Park Valley, Utah

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Park Valley, Utah is an unincorporated community in Box Elder County in the northwestern part of the state. It sits about 150 miles northwest of Salt Lake City and about 100 miles west of Brigham City. Utah State Route 30 runs through the valley from east to west. The valley is roughly 30 miles long and 25 miles wide, and it forms the northern end of the Great Basin. To the north, the Raft River Mountains mark the edge between the Great Basin and the Snake River Plain.

The area known as Park Valley includes places that used to be separate communities along the old railroad grade, such as Rosette and Dove Creek, as well as smaller camps. The center of Park Valley has the church, a store, a hotel, a park, and a school.

History: Explorers Jedediah Smith passed through in 1826, and the Bartleson-Bidwell Party brought the first wagons through in 1841. The proximity of the Transcontinental Railroad encouraged settlement even before the rails were joined at Promontory in 1869. The first permanent settler was William P. (Cotton) Thomas, who moved from Brigham City in 1869 and started a cattle ranch near Dove Creek. The area saw a brief boom in 1890 when gold was discovered.

Climate: Park Valley has a semi-arid climate (BSk).