Admittedly, until working on this story I considered disc golf in the same fringy, hippie-ish category as kicking around a hacky sack or slacklining, i.e. something to do after a mountain bike ride, hike or river run, usually with a frosty recovery beverage in hand. It turns out that not only is disc golf a legitimate sport, with its own pro league called the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association), but it’s also a fantastic form of exercise for both your body and your brain.
“I lost 30 pounds when I started playing disc golf,” says Scott Belchak, founder and executive director of ElevateUT, a nonprofit dedicated to growing disc golf in Utah.
Courses around the Wasatch run the gamut of terrain from wooded parks to high-alpine scenery. Photo by Joseph Guong.
How to Play
Before I get into why disc golf is good for you, let’s discuss what it is. The rules for disc golf are like traditional golf, but rather than hitting a ball with a club toward an actual hole in the ground, disc golfers throw plastic discs, or Frisbees, toward elevated metal-chain baskets. (Fun fact: the Frisbee was invented in 1957 by Richfield, Utah native Walter Fredrick Morrison.) Most disc golf ourses have nine or 18 holes. (Yes, disc golfers still call them “holes” despite there being no holes.) Each disc golf hole has a designated par, and the player that logs the least number of throws for the round is the winner. The biggest divergence between traditional golf and disc golf is the course itself: rather than being situated on flat, somewhat one-dimensional fairways, bunkers and greens, disc golf courses utilize the land’s natural undulations and vegetation.
Because disc golf courses alter the land only minimally, carts are usually not typically used in play. As such, players are required to walk the entire course, usually around three to five miles. And walking, as you likely already know, is an excellent form of exercise. What’s more, walking in nature can provide a necessary mental reset. Last year University of Utah researchers Amy McDonnell and David Strayer published results from a study where subjects walked around Red Butte Garden wearing electroencephalography (EEG) sensors. They found that after walking the garden, study participants experienced improved executive control (the ability to solve problems, make decisions and coordinate disparate tasks). And then all that aiming and tossing of a plastic disc into metal baskets enhances your hand-eye coordination, too.
“Because you’re using your hand and arm to propel the disc, versus a club to hit a ball, and because disc golf baskets are raised rather than sunken into the ground, players have a more intimate relationship with the action itself as well as the environment disc golf courses are set within,” Belchak says.
The disc golf course at Solitude resort combines a great hike with a challenging arrangement of “holes.” Photo courtesy of Ski Utah Unlike traditional golf, disc golf has a relatively low cost of entry and a much more casual vibe. Photo by Joseph Guong.
Cost to Play
What’s more, disc golf has one of the lowest costs of entry for a summer sport you’ll find, by far. It’s free to play 95 percent of disc golf courses across the U.S., including the dozens here in Utah (with many more on the way). And a beginner-level disc set, which Ben Marolf, owner of Utah’s only disc golf shop, Another Round (6092 S. 900 East, Murray), says should include a driver, a putter and a mid-range disc, will set you back only about $30. (In addition to carrying both new and used discs, Marolf’s store is a great resource for disc golf league info and, after the store’s liquor license comes through this summer, enjoying a post-round cold beer.)
Where to Play
Wasatch Front beginner-friendly disc golf spots include park-style courses like:
1. Disc on 6th, a 9-holer at Midvale City Park (425 6th Ave., Midvale)
2. Tetons, a family-friendly 9-holer within West Jordan’s Teton Estates Park (9380 Targhee Dr.)
3. River Bottoms, a newer disc-golf track offering 9 holes for novices alongside a more advanced 18-hole course, designed in part by Belchak at Rotary Park (958 W. 12300 South)
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Summer is passing by, and soon, it will be time for back-to-school shopping. But if you’ve delayed getting your kids involved in making the most of the season, there’s still time.
Check with local summer camps to see if they’re still taking registrations. Here are three that were available at the time of this article. Keep in mind they’re likely to fill up quickly.
NHMU’s summer camps
The Natural History Museum of Utah offers camps for grades K–8 that make the most of its exhibits, focusing on LEGO building, digging for dinosaurs, and more. As of this posting, a handful of kindergarten camps and fourth- and fifth-grade camps still have open spots.
Register now—registrations close two weeks before each session or when they are filled.
Explore the many nature-based options for kids and teens at Ogden Nature Center. While spots are filling fast, multiple camps are still taking registrations when you hit “Register Now” on their website.
Camps with availability as this posted included Toddler Tracks (two-hour programs for ages 2–3 and their chaperones) in July and August, and a week-long STEM camp for ages 10–12 starting July 14.
Mojo Village Teen Camp
New to the Uintas this year, Mojo Village offers teens an outdoor experience typical of many other camps, in addition to tools for building confidence and becoming emotionally resilient.
Camp, which runs from July 30 to Aug. 2, is still accepting registrations. Those who register with the code SLMAG200 will get $200 off if they register by July 15.
Summer in Utah is a wonderful time of sunshine, mountain air and endless trails—it can also be hot, dry and dusty. In addition to creating volatile wildfire conditions, the weather can leave your whole body feeling a bit parched and in need of a respite. Fortunately, the Beehive State is full of literal and figurative oases in the desert, with a host of alpine lakes, mountain reservoirs and waterfall-fed swimming holes. Here’s our list of the best swimming spots in Utah. Some of these require a decent hike to get to, while others are just feet from the car, but they’re all perfect for staying cool on a summer day.
Swimming Near SLC
Salt Lake City has swelled into a major urban population center, but there are all types of unique swimming opportunities nearby.
Pineview Reservoir is one of the best spots to take a dip near Ogden and SLC. Photo credit Steve Greenwood.
Burraston Ponds: Just a 30-minute drive south of Provo, in Mona you’ll find Mona Reservoir and the Burraston ponds. (There used to be rope swings, bummer.) But still there are deep refreshing pools of water to plunge into, The Burraston Ponds have a small parking lot and are easy to find just by typing the name into Google Maps. More information at santaquin.gov.
Pineview Reservoir: While not exactly a secret, Pineview Reservoir is one of the best spots to take a dip near SLC and Ogden. The reservoir is ringed by mountains, which provide not only incredible views, but also surprisingly good protection from the wind. Pineview Beach on the reservoir’s west end is flat and sandy and feels distinctly more like a natural lake than many of the dammed bodies of water in Utah.
East Canyon Reservoir: East Canyon is a famous, historical pioneer route for groups from Brigham Young’s Mormon pioneers to the ill-fated Donner Party. You can retrace their steps in a significantly less arduous manner by visiting East Canyon State Park for a dip in the reservoir. The snowmelt-fed water is surrounded by mountains and seems miles further from civilization than the short 25-minute drive would indicate.
Swimming in the Uinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are home to more than 1,000 pristine natural alpine lakes. Unlike those in the Cottonwood Canyons, they aren’t part of the watershed so they’re perfect for swimming. Access them all just east of Kamas and Park City via the Mirror Lake Highway (S.R. 150).
The Uinta Mountains are home to more than 1,000 pristine natural alpine lakes. Photo courtesy of UOT.
Ruth Lake: Ruth Lake is only about a mile from the trailhead, which is 35 miles up S.R. 150 from Kamas. Enjoy the mellow hike through open meadows with views of the surrounding mountains like Hayden Peak before rewarding yourself with a dip.
Mirror Lake: The namesake of the famous road through the Uintas, Mirror Lake is easily accessible as it’s right off the road. Because of that proximity, it can get a little crowded from time to time, but the near perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains alone makes it worth the visit. A well-maintained path surrounds the entire lake, so you can go for a nice scenic walk while finding the perfect spot to hop in. Mirror Lake is 32 miles up S.R. 150.
Wall Lake: Start from the Crystal Lake Trailhead (26 miles up S.R. 150), and head up the Notch Mountain Trail for about a mile to reach Wall Lake. Wall Lake is flanked by cliffs of varying sizes you can jump off depending on how daring you’re feeling. The Crystal Lake Trailhead gets a little crowded, but people dissipate quickly as you head up the trail and reach Wall Lake.
Swimming in the Utah Desert
These are the literal oases we were talking about. Utah’s famous desert landscapes are dotted with refreshing, picturesque swimming holes.
An hour away from Zion, Toquerville Falls features several layers of cascading waterfalls. Photo Credit UOT Images.
Touquerville Falls: Touquerville Falls is a wonderful spot to visit after spending a day at nearby Zion National Park. The road out there is a rough, 12-mile OHV trail. It’s passable with most relatively capable 4×4 vehicles, but it’s not one to be attempted in your ’88 Civic or rusted-out Ranger. The road can also be hiked by the hearty. Either way, once you reach the several levels of cascading waterfalls, you know the effort was worth it.
Calf Creek Falls: Located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Calf Creek Falls is named for the surrounding steep sandstone walls, which served as a natural pen for calves. It’s about a three-mile hike to reach Lower Calf Creek Falls with its stunning 130-foot waterfall and a deep swimming pool. Upper Calf Creek Falls takes more effort to reach, but it has a 90-foot waterfall of its own and far fewer visitors. The historic rock art on the stone walls helps the miles pass quickly.
Mill Creek Waterfall: Ever the popular tourist destination, Moab is teeming with people looking to cool off after a long day in the sun, mountain biking or hiking through Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The Mill Creek Waterfall Trail is less than a mile from downtown Moab. The full trail is a 7.5-mile out-and-back, but if you just want to make it to the waterfall for a swim, it’s shy of two miles total.
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When your kids start pestering you about being bored this summer, just tell them to take a hike. Then pack some Kind bars, water bottles and bug spray, and get everyone in the CR-V for a little trip. Once you reach the trailhead, your dad joke will finally click. With longer days and sunnier weather, now is a great time to start hitting local hiking trails with the family. Here are some of our favorite kid-friendly hikes in the Wasatch this summer.
Ensign Peak
The Trail: While a bit of a climb for kids just starting out, it’s a short trail — 0.8 miles — and offers plenty of opportunity to rest and look out toward the city below along the way. You’ll see a mixed crowd on your way up (teens hanging out before the prom, moms pushing off-road strollers, marathon trainers, hipsters with their dogs) and historical markers explaining the trail’s historical significance, particularly for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You can see the pillar at the peak from miles away. Once there, you’ll have one of the best views of the Salt Lake Valley. Getting There: Head north on State Street in Salt Lake City, turn right onto 300 North, turn left on Edgecombe Drive, look for the trailhead on your left and park across the street. Take Note: It’s a short hike, but you’ll want to hang at the top for a while. Bring snacks.
Farmington Creek
The Trail: You can make this a long hike, leading to nearby foothills, or shorten it for a fun, relatively flat, stroll with the family. For the latter, you have several options for your starting point. Personally, we like to eat lunch at the gazebo in Ezra T. Clark Park before taking the park’s short, shaded creek-side path and crossing the street to the trail that runs past Lagoon’s campgrounds. Stay on that path, and you’ll eventually see signs dubbing it “Lagoon Trail.” Don’t worry; you’re in the right place. You’ll hear screams from Colossus and pass Lagoon’s zoo (yeah, we know). You’ll also see horses on private properties. Once the “Lagoon Trail” ends, make a left on 200 West and notice where the Farmington Creek Trail continues across the street. This quaint, shaded path crosses the street again at 600 North, and eventually leads to the duck-filled Farmington Pond. Getting There: Set your GPS for Ezra T. Clark Park on 400 West (just north of State Street and across from Lagoon) in Farmington. Take Note: Catfish are biting in Farmington Pond.
Grotto Falls
The Trail: It’s a pretty sweet payoff for only a .6-mile out-and-back, the trail is easy on smaller legs, and it’s located along the Nebo Loop Scenic Drive, best known for its fall colors, but still stunning in summer. The trail ends with a show-stopping 20-foot waterfall and an open-ceiling cave that are perfect for Instagram. Dogs allowed. Getting There: From Salt Lake, take I-15 South to exit 250, turn left onto Main Street, turn left onto 100 North, turn right onto 600 East, follow the road to Payson Canyon and the Nebo Scenic Loop. You’ll see the trailhead about seven miles up the loop on your left. Take Note: Nebo Loop closes in the winter and usually opens to traffic on Memorial Day, depending on weather conditions. The trail can get muddy, prep accordingly.
Cecret Lake. Image credit Austen Diamond, Visit Salt Lake
Albion Basin/Cecret Lake
The Trail: You know this one, right? While the trail to Cecret Lake isn’t so secret, there’s a reason it’s such a popular summer hiking spot. Albion Basin, where you’ll start your hike, is famous for its stunning array of wildflowers (mid-August is your best bet). On the short trail to the lake (1.7 miles), you’ll likely see moose. At the lake itself, take your time to travel the perimeter and have your camera ready — it doesn’t have a bad side. Getting There: Alta will limit car access to Albion Basin this summer. We recommend taking Little Cottonwood Canyon Road to the Wildcat Base Area in Alta and parking there. Then walk to Albion Basin or hop on one of the shuttles. Get the details here. Take Note: Unlike the rest of the hikes we mentioned, no dogs allowed.
Suicide Rock/Parley’s Historic Nature Park
The Trail: It’s an easy trail with fun payoffs, filled with dogs. Stay left as you head into the canyon, and you’ll come to a shared biking/hiking trail with historical markers, including one for a wine cellar dating back to 1870. Keep heading east, and you’ll reach one of the major spots dogs go to splash. (Bring yours if it plays nice with others.) Once there, look left for Parley’s Trail, which goes over I-215 and connects to a trail offering an overhead look at the heavily spray-painted, yet oddly majestic, Suicide Rock, which clearly states “Sigma Chi rules!” Watch for bikes. Getting There: Park across the street or at Tanner Park, 2760 S. 2700 East, Salt Lake City, and walk up the hill for a minute or two. You’ll see the trailhead on your left. Take Note: Watch out for poop! Luckily, most dog owners are responsible… most.
Wild Rose
The Trail: This trail starts at a park, complete with slides and monkey bars, but don’t let your kids wear themselves out just yet. Toward the back of the park, you’ll see the trailhead that leads to a 2 ½-mile loop that offers a subtle climb and lookout point with a bench to chill out at the end, offering a stunning picture of the valley below. The trail includes maps along the way and much-needed shade during hotter months. Dogs welcome. Getting There: Set your GPS for Wild Rose Trailhead Park, North Salt Lake. The trailhead is on the east side of the park. Don’t be surprised if there’s a wedding taking place. Take Note: While we haven’t seen an actual wild rose here, summer wildflowers are on point.
Mojo Village, a new summer camp in Utah, arrives in the Uintas this year. Along with providing teens the outdoor experience typical of many other camps, organizers say they also want campers to build confidence and become emotionally resilient.
Mojo Village co-founder Elizabeth Seeley. Photo courtesy of The Mojo Village.
Co-founders Elizabeth Seeley and James Ure met last summer when Ure helped with the Uplift Family Camp that Seeley runs in Oregon. The Uplift curriculum includes things like mindfulness (which Seeley describes as being present at the moment), polarities (which she describes as balancing seemingly opposite attributes — like knowing when to be cautious and when to be courageous), and discovering an inner compass (which she says helps people be their own leaders and make decisions). Ure, co-founder of Williamsburg Learning and Elevation Outdoors, and Seeley began discussing teaching similar lessons in a camp for teens.
(Find more info about the founders and their backgrounds at themojovillage.com.)
“So we just combined our efforts and our backgrounds to create this opportunity,” Seeley says. “Having the peer-shared experience can be so amazing. And then if you layer on top of that good mentors, adventure and fun — all of a sudden it’s kind of a magical combination,”
While Seeley has worked extensively with teens who have experienced trauma in the past, she said the camp isn’t exclusive to teens with any particular background. “At the end of the day, this is really about giving teens a space where they just get to show up,” Seeley said. “Our tagline is ‘Be you. With us.’ It gives teens this space to just show up as themselves, to feel seen, to feel stretched, to feel supported.”
Co-founder James Ure. Photo courtesy of The Mojo Village.
In addition to emotional growth, organizers promise the fun outdoor camps are known for. The campground has a lake for paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming. Teens will also be able to take part in rock climbing, challenge courses, archery, stargazing and making s’mores around a campfire. “Kids will come away having had a really fun time,” Seeley said.
They will also be away from screens. Seeley says the camp doesn’t have cell reception and while no one will be forced to leave a phone behind, they will have trouble getting service.
“They just get to unplug and totally be present,” she says.
Parents can contact the camp at any time through an emergency line.
Mojo Village hopes to enroll 75 campers ages 14–18. The camp will run from July 30 to Aug. 2. The $797 cost per participant includes meals, lodging and camp activities.
As for the logo with three llamas wearing sunglasses?
“We chose the llamas because they’re a little quirky, a little bold and built for adventure — just like the teens we serve,” Seeley said. “The sunglasses? That’s our reminder not to take ourselves too seriously. And having three llamas? That’s the village. Because raising great kids takes a whole crew — peers, mentors, community. Mojo is about that collective support.”
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If you grew up in the United States, chances are you participated in organized sports sometime during your childhood. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, just over 60 percent of all American kids aged 7 to 18 suit up to play or perform as part of a team at least once a week. As we get older, however, life—work, kids, etc.—tends to get in the way, leading most adults to abandon their passion for team play in favor of hitting the gym. And since we all know how uninspiring that can be, it’s no wonder that, also according to the CDC, only about 28% of Americans get the weekly recommended 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and two muscle-strengthening sessions per week. What’s more, many Americans suffer from loneliness, including a whopping 79 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds, a condition estimated to have the same negative impacts on life span as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Now the good news: an antidote to a sedentary, lonely life may be as simple as signing up for a weekly kickball league. The physical benefits of team sports are obvious: the sprints, bursts of intense action, changes in direction and acceleration and muscle loading provide an efficient combo of aerobic, endurance, and resistance training. But as Dave “Beehive Dave” Marquardt, owner and founder of Beehive Sports & Social Club, has observed, the mental health benefits offered by team play may be even greater. “I can’t tell you how many times someone in one of our leagues told me that they had recently moved to Utah, couldn’t make friends and were considering moving away until they joined one of our leagues,” he says. “Playing an adult sport is a great way to get outside and get some exercise, but the people who play in our leagues love it for what it does for their mental health.”
The focus of Beehive Sports is social activity with less focus on competition. Photos Courtesy of Adult Sports Leagues
For Ben Smith, a Salt Lake City high school teacher and longtime rec league hockey player, the physical benefits he’s reaped from getting on the ice regularly are certainly a plus, but it’s the community he’s built through his rec league that’s kept him at it for the past 25 years. “I think the way team sports are different from exercising on your own is that you are focused on doing your best for the whole group, not just yourself,” Smith says. “My hockey community has been a huge support for me as I have navigated changes in my life. It’s also brought me closer to people whose lives are vastly different than mine in a way that few other community connections can.”
Marquardt, a Utah native, launched what would become Beehive Sports soon after moving back to Salt Lake City 15 years ago. “I wanted to reconnect with my high school friends and so that summer I started a kickball league,” he says. “We had so much fun that we decided to start a flag football league in the fall.” Now, Beehive Sports & Social Club’s spring, summer and fall leagues include basketball, softball, soccer, sand volleyball, cornhole and pickleball, as well as kickball (“Our most popular league, by a wide margin,” Marquardt says) and flag football. In the winter, Beehive Sports’ leagues go inside with volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, futsal (indoor soccer), darts and billiards.
Beehive Sports welcomes whole teams and single players alike and runs play on pitches from Murray to North Salt Lake. Because the teams often meet up at local bars after games, the minimum age to join a team is 21. There’s no age cap, but most players range in age from mid-20s to mid-40s. Last year, 15,000 people played in Beehive Sports’ leagues, all of which are made up of co-ed or women-only teams. “All-male teams tend to bring out the worst parts of sports,” Marquardt says. “The women temper the men on co-ed teams, and everyone has a good time.”
Sand volleyball in Liberty Park. Photos Courtesy of Adult Sports Leagues
Adult Rec Leagues
Beehive Sports is far from the only adult rec league in Utah. Other resources include:
Maybe you never took to “sportsball” and the idea of kicking, bumping, throwing or hitting one around with a bunch of strangers seems terrifying. Rest assured that no experience is required to join a rec league (versus a competitive league). But to give you a little background before you hit the field, the following is a brief rule rundown of the most common rec league sports.
Kickball: Rules almost exactly mimic baseball or softball, except players kick a big, friendly rubber ball rolling on the ground to them by the pitcher versus hitting one that’s airborne with a bat.
Cornhole: Two teams, each with one or two players, take turns throwing bags at a board. The goal is to score points by getting bags through the hole or onto the board.
Flag football: Same rules as football, but no contact is allowed. Instead, players wear flags that hang along their sides by a belt. To “tackle” a player in possession of the ball, the opposing team needs to pull one or both of their flags off.
Ultimate Frisbee: The object of this fun, non-contact sport is to pass the frisbee to your teammates to score goals. The person with the frisbee is not allowed to run, just pass.
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SLCSAR was established in 1957 and, under the direction of the Salt Lake County Sheriff, is responsible for all search and rescue missions in Salt Lake County. The team’s service area covers the county’s entire 807-square-mile area—spanning roughly from Farmington Bay south to the Point of the Mountain, east to the town of Brighton and west to the Great Salt Lake—but most of the rescues (about 65 a year) occur in the mountains directly east of the Wasatch Front.
These missions include coming to the aid of injured hikers, climbers and skiers; performing swift and deep-water rescues; and, while it’s a function they do not necessarily advertise, transporting dehydrated or injured dogs off trails. (SLCSAR made international news—as well as received kudos and donations from around the world—when they rescued Floyd, a 190-pound injured mastiff, on the Grandeur Peak Trail in 2019.) Here, five SLCSAR team members share tales of their heroism, and what keeps them on as part of the volunteer crew.
Darby DeHart, SLCSAR team member since 2019
Why she joined: “I love to bring together the skills I was taught in SAR training and that I use in my day jobs and work with my fellow team members to do hard things for the greater good.”
What keeps her on the team: “Sometimes it’s hard to drop what I’m doing and go. But then on my way to a mission is when I get pumped. I love how I don’t know where rescues will take me—I can start the day in Little Cottonwood and then end up on Mt. Olympus.”
Day jobs: paramedic, ski patroller and associate university instructor
Francine Mullen, SLCSAR board member since 2023
Why she joined the SLCSAR board: “I have friends and family members on SAR teams and thought that this would be a way I could contribute to [SAR’s] efforts.”
What keeps her on the board: “Every time I am around the team, I’m so impressed by what expectational people they are. And it just blows me away that they are all volunteers.”
Day job: nonprofit development coordinator
Kevin Nyguyen, SLCSAR team member since 2016
Most memorable mission: “When we had to recover a man who had fallen into the Bells Canyon waterfall. It took three days to pull him out and afterward, the man’s family gathered to perform a traditional celebration for the first responders who had recovered their family member’s body. Watching them celebrate us, especially considering their loss, was very emotional and very beautiful.”
What keeps him on the team: “The adrenaline rush of getting called. You never know what to expect. Also, the camaraderie on the team. I’ve learned a lot about rock climbing and rock rescue from other team members and being in the situations we’re in builds a rare trust. When I’m on the end of the rope I know that person on the other end has me no matter what.”
Day job: Public health entrepreneur
Liz Butler, SLCSAR team member since 2024
Why she joined: “Before going to law school, I worked in Wilderness Therapy and had wanted to be a part of a SAR team for a long time. Things can go wrong in the wilderness for a variety of reasons. I have the skills to help, and I wanted to give back.”
What keeps her on the team: “I love the interesting variety of calls we get, from dehydration to having to perform a rope rescue. Getting called up is the best part of my day.”
Day job: lawyer
Rick Vollmer, SLCSAR team member since 2018
Most memorable mission: “In October 2022, when weather pinned three teenage boys on the West Slabs of Mount Olympus. Each had on just a light rain jacket, and it had started raining and then the rain turned to snow. We knew that they were not going to make it if we weren’t able to get to them. A team was sent ahead of us and started up the Slabs. But after one of the team members took a fall, they decided to stand down. And then at 10:15 p.m., the sky opened up just long enough to get a helicopter up there and pick them off the mountain.”
Day job: ski patroller and aerospace engineer
How to Help Yourself: 10 Outdoor Essentials
The 10 Essentials is a well-known list of items to carry into the backcountry, regardless of how long or nearby you plan to venture out. If having all 10 seems like overkill for, say, a quick after-work jaunt into Neff’s Canyon, SLCSAR Commander John Patterson recommends taking at least the following: something to keep warm, extra water and a communication device. “Those three will help people avoid a lot of sticky situations,” he says.
SUN PROTECTION:Sunscreen, Hat and Sunglasses Knockaround-Paso Robles Polarized Sunglasses $35, rei.com
Learn more about the Salt Lake County Search and Rescue team, here.
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We’re going to need all the hands you have down there,”
Crackles the calm voice, broadcast as if in surround sound to the many radios worn by the men and women around me. It’s late November 2024 and I’m standing in a cul-de-sac east of Sandy near the mouth of Bells Canyon. The late winter sun hangs low in the sky as I shift from one foot to the other to keep warm. Most of the people there—various members of Sandy City Fire, Salt Lake County Sheriff and Salt Lake County Search and Rescue (SLCSAR)—have been on hand for hours after a woman called 911 from the Bells Canyon Trail. Her hiking partner had slipped on a section of the trail that’s typically icy in the winter, due to spray from the perennial waterfall. The fall had injured her friend’s lower leg badly enough that she was not able to walk out on her own
The faces around me maintain their business-like expressions, including the four SAR Team members busily loading up their packs with ropes, snacks and other rescue gear. They would be the third of four groups of team members to head up the trail that day to the injured woman, or patient. I continue to watch as they pull a sked, or portable stretcher, from a trailer parked in the center of the vehicles clustered in the cul-de-sac. “Skeds are flexible enough to wrap around the patient, allowing the team to move them down the steepest terrain, even vertical pitches,” explains SLCSAR Commander John Patterson. “Along with the sked, all you need is a rope and enough manpower.” Overhearing, one of the team members looks our way with a grin, “rope, manpower and a plucky attitude,” she quips.
Much of the territory SLCSAR serves is federally designated wilderness, allowing the team to use only non-motorized tools in rescues.It’s not unusual for SAR team members to have back-to-back call-outs, especially during busy summer weekends, keeping them in the field for 12-plus hours.
The rescue team
SLCSAR was established in 1957 and, under the direction of the Salt Lake County Sheriff, is responsible for all search and rescue missions in Salt Lake County. The team’s service area covers the county’s entire 807-square-mile area—spanning roughly from Farmington Bay south to the Point of the Mountain, east to the town of Brighton and west to the Great Salt Lake—but most of the rescues (about 65 a year) occur in the mountains directly east of the Wasatch Front.
These missions include coming to the aid of injured hikers, climbers and skiers; performing swift and deep-water rescues; and, while it’s a function they do not necessarily advertise, transporting dehydrated or injured dogs off trails. (SLCSAR made international news—as well as received kudos and donations from around the world—when they rescued Floyd, a 190-pound injured mastiff, on the Grandeur Peak Trail in 2019.) Despite the term “Search” in the team’s formal name, people don’t often get truly lost in Salt Lake County’s mountains and undeveloped areas. “Our canyons are different from the Uintas or even Wasatch Mountain State Park,” Patterson says. “Cell phone reception is good throughout most of the Central Wasatch—except for Millcreek Canyon, which is a big, black hole. But, most of the people we help call 911 and can tell us exactly where they are.”
SLCSAR Commander John Patterson has been volunteering with the team for almost 24 years. Photo by Adam Finkle.
As of this writing, SLCSAR has 34 team members, 13 of whom are women, ranging in age from 24 to 63. Patterson explained that while other SAR teams across the state span 80, 100 or even 150 members, Salt Lake County’s team is kept under 40 by design. “Many of the larger SAR teams have specialist teams within the larger team,” says Patterson, who’s been a SLCSAR Team member since 2000. “We train all team members in every kind of rescue. Also, because we look for a certain kind of type-A personality, we’ve found if the team is more than 40, people tend to quit because they spend too much time sitting around at the trailhead during a mission.”
But having “pluck” and a “type-A” personality are just the beginning. Most SLCSAR team members are advanced-level skiers, hikers, rock climbers, and super fit. The physical test for initiates includes hiking with a loaded pack up the Mount Olympus Trail to the stream crossing—two miles with a 1,800-foot elevation gain—in under 50 minutes. Team members must also have the work- and home-life flexibility to be able to drop whatever they are doing to respond to calls day or night, year-round. Like most SAR Teams across the U.S., they are volunteers. This means no compensation and the personal means to shell out for gas and personal gear.
Time spent on this “hobby” is not insignificant. In addition to rescue missions, team members are required to attend two Monday evening meetings and one all-day Saturday field training per month. Recruits train for an additional 10 hours per month for nine months before they are considered full-fledged team members. The SLCSAR Team averages 9,000 volunteer hours per year. “The time commitment allows us to weed some people out,” Patterson says. “It’s not like volunteering at the humane society.”
The Mission
Like all 911 calls made within Salt Lake County, a call from someone in distress in the backcountry is routed to the Salt Lake Communications Center. From there, if the dispatcher determines the call is SAR-related, it’s transferred to the sheriff deputy on duty who decides whether to alert the SAR Team. Many of the first-responder agencies in communities along Salt Lake County’s eastern wildland-urban-interface, like Sandy City Fire, for example, are trained and equipped to perform a backcountry rescue, if a rescue isn’t more complicated than transporting the patient out on a wheeled rescue litter. “The sheriff receives more than 100 calls per year from people in distress in the backcountry, a little over half of which SLCSAR is deployed on,” Patterson says.
SLCSAR team members preparing to lower a patient down a cliff face.
In a SAR deployment, the sheriff deputy calls Patterson or SLCSAR Vice Commander Ryan Clerico who, in turn, sends text alerts to the rest of the team. “It can be a little harder to wake people up with the first text at 2 or 3 a.m.,” Patterson says. The team meets the deputy, who brings the SAR rescue equipment trailer, at the trailhead or access point closest to the patient. A “first,” or “hasty” team, heads up the trail as soon as they arrive to assess the patient. Teams Two, Three and sometimes Four, follow with additional supplies, tools and people power to get the person out.
SAR rescue gear is heavy, and the Wasatch Mountains get steep very quickly, which is why most SLCSAR rescues involve an all-hands-on-deck response. “Multiple people are needed to safely lower a sked, and two people can only push and pull a litter over the rocks and roots of a typical trail for so long before they are getting fatigued,” Patterson explains. “So, the more people you have to take turns on the litter, the more quickly we can get the patient out.”
Every mission is run by one person, a position Patterson consciously rotates among the ranks. “I want to make sure everyone gets a turn to ‘the’ guy or girl on a mission—to be the tip of the spear,” he says. “That way new team members get integrated more quickly and feel like they are a more indispensable part of the team.” One of the most important decisions the mission leader makes is how to extract the patient from the backcountry. Depending on the patient’s condition, that decision can involve several methods, from walking the patient out to the trailhead to utilizing one of the most critical and visible tools in search and rescue: helicopters.
When SLCSAR posted photos of its 2019 Grandeur Peak Trail rescue of Floyd, an 190-pound Mastiff, on its social media feeds, the team received kudos and donations from around the world.
The Tools
There’s likely not a sound or sight more closely associated with SAR operations in the Salt Lake Valley than a helicopter traversing the skies along the Wasatch Front. Both the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Intermountain LifeFlight operate helicopters equipped with hoists, or winch cable systems, that allow injured adventurers to be plucked from places where a helicopter cannot land. LifeFlight has performed hoist transports since 2001; DPS, which flies more powerful H125 helicopters than LifeFlight’s AW109SP helicopters, added hoist capabilities in 2016. DPS stationed a second hoist helicopter in St. George in 2023, which Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins says has been a game-changer. “[GCSAR] performed 136 rescues in 2024,” Wiggins says. “Most are people going out into the desert and not being prepared with enough water for the temperatures. The helicopter allows us to get to people much more quickly while reducing the risk for the SAR team.” Yet, while helicopters are certainly indispensable tools, they are not infallible.
Rock rescue is an essential skill that SLCSAR team members learn through mentorship and organized trainings.
Helicopters achieve lift as rotor blades push against the air; the denser the air, the easier it is to fly. But when temperatures soar, air density decreases and many helicopters cannot fly. Over the last few summers, extreme heat has grounded rescue teams across the Western U.S. At lower altitudes, it takes triple-digit temps to impede helicopter flight. But at higher altitudes, particularly at 10,000 feet or higher, heat becomes a factor when temps hit the ’80s. The reflective quality of the mountains’ rocky topography further complicates flight. “Helicopters are amazing tools in rescue,” Patterson says, “but they also are fighting physics each second they are in the air.” And, while lighter remote flying machines, drones, are proving invaluable to the “Search” in SAR they still can’t perform the actual “R” if needed, yet.
For example last November, I was able to observe SLCSAR team members taking turns trundling an injured hiker down the icy Bells Canyon trail from the trailhead. Thanks to a drone, we watched the team’s progress on a screen within the SAR trailer. The team has also used drones to both locate and communicate with patients, including last fall when a woman found herself stuck on Mount Superior’s South Ridge after dark. Weber County Search and Rescue is currently testing a drone that can carry up to 80 pounds to potentially transport wheeled litters, ropes, skeds and other heavy tools, significantly speeding the time for SLCSAR teams to get to a patient.
The Backyard Mindset
Almost 1.2 million people live in Salt Lake County, an urban area that borders tens of thousands of acres of undeveloped forest, canyons, ridges and mountaintops. This stone’s-throw proximity allows those who live here a unique ease of access to hiking, skiing, climbing or simply being in nature. But that proximity also breeds complacency.
“In Colorado, people have to drive two hours or more to get to a trailhead, or three to four hours to go backcountry skiing,” Patterson says. “I think the more effort people have to put in to get into the backcountry, the more prepared they tend to be. Here, hundreds of thousands of people can access a trailhead within minutes of leaving their house. They think ‘I’m just going to go for a quick hike during my lunch break, I don’t need to take any water or food or an extra layer,’ and then it gets hot or too cold or they twist an ankle and then their cell phone dies and suddenly they’re in real trouble. The easy access to the mountains here makes people much more casual about going into them.”
When SLCSAR posted photos of its 2019 Grandeur Peak Trail rescue of Floyd, an 190-pound Mastiff, on its social media feeds, the team received kudos and donations from around the world
This backyard mindset was certainly at play when Rebecca (not her real name), a 26-year-old Sandy resident, set out on a sunny, uncharacteristically warm afternoon last October to solo climb Mount Superior’s South Ridge, a high-level ascent, with intermittent vertical steepness and sustained exposure. “I’d done it on my own at least five or six times previously and felt confident in my plan that day,” she says. “But then, on the way up, I dropped my phone and spent 45 minutes trying to dig it out of the rocks. When I finally got it out, I realized that the sun was about to set.” Her plan after summiting was to descend the mountain’s Cardiff Pass hiking trail. “With it getting dark I thought going back down the South Ridge would be faster.” But after multiple down-climb attempts, Rebecca realized the danger and, with five percent battery left, called her mom. “It was dark by then and I was pretty upset,” she says. “My mom told me not to move and to call 911.”
SLCSAR sent up a drone to pinpoint her location, as well as communicate with her about her condition. From her perch, Rebecca watched three headlamps bobbing up through the darkness along the same route she had climbed earlier that day. Two hours later, when the first team arrived at her location, Rebecca was so cold she could hardly move. “I was dressed for running, in a vest, tank top and running shorts,” she says. The team gave her a jacket and fleece pants, and because of how close she was to hypothermia, decided to call the DPS hoist helicopter to get her off the mountain. “I still don’t talk about this to many people and am pretty embarrassed by the whole thing,” Rebecca says. “But now, whenever I go out, even if it’s for a short hike, I take much more stuff than I think I’m going to need.”
The Unfortunate Outcomes
Most of the time, SAR rescuers get to deliver hope and reassurance to people who really need it, like Rebecca. “The moment when you come on the patient is just the best,” says SLCSAR Team Member Kevin Nguyễn. “They are having what is likely the worst day of their life and you show up with food and water and help. The relief on their face makes the late nights and long days worth it.” But, of course, not all missions conclude with a happy ending. Several times a year SLCSAR responds to calls for help that involve body recoveries. These tragic incidents include avalanche deaths, drownings and climbing falls, many of which require team members to spend hours with the body before transport out. “I’ve seen a lot of things I can’t unsee,” says SLCSAR Team Member Rick Vollmer. “I just keep talking about it, with my wife, my sons and other people on the team.”
Most of the 65 or so calls SLCSAR responds to annually occur in the summer. Its less-frequent winter rescues are often executed in tandem with Wasatch Backcountry Rescue (WBR).
Addressing the mental health challenges endemic to first responder work was among the first actions taken by SLCSAR’s nonprofit arm after it was formed in 2022. SLCSAR board member Francine Mullen applied for and landed a grant to pay for training through the Responder Alliance, a mental health organization that helps first responders learn how to avoid traumatic stress injuries. “We have had a good response from the team for the Responder Alliance,” Patterson says. “Thankfully, mental health is no longer a taboo subject for first responders, including our team.”
On that evening last November at the mouth of Bells Canyon, just before the SAR team returned with the injured patient, I watched as the patient’s friend, visibly exhausted, arrived at the cul-de-sac where I stood. I took note of her warm clothing, gaiters, the spikes attached to the bottom of her boots, her pack and hiking poles. I spend as much time as I can hiking, skiing and climbing in the Wasatch, and before that evening, I admit that I’d often thought “I’d never let anything like that happen to me” when I read mission accounts on SLCSAR’s Instagram feed. But, what I noticed about the woman, whose friend likely had one of her worst days, is that she was outfitted in exactly the same way I would have been for a wintertime hike up Bells Canyon. It made me realize that no one expects the worst to happen. But when it does, I’m more grateful now than ever that if I or anyone else needs it, someone is there to pull up the slack.
Who Pays?
Like most of the country’s search and rescue organizations, SLCSAR does not charge for their services. (Rescues involving medical transport, like LifeFlight, are billed to the patient’s insurance.) They take this altruistic standpoint to prevent people from delaying calling 911 until their situation is life-or-death (“That not only puts the patients’ safety at greater risk, but the safety of our volunteers,” Patterson explains.) and SLCSAR is a member of the Mountain Rescue Association, a coalition of 90 rescue teams across North America all subscribing to a long-standing policy against charging for rescue. That said, purchase of the USARA Card supports the state’s Search and Rescue Financial Assistance Program. To help out SLCSAR specifically, people can donate to the team’s new nonprofit arm at saltlakesearchandrescue.org.
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The Lodge at Blue Sky’s stunning mountain views are 27 minutes from Park City. It’s well known for romantic getaways, luxury family vacations and, now, summer camp.
The Little Vaqueros Kids Club opened last year for kids to explore nature, learn skills and go on adventures. Parents can register kids for summer 2025 now. It’s open to ages 6 to 10, and 5 to 12 for lodge guests.
“The Little Vaqueros Kids Club was born from the vision to create meaningful, hands-on experiences for younger guests at Blue Sky. During the early stages of development, we knew multi-generational travel would be a key part of our guest experience, and it was important to offer something as immersive and thoughtful for kids as we do for adults,” said Henry Hudson, ranch general manager at Blue Sky. “With 3,500 acres to explore and a working ranch as our backdrop, we saw an incredible opportunity to design a full-day program where kids could truly experience life on the land—caring for animals, learning horsemanship, exploring nature and engaging in ranch-inspired activities. It’s been a passion project from the start, and one we’re proud to see inspiring a deep connection to nature in the next generation.”
The camp takes a different group of eight kids each week during the summer. Different themes are explored each day of the week. One of the most popular, “Discovering Gracie’s Farm,” will take place on Fridays. Throughout the day, kids care for farm animals, learn about sustainable farming practices and complete farm chores. On Thursdays, kids will see how food goes from the earth to their plates by gathering edible plants along the property’s trails and then learning to bake in the lodge’s kitchen. All of the themes are listed below.
Little Vaqueros includes several fun activities, like birding. Photo credit Murphy O’Brien.
“The primary goal of Little Vaqueros is to provide children with an immersive educational experience that deepens their understanding of nature and ranch life. Through activities like exploring the land’s geography and history, studying local ecosystems and working on horsemanship skills—such as catching, grooming and riding horses—kids develop both practical and environmental knowledge,” Hudson said. “They also engage in culinary lessons, where they spend the morning collecting eggs and produce from the farm and then meet with the chef to learn how to cook with what they’ve gathered. Additionally, kids interact with animals at the Saving Gracie Healing Foundation, which teaches empathy and responsibility. By combining these experiences, we aim to foster curiosity, respect for nature and a sense of personal growth through hands-on learning.”
Since many of the participants will be vacationing at the lodge, Little Vaqueros gives local kids a chance to build friendships with kids from other parts of the state, country and world.
“While kids are off enjoying their day at Little Vaqueros Kids Club, parents can take full advantage of everything Blue Sky has to offer—from relaxing at the Edge Spa and enjoying lunch or a tour at High West Distillery to dining at YUTA or booking their own adventures like fly fishing, horseback riding and more,” said Hudson.
Little Vaqueros is $750 per week. Kids may bring their lunch or receive lunch from the lodge’s restaurant, YUTA, for an additional $25 per meal.
Monday: Wilderness Explorers Hike Blue Sky’s trails while searching for natural treasures and learn the basics of fishing in local waters.
Tuesday: Cowboys & Cowgirls Assist with horse care and morning chores, then saddle up to work directly with the horses in the riding arena.
Wednesday: Mountain Creativity Forage along Alexander Creek to create nature-inspired crafts, then use natural materials to make birdhouses and mandalas.
Thursday: Culinary Exploration Identify and collect edible plants along the trails, then learn baking secrets and test your skills in Blue Sky’s kitchen.
Friday: Discovering Gracie’s Farm Care for rescued animals at Gracie Equine Healing Foundation, then assist with daily farm chores and learn sustainable farming practices.
Saturday: Little Miner’s Search for geodes along Blue Sky’s trails, then explore the mining history of Park City through a geocaching course.
Sunday: Love of the Land Help restore native plant species along Alexander Creek, then create paintings of Blue Sky’s rescue horses or scenic landscapes.
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March and April are the bona fide salad days of living along the Wasatch Front when mountain snow conditions are still stellar and the valley’s foothill singletrack is all smooth, tacky fun. But before you dust off your knobby wheels and hit the dirt, investing in a little mountain-bike specific spring strength training can help ease the transition from sliding down mountains to peddling up them. So says two former professional mountain bike racers and now coaches, WUKAR Fit’s Art O’Connor, who focuses on gym-specific strength training for cyclists, and K Cycling Coaching’s Sarah Kaufmann, a specialist in helping elite mountain bikers build both endurance and speed.
Getting Strong
Coming out of ski season most mountain bikers’ leg strength is pretty much up to snuff, O’Connor explained. “Where most people, alpine skiers especially, lack strength in the spring,” he says, “is in the upper body.” To prepare your arms, shoulders, upper back and core for the demands of climbing and descending on a mountain bike, O’Connor recommends adding push-pull exercises to your fitness routine.
Push-ups:Not surprisingly, the good ole push-up remains the standard-bearer of developing upper-body pushing strength. To achieve the perfect-form push-up, begin in a plank position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and your feet at hip-width. Tighten your core and then lower your body until your elbows are at a 45-degree angle. Pause for a beat and then push back up the starting position. Your body should remain in a straight line from head to heels the entire time, no sagging or rising hips allowed. “And you don’t get better at push-ups by doing them on your knees, but rather doing them with your hands elevated, ideally in a stairwell,” O’Connor says. “Start on the highest stair you can reach,” he says. “When you can do three sets of 10 in perfect form, then you’re ready to move down to the next step.”
Plank Pulls:To increase pull strength, used by mountain bikers as they pull on the handlebars to apply pressure to their back wheel as they ascend hills, O’Connor recommends plank pulls, or pulling your upper body up while in an inverted or upward-facing plank position. The farther you place your feet out in front of you, decreasing the angle of your body in relation to the floor, the more difficult the plank pull will be. This exercise can be done in the gym by pulling yourself up on a pair of TRX bands suspended from a ceiling or by pulling yourself up to a barbell placed on a squat rack. A plank pull can also be performed at home by crawling under a dining room table and pulling yourself up by holding onto the edge of the table.
Greasing the Groove:For athletes looking to get strong without bulking up, O’Connor recommends “greasing the groove,” a training technique that increases neuromuscular efficiency through minimal repetitions and plenty of rest time in between sets. An example of this training technique would be doing three sets of three to five push-ups spread throughout the day: one set after getting up in the morning, another at midday, and a final set in the evening. “It’s not necessary to follow that exact schedule,” he says, “the key is keeping the reps low and making sure the time in between sets is at least an hour.”
Mountain bikers take on the Wasatch Crest Trail. Photo credit Louis Arevalo, Visit Utah.
How to Last All Day
The best way to maintain endurance-related fitness, says Kaufmann, is by regularly engaging in an activity that challenges your cardiovascular system. “For athletes who put away their bike for the winter, that can look like ski touring, snowshoeing, hiking or running—anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up for a while,” she says. “The more you do over the winter, the more you can absorb when you get back on the bike in the spring.” Of those activities, Kaufmann says that ski touring translates particularly well to mountain biking. “The motion of dragging your ski uphill uses many of the same muscles used in a pedal stroke, and then skiing downhill is very similar to the skills of spatial perception and maintaining your body at a speed that is required in mountain biking.”
For those of us, like me, who tend to let the chairlifts do most of the work during the winter, Kaufmann says that cadence workouts are a great way to kick-start your cycling endurance in the spring. A simple example that can be done on a gym bike, trainer or on the road is performing three to five sets of pedaling at a high cadence for one minute and then backing it down to a normal cadence for five minutes. “You don’t need a computer to tell you what your cadence is,” she says. “A high cadence is when you’re pedaling at an uncomfortably fast pace but below the point that you’re bouncing out of the saddle.”
Another workout, more focused on neuromuscular power, can be done by repeating a gradual climb that takes about three to five minutes to complete one time. Ride the climb once in a moderate gear and then repeat, shifting the gears up one cog harder each time, until you fail. Whenever you do get back on the bike, Kaufmann warns, resist the urge to ramp up too quickly. “Even if you feel good, always take it easy when restarting an activity you haven’t done for a while, even one you’ve done for years,” she says. “Doing too much too soon is a sure-fire recipe for starting the season with an injury.”
