Uinta Mountains

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The Uinta Mountains are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah in the United States. A subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for running east to west, and lie approximately 100 mi (160 km) east of Salt Lake City. The peaks range in height from 12,000-13,500 ft (3,700-4,100 m), with the highest being Kings Peak at 13,528 ft (4,124 m), the highest point in Utah.

Formed by the Uinta Mountains uplift and consisting primarily of quartzite and slate, many of the peaks are ringed with bands of cliffs, rising to broad or flat tops. In between the summits and ridgelines are wide level basins, with some 500 small lakes.

The south and east sides of the range are largely within the Colorado River watershed. The Green River, the principal tributary of the Colorado, flows in a tight arc around the eastern side of the range. The Bear and Weber Rivers, the two largest tributaries of Great Salt Lake, rise on the northern side of the range. The Provo River, the largest tributary to Utah Lake, rises in the southern side of the range. Utah Lake itself drains via the Jordan River into Great Salt Lake: thus, Great Salt Lake receives a majority of its water from the Uinta Range. Large portions of the mountain range receive over 500 in (1,250 cm) of snow and 60 in (150 cm) of precipitation annually. The high Uintas are snowcapped year-round except for late July through early September.

Nearly the entire range lies within Wasatch-Cache National Forest (on the north and west) and Ashley National Forest (on the south and east). The highest peaks of the range are protected as part of the High Uintas Wilderness.

The Uintas are home to Camp Steiner, the highest boy scout camp in the United States at 10,400 feet. The camp is near mile marker 33 of the Mirror Lake Highway.

References

• Mel Davis, High Uinta Trails (Salt Lake City: Wasatch Publishers, 1974)

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