Aspen Mountain (Wyoming)

Aspen Mountain
Aspen Mountain Wyoming, from the north.
Highest point
Elevation8,657 ft (2,639 m)
Coordinates41°26′05.64″N 109°06′59.16″W / 41.4349000°N 109.1164333°W / 41.4349000; -109.1164333
Geography
Climbing
Easiest routeAccess Road

Aspen Mountain (also shown on some maps as "Quaking Aspen Mountain") is a long mountain located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of Rock Springs, Wyoming and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of Arrowhead Springs, in Sweetwater County. The mountain gets its name from patches of Quaking Aspen trees located on the north and southern faces of the mountain. Various older topographical maps name the mountain "Quaking Aspen Mountain". Its primary use is for radio communications and it houses towers for various local and state companies.

Other uses

Aspen Mountain also houses repeaters used by local highway patrol and local police and fire services for Sweetwater County,[1] which are also present on nearby Wilkins Peak. If the local emergency repeaters on Aspen Mountain fail, they are automatically switched to the Wilkins Peak repeaters, and vice versa. The mountain also houses amateur radio repeaters,[2][3] and a long range radar station (operated by the FAA) is the mountain's most visible feature.[4]

Geology

Aspen Mountain lies to the north of the Uinta Mountains in the center of the Greater Green River Basin. It is part of the Rock Springs Uplift, and is composed of Miocene deposits.[5][6] Aspen Mountain contains older Late Cretaceous sections, including the Blair Formation and the Rock Springs Formation, which consist of interbedded sandstone, shale, and seams of coal.[7] A widespread silicified zone characterized by hydrothermal alteration can be found at the summit and nearby ridges. This zone contains significant deposits of alunite and kaolinite, which were first described in detail by J.D. Love in 1962. In 1952, the USGS conducted airborne radioactivity surveys over the Aspen Mountain area to investigate potential uranium and thorium deposits, identifying several anomalies tied to the mountain's unique chemical composition.[8][9][10]

Access

Aspen Mountain can be accessed via a number of routes. From Rock Springs, access starts from Blairtown/Flaming Gorge Road, and begins on a road known as Little Bitter Creek Road. Aspen Mountain can also be accessed via county highway 4-27, which begins on Wyoming Highway 430. From the south, the mountain can be accessed via US 191. The roads are usually in good condition year-round, weather permitting. Travel is still possible during the winter months, but a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended. The road on the mountain itself is known as "Radar Tower Road."[11] Most of the mountain is not off limits, except for various radio towers with fences and the long-range radar station, which features no trespassing signs and a fence around its perimeter. The radar site is also staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with up to two employees watching the site at a time. In the winter, their only means of travel is often via Snowcats.[12][13][14]

Radio and television stations

Aspen Mountain houses telecommunications and surveillance equipment able to provide a large coverage area across Southwestern Wyoming. These transmitters are utilized by federal, state, and commercial entities. The summit's highest point is occupied by a long-range Air Route Surveillance Radar station, identified as site Z-218 (or "Rock Springs"), which is operated by the Federal Aviation Administration to monitor high-altitude air traffic across the region.[15][16][17] There is also an amateur radio repeater on the mountain.[18]

Previously, the mountain was home to a translator for Salt Lake City-based KJZZ-TV, K45IA. That station's license was cancelled in 2018.[26]

References

  1. ^ Sweetwater County Homeland Security Archived February 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Sweetwater Amateur Radio Club repeaters Archived October 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ The Utah VHF Society
  4. ^ "WyoLink Local Towers & Locations Site Map" (PDF). dot.state.wy.us. Wyoming Department of Transportation. January 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  5. ^ "Stratigraphy of the Mesaverde Group in the central and eastern greater Green River basin, Wyoming". USGS Publications Warehouse. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  6. ^ Map of Bedrock Geology of the Green River Basin and Great Divide Basin, Wyoming, Green River Basin Water Plan
  7. ^ "Geolex — Blair Formation publications". National Geologic Map Database. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  8. ^ "Geological Survey of Wyoming Mineral Report MR92-1" (PDF). wsgs.wyo.gov. Wyoming State Geological Survey. 1992. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  9. ^ "Quaking Aspen Mountain (Aspen Mountain) Occurrence, Rock Springs, Sweetwater County". Mindat.org. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  10. ^ "Airborne radioactivity survey of the Aspen Mountain area, Sweetwater county, Wyoming". USGS.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. 1953. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  11. ^ "Sweetwater County Road Map" (PDF). Sweetwater County Official Website. Sweetwater County Public Works. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  12. ^ "Aspen Mountain, WY - Long Range Radar Site". Radomes.org: The Online Air Defense Radar Museum. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  13. ^ "Federal Aviation Administration: Long Range Radar (LRR) Inventory". FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  14. ^ Fuetsch, Michelle (January 15, 2018). "Living on the Peak: Life at Wyoming's Remote Radar Stations". Rocket-Miner. Rock Springs, WY. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  15. ^ "FAA Order 7110.95 - Radar Remote Weather Detection System" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  16. ^ "Union Wireless Chooses TowerCo to Market & Manage Portfolio of Wireless Tower Assets". TowerCo.com. February 1, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  17. ^ "WyoLink All Identified Frequencies: Site 022 Aspen Mountain". RadioReference.com. RadioReference.com LLC. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  18. ^ "Sweetwater County, Wyoming Amateur Radio Repeaters". wy7u.org. Sweetwater Amateur Radio Club. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  19. ^ FCC Query for KUWZ
  20. ^ FCC Query for KUWZ
  21. ^ FCC Query for KQSW
  22. ^ FCC Query for KSIT
  23. ^ KMRZ-FM Radio-Locator info.
  24. ^ "TV Query Results: KGWR-DT". FCC.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  25. ^ "NOAA Weather Radio KXI34". weather.gov. National Weather Service. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  26. ^ "K45IA-D Facility Data". FCCData.org. REC Networks. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  • The All-Hazards NOAA weather station KXI34 radio tower is shared with KUWZ.
  • The road in the winter is often impassable without a four wheel drive vehicle.
  • The west central radio towers, mostly used by local and state companies.
  • The far western side of the mountain houses radio towers owned by telephone companies such as Qwest.
  • Arrowhead Springs, Wyoming, with Aspen Mountain to the south.
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