Uinta National Forest

Recreational Activities

The Uinta National Forest is now actively working to update the recreation information on this website. If you need immediate assistance, please feel free to ask any recreation questions using our feedback form or call our forest office at (801) 342-5100.

New Trail Information

Our newest feature - trail descriptions and maps! So far we only have information available for a few trails, but we continue to work on adding more.

• Trail descriptions and maps

Changes to Camping Fees

Beginning in 2007, single family camping fees will increase from $11.00 and $12.00 to $14.00 on the Heber and Spanish Fork Ranger Districts.  Fees will increase from $11.00 to $13.00 on the Pleasant Grove Ranger District.  Fees for group sites will also increase.  This will be the first price increase in five years for Uinta National Forest campgrounds.  Fifteen percent of the camping fee is returned to Forest and is reinvested in the campgrounds to repair or replace aging facilities.

Bears in Utah?

The black bear, Ursus americanus, is fairly common in Utah, where it can be found primarily in large forested areas. Contrary to its name, the black bear is not always black; the species varies in color from reddish to light brown to black.

Black bears are omnivores with diets consisting of fruits, insects, grubs, some small vertebrates, and carrion. They breed in June or July, and young are born in January or February; average litter size is two. Young stay with their mother until the fall of their second year. Black bears are nocturnal and are dormant during the winter.

The black bear is currently the only species of bear that occurs naturally in Utah. The grizzly bear, Ursus arctos , was exterminated in Utah during the 1920's.

Black bears usually retreat before people are aware of them.  Their hearing is more sensitive than a human's, and their broad, soft foot pads allow them to move quietly downwind where they can best identify their dangers.  The may stand upright to see farther.  If need be, they can run faster than 25 mph or climb trees as fast a squirrels.  They generally prefer to forage for wild foods away from people but are almost as quick as chipmunks to seek food in campsites and garbage cans when wild nut and berry crops fails.  They rarely attack people.  Campground bears and roadside panhandlers may nip or cuff people that crowd around them, try to pet them, or tease them with food.  But the injuries, if any, are usually slight, only occasionally requiring stitches.

For much more information about Black Bears, read a copy of the Forest Service publication Watchable Wildlife: The Black Bear

Are you looking for the High Uintas or the High Uintas Wilderness Area?

The Uinta Mountain Range and the High Uintas Wilderness Area are managed by the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and the Ashley National Forest. The Ashley National Forest maintains a webpage with information on the High Uintas Wilderness Area that contains a map of trails, information on King's Peak (the highest point in the state of Utah), and guidelines and restrictions for the area.

Wilderness Regulations

Wilderness is defined as a portion of land set aside by an Act of Congress that will remain unspoiled for future generations. A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where humans and their works dominate that landscape, is recognized as an area where "the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." There are three wilderness areas on the Uinta National Forest

Current Recreation Closures

Visit the Current Conditions page for information about seasonal or maintenance closures affecting the Uinta National Forest.