About the Area
A Place Where Quality Is Growing
Forest Facts
Big Horn Sheep on the Ashley National Forest
- There are 1,384,132 National Forest System acres on the Ashley National Forest (1,287,909 acres located in Utah, 96,223 acres located in Wyoming)
- Of the total 1,384,132 acres on the Ashley National Forest, 276,175 are the High Uintas Wilderness and there are 180,530 additional acres of High Uintas Wilderness located on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
- Elevations range from 6,000 feet to over 13,500 feet.
- Remarkable features include Kings Peak (highest peak in Utah), Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway, The Green River Corridor (recognized as a world class Blue Ribbon Fishery)
The Ashley National Forest, with headquarters located in Vernal, Utah, comprises approximately 1.3 million acres in the northeastern portion of Utah and southwestern portion of Wyoming. National Forest System lands are located in three major areas: the northern and southern slopes of the Uinta Mountains, the Wyoming Basin, and the Tavaputs Plateau.
The Ashley National Forest is bordered by the Uintah and Ouray Ute Indian Reservation, the Uinta and Wasatch-Cache National Forests, private property, and lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and State of Utah. Dinosaur National Monument is located approximately 10 miles east of the Forest. Forest landscape ranges from high desert country to high mountain areas. The elevation varies from 6,000 feet to a high of 13,528 feet at the summit of Kings Peak.
Topographical diversity and extensive land management has served to protect the visual quality on the Forest. The existing vegetation patterns and the geological formations further add to the aesthetic value. Within the forest boundaries include the Sheep Creek Geological Area, the High Uinta Wilderness area, the Green River, and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.ervation, the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, private owned lands, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and State of Utah. Dinosaur National Monument is located approximately 10 miles east of the forest.
The Ashley National Forest was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. Its forest and range lands are protected and managed to provide resources such as timber, grazing, minerals and water, and provide outdoor recreation for the american people.
The vast Uinta Mountains watershed within the forest boundary provides vital water supplies for power, industry, farm, and city uses in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and California. Sheep, cattle, and horses graze under permits on over a half million acres on the forest each annually. Timber is managed with other resources to ensure a continuing supply and a quality environment. Over 2.5 million visitors visit the forest each year to participate in outstanding outdoor recreation activities including boating, biking, fishing, camping, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, cross-country and back country skiing, snowmobiling, wildlife viewing and OHV riding.