Why visit Vernal
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 48 places to eat, 17 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway, Cinema 5, Dinah the Pink Dinosaur and Francis 'Frank' and Eunice Smith House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 89°F; January lows average 10°F, and about 20 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Vernal
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Vernal
Vernal is the county seat of and the largest city in Uintah County, Utah, approximately 175 miles (280 km) east of Salt Lake City and 20 miles (32 km) west of the Colorado border. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,079. The population has since grown to 10,432 as of the 2022 population estimate.
From the Wikipedia article Vernal, Utah (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway
Monument and historic site · 0.6 mi
Scenic byway in Uintah and Daggett counties in Utah, United States
Museums and landmarks9
Dinah the Pink Dinosaur
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Sculpture in Vernal, Utah, United States
Francis 'Frank' and Eunice Smith House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.0 mi
House in Uintah County, Utah
Gibson-Sowards House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
House in Uintah County, Utah
Lewis Curry House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic two-story house in Vernal, Utah, United States
Manfred and Ethel Martin House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
House in Vernal, Utah
Vernal Tithing Office
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic building in Vernal, Utah
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
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Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum
Park · 1.0 mi
Museum and state park in Vernal, Utah, United States
Restaurants and cafes48
Vernal Brewing Company
Restaurant · 1.1 mi
55 S 500 E South 500 East, Vernal
Mo-Su 11:30-09:00
Gateway Saloon
Bar and pub · 1.3 mi
733 East Main Street, Vernal
36 more on the map.
History
Vernal, unlike most Utah towns, was not settled by Mormons moving west, or across the state. Brigham Young sent a scouting party to the area Uintah Basin in 1861 and received word back that the area was good for nothing but nomad purposes, hunting grounds for Indians, and "to hold the world together." That same year, President Abraham Lincoln set the area aside as the Uintah Indian Reservation, with Captain Pardon Dodds appointed as Indian agent. Dodds later built one of the first cabins erected by a white men in the Uintah Basin around 1868, although earlier trappers like Jim Reed, Antoine Robidoux and Kit Carson established smaller, non-permanent trading posts at strategic locations around the basin. Settlers began to filter in after that and built cabins in various spots on or near Ashley Creek. In 1879, many came close to perishing during the infamous "Hard Winter" of that same year.
From the History section of Vernal, Utah on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay17
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Vernal
Motel and hotel · 1.1 mi
1515 West US Highway 40, Vernal
Churches and places of worship19
St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Lodge
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Saint James Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.6 mi
138 North 100 West, Vernal
Glines Stake Center, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Church · Latter Day Saints · 1.6 mi
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Latter-Day Saints · 1.5 mi
Shopping14
Gas and EV charging13
Schools, colleges and libraries17
Healthcare2
Map of Vernal
150 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29°F | 10°F | 0.6 in | 5.8 in |
| Feb | 37°F | 16°F | 0.6 in | 3.9 in |
| Mar | 51°F | 26°F | 0.7 in | 1.6 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 34°F | 0.8 in | 0.6 in |
| May | 70°F | 43°F | 1.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 50°F | 0.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 89°F | 57°F | 0.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 86°F | 55°F | 0.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 46°F | 1.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 61°F | 35°F | 1.1 in | 0.5 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 24°F | 0.5 in | 1.6 in |
| Dec | 31°F | 13°F | 0.6 in | 6.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Vernal Hcn (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Uintah County has had 6 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2011-08-08: Flooding (Flood)
- 2007-06-30: Neola North Fire (Fire)
- 2005-09-05: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Coastal Storm)
- 2005-08-01: Flooding And Landslides (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Vernal Airport (VEL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Maeser 3 mi northwest, about 4 min by car
- Naples 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
- Ballard 24 mi southwest, about 39 min by car
- Roosevelt 26 mi southwest, about 42 min by car
- Neola 26 mi west, about 42 min by car
- Dinosaur 32 mi southeast, about 51 min by car
- Myton 33 mi southwest, about 53 min by car
- Manila 39 mi north, about 1 h by car
- Altamont 40 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Rangely 47 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- East entry to Vernal, Utah, on US-40 (7063605801), InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Gibson-Sowards House Vernal Utah, Tricia Simpson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Vernal Tithing Office Vernal Utah, Tricia Simpson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Martin House Vernal Utah, Ntsimp, Public domain
- St Pauls Episcopal Church Vernal Utah, Ntsimp, Public domain
- Smith House Vernal Utah, Tricia Simpson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Curry House Vernal Utah, Ntsimp, Public domain
- Vernal Utah Temple, Rick Willoughby, CC BY 2.0
- Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum, Sep 17, An Errant Knight, CC BY-SA 4.0
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