Outdoors

pics or it didn’t happen is the mantra of our times. And here in Utah there are plenty of pics to prove it happens, whatever IT is. Utah is a state of contrasts, from the high-mountain landscape of the north to the Mars-like vistas of the south, there is practically no spot in the state that isn’t ready for its close up (except maybe the gravel pit on Beck Street, yuck.)

We polled you, our readers, on Facebook to discover what you thought were the greatest hits, so to speak, of our state’s splendor. Predictably, we had a huge response. Of course, we left out hundreds of scenic wonders, including the iconic Delicate Arch (been there, done that) but we’ve rounded up a taste of the best spots in Utah for that perfect shot.

And getting there is half the fun. Sure, you want to get those likes on Instagram but remember to put away your phone or camera after the photo shoot is over and, you know, just BE in these beautiful places. The pictures you take will trigger memories of the experience of getting there. Make those memories as good as your photos.

01 Calf Creek falls

photo Michael Kunde / Utah Office of Tourism

More of a nature walk than a hike, this creek-side ramble will take you up canyon to the base of Calf Creek Falls, a bridal-veil of cascading water dumping into a tempting swimming hole. A helpful trail guide points out flora and ancient petroglyphs on the rock walls.

• WHERE: The Trail starts at Calf Creek Campground on Utah Highway 12 between the towns of Boulder and Escalante.
• TIP: You can also take the more strenuous hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls.

02 Snow Canyon Petrified Dunes

Photo by Aunalise/Utah Office of Tourism

A moderate hike into the heart of Snow Canyon State Park crossing over giant mounds of Navajo Sandstone that resemble huge dunes of sand frozen in time. This picture-worthy hike rewards you with views of the entire park.

• WHERE: The well-marked trailhead is located in the Upper Galoot picnic area, about six miles from St. George.
• TIP: This is an excellent hike for the kids. Plenty of room for the tykes to run and play.

03 Bonneville Salt Flats

Photo by Ablokhin/Utah Office of Tourism

One of the most inhospitable places on the Earth, the Bonneville Salt Flats are also one of the world’s most starkly beautiful spots. The 30,000 acres of crusted salt are the remnants of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which once filled the Salt Lake Valley.

• WHERE: From Interstate 80 take exit 4, near Wendover, Utah.
• TIP: Stick to the paved road. Do not drive out onto the flats. It’s easy to break thru the salt crust and become stuck in deep mud.

04 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

A couple walks along the crest of a golden sand dune in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, southern Utah. James W. Kay / Utah Office of Tourism

No this is not the Sahara. These ancient piles of sand are a beautiful sea of shifting colors. The dunes move up to 50 feet each year and are always changing. This means every picture you take is one of a kind.

• WHERE: Located 22 miles west of Kanab on Sand Dunes Road.
• TIP: You can snowboard the dunes. Really.
• Get the best shot: Late afternoon and early evening until sunset are the best times to capture the dunes. Also sand. Keep your camera in a plastic bag and sealed off while you hike to your vantage point.

05 Goblin Valley State Park

photo Michael Kunde / Utah Office of Tourism

This place is a trip. It’s filled with sandstone “goblins,” strange, mushroom shaped formations carved by wind and water. You can spend hours wandering among the goblins.

• WHERE: Located 24 miles south of Interstate 70 on Utah Highway 24. Turn at Temple Mountain junction.
• TIP: Venture to the far side of the valley. There are caves to explore and a whole choir of goblins in a smaller valley over the ridge.
• Get the best shot: Be sure to get up high for views of the entire valley, which is best photographed in the early morning or late afternoon and evening. The views on the far side are good bets for a great shot.

06 Antelope Island State Park 

Adam Finkle/Salt Lake Magazine

Located 12 miles out in the Great Salt Lake, the island is home to herds of bison and beautiful views of the salty sea that gives our city its name. It’s best explored in spring, fall or winter. Summer is hot and buggy and there is no shade.

• WHERE: Take Exit 332 off Interstate 15 and drive west on Antelope Drive.
• TIP: The west side of the island offers otherworldly views into the Great Salt Lake.

07 Canyonlands National Park

The Angel Arch span stretches over an opening of 120 by 135 feet and is one example of the fanciful shaped rock sculptures in this section of Canyonlands National Park. The Utah park hosts a jumbled up collection of rock features, including dominate sandstone canyons, spires, arches, grabens, potholes and needles, all on display in various earth-tone hues. photo Gleb Tarassenko/Utah Office of Tourism

Less visited than nearby Arches National Park, Canyonlands is a difficult park to manage. Exploring often requires hiking down into deep canyons (and back up) but it rewards your efforts with a bounty of red rock splendor.

• WHERE: The Island in the Sky district, in the north of the park, is the closest district to Moab via Utah Highway 313.
• TIP: The Maze district is the most remote and rugged. Plan your trip carefully.

08 The Living Room

photo Jay Dash / Utah Office of Tourism

This much-loved hike to a vantage point from the foothills behind the University of Utah, is practically required reading to be a Salt Laker. The viewpoint features piles of flat rocks arranged into sofas and chairs straight out of the Flintstones, hence the name.

• WHERE: The trailhead is located above the University of Utah’s research park, 383 Colorow Road.
• TIP: Sunset is the best time to hike to Living Room. Enjoy the end of the day (and maybe a beer or two) but be sure to bring headlamps for the hike down in dusk.
• Get the best shot: The Living Room is a great spot to try out the panorama function on your phone or camera. It offers  a sweeping view of the entire valley north to south and is best shot at sunset.

See all of our outdoors coverage here.

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The Easter Jeep Rally in Moab has been filling the desert town with noisy vehicles, 4 x 4 fun lovers and a lot of red dust since its inception in 1967. Off-road aficionados come from all over for the nine-day rally to explore 40 different trails accompanied by experienced guides. This year’s dates are April 13-21; go to www.rr4w.com for more information.

Ride the painted desert

Twenty-eight miles and 2,000 feet of elevation gain in under four hours—that’s what’s required to win in the elite men’s division of St. George’s annual Red Rock Rampage. 

Don’t be intimidated—there’s a 2-mile loop for novice cyclists. And 30 different categories—ranging from kids to pro, so everyone can participate. (You can also ride the track the rest of the year without racing.)But the field gets more crowded every year, as more people realize the down and dirty delights of  mountain biking through gorgeous scenery in the first sunshine of the year. ridesouthernutah.com

It’s like winter Nascar,” Zach Hall says with a chuckle. Hall, head biathlon coach at Soldier Hollow, is talking about the thrill of biathlon competition, a mixture of cross-country skiing and precision marksmanship. The key to winning seems simple: The contestant with the shortest total time wins the race. 

Depending on the division, the distance and number of shots will change. Missing a shot results in extra time or distance being added. Hall says really, the secret to winning a biathlon is breath. After miles of cross-country skiing, athletes need to steady their breath enough to accurately aim their rifle at a bullseye on a target up to 800 feet away. Hall speculates that the sport originated with Norse cavemen who made rudimentary skies while hunting, although it made history when it became a military exercise in the 1700s. In 1960 it became an official Olympic sport and in 1992, women were allowed to compete.

Soldier Hollow’s biathlon grounds were built to host the 2002 Utah Olympics. They continue to be used as a regular practice facility for worldwide Olympic athletes. February 14-17,  Soldier Hollow will host one of ten IBU world cups—the first major international competition to be held at Soldier Hollow since the 2002 Olympic winter games. 

For more information or to buy tickets. visit utaholympiclegacy.org/event/2018-ibu-biathlon-world-cup/

Aprés Biathlon

Let Midway Mercantile do your hunting and gathering.

Dining options in Midway and Heber are growing, as Park City’s influence spreads to nearby valleys. Midway Mercantile is Chef/Owner John Platt’s upscale, mountain-town restaurant, with a menu reflecting the restaurant’s historic roots and the area’s outdoorsy culture. Raclette fondue is a perfect escape from the cold. Wood-stone delicata squash pizza balances sweet and nutty and the gently grilled campfire trout dish, inspired by Platt’s childhood, holds a slight lemony zing. Finish your visit with ice cream-topped, lemon ginger pear crumble. The place could use a little polish—when one guest commented that the tacos were lacking, the response was “What do you expect for $10?” A crash course in service may be helpful.

99 E. Main St, Midway, 435-315-4151

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Snowbasin and Sun Valley have announced they’ll be joining the Epic Pass with a multi-year partnership beginning in the 2019-2020 winter season. The two resorts will still be independently owned and operated, but Epic Pass holders will receive seven days of direct-to-lift access at each location—Epic Local Pass holders get two days at each mountain—in addition to half price day tickets after using the allotted free days.

Utah Epic Pass holders will have a lot more of this to look forward to at Snowbasin.

The addition of Snowbasin is of particular significance to skiers in the Beehive State, who until now had been limited to just one local resort, Park City Mountain, with the Epic Pass. After Alterra swooped in with the Ikon Pass offering unlimited skiing and riding at Solutide and seven days each at Alta, Snowbird and Deer Valley, Vail’s Epic Pass was in danger of being overlooked by those outside of the Park City sect. Snowbasin’s varied terrain featuring everything from wide open groomers to steep, rocky chutes has always been revered as a bit of a local secret, and their lodge and dining options are as top-notch as any in the country. Its addition to the Epic Pass is certain to open the Ogden resort to an entirely new segment of skiers while giving Epic Pass holders a welcome bit of Utah-based variety.

The terrain at Snowbasin has something for everyone.

Sun Valley was one of America’s first true destination resorts and is just over a four and a half hour drive from Salt Lake City. A long weekend trip to the iconic mountain in Idaho just got a lot more affordable for Utah skiers. I wouldn’t expect the full Vail-resort experience to take over either Snowbasin or Sun Valley as long as they maintain their independent ownership, so the sovereign vibes could be a nice added perk. Epic Pass holders will have to wait until next winter to reap the benefits, but the Ikon vs. Epic debate in Utah just got a little more heated.

Infrequent visitors to Park City have been making shocked double takes out their car windows while driving into town. Since Woodward Park City broke ground last fall, the Gorgoza tubing hill and its ubiquitous lines of would-be snow sliders have been replaced by miles of construction fencing, a small army of excavating equipment and a massive hole in the ground. Tubing is out for the 2018-19 season during construction, but it will return along with a massive new multi-use facility for the 2019-20 winter.

The project was not without controversy during the planning stage. The Summit County Council upheld the permit for Woodward Park City after denying three appeals to the Planning Commission’s decision predicated on process and a lack of consideration of the impact of Woodward’s sound and lighting on the nearby community.

For each grumbling lament about paving paradise there’s an effusive voice backing the project. The emotional yin and yang from Parkites is evident in every bar and online comment section. Ultimately, the march of progress continues, and after selling their stake in Park City Mountain Resort to Vail in 2014, Powdr Corp. is returning to Park City in a major way.

Wherever your loyalties land, there’s no argument to be made that Woodward Park City will be anything but a world-class facility. Winter outdoor activities will include lift-accessed skiing and snowboarding day and night with a terrain park in addition to 10 lanes for beloved snow tubing. When the weather warms up, Woodward will offer lift-served mountain biking on downhill and slope-style trails, a dirt park for BMX and mountain bikes and a paved concrete park for all wheeled action sports. Interestingly, there’s also going to be a parkour park for folks looking for free-running, no-frills thrills. Indoor zones will include trampolines, foam pits, a tumble track, 10,000 feet of concrete park, pump tracks, mini ramps and more—as well as a cafeteria, coffee shop and cafe/bar to keep everyone well-fed.

Specific pricing information for yearly, season and day passes are still in development, and will be updated on Woodward’s website. Park City is making a push to host another Olympics, and the new facility will only help keep Park City at the forefront of action sport progression. campwoodward.com

Pledging Sustainability

Credit to Woodward for being good stewards in Park City. The facility will be supported by sustainable investments in solar energy, a green roof and recycled materials, and will include on-site affordable housing for approximately 11 employees.

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The greatest show on snow takes over Park City when the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships roll through Utah from February 1-10. The world’s best winter sport athletes will be going big in the halfpipe and on the slopestyle course at Park City Mountain Base Area, charging down the moguls and launching into orbit off aerials jumps at Deer Valley. The first ever freeskiing and snowboarding Big Air World Championships medals will be awarded at Canyons Village in the run-up to the event’s inclusion in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Join the party as skiing and snowboarding’s biggest stage comes to Park City. A full schedule is available on the event’s website. 2019worldchamps.com

Feb 6, 2019

11:00 a.m.- FREESKI SLOPESTYLE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. –  FREESTYLE AERIALS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 7, 2019

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE TEAM AERIALS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 8, 2019

11:00 a.m.- SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE MOGULS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

FEB 9, 2019

11:00 a.m. – FREESKI HALFPIPE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

7:00 p.m. – FREESTYLE DUAL MOGULS FINAL – DEER VALLEY RESORT

Feb 10, 2019

11:00 a.m.- SLOPESTYLE FINAL – PARK CITY VILLAGE AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

4:00 p.m.- CLOSING CEREMONIES AND HEADLINE ACT LUPE FIASCO, HOSTED BY DEER VALLEY RESORT – MAIN STREET, PARK CITY

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