Top 10 Basin Experiences ~ For Basinites or Tourists!

Every summer, thousands of tourists visit the Uintah Basin as their chosen destination for a family vacation. They likely save up their spare change if they are like many of us, and carefully plan exactly what they would like their families to do on their hard earned vacations, and they choose to come here!

I am sure many of them Google the area in their research to get those agendas planned and find the perfect activities for them to come based on the many attractions and events that we have going on, and that many of us sadly take for granted.

I have also been doing a little Basin research of my own, and am amazed at just how much there is going on right here in our own backyards that I haven't yet discovered for myself..WOW!

One thing I have found is a list of the Top 10 Experiences in Northeastern Utah. This list, as they say, contains "our absolute must-sees and must-dos." It has me wondering just how many of us have experienced the Basin's Top 10?

We will go into these in more detail in later posts, but here is the list...and I must warn you all in advance that we will no longer be able to say that we have nothing to do this summer because it has enough to keep us occupied and then some!

1. Play Like A Paleontologist

Better make sure you have your Dinosaur Hunting License, cause there's ever so much dinosaur tracking to do in Northeastern Utah. For starters, there's the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry, Utah State Field House Museum, Dinosaur Gardens, and Red Fleet State Park. Stop by the BLM office and find out where you can even do a bit of digging for fossils yourself!

2. Take It To The Gorge!

Whether you like to boat, fish, bike or hike, make your way up the Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway. Stop at Red Canyon Overlook, drive the Sheep Creek Canyon Loop, get a good look inside the Flaming Gorge Dam. Rough it or live it up. Either way, make sure you leave time for some serious star gazing.

3. Picture This!

Northeastern Utah is home to Nine-Mile Canyon - the longest corridor of Fremont Indian petroglyphs (carvings in rock) and pictographs (paintings on rock) in the world. If that isn't enough, explore Dry Fork Canyon, Jones Hole, Echo Park, and you'll discover even more of these ancient wonders. Some over 200 feet high!

4. Run The River!

Easy or wild - a river trip down Northeastern Utah's Green or Yampa River is a thrill you'll never forget. Make it the perfect family vacation - or scream for extreme adventure. Whatever your choice, our guides and outfitters can get you and your family down the river in style.

5. Take A Hike, or A Bike!

Trails, trails, trails, and more trails. In Northeastern Utah, you can cruise through mountain meadows, blaze across high desert canyons, or climb alpine forests. Need another reason to head Northeast? Keep in mind, when the weather down yonder is way too hot, we're not.

6. Hook A Worm!

Catch record-breaking trout at Flaming Gorge. Fly-fish at Jones Hole. Cast your line into one of our 600 lakes and rivers. The bottom line is - Northeastern Utah is the reel deal.

7. Stir-r-up The Wild West!

From rodeos to pow wows, from outlaw trail rides to professional bull riding, the Wild West is alive and strong in Northeastern Utah. And so is western hospitality. Come join in the fun as we celebrate our diverse cultures and western heritage.

8. Nuke A Marshmallow!

With so much open space and public land, it's hard not to find a place to camp in Northeastern Utah. Don't forget to bring along a scary story or two.

9. Dig Up The Past!

Shop at John Jarvie's general store where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stocked up on supplies. It's only one of our many local museums and historical sites where you can listen to the tales of Native American Indians, rugged mountain men, early pioneers, and outlaws of American's old West.

10. Get Wild!

Big horn sheep, moose, Rocky Mountain goats, elk, deer, pronghorn antelope, cougars, coyotes, Golden and Bald eagles. The list goes on and on. So bring along your camera, your binoculars, your bird lists. Catch a glimpse of Northeastern Utah's wild side.

Welcome to Basin Living!

Welcome to the new Basin Living blog!

My hopes are that Basin Living, along with the help of my Basin Living FaceBook page, and many other Basin residents, will become a fun and exciting place to visit and learn more about what the Uintah Basin has to offer.

The types of things I would like to feature here at Basin Living include places to visit, upcoming festivities, fascinating people living here, more about our local businesses and shopping, foods and recipes, photography, cultures, history, and so much more! I understand that this is going to be a long term project and that it is going to take some time to get off the ground and become the fun resource I have in my mind, but we have to start somewhere, right?

If you are interested in becoming a contributor for Basin Living, please email me and tell me a little about yourself and what you are able to contribute.