The Flaming Gorge Reservoir captures water from the Green River as it winds its way through a canyon with billions of years of geologic history.  The rock making up these red walls at Red Canyon dates back to 1.6 billion years ago.

In relatively recent times, explorers and settlers navigated the Green River looking for routes to the sea.   General William H. Ashley hoped to reach the Gulf of Mexico in 1825 but did not make it far enough to learn that the Green joins the Colorado on its way to the Pacific.  Major John Wesley Powell came through in 1869 at the beginning of his journey that would eventually take him down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon, which was then still unexplored.  It was Powell and his crew who named the canyon here "Flaming Gorge" for its red rock.

Today, outdoor access and activities abound throughout the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.  Nestled against the high Uintah Mountains, the high reservoir is a cool escape from the heat of the desert below.