The Wasatch Front - An Excellent Place to Live!

Wasatch Mountain Range

We get our name from the spectacular Wasatch Mountain Range. The word, Wasatch, comes from the Ute Indians’ language, meaning mountain pass, an applicable name for this mountainous area. Wasatch is a segment of the South Central Rocky Mountains, extending southward for about 250 miles (400 km), from the bend of the Bear River in southeastern Idaho to beyond Mount Nebo, near the town of Nephi in north-central Utah. It lies east of the Great Salt Lake and Salt Lake City and includes the Bear River Range at the northern end.

South and east of Salt Lake City are many peaks that surpass 11,000 feet (3,400 m), including Mount Timpanogos (12,008 feet [3,660 m]), the highest point in the Wasatch. The mountains tower more than 6,000 feet (1,830 m) above the lake valley immediately to their west.

The Mormons of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, present in the valley since 1847, used the mountain streams for irrigation. A headstream region for the Ogden River, the range embraces parts of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch national forests and the Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Skiing, mining, and tourism continue to be the main economic activities.