Here is the response I received from my son Ryan in Utah:
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I don't recall the year, but there was a point that I started to investigate this very aspect. I was setting up a site, and searching for other sites, near 9,000 ft in an attempt to determine if they were that high near the SLC area. I haven't had time/interest to pursue that in the last 8-9 years.

When I used to commute from SLC to Clearfield, I observed high elevation peaks where there is adequate habitate (cover, food), and the south-facing slopes at 8700 did have sufficient periods of time several years in a row that were clear from snow to allow boas to live and reproduce there. And nearby weather stations indicated enough daytime warmth and frost-free nights to indicate that they could be there.

Since then, I have become aware of other finds at elevations above 8,000 nearby, but not specifically within the Salt Lake/Ogden area of the Wasatch. Near Logan, they are common near a lake above 8,000. And there is the one found recently to the east in the Unita Mts at over 9,400 ft.

Especially in south-facing areas at or near 9,000 along the Wasatch Front there are many areas that I have observed that seem like likely spots to hold boas. I think at the highest elevations, food sources become a limiting factor more than temperatures or cover/access to underground. As long as the vegitation and substrate are sufficient for the rodent populations, I highly suspect they are at 9000 ft elevations just east of SLC.

Ryan

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