Ashley National Forest
Encyclopedia
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and southwestern Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Within the Forest’s bounds are 1384132 acres (5,601 km²) (with 1287909 acres (5,212 km²) in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and 96223 acres (389 km²) in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from 6000 to 13500 ft (1,828.8 to 4,114.8 m). The Forest covers portions of Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
; Duchesne
Duchesne County, Utah
Duchesne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 18,607, a 29.5% increase over the 2000 figure of 14,371. Its county seat is Duchesne and the largest city is Roosevelt.-Geography:...
; Uintah
Uintah County, Utah
This page deals with the Utah County. For the Wyoming County, see Uinta County, Wyoming.Uintah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 25,224 and by 2009 was estimated at 31,536. It was named for the Ute Indians, the tribe that lives in the basin. Its...
; Daggett
Daggett County, Utah
Daggett County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 1,059 at the 2010 census. It was named for Ellsworth Daggett, the first surveyor-general of Utah. Its county seat and only municipality is Manila. There is one other small community, Dutch...
; and Summit
Summit County, Utah
Summit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. In 2010 its population was 36,324. It is part of the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Clearfield Combined Statistical Area. The county is...
counties in Utah and Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Some of the most popular landmarks located in the Forest include the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in the states of Wyoming and Utah. The centerpiece of the recreation area is the 91 mile long Flaming Gorge Reservoir, a reservoir created by the Flaming Gorge Dam along the Green River in 1964...
and the Uinta Mountains
Uinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah and extreme northwestern Colorado in the United States. A subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the contiguous United States running east to west, and lie approximately east of Salt...
, which contains the highest mountain peak in Utah (Kings Peak
Kings Peak
For the mountain in Idaho, see Kings Peak .Kings Peak is the highest peak in the U.S. state of Utah,with an elevation of . It lies just south of the spine of the central Uinta Mountains, in the Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah, in north-central Duchesne County. It is also located in the...
). The Forest also includes 180530 acres (730.6 km²) of the High Uintas Wilderness area
High Uintas Wilderness
The High Uintas Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northeastern Utah, United States. The wilderness covers the Uinta Mountains, encompassing parts of Duchesne and Summit counties. Designated as a wilderness in 1984, the area is located within parts of Ashley National Forest and Wasatch...
. The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in Vernal, Utah
Vernal, Utah
Vernal, Uintah County's largest city, is located in eastern Utah near the Colorado State Line, and 175 miles east of Salt Lake City. It is bordered on the north by the Uinta Mountains, one of the few mountains ranges in the world which lie in an east-west rather than the usual north to south...
with ranger district offices in Vernal; Duchesne, Utah
Duchesne, Utah
Duchesne is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Duchesne city is located at . just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah...
; Roosevelt, Utah
Roosevelt, Utah
Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 4,299 at the 2000 census.The proper pronunciation of the city's name is based on how President Theodore Roosevelt pronounced his name: according to the man himself, "pronounced as if it was spelled...
; Manila, Utah
Manila, Utah
Manila is a small town located in at the northern edge of Daggett County, Utah, just south of the Wyoming border. The town is at the junction of State Route 43 and State Route 44, and is the county seat of Daggett County...
; and Green River, Wyoming
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....
.
History
Petroglyphs (rock art) found throughout the Forest suggest that the land had been hunted for centuries by Indians before being discovered. The first white men believed to have set foot in Ashley National Forest were the Spanish explorers Dominques and Escalante, in 1776. The Forest, however, was not thoroughly explored until the early 19th century when General W. H. Ashley, an organizer of a fur company, began looking for an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico for his business. General Ashley and his team began making their way up the Green RiverGreen River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...
(one of the many bodies of water located in the Forest) in the spring of 1825. After passing through the Flaming Gorge, General Ashley was convinced by the local Indians to turn around and head back up the Uinta Mountains. During his exploration, General Ashley wrote and hung his name out over one of the rivers that he had explored, which now lies below the water of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Flaming Gorge Reservoir is a reservoir in Wyoming and Utah, on the Green River, created by Flaming Gorge Dam. Construction on the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964...
; this is how Ashley National Forest received its name. Many other explorers would come and explore the Forest, and eventually the first settlement in Ashley National Forest was made in 1872. It was settled by Captain Pardon Dodds, who brought about 2,000 cattle into the Uinta Basin. In a few years, all of the surrounding ranges were completely stocked with cattle and horses.
On July 1, 1908, by executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, Ashley National Forest was created. The general boundaries of the Forest remained unchanged until 1953. The entire north slope of the Uinta Mountains was transferred to the Wasatch National Forest
Wasatch National Forest
Wasatch National Forest was established as the Wasatch Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in Utah on August 16, 1906 with to the east of Salt Lake City and Provo. It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 Grantsville National Forest and Salt Lake National Forest were...
, while Ashley National Forest received the Rock Creek
Rock Creek
-Streams:* Rock Creek * Rock Creek , disambiguation* Rock Creek * Rock Creek , in Illinois* Rock Creek , in Maryland and the District of Columbia* Rock Creek , in Missoula County...
and Duchesne River
Duchesne River
The Duchesne River, located in Uintah Basin region of Utah in the western United States, is a tributary of the Green River. The watershed of the river covers the Northeastern corner of Utah...
drainages. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
added approximately 120000 acres (486 km²) to the Forest when he established the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area as part of Ashley National Forest in 1968. Since then, there have only been slight boundary changes to the Forest.
Recreational activities
With over 2.5 million visitors each year, Ashley National Forest offers many different recreational activities to its guests. The Forest contains four main byways to drive on, which take visitors through many different landmarks found in the Forest and offers them a chance to see various forms of wildlife. For people who prefer to walk, the Forest contains over 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) miles of hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails. These trails cover the entire Forest, taking hikers from extensive forests to rugged mountains. Many of these trails are designated for off-road vehicles as well, such as motorcycles, ATVs
All-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
, and snowmobiles. Along the trails there are many campgrounds available to visitors. During the winter months, there are two facilities located in the Forest called “Yurts” that provide cross-country skiers with overnight room rentals to escape the cold. There are also many lakes and rivers found throughout Ashley National Forest, which allows guests to take in some fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
while visiting. There are also some bodies of water in the Forest that are designated for motorized water-crafts.
Uinta Mountains
Occupying a large piece of Ashley National Forest are the Uinta MountainsUinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah and extreme northwestern Colorado in the United States. A subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the contiguous United States running east to west, and lie approximately east of Salt...
. With a main crest stretching more than 60 miles (96.6 km) and surrounded by massive secondary ridges extending north and south, this mountain range is the largest alpine area located in the Intermountain west. This mountain range also contains Kings Peak
Kings Peak
For the mountain in Idaho, see Kings Peak .Kings Peak is the highest peak in the U.S. state of Utah,with an elevation of . It lies just south of the spine of the central Uinta Mountains, in the Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah, in north-central Duchesne County. It is also located in the...
, the highest peak in Utah at 13528 feet (4.1 km). Hundreds of lakes, streams, and meadows can be found within the many basins located in the mountain range. The Uinta Mountains are also the home to many different types of wildlife including, elk, moose, mule deer, coyotes, sheep, bear, cougars, and otters. The mountains also contain 16 designated trails (545 miles (877.1 km)) for visitors to explore from June to September.
Flaming Gorge National Recreational Area
One of the most popular landmarks located in Ashley National Forest is the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is a large reservoir found within a canyon on the Green River. The reservoir contains 207363 acres (839 km²) of both land and water, which is divided almost evenly among Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The canyon was named by explorer John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
, who upon first looking at the red gorge believed that it was on fire. In 1958 the Flaming Gorge Dam
Flaming Gorge Dam
The Flaming Gorge Dam is a concrete thin-arch dam in the Flaming Gorge of the Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, in the U.S. state of Utah. One of the largest dams in the American West, Flaming Gorge Dam forms the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which extends into southern Wyoming,...
was created, which today is what keeps the water contained in the reservoir. The Flaming Gorge reservoir is extremely popular for boaters for it contains five full-service marinas, which offer launching, storage, and maintenance facilities. Because the water in the reservoir always remains cool, even in the extreme heat, it is a favorite spot for water sport enthusiasts. The reservoir is also known for attracting a large number of trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, which makes it a keen area for fishermen. The Green River, which is part of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is also very popular for fishing. The river is additionally well liked for rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
. The Flaming Gorge National Recreational Area in addition contains many campground and hiking trails found along the 360 miles (579.4 km) of shoreline, including some secluded grounds only accessible by boat.