Wasatch Mtns, North, Utah

Steep, rugged Wasatch Front ridgelines rising abruptly from the urbanized Wasatch Front. The northern segment hosts Francis Peak (9,515 ft), Thurston Peak (9,706 ft), and Bountiful Peak (9,259 ft); the southern transition overlaps the Salt Lake County Wasatch above Big and Little Cottonwood canyons near the Lone Peak Wilderness. Elevation spans roughly 5,000 ft at the valley interface to approximately 11,000+ ft on high ridges within the broader Wasatch Mtns system.

Primary public-land manager is the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Salt Lake City and Ogden Ranger Districts). Skyline Drive — beginning on Farmington's 100 East, paved for one mile then a 12-mile dirt road — provides the main ridge-top access with forks to Bountiful Peak and Francis Peak. Big Cottonwood Canyon (SR-190) and Little Cottonwood Canyon (SR-210) provide southern access points into National Forest land. The Bonneville Shoreline Trail parallels the mountain front. The Lone Peak Wilderness is foot-and-horse-only. Significant private land exists in foothills below approximately 6,500 ft; hunters must obtain written permission. CWMUs are present within the unit boundary per the HuntData Avenza map. The unit excludes Native American Trust Lands per the Elk Herd Unit 17 management plan boundary description.

Foothill zones are dominated by Gambel oak, mountain mahogany, antelope bitterbrush, and mountain big sagebrush. Mid-elevation slopes transition to mixed aspen and Gambel oak with scattered patches of Douglas fir. Higher terrain supports Douglas fir, subalpine fir, and Engelmann spruce in dense timber. The Lone Peak Wilderness area (northern Salt Lake County portion) is heavily forested and largely roadless. Riparian corridors follow canyon bottoms (Farmington Canyon, Bountiful Peak area drainages) with cottonwood and willow.

Elk are the primary managed big game species under Elk Herd Unit 17 (Wasatch West subpopulation 17a). The February 2022 aerial census counted 2,928 elk in 17a with a population estimate of 3,500; the management target is 3,400 wintering elk for this subpopulation. Bulls summer at high elevation in dense timber and migrate downslope through September and October to lower canyon drainages and private-land foothills. Mule deer are present throughout and migrate between summer ranges on high ridges and traditional winter ranges in the valley foothills, which face significant development pressure. Black bear inhabit mid- and upper-elevation forests; seasons and open units are governed by the separate Black Bear, Cougar & Furbearer Guidebook (BR1000 statewide permit). Mountain lion are present year-round in rough terrain and are also managed under the separate furbearer guidebook. Mountain goats occur on high-elevation cliffs in the broader Wasatch; the Lone Peak subunit (GO6819, Sept 5–Nov 25) is a nearby limited-entry goat hunt. Moose occur in small numbers in riparian drainages and aspen parks in the northern Wasatch.

1. This boundary is a SPIKE ELK-ONLY hunt boundary per UDWR Hunt Planner, Avenza, GoHunt, and OnX. It does not have its own general-season deer, moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat designations. Confirmed from 2026 Application Guidebook: no Wasatch Mtns, North entry for deer, moose, or mountain goat. 2. The unit lies within the Wasatch Front extended archery elk area (Aug 15–Dec 15, 2026) per the 2026 Field Regulations Guidebook. Hunters in extended archery areas may harvest any bull or antlerless elk even on spike units. 3. Elk population data from Elk Herd Unit 17 Management Plan (Dec 2023): Wasatch West 17a had 2,928 elk counted in Feb 2022, population estimate 3,500; unit-wide target is 8,400 wintering elk across all three subpopulations. 4. Bear and mountain lion season dates listed in original draft (Apr 15–Jul 15 spring; Aug 15–Sep 30 fall) could NOT be confirmed from the 2026 Field Regulations Guidebook or Application Guidebook, which defer to the Black Bear, Cougar & Furbearer Guidebook. These dates have been removed and replaced with a reference to the governing guidebook. 5. Public land percentage (64%) is sourced from GoHunt profile of the broader Wasatch Mtns spike elk unit (approx 2,570 sq mi total), not the 283.4 sq mi North subunit specifically. 6. Mountain goat Lone Peak subunit (GO6819, Sept 5–Nov 25, limited entry draw) covers the southern portion of this geography but is a separate hunt boundary from this spike elk unit. 7. CWMUs are present within the boundary per the HuntData Avenza map product; CWMU hunters operate under separate operator-issued tags.