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Ashley National Forest Scenic Byway, Utah (View Photos):
U.S. route 191/Utah route 44/Forest Road 218. Length - 67 miles
The two main attractions along this delightful scenic byway are Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area and the Flaming Gorge. Sheep Creek Canyon is accessible via a small 13-mile detour on Forest Road 218 from Utah route 44. Here, cottonwoods line a creek which flows through a convoluted labyrinth of eroded and sculpted rock. At certain points along the road, this canyon becomes quite narrow which allows for intimate views of the cream colored cliffs.
Flaming Gorge is an artistic canyon with blazing red walls that plunge down precipitously to the water below. These waters have been harnessed by a dam to form a large man-made reservoir. From the Red Canyon Overlook Area, sweeping cliff-edge viewpoints capture this breathtaking canyon in all its glory. Bighorn sheep - which have been reintroduced to the Red Canyon area after disappearing - roam the ponderosa pine forests of the canyon plateau.
After this, the drives continues its ascent up the eastern flank of the Uintas Mountains and then flattens out, with frequent pullouts that enable people to absorb views of evergreen-aspen covered plateaus and rounded mountain peaks of Ashley National Forest. Finally, the drive closes out with a twisting descent into the town of Vernal, Utah.
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Flaming Gorge, Red Canyon Overlook, (October 2006)
Flaming Gorge, Red Canyon Overlook, (October 2006)
Flaming Gorge Overlook, Ashley National Forest (October 2006)
Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, (October 2006)
Cottonwoods ablaze with fall color, Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, (October 2006)
Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, (October 2006)
Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, (October 2006)
Log fence with aspens displaying their fall foliage, Ashley National Forest, (October 2006)
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