How to Visit Northeastern Utah
- 1). Plan your visit. Because of the many outdoor recreational activities, the warmer months are a great time to visit northeastern Utah. However, while summer is an ideal time to go out on the lake, it can get hot of the desert areas.
- 2). Secure lodging. There are many lodging options available. Decide if you'd like to rough it in the great outdoors, or if you'd like the conveniences of a hotel room. Ashley National Forest has camping available. You can also find camping at one of the many state parks. For hotel lodging, Roosevelt and Vernal have the most options.
- 3). Enjoy Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Here, you can find hiking and biking trails, abundant wildlife, a 91-mile lake and gorgeous scenery.
- 4). Go for a scenic drive. There are many byways in northeastern Utah. If you're in the Flaming Gorge area, take a drive on the Flaming Gorge Uintas National Scenic Byway. This road winds through the Ashley National Forest and Flaming Gorge Recreational Area. There are fifteen different "pullouts" and four self-guided nature trails. You might also want to take a ride to the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery. A 40-mile scenic byway climbs high above Ashley Valley before descending to the hatchery. You might even see some bighorn sheep and rock art along the way.
- 5). Visit the state parks in the area. If you want to enjoy Dinosaurland, visit Steinaker State Park. Here you can camp, picnic, water ski and enjoy the wildlife, all while learning more about the history and geology of the area. To see hundreds of dinosaur tracks in Navajo Sandstone, visit Red Fleet State Park, located 10 miles north of Vernal. If you happen to be in the Duchesne area, Starvation State Park, with its crystal blue waters and varied wildlife, is a good bet.
- 6). Explore Dinosaur National Monument. Stretching from Jensen, Utah into western Colorado, Dinosaur National Monument has many interesting features. You can see dinosaur bones and fossils, rock art and beautiful scenery. You can go river rafting on the Green and Yampa rivers or go hiking along one of the many trails in the area (see Resources below).
