Flaming gorge
scenic drives
You can see a great deal of this country from a car, and on a travel day or a rainy afternoon that matters. The Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway runs past our turnoff with roadside exhibits along the way, and the two best short drives in the area both start within ten miles of the lodge. Bring a full tank and a camera. Nobody drives the Sheep Creek loop without stopping.
Red Canyon Overlook
Two miles, and the best of the lot. A paved road climbs to the visitor center on the canyon rim, where the reservoir sits roughly 1,400 feet below you. Short walking paths, interpretive exhibits and the view that ends up on everybody’s phone.
Sheep Creek Geologic Loop
Ten miles away, a 13-mile loop through the Uinta Fault where the rock has been folded, tilted and stood on end. Interpretive stops explain what you are looking at and bighorn sheep are common along the cliffs. Typically closed in winter.
Flaming Gorge Dam
Fourteen miles. Completed in 1964 for water storage and hydroelectric power, with a visitor center and tours. Below it the Green River runs cold and clear through the tailwater that made this area famous with fly fishers. Fishing at Flaming Gorge
The scenic byway
The Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway itself, with roadside exhibits and pullouts, connecting Manila at 25 miles and Vernal at 40 through some of the most varied country in Utah — sagebrush desert at one end, alpine meadow at the other.
Historic stops
Swett Ranch preserves a homestead that shows how a family actually made a living up here. The Ute Fire Lookout Tower has a long view over Ashley National Forest, and the John Jarvie Historic Site remembers the Browns Park era, when this was outlaw country.
Practical notes
Fuel up in Manila, Vernal or Dutch John rather than assuming. Cell service is patchy to nonexistent on most of these routes, so download your map first. Afternoon thunderstorms build quickly in July and August, and some roads close with the first real snow.
Cozy Cabins at Red Canyon Lodge
SLEEPS 5-8
UINTA DELUXE CABINS
SWEETHEARTS PACKAGE
ALPINE KING SUITE
SLEEPS 4
ALPINE QUEEN
WATERFRONT BEAUTY
PONDEROSA DUPLEX
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