USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers

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Intermountain Region Viewing Area

LOCATION and PHOTOS

Map of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Ashley National Forest, showing the Greendale Site area.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot and wildflowers.
Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) in the Greendale Burn 12 years post-fire. The historic Swett Ranch is in the mid-ground. The canyon of the Green River at the Utah/Colorado is in the distance. Photo by Sherel Goodrich.

Arrowleaf balsamroot.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot and an abundance of wildflowers that sprouted following the 1993 fire. Photo by Sherel Goodrich.

acuteleaf evening primrose.
Acuteleaf evening primrose (Oenothera acutissima). This plant is known from northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. The large yellow flowers of this plant are open at night and usually wither by mid morning. The reddish flower on the left was open and yellow the day before the photo was taken. Photo by Sherel Goodrich.

Greendale Site

Forest: Ashley National Forest

District: Flaming Gorge Ranger District (Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area)

Description: The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, administered by the Ashley National Forest is a rugged and diverse land of scenic beauty. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, on an expedition down the Green River, looked in awe at this magnificent country and named it Flaming Gorge. Vegetation ranges from grassland to sagebrush deserts, through pinyon pine up to Ponderosa pine parkland and lodgepole pine forests, to the spruce and fir forests in the upper elevations just below alpine meadows of the High Uintas.

Viewing Information: This site is located at the Greendale overlook near the historic Swett Ranch and Flaming Gorge Lodge. This area burned in 1993 and twelve years later you can still enjoy a fantastic abundance of post-fire wildflowers such as Arrowleaf balsamroot, evening primrose, globemallows, biscuitroot, penstemon, and other herbaceous species.

Safety First: Flaming Gorge area weather is unpredictable and may change rapidly. Summers are usually warm with occasional thunderstorms and strong winds. May through August is the busiest season. Spring and fall bring cooler temperatures with chances of rain, snow, and wind.

Directions: Head North for 28 miles on Hwy 191 from Vernal, UT to the junction with Hwy 44. This site is located at the Greendale overlook on Utah Highway 44 about 2 miles west of the junction with U.S. Highway 191 (Scenic Byway).

Ownership and Management: U.S. Forest Service, Ashley National Forest, Flaming Gorge Ranger District. Phone: (435) 784-3445.

Closest Town: Vernal and Manila, Utah.

U.S. Forest Service
Rangeland Management
Botany Program
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop Code: 1103
Washington DC 20250-1103

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Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/intermountain/Greendale/index.shtml
Last modified: Tuesday, 24-Jun-2008 21:56:10 EDT