Flaming Gorge Getaway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 362

by the automobiles that pass through their territory. Look closely: They blend into the sur-
roundings.
The Uinta Mountains provide a stunning backdrop to the peaceful waters of Moon Lake in Ashley National Forest.
7. Ute Mountain Fire Tower
Early forest rangers, concerned about the devastation that fires leave in their wake, used
high-platform lookouts to keep an eye out for smoke. Today most of the fire lookouts have
gone the way of the dinosaurs, as helicopters and airplanes have been mobilized to keep a
wary watch over the vast woodlands.
OneoftheearliestfirelookoutsinUtah—designatedanationalhistoriclandmark—still
stands at Ute Mountain. It can be reached by a short, unpaved road off the Sheep Creek
Canyon Geological Loop. The panorama from the tower's platform includes the Wyoming
desert and the forest-clad ridgetops and valleys of the Uinta Mountains.