6 places to visit for outdoor adventures just over state lines

6 places to visit for outdoor adventures just over state lines

(Arianne Brown)


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Estimated read time: 10-11 minutes

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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Utah is awesome. There is simply no doubt about that. But sometimes, just sometimes, you want to take a trip outside our state’s borders to see what exactly is beyond this heaven of ours.

If you are feeling an itch to travel a little farther from home in search of adventure, here are six outdoor activities that are just slightly over the edge of our state lines into each of our bordering states.

Niter Ice Cave

[\#ice from dripping water. From a different perspective. #icecave #nitericecave #graceidaho #idaho](https://www.instagram.com/p/yjGPcRGKU0/) A post shared by Marianne (@geekgrl410) on Jan 31, 2015 at 10:24pm PST

Have you ever opened your deep freeze that's full of Klondike Bars — um, we mean, frozen vegetables — and wondered how the pioneers preserved their harvest through the warmer months? Well, if you really want to know, Niter Ice Cave located about an hour over the Utah/Idaho border will answer that question once and for all.

The Niter Ice Cave was used by early Mormon pioneers as a year-round refrigerator, keeping a temperature dozens of degrees cooler than outside. According to pioneerhistoricbyway.org, “The cave was formed when basalt lava flowed out of a vent 500,000 years ago, forming a lava tube typical to this type of volcanic activity on the Snake River Plains. The Niter Cave is actually a piece of a lava tube system that would have gone on for miles thousands of years ago.”

The cave is located about an hour north of Logan. To get there, take U.S. Route 91 north to Idaho State Highway 34. The cave is approximately a hundred yards from the main road and there is a sign that welcomes you to this unique creation.

But, just in case you have a hard time convincing the family to drive over the border just to see a natural deep freezer, the cave is part of the Pioneer Historic Byway that is home to several historic Mormon pioneer destinations.

Glitter Mountain

If your child has a thing for Lady Glitter Sparkles or Guy Diamond from Trolls, he or she will love Glitter Mountain located just minutes over the border from St. George to Arizona. But, before you think this place is all sparkles, think again. In order to access these shiny mica rocks, you will need to break through solid rock with hammer and chisel.

[How many of you have been to #GlitterMountain? It's been one of our favorite posts yet! Haven't been? Search the website for more details Hashtag #TheSaltProject on your Spring Break Adventures so we can share! ✌🏻](https://www.instagram.com/p/BSeJfhvFt4w/) A post shared by The Salt Project (@saltproject.co) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:01am PDT

Glitter Mountain is an old mica rock mine about a mile away from the Utah/Arizona border where you can freely chisel away with your own tools, and bring home as much “glitter” as your heart desires.

To get there, take Telegraph Road off the Washington exit, then turn south onto the Washington Fields Road until you go under the Southern Parkway road. When the paved road ends, take the first right onto a dirt road heading south that will go for about 10 miles before reaching some houses at the Utah/Arizona border. Don’t go past the homes unless you want to bounce around in an uneven road for a few miles toward Black Mountain Petroglyphs (which is also cool). Instead, keep going on the road you are on for about 1.5 miles until you see the glittery white mountain to your right.

Cathedral Gorge State Park

Have you ever wanted to visit a volcano that erupted violently millions of years ago, depositing layers of volcanic ash in the form of thick, cathedral-like spires? Have you dreamt of visiting land that was once home to the Fremont, Anasazi and Southern Paiute Native American tribes? Do you sometimes feel the urge to drive slightly over the Utah/Nevada border as a way to make those dreams a reality? If so, you need to visit Cathedral Gorge State Park.

[Cathedral Gorge!](https://www.instagram.com/p/Rk1ZHdAvDl/) A post shared by kdegraaf (@kdegraaf) on Nov 3, 2012 at 10:19am PDT

But it isn’t just the spires that will draw you in. This state park is home to numerous wildlife including blacktailed jackrabbits, cottontails, packrats, kangaroo rats, mice and gophers. And if you plan on staying the night at one of the campsites, nocturnal animals like mule deer, coyotes, kit foxes and skunks may be making their way around your sleeping quarters.

To get there, take Highway 56 in southern Utah westbound toward the Nevada state line. This road will turn into Nevada state Route 319. After about 20 miles, you will turn on U.S. Highway 93. Go about one mile north, and you will reach the park.

Canyons of the Ancients

If you’re a little leary of leaving our wondrous state, but would really like to say that you’ve been over state lines, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is directly on the border of Utah and Colorado. But it isn’t just a state line that you will experience while there.

This National Monument covers 176,000 acres that contains the highest known density of archaeological sites in the United States. That’s right. In this area, more than 6,000 ancient sites have been identified including cliff dwellings, kivas and rock art.

[Painted Hand Pueblo. #canyonsoftheancients #colorado #BLM #adventure #explore #optoutside #solotravel #happiness #staycurious #roadtrip #springbreak #southwestcolorado #southwest #solo #hike #getoutside #love #sunset #canyon #ruins #ancientpueblo](https://www.instagram.com/p/BSbL0pLhkOY/) A post shared by Karen (@cairncolorado) on Apr 3, 2017 at 6:24am PDT

The monument can be accessed by following U.S. Route 191 to Hovenweep Road, and then Reservation Road to Hovenweep Road. And if you like it so much, and feel the need to travel a little farther, you may want to take the new 114 mile [Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway](http://www.trailoftheancients.com/).

Bear River State Park

So, you’ve heard of Bear Lake in our state and Idaho? Well, this is not that. This is the spectacular Bear River State Park, and it’s located in our next neighboring state of Wyoming.

[Happy Thursday! We hope everyone gets a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. #brsp #bearriverstatepark #wyomingwildlife #wyoming #307](https://www.instagram.com/p/BSi_SlRFOSF/) A post shared by Bear River State Park (@bearriverstatepark) on Apr 6, 2017 at 7:08am PDT

Found just over the border near Evanston, this state park has 300 acres of wildlife to explore by foot, bike, skiing, and according to the official site, you can even rollerblade and operate remote control cars — something for everyone! You may even see some elk and bison that are there specifically for your viewing pleasure.

To get there, take I-80 all the way over the border to the Bear River State Park Access Road.

Four Corners National Monument

If you want to be in four places at once without cloning yourself as many times, Four Corners National Monument takes in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and our own fantastic state in one single destination.

[➕#fourcorners #fourstates #usatravel #roadtrip #southwest](https://www.instagram.com/p/BSg5xkZDqDB/) A post shared by Alyssa Ball🐢✈️ (@adventures.with.alyssa) on Apr 5, 2017 at 11:41am PDT

You can put one hand in Utah, one in Arizona, and a foot each in Colorado and New Mexico. If you feel like spicing things up a bit, you can have your own version of Four Corners Twister by putting your right foot on Utah, left hand on Colorado, right hand on Arizona, left foot on New Mexico. After all, there is no other place in the country where you can be in four states at once.

Where are your favorite places to visit just over our state lines? Let us know in the comments.


![Arianne Brown](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2505/250517/25051768\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Arianne Brown \-------------------------------

Arianne Brown is a mother of seven young children and is a Salomon at City Creek, Nuun and Unshoes sponsored athlete. For more writings by her, search "A Mother's Write" on Facebook or Twitter @A_Mothers_Write

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