Utah is one of those states that has what’s known as “shoulder season.” It’s that time between summer and fall, when it’s too cold and snowy to mountain bike, climb or hike, but there’s not enough snow to ski. So what can the outdoor junkie do during this dead zone of time? Plenty if you…
Tag: Hiking
Hiking in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
If you’re staying in the Escalante area, or just passing through, a visit to the hiking trails in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park are worth a look. The Petrified Forest offers short strolls in the hills above the town of Escalante. Sweeping views of the valley and red rock cliffs in the distance are nice,…
Backpacking Yellow Creek in Bryce Canyon National Park
Backpacking in Bryce Canyon NP is a hybrid experience. It’s not quite a desert, and not quite a pine forest. And to be completely fair, Bryce Canyon really isn’t a canyon at all. It’s more like a handful of canyons with similar terrain. Hybrid, indeed. The fact that Bryce can’t be easily summed up only…
Hiking Bryce Canyon: Queens Garden/Navajo Trail Loop
There’s no two ways about it: Bryce Canyon is incredible. Located in the high desert of southern Utah, Bryce is a place where your imagination can run wild. A Paiute Indian tale explains how the hoodoos of the canyon came to be: “Before there were any Indians, the Legend People… lived in that place. There…
Backpacking to Wall Lake in the Uinta Mountains
Backpacking has no equal alpine venue in the state of Utah than the Uinta Mountains. From classics like Kings Peak and Naturalist Basin, to lesser-known destinations such as Hidden Lake, late summer sees thousands of people humping their heavy packs into the rock strewn peaks and pine forests. But for the beginner backpacker, the imposing faces of…
Hike Mount Agassiz
Summer is almost over, and we all want to send it out on a high note. One last big banger to put an exclamation point on the season. Maybe you’ve already done Kings Peak, or maybe you just want something with less crowds. Either way, hiking Mount Agassiz in the High Uintas Wilderness is a…
Hike the Honeycomb Cliffs
The Honeycombs Cliffs are a popular spot for backcountry skiers to find fresh lines when the resorts are tracked out. The cliffs tower over the boundary line between Solitude and Brighton ski resorts, and make a great summer destination as well. The high altitude starting point translates to moderate temperatures; when the valley is still…
Killyons Canyon saved thanks to anonymous donor
View Larger Map One of the Salt Lake Valley’s least known canyons, Killyons Canyon, has been spared from the bulldozer of development and will forever be open space thanks to a $500,000 donation from someone who wants to remain anonymous. As we told you in an article last month, a deadline loomed for Utah Open Lands…
The Exum Direct Route – a classic way to climb the Grand Teton
Even though Utah has some of the best outdoor recreation in a world, sometimes it’s nice to get away and explore the mountains of neighboring states. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming contains a classic mountain range that is a short drive from Utah, and the Tetons are filled with legendary rock climbing routes like the…
Hiking Deseret Peak
So you want to bag a big peak, but the crowds in Big and Little Cottonwood are just too much. Or perhaps you want to get above 11,000′ but aren’t quite ready for the Class 3-4 scrambles that many Utah mountains require. What if I told you that there was a gorgeous summit just 50…