On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
High
Low
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Located west of Fairview and east of Nephi. Interstate 15 is the western unit boundary with Highway 89 acting as the eastern boundary. Containing pretty challenging terrain, hunters should be in good physical condition for this unit.
There is great access to the higher elevations of this unit. Hunters can also pay trespass fees to hunt private land in the lower elevations. This can be a good unit for glassing. There is also great ATV access on this unit.
Lower elevations in this unit have a lot of private property but much of the high-elevation elk habitat is public land. Most of the high elevation canyons are very steep with north-facing pine slopes. The low elevation area of this unit consists of rolling foothills with private farmland and lot of alfalfa fields. Some hunters can gain access to the private ground by simply asking the land owner for permission and paying a small trespass fee.
High elevations contain ponderosa pine, scrub oak and some aspen mixed with alpine tundra. Middle elevations have scrub oak, grass meadows, sagebrush, ponderosa pine and some aspen. Low elevations have pinyon/juniper, sagebrush, oak brush, grasses and other browse. Water can be found in the high elevations with springs, small lakes and perennial streams. Lower elevations has some small streams, stock ponds and springs.
The Nebo Loop road runs through the high elevations on the north end of the unit and there are multiple trails and glassing points on this road. Some of the trails will give hunters access to the remote and steeper areas of the unit. There are multiple trails and pullouts that hunters can use on the Nebo Loop Road. This gives hunters access to some of the more remote and steep parts of the unit. There are some temporary closures on some trailheads because of fire damage in the northern part of the unit that can limit access. South of State Route 132 hunters have good ATV and trail access to Salt Creek Peak and Horse Heaven Mountain area. There are a lot of two-track ATV trails and hiking trails in the mountains on the south end of the unit. There is plenty of public land on the south end of the unit and hunters can cover a lot of country.
Nephi, Payson, Fairview, Manti, and Mt. Pleasant have lodging, gas, groceries, and other supplies. Camping is permitted on most public land.
Roughly 1,473 square miles
49% public land
Elevations from about 5,720-11,282 feet
ATVs recommended
Snow and rain can delay travel to some areas
Hunters can use glassing points near roads