Lesser-known gems to visit during spring break in southern Utah

Lesser-known gems to visit during spring break in southern Utah

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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — Southern Utah attracts visitors from around the world with its incredible national and state parks. It's arguably the most-used chunk of public land in the state, and nearly every nook and cranny has been mapped and posted about online.

However, if you're looking for an adventure to take during your spring break, southern Utah still has some lesser-known gems to explore.

And if you are looking for things to do in northern Utah, eastern Utah and central Utah, we have written about spring break activities for those areas as well.

Scout Cave ==========

This is a hike that's popular among St. George locals, but it's not as widely known to those who don't live there.

The trail to Scout Cave begins at the Chuckwalla Trailhead. The 7-mile round-trip hike gives you some of the best views of St. George, Snow Canyon State Park and the surrounding landscape that you'll ever see.

You'll follow the trail along canyon rims before coming to a ravine, at the bottom of which is Scout Cave. For a Utah cave, it's fairly good-sized, doesn't require any climbing equipment to explore, and offers a reprieve from the southern Utah heat.

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Kodachrome Basin State Park ===========================

This unique state park is located right next to Bryce Canyon National Park. Instead of turning south on Highway 63 to visit Bryce, you stay on Highway 12 until reaching the turnoff for Kodachrome Basin.

Kodachrome is a state park that's not as heavily used as others, and if you've never been, you owe it to yourself to go. While Bryce is right next door and holds some incredible rock formations, Kodachrome may have it beat.

Sixty-seven monolithic spires jut from the desert floor into the sky, with sandstone cliffs as their backdrop. The camping amenities were just updated, and it's a safe bet that Kodachrome will usually be less crowded than Bryce.

Fremont Indian State Park =========================

This state park is gaining in popularity, but it's still a relatively uncrowded gem located right off I-70.

Fremont Indian State Park boasts a stunning collection of artifacts, petroglyphs and pictographs left over from the Fremont Indians. A museum holds the artifacts, which includes pottery, arrowheads and baskets.

This state park is on the site of the largest Fremont Indian village ever uncovered. When I-70 was being built, workers unearthed the village, and a state park was promptly created to safeguard this invaluable piece of ancient history.

Bass fishing

Spring break coincides with an uptick in warmer weather — which means the bass fishing in southern Utah picks up. Everyone knows about the great striped bass fishing at Lake Powell, but other fisheries are often overlooked.

If you want to really try something new this spring break, bass fishing is a great activity. Gunlock Reservoir, located northwest of St. George, houses an abundant population of largemouth bass. Bluegill and crappie are also likely catches.

Newcastle Reservoir, west of Cedar City, offers some great rainbow trout fishing. And the state record wiper (a cross between a white and striped bass) was caught from Newcastle, making it a great destination if you're looking for a really big fish.

Spring break in southern Utah doesn't have to always be at Zion National Park, Lake Powell or Arches National Park. Plenty of other incredible places are waiting to be explored.

Have you visited any of the places on this list? Do you have a favorite spring break spot in southern Utah? Let us know in the comments.


![Spencer Durrant](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2583/258385/25838585\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Spencer Durrant \---------------------------------

Spencer Durrant is a fly fishing writer, outdoors columnist, and novelist from Utah. His work has appeared in Field & Stream, TROUT Magazine, Hatch Magazine, and other national publications. He's also the Managing Editor of The Modern Trout Bum. Connect with him on Twitter/Instagram, @Spencer_Durrant.

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