Spanning the border of northeastern Utah and southern Wyoming, the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area encompasses over 200,000 acres of forested terrain and water. Outdoorsmen familiar with the Gorge typically associate the region with its prestigious Blue Ribbon fishery status, deservedly merited by the flourishing Green River inlets.
I spent a weekend in the heart of the region at a small lodge located in Dutch John, Utah. I, however, do not fish. Rather than investing in a fishing license and taking up angling, I approached this excursion with more exploratory intentions, seeking to experience the area not as a participant in sport, but as a naturalistic observer. With my camera and garbage-bag poncho in hand — as the forecast called for incessant rain — I took to the area in hope of capturing the inexpressible beauty of the region that is often overshadowed by its recreational usage.
The Green River and surrounding forests, illuminated through a lull in the storm. These transient and scarce moments of respite showed off the region’s technicolor aesthetic.Early the next morning, I went to Little Hole Trail, a sidewinding 14.1-mile stretch along the Green River. Overhanging cliffs offered temporary shelter from the encroaching downpour.A spherical cactus flower in bloom—surrounded by towering pines and rainfall, it is easy to forget that the region, like much the rest of our state, is entirely high desert.Within the manifold trees of Skull Creek Campground, a temporary stream is created by the torrential rain.Downriver, a group of fisherman stationed themselves at the base of an inlet waterfall in hopes of capitalizing on the fall’s bustling underwater traffic. A veteran fisherman at a nearby tackle-shop told me getting “skunked” on the Green is profoundly bad luck.The banks of the river are populated by a diverse variety of wildlife.Dense forests are accessible from Flaming Gorge Lodge.
