Dutch John • As the sun rose over the Mustang Ridge campground on the banks of Flaming Gorge Reservoir on a warm summer morning, campers fixed breakfast and decided how to spend their day.
Each group faced a myriad of choices as to how to enjoy their outdoor vacation.
Few places in Utah offer the variety of recreation activities that can be found at the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area that straddles the Utah-Wyoming border in northeastern Utah.
Visitors might find their own little beach area where they can boat, zoom across the water in personal watercraft, use a paddle board, kayak, swim or fish.
They might take their power boat up the 91-mile reservoir, where they can view osprey nests, photograph the Flaming Gorge that gives this place its name, fish, water ski or play in the 70-degree water.
A family might rent a raft from one of three concessionaires in Dutch John for a seven-mile run down the Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam. They can view thousands of trout swimming below them or watch dozens of fly fishers try to fool the wily fish into biting.
Those looking to turn their vacation into a learning experience might tour the Flaming Gorge Dam, watch a film or read about the building of the dam and where it fits into the Colorado River storage projects.
They might also visit the Red Canyon Visitor Center to learn about the flora and fauna of the area and then take a hike to overlook areas looking down hundreds of feet to the reservoir. At times, this is also a good place to see Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
Tara Hamilton of the U.S. Forest Service said displays in the Red Canyon Visitor Center explain area history, geology, river aquatics, and ecosystems. There is a popular hands-on children's area. The center is just finishing a facelift and update.
Parents might explain the geology of the area by taking the drive from Vernal north to Manila, mostly on U.S. 191. Signs along the way explain the area's diverse geology and what fossils, dinosaurs or wildlife are found in that zone. There is also the loop drive through the Sheep Creek National Geological Area.
Starting in mid-August and running through much of October, families might also want to take the Sheep Creek Nature Trail and look for the flaming red kokanee salmon that are making their annual run. Dinosaur National Monument is a short drive south to Vernal and then Jensen. The Fieldhouse of Natural History State Park in Vernal also has some excellent dinosaur displays.
Spirit Lake offers another fishing opportunity and a gateway to the High Uintas Wilderness Area, Utah's largest.
Or, finally, a family might decide to simply sit around the campground playing games, chatting or roasting marshmallows over a campfire.
Jack Lytle, a Daggett County Commissioner who moved to the Flaming Gorge area in 2002 as a conservation officer for the Division of Wildlife Resources, would like to see a few more tourist facilities in Dutch John, which recently incorporated.
These days, two convenience stores offer limited restaurant service, gasoline, groceries, camping supplies raft rentals and fishing guide services, and a few cabins serve visitors.
The Flaming Gorge Lodge offers family units, motel rooms, a store and a full-service restaurant. The Red Canyon Lodge offers a gourmet restaurant and cabins for rent as well.
Lytle said fishing on Flaming Gorge Reservoir has been good, especially for kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. Shore anglers also can catch smallmouth bass. Trollers go deep for the trophy lake trout the Gorge is known for.
"The Green River has been challenging for most of the guides I have talked to," said Lytle. "I don't know why. There are different flows in on the river, which require anglers to fish it differently. The fish are in tremendous condition. They are just not biting what they are throwing. But the evening caddis hatch at the Little Hole has been tremendous."
Another surprise this summer has been how full the reservoir has been. With Lake Powell and Lake Mead both low, late spring and early summer rains, as well as management, have kept water levels high at Flaming Gorge.
The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service were slated to manage the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. But Congress decided to allow the Ashley National Forest to manage the area on October 1, 1968. The National Park Service transferred facilities such as Antelope Flat, Buckboard and Lucerne recreation areas that were initially constructed by the National Park Service. The Ashley National Forest grew by 113,800 acres in the process.
The dam, dedicated by then-first lady Lady Bird Johnson in 1964, created one of the largest and most beautiful water-oriented recreation areas.
Since then, the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and surrounding areas have provided hours of recreation fun for thousands of visitors.
| Tribune File Photo A drift boat floats the upper section of the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Daggett County. The county has proposed the river be designated as scenic under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as part of Rep. Rob BishopÕs Public Lands Initiative.
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