Utah Travel Guide 2008 - (Page 150) SOUTHERN UTAH An ancient spirit inhabits southern Utah. You feel it in the remnants of Puebloan cultures; the Anasazi and Fremont peoples who lived out their lives in southern Utah from about AD 1 to 1300. Rock art and writings, the ruins of habitation sites and sacred places are scattered across the area. deposits of millions of years, may stretch unbroken for miles at a time, or stack and squat next to each other like oddly balanced steps. Here, it’s not unusual for miles of sagebrush flats to erratically drop off into deep, narrow slot canyons. This is the “promised land” for hikers, mountain bikers, off-road vehicle users, and sightseers ready to be amazed. SOUTHWESTERN UTAH CITIES Dubbed “Color Country” by Utah boosters, the southwestern part of the state is a region of exceptional beauty, encompassing both alpine and desert climate zones at vastly differing elevations. The area has forests, lakes, and farmlands punctuated by ancient red rock that has been buffeted by wind and sand, carved by rivers, and thrust up and apart by geologic forces deep within the earth. Beaver Like many rural towns in central and southern Utah, Beaver often goes unnoticed as travelers whiz by along Interstate 15. But Beaver City, 200 miles south of Salt Lake City and 210 miles north of Las Vegas, sits on the northern edge of Utah’s spectacular Color Country. Surrounding attractions include Minersville Reservoir State Park, as well as many locations for hiking, rock-hounding, fishing, hunting, ATV adventures, snowmobiling, backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and plenty of scenic vistas. Boulder Until the 1940s, residents of this remote town of Boulder received their mail by mule. Although Boulder remains small and quiet, its location on Scenic Byway 12, All-American Road, and its status as a gateway to the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument, has brought more visitors and attractions to the town. Worth the trip alone, Boulder’s Anasazi State Park and Museum marks the site of an Anasazi village that predates AD 1200. Cedar City Cedar City proudly hosts the Tony Award®-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, located on the campus of Southern Utah University. Travelers interested in Utah’s heritage will enjoy a stop at Iron Mission State Park and Museum. Cedar City has long billed itself as “gateway to Utah’s National Parks.” One excellent itinerary is to follow the loop from Cedar City, southeast to Zion National Park, then north to Bryce Canyon National Park and back through Cedar Breaks National Monument to Cedar City. It’s not a trip that you should schedule for one day, however: two is doable, three is ideal and four is a bonus. Kanab Kanab derives its name from a Paiute word meaning, “willow.” The town is like a Hollywood portrayal of the classic American West – towering Navajo sandstone NATIONAL PARKS & MONUMENTS The major draw for many visitors to southern Utah is Utah’s five spectacular national parks: Bryce Canyon and Zion in the southwest, Capitol Reef roughly in the center of the state, and Arches and Canyonlands in the southeastern reaches. Southern Utah also has five national monuments: Cedar Breaks and the adventurous Grand Staircase-Escalante in the southwest; Rainbow Bridge, Natural Bridges, and Hovenweep in the southeastern side of the state. The southeast is also home to Glen Canyon, best known for the serpentine waterway of Lake Powell. For more information on all of Utah’s national parks, national monuments, national recreation areas, and national historic sites, see the “Scenic Places” section of this guide beginning on page 18. Southern Utah is a large, vast region. Easiest to understand if you look at it as two areas - southwestern, anchored by its largest city, St. George - and southeastern, anchored by Moab and Monticello. SOUTHWEST Anglo settlement in southwestern Utah was accomplished by Mormon pioneers drawn to a long growing season and warmer climate, in contrast to the cold and snow of northern Utah. Mormon leader Brigham Young maintained a “winter home” in the city of St. George. These days, retirees enjoy the area, along with ranchers, and those engaged in the tourist trade. Cedar City and St. George are hubs for entertainment, dining, and shopping. In its September 2007 issue, National Geographic Adventure Magazine dubbed St. George one of America’s best “Wilderness Towns,” based on the city’s access to “forests, canyons and other wild places.” St. George offers year-round golf. But when summer brings on the heat, you only need to drive until the desert rises and becomes a forest, or if you’re willing, walk awhile into a canyon shadowed by towering cliffs. SOUTHEAST Ironically, southeastern Utah is the best place in the world to see the wonders of what geologists call the Colorado Plateau. This area was the last portion of the state to successfully be settled, and despite growing development, the spirit of this land will never truly be settled. The Abajo and La Sal Mountains rise above a multi-colored desert like mirages. Mesas built of sandstone representing the 150 U TA H Tr a v e l G u i d e
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.