Red Fleet State Park

Red Fleet State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir
Map showing the location of Red Fleet State Park
Map showing the location of Red Fleet State Park
Location of Red Fleet State Park in Utah
Map showing the location of Red Fleet State Park
Map showing the location of Red Fleet State Park
Red Fleet State Park (the United States)
LocationUintah, Utah, United States
Coordinates40°34′56″N 109°25′56″W / 40.58222°N 109.43222°W / 40.58222; -109.43222
Area1,963 acres (7.94 km2)[1]
Elevation5,500 ft (1,700 m)[1]
Established1988[1]
Visitors36,344 (in 2022)[2]
OperatorUtah State Parks

Red Fleet State Park is a state park of Utah, United States, featuring a 750-acre (300 ha) reservoir and a fossil trackway of dinosaur footprints. The park is located 10 miles (16 km) north of Vernal.

Geography

Probable Dilophosaurus footprint on the trackway

Red Fleet State Park lies at an elevation of 5,500 feet (1,700 m) in northeastern Utah, immediately south of the Uinta Mountains. The climate is arid, with hot summers and cold winters. Surrounded by red slick rock formations, the park got its name from three large Navajo sandstone outcrops that look like a fleet of ships as they jut up from the reservoir.

Plant life at the park includes juniper, various cacti, and sagebrush.

Wildlife includes badgers, bobcat, coyote, deer, and rabbit. Birds include golden eagles, hawks, bluebirds, vultures, owls, and osprey.

Park facilities

Year-round park facilities include a sand beach, boat launching ramp, restrooms, 29 RV campsites, a picnic area, sewage disposal, and fish cleaning stations. Recently a dinosaur trackway dating back 200 million years was discovered in the area.[1] Nearby attractions include Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Steinaker and Utah Field House of Natural History state parks, and rafting and fishing on the Green River.

Red Fleet Dam

The Red Fleet Dam is a 161-foot-high (49 m), 1,670-foot-long (510 m) earthfill dam. The reservoir is fed by Big Bush Creek and is part of the CUP-Jensen Unit project. It was constructed in 1980.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Red Fleet State Park: About the Park". Utah State Parks. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  2. ^ "Park Visitation Data". Utah State Parks. July 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Bureau of Reclamation (March 26, 2009). "Red Fleet Dam". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
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