Ashley National Forest is located in northeastern Utah and Wyoming.
It encompasses 1,384,132 National Forest acres (1,287,909 in Utah and 96,223 in Wyoming). Of the total acres, 276,175 are High Uintas Wilderness (180,530 additional acres of High Uintas Wilderness is located on the Wasatch / Cache National Forest).
Elevations on the Ashley National Forest range from 6,000 feet to over 13,500 feet.
The Ashley National Forest asks the public to please recreate responsibly. Law enforcement and/or search and rescue operations may be limited due to COVID-19 issues. High-risk activities such as rock climbing, etc. or backcountry activities that increase your chance of injury or distress should be avoided. We also encourage you to follow public health guidelines regarding social distancing while you recreate in National Forests. For more information about how the Forest Service is responding to COVID-19, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/covid19-updates.
Location: 5 miles northeast of Moon Lake in the High Uintas Wilderness
Approximate Acreage: 1,214
Containment: 0%
Start Date: August 25, 2020 lightning caused
East Fork Fire: Yesterday’s precipitation did not fall on much of the fire area. The southern and eastern fire perimeter held during yesterday’s wind event. Firefighters continued building depth, expanding the burned fuel buffer between planned containment line and the advancing fire. Further south, crews continue making progress on containment lines. Excavator operators worked closely with resource advisors to repair roadways used during suppression operations on Bear Hollow Road. Close monitoring of the fire above Rock Creek Road continues. On South Fork Rock Creek Road, chipper operations removed the debris created during the previous day’s hazard tree removal activities. High in the wilderness the fire is burning at varying intensities and leaving pockets of unburned forests.
Center Creek Trail Fire: The Center Creek Trail Fire is showing limited fire behavior and currently poses no threat of moving south toward the wilderness boundary.
Today’s Operations: On the eastern perimeter firefighters will continue burn operations to remove fuels in front of the advancing fire. Excavators will continue repairing roadways and dozer lines. Ground crews will begin repairing handlines near Stillwater Reservoir by installing water bars and moving vegetation and debris back over the contained line.
Suppression Repair: This work is now a major component of the firefighting effort. As fire management objectives continue to be met, crews working with hand tools and heavy machinery will repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and other impacts resulting from fire suppression activities along dozer lines, handlines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts.
Weather: The cold front moving over the area yesterday produced strong winds across the fire. Although rain fell on the western side of the fire, very little moisture reached the eastern perimeter. Even with precipitation, heavy fuel concentrations throughout the fire will continue to burn. Slightly drier and warmer temperatures are expected today with temperatures in the upper 50s° at higher elevations and in the upper 60s° at lower elevations. Afternoon winds will be south/southwest at 7-12 mph with gusts up to 17 mph. Weather tonight is forecasted to be in the 40s°.
Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area
What is the Ashley Karst National Recreation Geologic Area (NRGA)?
The Ashley Karst NRGA received this special designation by Congress in March of 2019. The designation is part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The purposes of the designation are to, “conserve and protect the watershed, geological, recreational, wildlife, scenic, natural, cultural, and historic resources” that are located within the NRGA.
The Ashley National Forest is preparing to develop a management plan for the Congressionally designated Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area.
Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Records of Decision for Greater Sage-grouse Conservation
Forest Service Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Records of Decision for Greater Sage-grouse Conservation
The Intermountain and Rocky Mountain Regions of the Forests Service incorporated standards and guidelines for the conservation of greater sage-grouse into forest plans in 2015. After two years of implementation and monitoring, the Forest Service identified new information that could be used to improve the clarity, efficiency, and implementation of the 2015 Greater Sage-Grouse Plan Amendments, in order to benefit greater sage-grouse conservation at the landscape scale. During the development of a draft Environmental Impact Statement, comments were requested from the public and were used to create proposed revisions to greater sage-grouse plans for forests in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Most of the content of 2015 plans remained, but changes were proposed that incorporated new information and attempted to improve the efficiency of plan implementation. The Final Environmental Impact Statement can be found here, and draft Records of Decision can be found at the links for Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The publication of the final Environmental Impact Statement on August 2nd, 2019 begins a 60-day objection period that cannot be extended. After the objection period, which is described in the Records of Decision and in the Federal Register, the Forest Service will attempt to resolve any remaining concerns before creating final Records of Decision. Members of the public may examine interactive maps of habitat management areas using a web tool.
Travel stories audio tour of the FLAMING GORGE - UINTAS SCENIC BYWAY (download the Travelstorys app from Google Play or the Apple Store and download the Flaming Gorge tour for the next time you travel from Vernal to Manila. Visit https://www.travelstorys.com/explore-tours/ to review some of their tours.
The interactive travel map shows the National Forest System roads, National Forest System trails, and areas on National Forest System lands that are designated for motor vehicle use. The map is searchable by vehicle class, time of year, route number, and travel mode. You can zoom into an area on a national forest or grassland, see the roads and trails in that area, and find out which ones are open to motor vehicles, and when. You can see rivers, lakes, mountain peaks, campgrounds, and topographic lines. Land ownership is shown by color. You can also print a map of the area you wish to visit.
Ashley National Forest is located in northeastern Utah and Wyoming.
The Ashley Karst NRGA received this special designation by Congress in March of 2019. The designation is part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The purposes of the designation are to, “conserve and protect the watershed, geological, recreational, wildlife, scenic, natural, cultural, and historic resources” that are located within the NRGA. 
