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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Utah is a land of diverse and breathtaking vistas filled with mind-boggling stone formations and capped with snow-covered peaks. Each day Utah's varied landscapes put on a stunning display.
For the willing explorer and homebody alike, Utah has so much to offer. Here's just a handful of interesting tidbits and panoramas highlighting some of Utah's incredible outdoor treasures, beginning with a landscape that has helped make Utah an outdoor traveler's paradise.
Moab
Even though Moab's red-rock wonders usually get top billing, there are natural treasures a plenty in this unique corner of Utah. The Colorado River, dubbed the life-blood of the Southwest, has carved a stunning maze of exquisite canyons that have elevated even Moab's reputation throughout the world. And let's not forget the La Sal Mountains. Once a key landmark for Spanish explorers as early as 1776, Utah's second-highest mountain range is the poetic backdrop to Moab's red rock deserts and canyons. It's a Utah hat trick, a three-in-one masterstroke that has made this corner of our state synonymous with outdoor adventure.
Goblin Valley
Less than a two-hour drive west from Moab, Goblin Valley is named for a unique collection of geological formations called hoodoos, which have been nicknamed "goblins." Near the southern end of the San Raphael Swell, Goblin Valley's delicate wonders have been featured in films, international news and countless family memories. It's an otherworldly landscape as unique as any, and found only in Utah.
Uinta Mountains
The Uintas are Utah's highest mountain range and the only major east-west oriented mountain range in the continuous United States. These unique mountains are also home to Utah's largest roadless wilderness area and the headwaters of the Bear, Weber and Provo Rivers. The Uintas are a treasure trove of history and offer stunning vista after stunning mountainous vista.
With more than 1,000 natural lakes and hundreds of miles of streams and riverways, the Uinta Mountains are a high-country wonderland, rich in forests, wetlands, tundra and lofty summits including Kings Peak— Utah's highest point at 13,527 feet. They are a wilderness treasure that contrasts beautifully with the state's more famous deserts.
Wasatch Mountains
With 80 percent of Utah's population living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, a fitting word to describe these stunning peaks might be "accessible." This sub-range of the Rockies offers access to all sorts of rejuvenating activities in all seasons and they couldn't be closer.
Beginning near Soda Springs, Idaho, the Wasatch Mountains run 220 miles south through the heart of our state. For most Utahns, these peaks are a backyard wilderness kept close year-round. It's their beauty and accessibility that make the Wasatch Mountains a unique Utah treasure.
Zion National Park
Along with a human history of more than 12,000 years and a dramatic world-renowned landscape of mesmerizing verticality, Zion National Park can also claim the distinction of being Utah's very first national park.
Named Zion (which means the City of God/sanctuary) by early European-American pioneers, this one-of-a-kind Utah landscape is home to some of the world's tallest sandstone cliffs, which dwarf even the continent's tallest man-made structures. This red rock wonderland located in southwestern Utah is also home to an incredible number of world-renowned hikes including the Zion Narrows, Angel's Landing and the Subway.
For these and many more reasons, Zion National Park is nearly always listed as one of North America's most visited national parks.
When visiting these beautiful, unique landscapes, remember to always tread lightly, leave no trace and have fun. A landscape as beautiful, rugged and diverse as Utah, merits equal-parts adventure, appreciation respect and preservation.
Mike Godfrey is a graduate of BYU, and along with his wife Michelle, the owner/manager of At Home in Wild Spaces: an outdoor recreation website, blog and community dedicated to sharing national parks, wilderness areas, hiking/biking trails, and more.
