State Route 44 (SR-44) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
that runs from
US-191 at
Greendale Junction, southwest of
Dutch John, to
SR-43 in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. The route spans as it straddles the southern and western border of 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 hi ...
, and, along with US-191 is part of the
Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway
The Flaming Gorge - Uintas Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in the state of Utah. It spans approximately as it travels from Vernal, Utah northward through the Ashley National Forest and the Uintah Mountains to the area around Flaming Go ...
.
The highway was established in 1927, originally going from Manila to Greendale Junction and continuing south to
Vernal. However, in 1981, the portion from Vernal to Greendale Junction was truncated in order to designate that road a part of
US-191.
Route description
The route begins at the junction of US-191 on the southern boundary of 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 hi ...
, southwest of
Dutch John. From there, the route heads west, continuing to straddle the southern boundary of
Flaming Gorge. The highway turns northwest, now fully entering the National Recreation Area. Past Sheep Creek Loop Road, the route begins a more unpredictable path with many twists and turns, though remaining in a general northwest direction. The route continues north, exits Flaming Gorge, and continues north for before terminating at
SR-43 in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
.
History
The road from
SR-6 (
US-40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America (a nickname shared with U.S. Route 66), is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid- ...
) in
Vernal north to
SR-43 in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, where one could continue to
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, was added to the state highway system in about 1918 as a
forest highway project,
[Fifth Biennial Report, State Road Commission, 1917-1918]
pp. 24-25 completed in 1926,
Utah Department of Transportation
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is responsible for approximately 5,900 miles (9,495 kilomet ...
Highway Resolutions
, updated October 2007, accessed May 2008 and numbered
SR-44 in 1927.
Two major realignments through the
Ashley National Forest
Ashley National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest's bounds are (with in Utah and in Wyoming) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevati ...
were made in 1966 and 1971, the first moving SR-44 to the northeast between a point south of
Carter Creek and near
Summit Springs
The Battle of Summit Springs, on July 11, 1869, was an armed conflict between elements of the United States Army under the command of Colonel Eugene A. Carr and a group of Cheyenne Dog Soldiers led by Tall Bull, who was killed during the engagem ...
, and the second moving it east between a point east of Summit Springs and
Sheep Creek Gap
Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to dom ...
. (The east–west road past Summit Springs was only a state highway between 1966 and 1971.) The final change was in 1981, when the part of SR-44 south of
Greendale Junction was renumbered as part of
US-191.
[
]
Major intersections
See also
* List of state highways in Utah
The U.S. state of Utah, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) operates a system of state routes that serve all portions of the state. In official documents the state of Utah uses the term "state routes" for numbered, state maintained ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:State Route 044
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