Wasatch Mountain State Park

Wasatch Mountain State Park[2] is a state park of Utah, United States, located in the northern part of the state within the Wasatch Back area on the north and west edges of the Heber Valley in Wasatch County near the city of Midway.

Wasatch Mountain State Park
Location of Wasatch Mountain State Park within the State of Utah
Wasatch Mountain State Park (the United States)
LocationWasatch, Utah, United States
Coordinates40°30′10″N 111°32′14″W
Area21,592 acres (87.38 km2)
Elevation5,900 ft (1,800 m)
Established1961
Named forthe Wasatch Range
Visitors360383 (in FY2017)[1]
OperatorUtah Division of State Parks and Recreation
Websitestateparks.utah.gov/parks/wasatch-mountain/

Description
Wasatch Mountain State Park Visitors Center, April 2016

Established in 1961, Wasatch Mountain State Park is Utah's most developed state park. Named for the Wasatch Mountains,[Note 1] the park consists of 21,592 acres (8,738 ha), and sits at an elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m).[5] Wildlife in the park includes deer, elk, wild turkeys, and moose. Although the southern part of Wasatch Mountain State Park is adjacent to the northeast part of Deer Creek State Park, the two parks only share a short section of common border.

Of the forty state parks in Utah, Wasatch Mountain State Park was the fifth most visited during the Fiscal Year 2017. During that period, 360,338 guests visited the park, representing a 6.7 percent increase over FY2016.[1][6]

Park facilities

Wasatch Mountain State Park is used for mountain activities such as camping, picnicking, hiking, off-road vehicle use, horseback riding, Nordic skiing, snow tubing, and snowmobiling. It is also home to Wasatch Mountain and Soldier Hollow golf courses.[7][8][9] Unlike a large majority of Utah's state parks, it is not related to a body of water (reservoir, lake, etc.).

There are 139 campsites at the park, along with two pavilions for group use, restrooms, showers, and utility hookups.[5]

Soldier Hollow was host to some of the events of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The venue remains open to the public year-round, offering Nordic skiing, tubing, snowshoeing, a summer and winter biathlon, and in-line skating facilities.[10]

Access

There are three sections of the park, each with a different access route.[Note 2] The main part of the park, including the park headquarters/visitors center, campgrounds, and the Wasatch Golf Course, is most easily reached via Utah State Route 222 (east Main Street) from Midway. It may also be accessed (except during the winter and early spring) by way of Pine Canyon Road from Guardsman Pass Road (from Big Cottonwood Canyon) or Utah State Route 224 (from Park City). The Soldier Hollow portion, which includes the cross country ski resort and the Soldier Hallow Golf Course, is most easily accessed by way of Tate Road (from Utah State Route 113 in Charleston) and then turning south on Stringtown Road. (Until 1990, this route was designated as Utah State Route 220.) Dutch Hollow, the least visited area, which includes a hiking trail, is reached via Dutch Canyon Road from River Road on the eastern edge of Midway.[13]

History

Wasatch Mountain State Park contains three historic features. The restored Tate Barn, at the south end of the park, is a recognized landmark and Heber Valley symbol. It is a classic wooden barn built in the 1890s.[14] Huber Grove, a 100-year-old apple orchard, features the Huber Farmhouse and Creamery.[15] The third feature is the Snake Creek Hydroelectric Power Plant Historic District. However, most facets of the district are currently not directly accessible by the public.

See also

Notes
  1. Although the wording of the name of the Wasatch Mountain State Park may seem to imply it is named after or related to the "Wasatch Mountain", the only mountain so named is located over 300 miles (480 km) to the southeast in San Miguel County in southwest Colorado.[3][4] Therefore, it is a "mountain state park" that is given the specific name of "Wasatch", after the Wasatch Range, in general.
  2. In addition to the access routes indicated, U.S. Route 40/U.S. Route 189 very briefly passes through the northeastern edge of the park, but there is no direct access to any part of the park from that highway.[11][12]

References
  1. "Division of Parks and Recreation Fiscal Year 2017 Visitation Data" (PDF). stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017 – via Park Visitation Data.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wasatch Mountain State Park
  3. "Feature Query Results [for a search for 'Wasatch Mountain']". geonames.usgs.gov. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wasatch Mountain
  5. "Wasatch Mountain State Park: Discover". Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  6. "Visitation for 2016" (PDF). stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017 – via Park Visitation Data.
  7. "Wasatch Mountain State Park: Amenities". stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation.
  8. "Golf Weber Valley". gohebervalley.com. Heber Vslley Office of Tourism. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  9. "Wasath Mountain State Park: A State Park Where Anything Goes". utah.com. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  10. "Soldier Hollow Nordic Center". utaholympiclegacy.org.
  11. "Wasatch Mountain State Park: Map" (Map). stateparks.utah.gov. Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  12. MyTopo Maps - Untitle map of the northeast edge of Wasatch Mountain State Park (Map). Trimble Navigation, Ltd. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  13. Google (6 Nov 2017). "Wasatch Mountain State Park" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
  14. "Friends of Wasatch Mountain State Park". friendsofwasatch.org. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017 – via web.archive.org.
  15. Grass, Ray (18 Jul 2003). "Wasatch tour focuses on homestead, barn". Deseret Morning News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved 6 Nov 2017.
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