Dutch John - Red Canyon, Ashley National Forest, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - Utah

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In July 2002, a fire caused by a tire rim on a fishing boat trailer causing a spark when the tire blew going over a cattle grate this fire was later named the Mustang Ridge Fire burned approximately 22,000 acres of pinyon/juniper forest in the immediate vicinity of Dutch John. The fire was of immediate concern and caused a community power outage caused damage to power transmission lines which were supported by wooden poles. 10 years ago as a wildland firefighter I was requested as a Fire Fighter Type II to to assist with the supression efforts. When we were released we left a once vibrant trout fishing resort community with 2' of ash on the forest floor and just as much ash covering the flowing rivers. I have always wanted to go back ans see how exactaly the area recovered, the attached images depict and area where the mountains surrounding the community still are barren although restoration efforts have seemed to have brought this community back.

The town was platted and constructed beginning in 1957 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to house workers working on the construction of Flaming Gorge Dam. After the dam's completion in 1964, Dutch John became home to a smaller number of dam maintenance and operations personnel, as well as employees of the United States Forest Service.

The Dutch John townsite and its buildings continued to be owned by the Bureau of Reclamation until 1998, when the town was privatized. Buildings were sold to individual landowners, and undeveloped land in the town was transferred to Daggett County. The county later completed a master plan for the Dutch John townsite, and has begun offering parcels of land for sale to developers.
During the peak years of construction activity at Flaming Gorge Dam, as many as 3,500 people lived in Dutch John.

The Ashley National Forest is located in northeastern Utah and Wyoming. It encompasses 1,384,132 National Forest acres, (1,287,909 in Utah and 96,223 in Wyoming). Of the total acres, 276,175 are High Uintas Wilderness (180,530 additional acres of High Uintas Wilderness is located on the Wasatch / Cache National Forest).
Elevations on the Ashley National Forest range from 6,000 feet to over 13,500 feet.

Do your self a favor while there and visit The Red Canyon Visitor Center which is located on the edge of the cliffs of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. This little center is free of charge, and offers amazing views of the gorge. It's a great place to park your car, get out and walk around and stretch your legs. There is a paved trail that winds around the center complete with little informational plaques to tell you about the area wildlife and plants and trees that are native to the area

For a detailed map go here http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=40.86102,-109.54156&ll=40.86102,-109.54156&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

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Comments

[cornelia]

Stunning location
This is the America i want to experience some day!