Southwest Utah

By Rachel Tueller

In Southwestern Utah, the term Color Country applies to the pristine landscape found in the states’ lower reaches from Nevada’s border to the west, spanning eastward to the thundering Colorado River, and running southward to Arizona’s northern edge. Within this huge swath of the state, the earth’s pulse courses and resonates from vibrant red rocks. Visitors to Color Country will find more than a dozen of Utah’s world-renowned parks and recreation areas.

Southwestern Utah’s public lands feature endless miles of the planet’s most majestic, awe-inspiring natural wonders. From scenic drives and easy day hikes, to backcountry exploration on foot, four-wheel drive or mountain bike, the diversity of this land will enthrall every venturesome type.

Just off Interstate 15, Cedar City’s mild climate provides an ideal escape from midsummer heat as cool mountain breezes air condition the valley floor. This bustling college town nestled at the base of Cedar Mountain hosts the Utah Shakespeare Festival where the Tony award winning theatre features the best of The Bard with classics like The Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing.

The needle moves from the red with a quick trip to ten thousand feet, where even cooler temps become prevalent visiting multi-hued Cedar Breaks National Monument. Millions of years of erosion carved this gigantic amphitheater into brilliant pink, vermilion and golden cliffs. A scenic drive along the rim offers a birds’ eye view of the Dixie National Forest. The Dixie is a proven year-round recreational paradise, where winters unfold Utah’s unrivaled powder snow and summers offer mountain bikers primo single and double track trails at Brian Head Resort.

In Panguitch, Scenic Byway 12, Utah’s only designated All American Road and ranked the second most scenic drive in the country, winds eastward past Bryce Canyon National Park and its monolithic pillars of stone. Hundreds of spires, fins and pinnacle-like formations, or “hoodoos”, stretch like gnarled crooked fingers reaching skyward. Here, warm hues resonate from mud and sandstone as these claron formations stand as a testament to time, slowly eroding and sculpting these distorted towers. Travelers are lured to explore the mazes of trails that twist and turn about the base of these massive earthen stalagmites. Scenic drives and day hikes are the park’s most popular warm-weather activities. Winter’s snows contrasted against the red rock creates a different but no less stunning scene to the cross-country skier or snowshoe runner trekking among the spires. Accommodations vary from classic, rustic western lodges, local Bed and Breakfasts, and RV parks and campgrounds.

Quaint restaurants and coffee houses adorn the town of Torrey, which serves as the entryway into Capitol Reef National Park. A hiker and backpacker’s Mecca, many of the park’s trails lead to natural bridges, arches, and rim overlooks that peek into hidden canyons. Paths range in difficulty from easy walks like Sunset Point, Capitol Gorge and Cathedral, to strenuous climbs gaining nearly a thousand feet. Devoted hikers will enjoy the challenge of Chimney Rock, Cassidy Arch, and Frying Pan.           

Mother Nature was not the only one who brushed artistic touches on Capitol Reef. The park was home to the Fremont Indians who left a gallery of petroglyphs and pictographs between A.D. 700 and A.D. 1300. 
 
Named for its’ photogenic qualities by the National Geographic Society, Kodachrome Basin State Park displays a broad spectra of color found in the landscape’s many chimneys and spires. Equipped with a full service campground, with RV hookups and tent sites, Kodachrome Basin is easily accessed from Scenic Byway 12, seven miles south of Cannonville. The region’s moderate desert climate attracts travelers year round..

Expect rugged backcountry adventures in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument or GSENM, where the Bureau of Land Management vows to maintain the vast, 1.9 million acres in its natural state. The Monument’s interior is accessible only to high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles. Two “front country” corridors flank the monument running east to west, Highway 12 on the north and Highway 89A on the south. Vantage points along these routes offer visitors an easy glimpse by passenger car, into the monument’s immense, remote landscape. Weary travelers will find relief in the rustic towns that border the monument - Kanab, Escalante, and Boulder. Known for their hometown charm and hospitality, comfortable lodging, and local cuisine, these communities provide a comfortable base camp at the edge of the monument’s rugged terrain. 
 
Public lands in southwest Utah also offer another true backcountry experience in the Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Primary mode of travel here is by foot. Management responsibility in this, as in all wilderness, calls for preservation of the land. Through a permit process, outdoor lovers can undertake a choice of a day hike to Coyote Buttes or the rare experience of a multi-day backpacking adventure of 38 miles through America’s longest slot canyon formed by the Paria River.

As Highway 89 continues east, a hop across the Arizona border leads to the expansive blue waters of Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near the town of Page. Just outside of Page, Highway 89A loops south under the bold orange walls of the Vermilion Cliffs where majestic condors soar high overhead to their home in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Designated in the year 2000, as was its sister, the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, on the nearby Arizona Strip.

A visit to southwestern Utah wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the grand daddy of all, the Grand Canyon National Park. The North Rim and adjoining Kaibab National Forest are easily accessed from Highway 89A via Route 67. Views from the north are dramatic and unique as the rim juts up a thousand feet above the South Rim shimmering in the distance below.

Twelve miles north of Kanab, and a short drive off Highway 89, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park offers nearly four thousand acres of terrain suited to all forms of 4x4 off-road riding, hiking and unbelievable photography. The surrounding Navajo sandstone eroded over eons to create the strangely beautiful hues of these dunes.

Thirty miles from Coral Pink, in Zion National Park, stark, towering cliffs rise 3000 feet overhead like great looming temples of stone. Larger than life, the Temple of Sinawava, Altar of Sacrifice, Towers of the Virgin, Angels Landing and the Sentinel, their names hint of things otherworldly; massive forms hewn from stone and thrones fit for mythological gods. Activities range from scenic drives, guided nature walks, evening programs and park lectures, to backcountry hiking and world-class rock climbing on the big walls. During peak season, a free shuttle services transports visitors to the heart of the park, the main lodge and countless hiking trails. Surrounded by these towering giants, campers bivouacking at the park’s Watchman campground awake to the sounds of the Virgin River and early morning sunrise. The gateway town of Springdale also offers a fine selection of alternative lodging facilities and fine restaurants.         

A short drive from 1-15 through St. George leads to Snow Canyon State Park off state route 18 where a variety of native desert plant species display their rugged beauty. Geologic features paint vivid contrasts from the white hills, and red sandstone mountains, to sloping sand dunes and the jagged black rock of lava fields. The Snow Canyon scene is postcard perfect. At the base of the park, Tuacahn’s state of the art outdoor amphitheater set against a dramatic backdrop of red cliffs gives seating to 2,000 patrons. The 2003 line up includes shows such as The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Whether it’s scenic byways or backcountry adventures, southwestern Utah offers the widest available array of opportunity from nature’s recreation palette. Come get lost!

Rachel Tueller writes for several publications throughout Utah, with an emphasis on outdoor recreation. Between stories, Rachel spends most of her spare time exploring the vast remote regions of Southern Utah’s wildest places with her true companions; spouse, dogs and a beat-up backpack.