In 2022, a nonprofit group called Access Utah received approximately $800,000 in state funding to build a via ferrata somewhere in Utah. Travis Campbell (Uintah County's economic development director) and the leaders of Access Utah discussed Vernal as a viable option, and began vetting potential sites. Once Ashley Gorge was decided upon, the County then applied for and was awarded a Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant for additional funding. They've stated that none of the costs will come out of local taxpayers' wallets.

The short answer is no; the county has proposed vault toilets at the entrance, and in similar recreation areas climbers are required to carry “wag bags” for human waste. But to be honest, animals (and occasionally people) already do poop in the sources of your drinking water.  This picture shows cow dung on the Ashley Springs access road, not far from Ashley Springs.  Up until the 2019 Dingell Act, the BLM allowed cattle grazing permits up the canyon. 

Ashley Springs water comes out of the ground untreated and flows in pipes to water treatment plants.  While part of the spring water is filtered through sand, dye tests have shown that cracks in the sandstone cross-contaminate with Ashley Creek and adjacent drainages.  This water is already exposed to contamination from fish and wildlife in the watersheds, and potential human contamination at the Dry Fork Sinks to the west and Ashley Creek up canyon north.  All mammal feces (humans, cows, squirrels, deer, etc.) can contaminate drinking water with the three most common waterborne illnesses: e. Coli, giardia, and cryptosporidium.  That’s why ALL Ashley Spring water is treated.  All treatment plants have historical data for fecal contamination.  If these numbers increase over time, the number of visitors to the ferrata could be limited with a permit system.

We've yet to see an explanation of the 99.9% pure claim.  Cattle, humans and wildlife all share the watersheds above Ashley Springs and Red Fleet.  All mammal feces may contain giardia, cryptosporidium, and e. coli (among other pathogens).  

Here is a spreadsheet showing Ashley Valley Regional Water Treatment Plant's incoming e. Coli numbers on their raw, untreated water since 2006.  (Note, this is best viewed on a computer rather than a phone). These nonzero numbers mean fecal matter isn't 100% filtered out at Ashley Springs.  PLEASE NOTE THAT RED FLEET APPEARS TO HAVE LESS MAMMAL FECAL CONTAMINATION THAN ASHLEY SPRINGS, and 85% of e. Coli events come from Ashley Springs.  

We interpret this data to mean late summer monsoon rains bring fresh mammal dung down our watersheds into Ashley Springs.  Red Fleet reservoir seems to neutralize e. Coli better than Ashley Springs.  Spring runoff surprisingly doesn't seem to correlate with historical e. Coli events.

They are minimal:  a few security cameras,a fence at the treatment plant, and a padlocked house around the spring itself. Anyone can currently walk into Ashley Gorge and cause mischief with the same tools they’d need to meddle with our water treatment plants.  They might be issued a citation on the way out (if they stick around long enough).  

Ashley Valley Water and Sewer already had a long-term plan to secure Ashley Springs, and the ferrata project has simply sped up that timeline. Uintah County and the Ashley Valley Water have stated that they are actively discussing appropriate security measures, which may include additional fencing, cameras, or a possible ranger station and permitting system. This site will be updated as more information becomes available. 

Not all, but much of it does. On average, about 17% of Vernal City’s water also comes from Red Fleet Reservoir for treatment for half the year.*  

Red Fleet is popular for boating, fishing, and water skiing.  Any contamination released by humans in Red Fleet has the potential to enter our untreated water supply. That's why we filter water in municipal treatment plants.  There is no reason to protect UNTREATED water more than we protect TREATED water.  

*Dry Fork, Naples, Maeser, Jensen, and Davis are 100% Ashley Springs.  

No.  Until the Divison of Wildlife Resources started issuing trespassing citations the last few years, Vernal residents frequently visited Ashley Gorge.  Until the mid 2010's, Ashley Gorge was part of Utah's "Walk In Access" fishing program (2000 Fishing Proclamation).  Cattle grazing was allowed in Ashley Gorge until the Dingell Act protections of 2019.

In 2012, Utah Phosphate (Agrium) requested mining rights to drill for phosphate above Ashley Gorge.  Uintah County passed an “Ashley Springs Protection Zone” ordinance to prevent drilling or detonating explosives that could potentially damage the underground karst aquifers feeding Ashley Springs. 

Unfortunately, the ordinance doesn't appear to do much to actually protect Ashley Springs. It explicitly allows building houses, duplexes, old folks homes, "barns, corrals, pens, coops, and feed storage buildings for the keeping of animals and fowl" in the Ashley Springs Protection Zone (as long as they're 100 feet from existing buildings). It also allows conditional use permits to be issued for dog kennels, oil and gas wells, mining and exploratory activities (including drilling and seismic blasting).

Some have argued that the Ashley Springs Protection Zone ordinance doesn't specifically allow recreation, via ferratas, and drilling holes for climbing.  This argument probably won't hold up if litigated because the ordinance specifically allows Residential/Agricultural edifices and a private citizen could build a via ferrata at their house, AND allow the public to recreate there.

A careful reading of the ordinance reveals that the county commissioners can conditionally permit mining, drilling, blasting, etc. in the Ashley Springs Protection Zone (heaven forbid!)  If the commissioners approve the project, it's likely to happen.  The county commissioners are also the body responsible for writing such legislation, and could rewrite it if needed.

Here is a 2012 document authored to protect Ashley Springs from blasting and mining by Utah Phosphate (Agrium).

The 2019 Dingell Act conveyed 791 acres of land to Uintah County for the purpose of protecting our drinking watershed from mining activities. This land conveyance came with four stipulations: 

1. Protect the water

2. No mining

3. Allow for public non-motorized access 

4. No new roads 

If any provision is broken, the land reverts to the BLM (and some have suggested that this could hypothetically open the door up for mining activity again). There has been some discussion around the specific verbiage within the Dingell Act, specifically the word "shall," appearing in reference to both watershed protection and recreation access. See page 64 of this PDF for the legislation's exact text.

Ashley Gorge has been semi-accessible over the last decade.  Reasonably fit hikers can park on BLM land at the mouth of Rock Canyon, hike up the hill about 1 mile and access Ashley Gorge from SITLA land to the east.*  This is a strenuous hike with 700 feet elevation gain, but is currently an option for accessing Ashley Gorge that requires no extra permissions.  

*Beware of cliffs.  Rockfall is likely. Bring a 60+ foot rope for protection.

There are two Class-D county roads that access Ashley Gorge.  Utah’s Prescriptive Road Statute states that any trail or road that is used intermittently for a period of ten years without hindrance or signage becomes a de facto public right of way.  Ashley Gorge road access hasn’t been litigated because the owners of the private land at the mouth of Ashley Gorge have maintained a good working relationship with various government agencies.

Vandalism is definitely a concern (and, under current circumstances, already a possibility). The good news is, while spray paint is an eyesore, it doesn’t affect water quality. More eyes on Ashley Springs means more people to vigilantly keep an eye on our currently unprotected water supply. 

Vandalizing public property (including water distribution and treatment equipment) is possible, so appropriate protection is essential.  The relevant buildings are currently protected by metal and concrete walls with padlocked doors.  Fencing any vulnerable buildings would place the same protections on our untreated source water as what currently exists for our treated drinking water.

Fortunately, the via ferrata has given a sense of urgency to the protection of the spring, and security measures that were once a back-burner item are now being actively discussed by Uintah County and Ashley Valley Water and Sewer as an immediate priority.

Let’s hypothesize:  Terrorists would have to fly to Salt Lake City (the closest airport) and drive 3 hours east.  On their way to attack the water supply of a valley with under 40,000 residents, they would drive by several much more vulnerable targets with much higher populations.  They would pass Millcreek and Cottonwood canyons where residents are allowed recreational access upstream from water treatment plants that serve over 1 million people in the Salt Lake Valley.  They would pass the Provo river, where people float and fish on the water supply for hundreds of thousands of people.

If these hypothetical terrorists eventually did make it to the Uintah Basin to attack Ashley Springs, they’d first have to drive past miles of vulnerable, TREATED water in distribution pipelines, municipal water storage tanks, and two treatment plants.  If they made it to Ashley Springs and poisoned the water, it would flow into treatment plants and have the same effect if they poisoned it anywhere else upstream.  If these hypothetical terrorists attacked Ashley Springs, the only way they're making the history books is as a case study for ineptitude.  If our water supply is vulnerable, it isn’t at Ashley Springs.

The contaminant would still be filtered in the treatment plant.  Any contaminant that escaped filtration would be diluted in a multi-million gallon tank.  The amount of contaminant required would be cost and weight prohibitive to administer.  Poisoning pressurized, flowing water is virtually impossible.  If you need more specific details and numbers, please contact us on Facebook so we can make sure you're not a moron or a terrorist.  We're probably already on an FBI watch list for some of these Google searches...

Uintah County has proposed restoring walk-in access for the public.  This means families could potentially walk along the access road for hiking and picnicking. This would, presumably, come with its own set of rules and regulations to protect Ashley Springs. If Ashley Valley Water and Sewer denies walk-in access, ferratists could still access the climbing areas from the east without crossing Ashley Creek. 

Uintah County contracted with Sunrise Engineering to create three different plans for parking and bathrooms.  

1. Plan A (quickest, and a temporary solution) uses existing Water Treatment Plant parking with the addition of port-a-potties.  

2. Plan B has parallel parking and a vault toilet on BLM land just outside Ashley Valley’s fence.  

3. Plan C (the preferred long-term option) has a parking lot and vault toilet on BLM land 500 feet down the road. 

IF a climber cannot hold it and opts instead to remove their harness mid-route on one of the sections of trail during which they are not clipped in, in order to go to the bathroom in the Gorge, it will likely biodegrade in our desert sun. Of the 4,500 feet of proposed trail, only about 450 feet actually shed water toward the spring house.  If it rains, it has a small chance of seeping into the spring and being filtered out at the treatment plant.  But the odds of feces reaching the spring are much less than when we let cattle graze freely in Ashley Gorge. 

Ouray, Colorado (a destination climbing town with three via ferratas and an ice climbing park) estimates 10,000 via ferrata visitors per year and 500 on a busy summer weekend.  Uintah County estimates less than half that visitorship.  It sounds like a lot until you realize the busiest times would mean maybe 20-30 visitors per hour.  (250 visitors ÷ 2 days ÷ 6 hour visitation window). If increased visitorship shows ill effect, the County has suggested that numbers could be limited with a permit system. 

Yes! The short answer is that outdoor recreation and watershed management can coexist happily without damage to a municipality’s water supply, especially when proactive procedures are put in place.  If you're curious to learn more, this article gives a good summary of the opportunities and challenges that four other municipal areas faced when managing recreation within their watersheds. 

All municipal water treatment facilities collect data on incoming pathogens.  The most common mammal-borne pathogens are giardia, cryptosporidium and e. Coli.  Here are Ashley Valley's e. Coli numbers since 2006.  If numbers start to rise after allowing public access (i.e. if some human waste gets near the spring house), the filters will catch it.  In the unlikely event that A LOT of people start defecating near the spring house, the treatment plant will have data showing if or when things have gotten worse, and the County has stated that ferrata access could be limited or closed.  The bulk of the via ferrata project is below the spring house (at a lower elevation), and any fecal waste there goes into Steinaker, not Ashley Springs.

We aren't sure.  Please contact your local water district for more details.

Farmers are great! Also, please contact us to explain how hiking or climbing in Ashley Gorge affects farmers and ranchers.  Below Ashley Springs, Ashley Creek water flows down to irrigation canals and Steinaker reservoir. 

We're still searching for an example of a human-caused event that can stop the water supply at Ashley Springs. However, Red Fleet can supply enough treated water for the valley, even in peak summer season with high usage.*  We have contacted water treatment representatives to verify;  If we get permission to release the numbers, we will publish them here.

*Some Dry Fork users may need to rely on wells or other sources if somehow Ashley Springs fails.  The most likely cause of this would be an earthquake collapsing the aquifer.

This site is created by members of the supportive public, not Uintah County, and as such, we cannot speak to their specific actions. That being said, we believe there were valid reasons for moving quickly on the project. From our unaffiliated perspective:

• The funding was immediately available, but it seems that Access Utah (the nonprofit who received the funding) could easily have taken it to another rural Utah community if the timeline wasn't to their liking.

• Via ferrata engineers and construction companies aren't easy to come by, but the folks from Ouray, CO happened to have availability for the summer of 2024.  

• The 2019 Dingell Act already stipulated that Ashley Gorge shall be used for non-motorized public recreation, and the low-impact nature of via ferrata seemed like an excellent fit.  Again, hikers are mandated access to Ashley Gorge by the same legislation that deeded it to the county.

• The County owns the property on which the ferrata sits, meaning things were able to move more quickly without federal red tape. However there were (and honestly, still are) a lot of details to be worked out with the Water District regarding access to the ferrata. In other words, it's hard to provide the public with concrete information because there are a lot of moving parts, and we get the sense that that process could have lengthened the timeline to the point of jeopardizing the project entirely.

• We live in a Representative Democracy. This means that the people elect officials to create and vote on laws, policies, and other matters of government on society's behalf (as opposed to a Direct Democracy, where the people vote on every law or policy themselves).

• If the County had drug their feet and lost the opportunity for Vernal to have the first public via ferrata in Utah, how mad might the general public be? What kinds of comments would people be making about how "our representatives don't value diversifying our economy!" "They're not honoring the Dingell Act!" "They completely botched what could have been such an awesome thing for this community; what are they even doing down there at the county building?!" Etc.

Earlier disclosure may have prevented some peoples' current feelings of being blindsided, and more transparency with other governing bodies earlier on may have been prudent. However, throughout 2023 and early 2024 representatives from Uintah County did present about the ferrata at several public meetings including Ashley Valley Water District Board meetings, Commission meetings and work sessions, and in the Dino Trails meetings.

On March 26 of this year, Uintah County presented to Ashley Valley Water & Sewer District about the via ferrata during a board meeting and the motion was made to work with Uintah County. This motion failed. See minutes for this meeting here. On July 16, the County again came to present detailed plans for the ferrata including several possible security measures, and the Water District Board again voted to not work with them. Minutes for this meeting are not yet posted online for the public.

Perhaps it is because we (creators of this site) inserted ourselves into the conversation to satisfy our curiosity, but we do not believe the County was intentionally secretive about the ferrata toward the public. They may not have held an official public meeting, but from our perspective, Travis Campbell, Matt Cazier, Mike Cook, and others at Uintah County have always been transparent about their plans and vision, for those willing to chat. 

In 2023 the team at Uintah County, along with via ferrata engineers, evaluated several potential sites on BLM, SITLA, Forest Service, and other county-owned land. Due to SITLA's no-bolting policy, the BLM and Forest Service not wanting to take on a new form of recreation, the other sites providing inadequate features, and the requirements of the Dingell Act, Ashley Gorge became the clear winner.

Here's a Google Maps link.

Upon completion of the ferrata, the County has discussed setting up a nonprofit organization or advisory board to manage it. This is how the public Ouray Via Ferrata is managed in Colorado. This board would receive a percentage of all gear rentals or tour bookings from outfitting companies, and these monies would be put toward the operating and maintenance costs of the via ferrata, access trails, parking, and bathrooms.

In a word: positively. Case studies from places like Emery County show how the creation of recreation assets like Joe's Valley (a popular climbing area) has an impressive positive impact on rural communities. 

Visitors who come for the ferrata will book rooms in our hotels; they'll eat at our restaurants; they'll buy souvenirs from our shops on Main Street, fill up at our gas stations, and probably enjoy some of the area's other attractions too (renting watercraft, side-by-sides, etc.). Historically, Vernal has been a boom and bust town, inextricably tied to the oil and gas industry. Again, we do not represent any official agency, but we, personally, think it's fantastic that local leadership is diversifying our economy and thinking about sustainable ways to grow the recreation tourism in our area.

If so, we hope those people have a good understanding of free market capitalism.  Because the via ferrata is intended to be free and open to the public, there are no corners on markets.  Anyone who meets certain requirements (training, inspections, insurance, etc.) could offer a competing product.  This will bring the cost of any ferrata-related goods or services down to fair market value.  If you think it's unfair, you are free to do it on your own.  Yay America!

Here's a 2012 document created to describe the dangers posed to Ashley Springs by phosphate mining and blasting by Utah Phosphate (Agrium).

Here's the 2015 Hydrology study by Inkenbrandt et al.

Here's a 2014 conference presentation from Lawrence Spangler of the USGS.

Here's a 2023 US Forest Service analysis of the Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area Management Plan.

Here's Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee's 2012 presentation on protecting Ashley Springs.

We are Mark Grammer and Amber Toler, with technical help from John Batty. 

Mark has experienced several amazing via ferrata routes in Italy, Spain, France, Norway, Montenegro and Colorado.  He is excited to have a via ferrata nearby so his kids can prepare to visit the Dolomites. Amber is an avid climber, and plans to open a gear rental and guide service for the via ferrata.  John is a web developer who you may know from his work on the Outlaw's Lost Treasure Hunt.  John helped with domain names and forwarding.  He had nothing to do with the ugly site design!

We created this site to provide information to the public and (hopefully) counteract some of the misinformation circulating in the form of anonymous pamphlets and fear-based Facebook posts. We've done our best to research the answers to these questions, but in the event that we are wrong, we aren't afraid to be corrected and we don't need anonymity. Please reach out on Facebook messenger if you would like to discuss anything further.