Beaver, East, Utah

Steep and rugged mountain terrain centered on the Tushar Mountains, the third-highest range in Utah. Elevation spans from roughly 5,900 feet on lower valley and canyon floors to 12,174 feet at Delano Peak; Mount Belknap reaches 12,143 feet and Mount Baldy 12,085 feet. Deep canyons with creek drainages run east and west from the central spine, with glacially carved basins near the high peaks. Interstate 15 fences the western edge and I-70 fences the northern edge, limiting ungulate migration to winter range west of Manderfield and Sulphurdale. US-89 (passing through Marysvale, Junction, and Circleville) defines the eastern boundary and UT-20 the southern edge.

Primary access corridors are Utah SR-153 (Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway), which is paved approximately 19 miles up Beaver Canyon to the Eagle Point ski resort area near 10,000 feet with a gravel continuation east another 21 miles; US-89 forms the eastern boundary through Marysvale, Junction, and Circleville; and I-70 (Clear Creek Canyon) defines the northern boundary. Forest Service Road 113 and Fremont Canyon Road provide high-country access. The Paiute ATV Trail system traverses much of the unit from its Beaver base, crossing SR-153 and connecting into the national forest, though heavy OHV use on the Paiute corridor has reduced elk use of traditional calving areas and pushed animals toward private land and roadless areas. A network of maintained hiking and horseback trails accesses remote basins. Several remote areas lie more than a mile from any road or ATV trail. Snow and rain can render many roads impassable seasonally. CWMUs (Cooperative Wildlife Management Units) are present within the broader Beaver unit boundary and are excluded from the standard public hunt area. Private land blocks and potential depredation-conflict areas exist near Marysvale, Circleville, Sulphurdale, and Manderfield, particularly in valley bottoms.

Elevation-stratified cover types: alpine and subalpine meadows and tundra above timberline; Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and five-needle pine in the high timber belt; aspen and Douglas-fir at mid-elevations with grass meadows and low browse shrubs; ponderosa pine on mid-elevation south-facing slopes; pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush steppe, and oak brush on lower terrain and valley floors. Riparian corridors line canyon drainages throughout. Spruce-fir and pinyon-juniper encroachment into sagebrush and meadow habitats is an ongoing management concern; multiple habitat restoration projects totaling tens of thousands of acres have been completed since 2016 to improve forage for elk and deer.

Elk are the marquee species; the 2022 aerial survey estimated about 850 animals with a population objective of 1,150-1,350. Recent fire activity has concentrated elk on the northern portion of the unit; habitat restoration efforts aim to draw animals south of SR-153 into drainages including Birch Creek Mountain, Big Twist, Thompson Ridge, and South Fork of the Beaver River. Average age of harvested bulls has run well above the 6.5-7.0 year objective (multi-year range 7.7-9.1 years; 9.6-year average in 2024), reflecting extremely high demand and limited permit numbers. Mule deer numbers in the broader Beaver unit have been substantial, with 793 bucks harvested across the full unit in 2024; the deer management plan targets a winter herd of 14,000 and notes the unit is one of the few in Utah where deer numbers have reached state goals. Mountain goats occupy the highest Tushar peaks in huntable numbers, with 22 permits issued across three Beaver unit goat hunts in 2024. Pronghorn occupy lower sagebrush-steppe and valley terrain, managed under limited-entry hunts with high success rates. Black bear and mountain lion are present as resident predators throughout the timbered portions of the Tushar Mountains. Trout fishing is available in the 18 lakes and reservoirs of the Beaver Ranger District and canyon creeks.