Reginal Overviews
Statewide
Northern Utah
Central Utah
Southwest Utah
Southeast Utah
Topical Overviews
Biking
Boating
Fishing
Golfing
Hiking
Off-Road Driving
Rafting
Skiing
National Parks
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Northern Utah - Travel and Vacation Overview
Northern Utah encompasses the Rocky Mountain District of Utah and features two impressive mountain ranges, the Wasatch and Uintas. The Wasatch Mountains offer Utah's best snow skiing, and good hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Along the western edge of the range -- called the Wasatch Front -- reside over 80% of Utah's total population and most of its major cities, including Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden.
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The rugged Uintas are Utah's tallest mountain range. Most of the range is a protected wilderness area offering good backcountry hiking and camping. Just east of the range are two noteworthy scenic national monuments, Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur. Flaming Gorge offers good boating, fishing and sight seeing on a large lake beautifully contained within colorful canyon walls. Dinosaur features a great collection of dinosaur bones and some good high canyon scenery. Provided below are short summaries of, and links to, all the attractions and towns in Northern Utah.
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Major Attractions and Cities |
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Utah has some of the best downhill skiing in North America. Major resorts surround Salt Lake City and Park City with other great resorts throughout the state. Follow the link for full details. |
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Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area consists of big, beautiful Flaming Gorge Lake, enclosed by brightly colored canyon walls and set amidst hundreds of thousands of acres of forested hills. It is a wonderful setting in which to boat, fish, hike, mountain bike or just soak in the beauty. |
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Park City is a great ski resort town in the Wasatch Mountains, 32 miles east of Salt Lake City. It is bustling and attractive and caters well to the thousands of skiers who come to the three ski resorts in town -- Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and The Canyons. In summer Park City works as a base for exploring the many hiking and mountain biking opportunities in the surrounding mountains. |
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Salt Lake City is the cultural and political center of Utah. With over 1 million residents in the metro area, it is Utah's most populace city, yet remains remarkably pleasant and livable. Bordering the city are the stunningly beautiful Wasatch Mountains which provide the some of the best downhill skiing opportunities in the country. In summer, the mountains provide wonderful hiking and mountain biking opportunities. In the city itself is a good selection of restaurants, nightclubs and cultural opportunities. |
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The Wasatch Mountain Range runs from north to south from Logan, past Ogden and Salt Lake City to Provo. Along its length are thousands of miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, pretty rivers and great scenic drives. Twelve ski resorts operate in the Wasatch and are consistently blanketed with piles of dry powder. For information on the Wasatch, select Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City or Provo. |
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Other Attractions and Cities |
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The Green River starts at Flaming Gorge in the northeast corner of Utah, proceeds through
Dinosaur National Monument, winds through desert wilderness in east-central Utah, passes the town of Green River before merging with the Colorado River in Canyonland National Park. It has a lot to offer. |
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Bear Lake is a 150 square mile natural lake with a striking turquoise color. It is surrounded by low, lightly timbered mountains, marshland and rangeland. It is popular with boaters, skiers and sailors, and also offers decent fishing for cutthroats, rainbows, mackinaw, whitefish and yellow perch. |
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Brigham City is an attractive, well kept town with several beautiful buildings. Near town are several interesting stops, including the Thiokol Space Shuttle Rocket Display, and the Golden Spike National Historic Site where the final spike in the first transcontinental railroad was driven. |
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Dinosaur National Monument is two parks in one. It was originally established to protect an area that was one of the most productive sources of dinosaur bones in the world. This area contains an enclosed quarry with some 1,600 exposed bones from 11 different dinosaur species. The park was later expanded to include 300 square miles of great, high desert canyon country through which the Green and Yampa Rivers flow. This area offers wonderful scenery and some good hiking and white water rafting opportunities. |
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Heber City is a midsize town situated in a farming valley between the Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges. In summer it serves as a convenient stop for travelers exploring the Uinta or Wasatch Mountains. In winter it serves as a relatively inexpensive source of lodging for skiers from Park City. |
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Logan is a very attractive small city set along the northernmost extension of the Wasatch Range. Utah State University, with its 20,000 students, adds a nice mix of young energy to this pleasant town. The mountains surrounding Logan provide good recreational opportunities, including hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing, camping and in winter downhill and cross-country skiing. Outside Magazine recently named Logan to its top 100 livable places. |
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| Ogden
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Pop: 245,000 (Metro Area)
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(Good)
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Ogden, one of Utah's largest cities, sits attractively at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. Ogden has some interesting museums and historical sites in town and serves as a base for exploring the wonderful recreational opportunities in the Wasatch Mountains. In summer there is good hiking and mountain biking; winter brings downhill skiing and snowmobiling. |
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| Provo
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Pop: 275,000 (Metro Area)
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(Good)
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Provo is Utah's third largest city. It is a clean, pleasant city situated between the Wasatch Mountains and Utah Lake. It is home to Brigham Young University, the largest church affiliated university in the country. The mountains surrounding Provo provide good hiking, mountain biking and fishing opportunities among beautiful alpine scenery. Also nearby are Timpanogos Cave National Monument and pretty Sundance Ski Resort. |
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The Uinta Mountains are Utah's tallest mountain range with 6 peaks exceeding 13,000 feet. The Uintas contain beautiful alpine forest scenery, grassy meadows, cold clear streams and thousands of alpine lakes. Scores of trails meander through the woods providing hiking and horseback riding opportunities and, in certain areas, mountain biking. Camping opportunities are plentiful both at designated forest service sites and at dispersed sites throughout the range. Fishing in the periodically stocked lakes can be sensational. |
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| Vernal
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Pop: 7,400
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(Traveler's Stop)
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Vernal is a midsize town in a green and tree shaded community surrounded by dry plain. It serves as a good base for visiting nearby Dinosaur National Monument (20 miles east), Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (35 miles north) and the Uinta Mountains (35 miles northwest). |
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