you whip it out, exposing your johnson to the mosquitos who immediately start their assault. Being smarter than a mosquito, you just hold your pride and joy in one hand while waving away the bloodsuckers with the other. Everything is going fine and then your mind starts drifting and suddenly your waving hand cuts through your stream. While you are shaking your hand dry, the mother of all mosquitos swoops in and tags you. Yeah. So be careful out there.
Regards,
Greg
