A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Grizzly Ridge Yurt

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Ashley National Forest, Uintah County, Utah. About 9,200 feet. 13.7 miles from Dutch John.

Managed by
Forest Service Ashley National Forest
Elevation
About 9,200 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
1 1 cabin non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Uintah County

Overview

Grizzly Ridge Yurt is located on the Ashley National Forest, approximately 20 air miles north of Vernal in eastern Utah. It provides year-round primitive lodging for guests. The yurt is open for reservations all months except November, April and May. Hiking, off-roading, skiing and snowshoeing are the most popular activities in the area.

Call the District Office at (435) 789-1181 three business days prior to a reserved visit to confirm door lock combination. District Office is closed Saturday and Sunday. Lock combination is REQUIRED to enter yurt.

Recreation

Numerous hiking, biking and off-road trails crisscross the area. Guests enjoy hiking up the trail to 9,335-foot Grizzly Ridge. In winter months, endless cross country skiing and snowshoeing trails are right out the front door.

Facilities

The yurt is approximately 314 square-feet (less than 20 feet in diameter) with limited amenities. No plumbing, running water or electricity is provided. The maximum capacity of overnight guests at the yurt is (8) people. Tent camping is allowed outside. Two bunk beds with full size mattresses are provided that will sleep four to eight people. No linens, bedding or pillows are provided. The yurt is equipped with a heavy-duty propane camp stove for cooking and a wood-burning stove for heat. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PROPANE CAMP CHEF IS CURRENTLY OUT OF ORDER. IT WILL BE FIXED BY SUMMER SEASON, BUT THERE WILL BE NO PROPANE STOVE FOR THE REMAINDER OF MARCH. BE PREPARED TO COOK ON THE STOVE TOP (FIREPLACE). Very limited cookware is provided. Guests are required to bring their own cooking supplies.

The yurt remains locked; call the Vernal Ranger District office, at (435) 789-1181, three business days prior to arrival, to confirm the combination lock code. COMBINATION CODE REQUIRED to enter yurt. (Some combination locks used have off-set entry lines. If code is not working, try off-setting entry line). A portable propane Coleman lantern is supplied but guests must bring extra propane bottles and mantles . The Forest Service provides propane for the cook stove and firewood for the wood stove. A vault toilet is located outside the yurt.

When driving to the yurt in the summer months please be sure to use the summer road. The winter road is only accessible to ATVs in the summer and skiing in the winter. Please do not drive full sized vehicles on the winter road.

Natural Features

The yurt is situated in a small clearing surrounded by pines and aspens, at an elevation of 9,200 feet. From the deck, guests are awarded beautiful views toward Red Fleet Reservoir and Vernal off in the distance. Wildlife and summer wildflowers are abundant.

Nearby Attractions

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is known not only for its beautiful red cliffs, but also for its world-class fishing for brown and rainbow trout. Boating, water skiing, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming and scuba diving are popular activities on the reservoir, which can be accessed within 25 miles of the yurt.

The Ashley-Karst National Geologic Recreation Area offers dramatic canyons, densely forested backcountry areas, and vast networks of caves.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • camping
  • cross country skiing
  • hiking
  • hunting
  • mountain biking
  • photography
  • picnicking
  • scenic drive
  • sledding
  • snowshoeing
  • star gazing
  • wildlife viewing
  • winter sports

The land around Grizzly Ridge Yurt

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated July 30, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.