Ashley National Forest
| Ashley National Forest | |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Naturalist Basin in Ashley National Forest
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| Location | Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, and Utah counties, Utah, and Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA |
| Nearest city | Vernal, UT |
| Coordinates | 40°20′N 110°20′W / 40.333°N 110.333°WCoordinates: 40°20′N 110°20′W / 40.333°N 110.333°W |
| Area | 1,382,346 acres (5,594.16 km2) |
| Established | July 1, 1908 |
| Visitors | 1,400,000 (in 2006) |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Ashley National Forest |
Ashley National Forest is a National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest’s bounds are 1,382,346 acres (5,594 km2) (with 1,287,909 acres (5,212 km2) in Utah and 96,223 acres (389 km2) in Wyoming) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from 6,000 to 13,500 feet (1,800 to 4,100 m). The Forest covers portions of Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, and Utah counties in Utah and Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Some of the most popular landmarks located in the Forest include the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Uinta Mountains, which contains the highest mountain peak in Utah (Kings Peak). The Forest also includes 276,175 acres (1,117.64 km2), or about 60.5%, of the High Uintas Wilderness (with the rest being in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest). The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in Vernal, Utah with ranger district offices in Vernal; Duchesne, Utah; Roosevelt, Utah; Manila, Utah; and Green River, Wyoming.
Petroglyphs (rock art) found throughout the Forest suggest that the land had been hunted for centuries by Indians before being discovered by white Europeans. The first white men believed to have set foot in Ashley National Forest were the Spanish explorers Dominques and Escalante, in 1776. The Forest, however, was not thoroughly explored until the early 19th century when General William Henry Ashley, an organizer of a fur company, began looking for an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico for his business. General Ashley and his team began making their way up the Green River (one of the many bodies of water located in the Forest) in the spring of 1825. After passing through the Flaming Gorge, General Ashley was convinced by the local Indians to turn around and head back up the Uinta Mountains. During his exploration, General Ashley wrote and hung his name out over one of the rivers that he had explored, which now lies below the water of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir; this is how Ashley National Forest received its name. Many other explorers would come and explore the Forest, and eventually the first settlement in Ashley National Forest was made in 1872. It was settled by Captain Pardon Dodds, who brought about 2,000 cattle into the Uintah Basin. In a few years, all of the surrounding ranges were completely stocked with cattle and horses.
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Wikipedia