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Flaming Gorge National Rec. Area, UT

US Forest Service

Overview

Flaming Gorge Dam, Reservoir, and Powerplant, features of the Colorado River Storage Project, are on the Green River in northeastern Utah about 32 miles downstream from the Utah-Wyoming border. After the Bureau of Reclamation built Flaming Gorge in the early 1960s, a National Recreation Area was established and recreation management was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, Ashley National Forest, 435-789-1181.For information on current reservoir levels: reservoir levels The reservoir is located in both Utah and Wyoming. Situated 20 miles north of Vernal, Utah, at 6,040-foot elevation in a partial timber setting with 42,000 acres of surface area. Managed recreation season varies by campground location. Use high on holidays and weekends. Available fish species include rainbow trout, Kokanee salmon, and smallmouth bass. Many U.S. Geological Service maps cover the area. Reservations accepted at certain sites. Fees charged. The Green River below the dam offers high quality fishing opportunities for brown and rainbow trout. Fishing guides and boats available.Free guided tours of the dam and power plant are conducted year-round by the Flaming Gorge Natural History Association. The tours take between 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete. Winter tours are offered Friday through Monday every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Summer tours take place every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are two visitor centers within the National Recreation Area, the Red Canyon Visitor Center and the Flaming Forge Dam Visitor Center. Red Canyon is open from mid-May until after Labor Day. Flaming Gorge Dam Visitor Center is open from April through October with limited tours the rest of the year. For more information, contact the Intermoutain Natural History Association at (435) 885-3305. Historic sites open to the public within the National Recreation Area include a homestead ranch (Swett Ranch) and fire lookout tower (Ute Mountain Lookout Tower).

Recreational Activities:

  • BIKING
  • BOATING
  • CAMPING
  • FISHING
  • HIKING
  • HISTORIC & CULTURAL SITE
  • HORSEBACK RIDING
  • HUNTING
  • INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS
  • PICNICKING
  • RECREATIONAL VEHICLES
  • VISITOR CENTER
  • WATER SPORTS
  • WILDLIFE VIEWING
  • WINTER SPORTS

Address:

Ashley National Forest
355 North Vernal Ave
Vernal,UT,84078
Phone: 435-789-1181

Directions:

All weather access. From Vernal, Utah, take U.S. Highway 191 north for 43 miles. From Rock Springs, Wyoming, take I-80 east to Highway 191 south for 63 miles.

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