Ashley National Forest is a National Forest located in northeastern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

and southwestern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. Within the Forest's bounds are (with in Utah and in Wyoming) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from . The forest covers portions of Daggett,

Duchesne Duchesne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Joseph Duchesne (c. 1544–1609), French physician and chemist. Physician-in-ordinary to King Henry IV * André Duchesne (1584–1640), French historian * François Duchesne (1616� ...

, Summit, Uintah, and

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 is a United States national recreation area in Wyoming and Utah. Its centerpiece is the long Flaming Gorge Reservoir. History The area was given the name "Flaming Gorge" by John Wesley Powell during his ...

and the

Uinta Mountains The Uinta Mountains ( ) are an east-west trending chain of mountains in northeastern Utah extending slightly into southern Wyoming in the United States. As a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the c ...

, which contains the highest mountain peak in Utah ( Kings Peak). The forest also includes , or about 60.5%, of the

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 wi ...

(with the rest being in the

Wasatch–Cache National Forest Wasatch–Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah (81.23%), with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho (16.42%) and southwestern Wyoming (2.35%). The name is derived from the Ute wor ...

). The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in

Vernal, Utah Vernal, the county seat and largest city in Uintah County is in northeastern Utah, approximately east of Salt Lake City and west of the Colorado border. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,089. The population has since grown t ...

with ranger district offices in Vernal;

Duchesne, Utah Duchesne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. Geography Duchesne is located just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah ...

;

Roosevelt, Utah Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 6,046 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 7,070 in 2018. The proper pronunciation of the city's name is based on how President Theodore Roosevelt p ...

;

Manila, Utah Manila is a small city located on the northern edge of Daggett County, Utah, United States, 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. Nearby si ...

; and

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 12,515 at the 2010 census. History The townsite of Green River, Dakota Territory was platted ...

.United States Department of Agriculture. Forest Service. Ashley National Forest. Forest Service, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

History

Petroglyph found throughout the forest suggest that the land had been hunted for centuries by native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. 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

William Henry Ashley William Henry Ashley (c. 1778 – March 26, 1838) was an American miner, land speculator, manufacturer, territorial militia general, politician, frontiersman, fur trader, entrepreneur, hunter, and slave owner. Ashley was best known for being th ...

, an organizer of a fur company, began looking for an outlet to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

for his business. General Ashley and his team began making their way up the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

(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 native Americans 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 is the largest reservoir in Wyoming, on the Green River, impounded behind the Flaming Gorge Dam. Construction on the dam began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The reservoir stores of water when measured at an elev ...

; 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

Uintah Basin The Uinta Basin (also known as the Uintah Basin) is a physiographic section of the larger Colorado Plateaus province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division. It is also a geologic structural basin in e ...

. 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 Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, Ashley National Forest was created. The general boundaries of the forest remained unchanged until 1953. Most of the north slope of the Uinta Mountains was transferred to the

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 Grantsvi ...

, while Ashley National Forest received the Rock Creek and

Duchesne River The Duchesne River ( ), located in the 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. The Duchesne River is long,U.S. Geological S ...

drainages. President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

added approximately 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

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 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, and

snowmobiles A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

. 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 while visiting. There are also some bodies of water in the forest that are designated for motorized water-crafts. The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act created the Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area. It is 173,475 acres of karst landscape protecting the watershed in Uintah County.

Uinta Mountains

Occupying a large piece of Ashley National Forest are the Uinta Mountains. With a main crest stretching more than 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, the highest peak in Utah at . 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 The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

, coyotes,

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

, several

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

species, beavers, marten, river otters,

mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a hoofed mammal endemic to mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to alpine species, it is a sure-footed climber commonly seen on cliffs an ...

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

, cougars,

pika A pika ( or ; archaically spelled pica) is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal found in Asia and North America. With short limbs, very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but wi ...

s, and

marmot Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, ...

s. The mountains also contain 16 designated trails () for visitors to explore from June to September.

Flaming Gorge National Recreational Area

The

is a popular recreational feature located at the

within Ashley National Forest. It is in Flaming Gorge, a partially submerged canyon on the

. The

National Recreation Area A national recreation area (NRA) is a protected area in the United States established by an Act of Congress to preserve enhanced recreational opportunities in places with significant natural and scenic resources. There are 40 NRAs, which emphasiz ...

contains of both land and water, which is divided almost evenly in Utah and Wyoming. The canyon was named by explorer

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, who upon first looking at the red gorge believed that it was on fire. In 1962 the Flaming Gorge Dam was completed, impounding the

to create the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The reservoir is extremely popular for boaters, with five full-service marinas offering launching, storage, and maintenance facilities. Because the reservoir's water remains cool even in summer's extreme heat, it is popular with

water sport Water sports or aquatic sports are sport activities conducted on waterbodies, and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * Boatin ...

s enthusiasts. The reservoir and Green River upstream are known for supporting a large number of

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

, which makes the recreational area a fishing destination. The river is also a

river rafting A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

destination. The recreational area has campgrounds and hiking trails along the of shoreline. There are also some secluded coves only accessible by boat.

References

External links