Manti-La Sal NF - Moab National Forest - Utah
The Manti-La Sal National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres and is located in the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. state of Utah and the extreme western part of Colorado. The forest is headquartered in Price, with ranger district offices in Price, Ferron, Ephraim, Moab and Monticello. The maximum elevation is Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains, reaching 12,721 feet (3,877 m) above sea level. The La Sal Mountains are the second highest mountain range in Utah after the Uintas. Parts of the forest are included in the Bears Ears National Monument.
maps Manti-La Sal MVTM - Moab 2023 Motor Vehicle Travel Map (MVTM) of Moab Ranger District in Manti-La Sal National Forest (NF) in Utah. Published by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Manti-La Sal MVUM - Moab - 2023 Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) of Moab Ranger District in Manti-La Sal National Forest (NF) in Utah. Published by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Moab - E-Bike Opportunities Map of E-Bike Opportunities near Moab in the BLM Moab Field Office area in Utah. Published the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Moab - BLM Moab Camping Map of BLM Campsites near Moab south of South of I-70 in the BLM Moab Field Office area in Utah. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Moab - Visitor Map - South Visitor Map (southern part) of the BLM Moab Field Office area in Utah. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Moab - Visitor Map - North Visitor Map (northern part) of the BLM Moab Field Office area in Utah. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Manti-La Sal NF - Moab
https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mantilasal/home
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manti-La_Sal_National_Forest
The Manti-La Sal National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres and is located in the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. state of Utah and the extreme western part of Colorado. The forest is headquartered in Price, with ranger district offices in Price, Ferron, Ephraim, Moab and Monticello. The maximum elevation is Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains, reaching 12,721 feet (3,877 m) above sea level. The La Sal Mountains are the second highest mountain range in Utah after the Uintas. Parts of the forest are included in the Bears Ears National Monument.
M VISITOR
anti-La Sal National Forest
Ancient Lands
GUIDE
Modern Get-away
Dark Canyon Wildern
ess
La Sal Pass
T
Maple Canyon (© Jason Stevens)
he deep sandstone canyons, mountaintops, meadows, lakes
and streams of the Manti-La Sal National Forest have
beckoned people for ages. Evidence of prehistoric and historic
life is found throughout the four islands of the forest. From
the Abajos and La Sals in southeastern Utah to the Wasatch
Plateau and Sanpitch Mountains hundreds of miles away in
central Utah, the diverse and scenic landscapes are rich with
fossils, cliff dwellings, historic waterways, and old mines.
Fast Forest Facts
Acres: 1.4 million
Mining: Source of 85% of coal mined
in Utah; important source of uranium
in the 1940s-1970s
Amazing Feature: Forest habitat
provides for the densest black bear
and largest elk populations in Utah
What’s Inside
Get to Know Us .................... 2
Wilderness ........................... 3
Scenic Byways ..................... 4
Map ...................................... 6
Campgrounds ..................... 10
Cabins ................................. 11
Activities ............................. 12
Know Before You Go........... 15
Contact Information ........... 16
Today the forest offers people
a retreat from the hurry of
modern life. Those who seek solitude and
quiet can find it here. Intrepid adventurers
will discover mountains to scale, trails to
explore, waters to fish, and woods where
they can hunt. Scenic byways and backways
summon motorists looking for stunning vistas,
and abundant camping areas are perfect for
creating family traditions.
Come see for yourself!
This Visitor Guide provides the information you need to make the most of
your Manti-La Sal National Forest experience.
Aberts
squirrel
G
et to Know Us
Our Heritage
before, containing over 5,000 known archaeological
sites that date between 10,000 years ago and the mid1900s. These places offer windows into the vibrant
and complex communities that thrived in the rugged
landscapes of the forest. During much of this era, people
made their living entirely from
the resources of the land. They
also had wide social networks
and depended on each other for
trade goods and information
about the world around them.
oth the Manti and La Sal National
B
Forests were created at the request of local
communities who depended on the forests
for livestock forage, lumber, minerals, and
water. At the turn of the century, water
sometimes came in the form of catastrophic
summer floods that tore through towns below the forests.
Communities recognized that overgrazing was causing
soil erosion and subsequent flooding, and that thoughtful
management was needed to ensure continued resource use.
Ferron Canyon
pictograph
etween
B
about 1,500
and 700 years
ago, farming
became part of
Ruins in Dark Canyon
the life-ways
of these ancient people. Ancestral Puebloan (Ansazi)
people established extensive networks of villages
on what are now national forest lands southwest of
Monticello. This area contains the densest number of
archaeological sites on national forests in Utah, and tells
a story of ever-changing adaptations to shifting climate
and social conditions.
urther north, Fremont farmers used the Wasatch
F
Plateau and Sanpitch Mountains as critical sources
of plants and animals. They also took advantage of
abundant chert (rock) on the Wasatch Plateau to make
spear points, knives, and other stone tools.
ut millions of years before these ancient civilizations,
B
these lands were home to such animals as crocodiles
and apes. The only evidence of Tyrannosaurus rex in
Utah came from the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
More recently, mastodons, short-faced bear, and
camels also lived here.
C
onstruction workers at the
Huntington Dam along the HuntingtonEccles Canyons National Scenic Byway
made an unparalleled discovery in 1988—the
nearly complete remains of a mammoth that
lived about 9,500 years ago. It may represent
one of the last of its species, before climate
change caused mammoths to disappear.
You can view a cast of its skeleton at
the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric
Museum in Price, or at the Fairview
Museum of History and Art.
Hammond Canyon
Sanpete Valley citizens
sent a petition to
President Theodore
Roosevelt in 1903
resulting in the creation
of the Manti Forest
Reserve. Citizens in
Grand and San Juan
counties made similar
requests and the La
Sal Forest Reserve was
created in 1906-1907.
Protecting Our Past
For Our Future
When you visit an
archaeological site,
remember that you are
visiting someone’s home. Be careful where you
walk and sit, and leave objects where you find
them. Prehistoric and historic sites and artifacts
are irreplaceable resources that provide clues
and understanding into our collective heritage. It
is illegal to damage sites or to remove artifacts.
When visiting theses sites:
Do ~
*
*
*
*
*
Use designated trails or walk on slickrock
Leave all artifacts in place
Take photos or ske