The remaining area is talus slopes, boulder fields, and water. The Uinta Mountains have outstanding wilderness qualities and are geographically unique as the highest mountain range in Utah. Other than the Brooks Range in Alaska, they are the most prominent east-west range in the United States. Their pre-Cambrian rocks are over 600 million years old. These ancient rocks were elevated by tremendous pressure to form nearly vertical faults.
Parent rocks are primarily quartzite with sandstones and shale beds.
The crest of the range is a high, narrow ridge more than 60 miles long and rarely more than a mile wide at its base. The crest extends from Hayden Peak on the west to Leidy Peak on the east. Secondary ridges, as high or higher than the main divide, extend north and south from the main ridge. Below the main ridges, the range is divided into numerous alpine basins, dotted with picturesque lakes and meadows. Below the 10,000 foot timberline, the area is forested with conifers, consisting of predominantly Englemann spruce, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine.