USFS · Utah, Wyoming

Ashley National Forest

Ashley National Forest is a national forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming in the United States. Within the Forest's bounds are 1,382,346 acres (5,594 km2) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from 6,000 to 13,500 feet. The forest covers portions of Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, and Utah counties in Utah and Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Some of the most popular landmarks located in the forest include the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Uinta Mountains, which contains the highest mountain peak in Utah. The forest also includes 276,175 acres (1,117.64 km2), or about 60.5%, of the High Uintas Wilderness. The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in Vernal, Utah with ranger district offices in Vernal; Duchesne, Utah; Roosevelt, Utah; Manila, Utah; and Green River, Wyoming.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.4 million acresUSFSUTWY89 campgrounds within 10 mi140 Forest Service sites313 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
4 fires
active
Western Roughneck Rx (prescribed burn) · 24 mi from the center · 472 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesUtah, Wyoming
Size1.4 million acres
Forest Service code0401, region 04
Center point40.65° N, 110.10° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Ashley National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.55 inches of precipitation, 7.0 inches of snowFebruary: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 6.3 inches of snowMarch: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowApril: 0.77 inches of precipitation, 1.5 inches of snowMay: 1.04 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowJune: 0.59 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.54 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.93 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.37 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.15 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowNovember: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 2.5 inches of snowDecember: 0.57 inches of precipitation, 9.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.8°F averageFebruary: 26.4°F averageMarch: 38.0°F averageApril: 44.9°F averageMay: 54.2°F averageJune: 63.4°F averageJuly: 70.3°F averageAugust: 67.7°F averageSeptember: 59.2°F averageOctober: 46.4°F averageNovember: 33.2°F averageDecember: 21.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Neola, 16 miles from the center point at 5,950 feet, station USC00426123 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 9 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 31 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 4,000 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

51 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 38 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Antelope Flat
Reservable50 sites
FS · Inside
Arch Dam Campground
Reservable3 sites
FS · Inside
Aspen
Reservable30 sites
FS · Inside
Avintaquin Campground
Reservable17 sites
FS · Inside
Big Pine II River Camp
ReservableUT
FS · Inside
Browne Lake Group Sites
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Buckboard Crossing
Reservable59 sites
FS · Inside
Canyon Rim
Reservable18 sites
Show 4 more

77 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 140

The Forest Service lists 140 recreation sites in this forest, among them 69 campgrounds, 11 boat launchs, 8 cabins, 7 viewpoints. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 80 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 313 named trails in this forest, 1,064 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Uinta Highline ↗92.6
Ashley Driveway ↗26
Dry Gulch ↗23.7
Jackson Park ↗21.3
Uinta River ↗20
Don Hatch Memorial Snowmobile ↗18.8
Chain Lakes-Atwood ↗17.6
Brown Duck ↗16.5
Elkhorn-West Fork ↗16.1
Yellowstone ↗15.7

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 313 trails in Ashley National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Western Roughneck Rx

    24 mi from the center point · 472 acres

  • Prescribed
    D1 Pondo Rx

    33 mi from the center point · 532 acres

  • Prescribed
    Carter Creek Rx

    40 mi from the center point · 150 acres

  • Prescribed
    Whitney Bear Rx

    42 mi from the center point

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 29 mi
Dinosaur National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 50 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Utah

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking from here to Wow: Utah Canyon Country
    Kathy Copeland, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Utah's high Uintas
    Jeffrey Probst, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 100 classic hikes Utah
    Julie K. Trevelyan, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands And Arches National Parks
    Bill Schneider, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City
    Greg Witt, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Ashley National Forest?

1.4 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Ashley National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Ashley National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Utah and Wyoming.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Ashley National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Ashley National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 40.646° N, 110.099° W. Dinosaur National Monument is 29 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Ashley National Forest right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Western Roughneck Rx at 24 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Ashley National Forest?

Dinosaur National Monument (29 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Ashley National Forest?

The National Register has 50 listings within 15 miles, including Quarry Visitor Center and Indian Canyon Ranger Station.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Ashley National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.