Entry Points:
About Sevier County
Situated among the 10,000 foot mountains of central Utah, the settlements of Sevier County are mostly limited to the valley of the Sevier River, surrounded by miles of wilderness in nearly every direction. A great variety of terrain exists here, including alpine forests and lakes, the juniper forests of lower mountains, sagebrush-covered valleys, the irrigated river valley, and jagged rocks of desert mountains. Capitol Reef National Park extends into the southeast corner of Sevier County. The beautiful Fish Lake, near the center of the county, sits at 8,843 feet in elevation, a popular recreation resort in summer.
Sevier County includes 1,910 acres and a population of 18,843 (as of the year 2000). The county seat is at Richfield. Interstate 70 crosses the county east to west, and U.S. Highway 89 travels north to south through the western portion of the county. Both of them pass through the valley of the Sevier River. State Highway heads from there toward the southeast corner of the county. The lowest elevation in the county is 5,080 feet, found at the point where the Sevier River crosses the northern boundary.
The valley of the Sevier River lies near the northwest corner of the country, and nearly all the people of the county live in it. The Pahvant Mountains form its northwestern slopes. The Sevier River flows out of Marysvale Canyon to the south, and then heads northeast through the valley. The mountains on the east rise to the Sevier plateau, where Plateau Valley and Grass Valley are found. The tiny town of Koosharem lies in Grass Valley, right at the county's southern border. Further east is the Fish Lake Hightop Plateau, a flat-topped mountain that reaches to 11,633 feet in elevation, standing next to Fish Lake. The mountains east from here drop gradually in elevation and become more arid.