| Red Fleet State Park | |
| Utah State Park | |
|
Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Utah |
| County | Uintah |
| Location | Vernal |
| - elevation | 5,500 ft (1,676 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | |
| Area | 1,963 acres (794 ha) [1] |
| Founded | 1988 [1] |
| Management | Utah State Parks |
| Visitation | 28,617 (2010) [2] |
|
Location of Red Fleet State Park in Utah
|
|
Red Fleet State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, 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.
Contents |
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.
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.
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]