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Vacation Rental Properties for Sale in Manila, Utah
Manila is a small town of roughly 300 year-round residents tucked into the northeast corner of Utah, but its real population swells every summer with anglers, boaters, and houseboat crews heading to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. That tourism economy is exactly why vacation rental properties here pencil out differently than nightly rentals on the Wasatch Front. Daggett County has stayed friendly to short-term rentals because the local economy depends on them, and there's no Park City-style cap on permits or aggressive enforcement squeezing operators out. Most buyers shopping this market are looking at A-frame cabins, log homes off Highway 43, or lakeside-adjacent properties near Lucerne Valley Marina that can sleep six to twelve guests.
The trade-off is seasonality. Manila sits at high elevation in a remote stretch of the Uinta Mountains foothills, about 3.5 hours from Salt Lake City and an hour from the nearest grocery run in Green River, Wyoming. Summer booking calendars fill months in advance for reservoir access, fall pulls in hunters chasing the Diamond Mountain and North Slope units, and winter quiets down to ice fishermen and snowmobilers. Successful owners price for that rhythm rather than expecting steady year-round bookings. Property prices generally run well below comparable second-home markets like Heber or Midway, which is part of the appeal for investors running the numbers on cash-on-cash return rather than appreciation alone. Browse the active listings below to see what's currently on the market in and around Manila.
June 2026 · Manila market
Live from the Utah MLS — what's actually happening in Manila right now.
Median sale
$165,000
1 closed in June 2026
Median DOM
26 days
listing → contract
Sale-to-list
91.7%
of final list price
Unsold inventory
20
active + pending
1 matching · page 1 of 1
Active listings
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Common questions
About vacation rental properties in Manila.
Does Daggett County allow short-term vacation rentals in Manila? ▾
Daggett County is one of the more permissive jurisdictions in Utah for short-term rentals, largely because tourism around Flaming Gorge is the local economy. Most properties in and around Manila can be operated as nightly rentals, but you'll want to confirm zoning, septic capacity, and any HOA rules on the specific parcel before closing. The county requires a business license and transient room tax collection.
What's the rental season like around Flaming Gorge? ▾
Peak season runs Memorial Day through Labor Day, when reservoir traffic, fishing tournaments, and houseboat renters fill up nightly rentals. Fall brings hunters chasing elk and mule deer through October, and ice fishing keeps some bookings going January through March. Shoulder seasons in April and November are slow, so most owners underwrite to roughly 90-130 booked nights per year.
Are cabins or full-size homes better for nightly rental income in Manila? ▾
Both work, but they target different guests. Small cabins (2 bed / 1 bath) book well to fishing couples and individual hunters at lower nightly rates, while larger 4-5 bedroom homes pull in family reservoirs trips and group bookings at $400-700 a night in summer. Sleeping capacity and proximity to the Lucerne or Sheep Creek boat ramps drive revenue more than finish level.
How far is Manila from the nearest airport and major population center? ▾
Manila sits about 65 miles north of Vernal (regional airport with limited flights), roughly 3.5 hours from Salt Lake City via US-191, and about 2.5 hours from Rock Springs, Wyoming. Most guests drive in, which favors properties with parking for trucks, boat trailers, and side-by-sides.
Do vacation rental homes here usually come furnished? ▾
Many turnkey rentals sell with furniture, linens, kitchenware, and existing forward bookings included — it's worth asking the listing agent for a personal property inventory and a trailing 12-month income statement. Sellers operating on Airbnb or Vrbo can often transfer reviews or at least the listing history, which materially affects what you can charge in year one.
What utilities and seasonal issues should buyers plan for? ▾
Manila sits at about 6,400 feet, so winters are cold and pipes need to be protected during vacant stretches. Many properties run on propane heat and private well/septic rather than municipal service, and internet historically meant satellite — though fixed wireless and Starlink have made remote management much easier in the last few years.