Pole Creek Lake WR-13

Directions

Pole Creek Lake is located in Duchesne County, Utah. It is part of the Whiterocks River Drainage on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains.

From the city of Fort Duchesne on highway 40 take 5750 East/Whiterocks Highway northbound. This is adjacent to Eagle View Elementary school and across the street from Bottle Hollow Reservoir. Follow this road for 20.6 miles. Take the Elkhorn Loop road east for 14 miles. You will come to a fork and there should be signs for Pole Creek Campground. Continue on FR-17 for 0.7 miles. From the campground It is a short walk to the lake.

Fish Species

This lake is not managed as a High Lake. Which is why it was stocked with rainbow trout annually until 2015. There was a population of wild reproducing rainbow trout that lived in Pole Creek. The lake is now stocked with tiger trout annually. Brook trout do have a small naturally reproducing population in the lake. Brook trout are stocked above in lower Rock Creek lake and could also make their way down. There is a possibility of cutthroat in the lake although very unlikely. Cutthroat are stocked in upper and middle rock lake. Although their population does not thrive in those waters.

Likely catch. Tiger Trout, and Brook Trout.

Possible but unlikely. Rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout.

Picture of a wild rainbow trout I caught out of Pole Creek back in 2016.

Pole Creek Campground

Pole Creek Lake Campground construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1966. Restrooms and 18 camping and picnic sites were built. Prior to this date it was common for lake goers to camp and picnic at nearby Bennion Park.

Forest Service Page which is somewhat out of date. It lists the fee of the campground being $5 but I haven’t seen a $5 fee at a campground for a few decades so I don’t trust it.

Pole Creek Cave

I haven’t been to the cave but from what I understand the cave is located 1.5 miles south of the Pole Creek Sinks. I believe it is just north of Harmston Canyon and south of FR-289. I guess you need to be on some secret cave nerd list to get the exact location. From the lake the the creek travels south before emptying in the Sinks where the water flows underground in the cave. The water fills the cave in the spring time. By the fall the flow has slowed enough where people can usually safely enter the cave. There has been a long history of residents enjoying the cave. In the 1930’s the CCC would have a celebration picnic inside the cave. I came across many stories of youth groups visiting the cave from the nearby towns.

On The Big Screen

The film “The Butter Cream Gang 2 Secret of Treasure Mountain” had several scenes that were filmed in the cave. The 39 member film crew spent 4 days filming in the cave. It took the crew an hour to reach the cave each day.

Gale Rhoades And The Lost Gold Mine

In the late 1970’s Gale R Rhoades and Ferno Lee Dubray filed a claim on 700 acres in Pole Creek Canyon. They asserted that the famous lost Roades gold mine was located in the sinks and cave. the group spent a decade trying to clear out the mine shafts in and around the cave. In 1986 a member of Rhoades party named Wallace Muir lost his life in dynamite accident while clearing out debris from the cave. There has been a history of people sabotaging dynamite fuses by cutting along the fuse with a razor knife. This causes the fuse to burn twice as quick. I’ve talked to a few old timers who believe this is what happened to Wallace.

Vernal Express 9/15/77
We have also heard the rumor that the recent Rhoades mine claim is a promotion scheme to sell more copies of their book “Footprints in the Wilderness” Which gives a historical account of the mine.

Deseret News 11/13/2005
He scoured the mountains for more than 20 years and died in 1988 a penniless man, divorced, living on caffeine and cigarettes, those closest to him said.

Gale Rhoades and Ferno Dubray at Pole Creek Mine from The Uinta Basin Standard 1977 — From the Uinta Basin Standard 09/08/1977

For more on the Roades lost gold mine check out my article on Enoch Davis at the bottom of the Oak Hollow page.

History

The Myton Free Press 08/03/1922
The Neola boys and girls returned from their fishing trip in the Uinta canyon Monday. they report a better time then they have had for many years. Some of them rode across the mountains to Pole Creek Lake where the fish were more numerous and the scenery much more beautiful.

in 1926, a bridge was built in Uinta Canyon over the river. Then a wagon road was built heading to the lake in the 1930’s. In 1928, an article in the Roosevelt Standard mentioned Melvin Roberts having a sheep camp and giving tours of the underground lakes. Uinta Canyon was the only entrance to the lake. In 1954 a road was constructed on the Farm Creek side. This completed the Elkhorn Loop and provided a second entrance. The lake Winterkilled in 1970.