By Melissa Gibbs
The newly remodeled Diamond Campground in Diamond Fork Canyon is now open.
The campground was dedicated on Thursday and opened for the summer season on Friday.
According to the Uinta National Forest Service, the Diamond Campground was originally built in the early 1960s and was renovated in the 1970s.
Loyal Clark, spokesperson for UNFS, said the area was a popular place for church outings, sporting events and family reunions in the early 1940s.
'More recent, this area has been a favorite location for activities such as environmental education workshops, Jakes Events and youth campouts,' Clark said.
Clark said the campground was remodeled and expanded in an effort to meet the increasing demand for recreation facilities.
The Diamond Campground offers 38 individual family sites and 23 double family sites. This is an increase from the 35 sites that the campground housed prior to reconstruction.
This new family- and group-oriented facility is the result of a partnership between the Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous volunteers.
Clark said Diamond Fork is a very popular recreation area in the Uinta National Forest.
'Because of this popularity, there are plans to expand recreation opportunities for visitors,' Clark said.
'In the future, visitors who come to explore this unique area will discover a wide spectrum of opportunities, including both semi-primitive and developed, day use and overnight, motorized and non-motorized, and educational settings,' Clark said.
Diamond Fork contains a valuable riparian habitat used by a variety of migratory birds. This area is also an excellent fishery, which makes it a favorite destination for anglers, according to UNFS.
According to the UNFS website, Diamond Canyon offered refuge to Ute Indians during periods of conflict with Mormon settlers.
The Web site also said significant activity in the Diamond Fork area began in the 1860s, when federal troops from Camp Floyd constructed a rough wagon road up the canyon.
In 1864, settlers from Spanish Fork combined their labor and built a 13-mile wagon road up Diamond Fork Creek, which was intended to relieve timber shortages in southern Utah Valley settlements.
'We want visitors to come and enjoy the new facilities we have here,' Clark said.