Uintas rugged, beautiful and remote

If Duchesne County has one claim to fame, which most people are familiar with, it would most certainly be that it has stewardship of the largest piece of the Uinta Mountain/High Uinta Wilderness area.

This would include, of course, the fact that if anyone wished to stand atop the highest point in the state, he or she would be able to do it in Duchesne County.

What you know:

The Uinta Basin, a k a Duchesne County, holds hundreds of lakes, mile upon mile of rivers and streams, three national forests, and Utah's largest wilderness area.

Of all the wilderness available in Utah, the Uintas are most certainly the best known. Rugged, beautiful, remote and at times threatening, especially when it comes to weather conditions. The Uinta Mountains are unique in that they are the only range in the contiguous United States to lie in an east-west direction.

Named after the Ute Indians, who were known as mountain dwellers, the High Uinta Wilderness was established by Congress in 1984. Encompassing more than 456,000 acres, it is the largest wilderness area in the state. Elevations start at around 8,000 feet and rise up to the top of King's Peak — 13,528 feet, the highest point in the state.

There are, within the expanded boundaries of the Uinta Mountain range, more than 1,000 natural lakes, with more than 650 of those inhabited to various species of fish, ranging from golden trout to grayling. During the summer months, many a visitor enjoys an afternoon on the banks of one of the lakes casting flies and waiting for strikes. And, afterward, wrapping a few of the fresh catches in tinfoil, with butter, pinches of salt and pepper, and a touch of lemon added.

Among the more popular fishing spots are Moon Lake, the Granddaddy Lakes and the Duchesne River.

About half of the land within the range is forested, with stands of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, Sabalpine fir and aspens. A range of plants covers about a third of the area. What's left are large patches of rock outcroppings.

In the winter, the Uintas are a popular cross country ski and snowmobile area. The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation grooms several miles of trails.

Another known fact is that few areas within Utah hold the disparity of wildlife, which includes elk, deer and moose, along with black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, pine marten, fox mink and weasel, not to mention the families of smaller animals like squirrels and marmots.