SNAPPED: View Vernal’s Via Ferrata

The newest Via Ferrata in Northern Utah is delighting adventurers from Park City. Photo: Root Roepke

VERNAL, Utah — Utah’s newest via ferrata, billed as the longest public route of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, is now open near Vernal and drawing climbers from Park City and across the state.

The Ashley Gorge Via Ferrata recently celebrated its grand opening, adding a new option for outdoor recreation in northeastern Utah.

A via ferrata, Italian for “iron path,” is a protected climbing route equipped with steel cables, rungs, ladders, bridges and other fixtures anchored into the rock. Climbers wear a harness with two leashes that attach to the cable, allowing them to remain secured throughout the route and limiting the distance of a fall.

The fixed handholds and footholds allow people to travel across steep or exposed terrain without the advanced skills and specialized equipment typically required for technical rock climbing or mountaineering.

The Ashley Gorge Via Ferrata also provides access to a recreation area that is not otherwise open to the public.

“It’s a low-risk way to get out in the wilderness with your friends or family and try something new,” George Flint told TownLift. Flint said he regularly rock climbs and mountaineers in the Park City area.

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