Southern Utah has enough panoramic mountain views, striking red-rock formations, and dark-sky zones for a lifetime of adventure. But sometimes it’s better to settle in to explore one place than try to do everything in one trip. We asked a couple of adventurers who love southern Utah to share their favorite spots for going beyond the parks, and staying for a week or longer.
Beyond Bryce Canyon and Zion
For a week of exploring around Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, head to St. George, where you can camp within a short drive of hundreds of miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails. “Our national parks are stunning but I have a soft spot for the many state parks in Utah,” says Nailah Blades Wylie, a Salt Lake City–based adventure coach and founder of Color Outside, which runs adventure retreats for women of color. One of Blades Wylie’s favorites is Snow Canyon; the trails there wind through striking red rock, and streams of black lava are frozen in time against the can
Monday May 17, 2021
Governor Spencer Cox has said Utah will likely sue if President Joe Biden enlarges Bears Ears National Monument, but experts say that could be a hard case to win. Plus, Utah officials are cutting back on jobless benefits, a move critics say will hurt thousands of recipients. And, water is again flowing in the Colorado River’s delta in northern Mexico.
Show Notes
Photo: Friends of Cedar Mesa Director Josh Ewing points to petroglyphs at Sand Island Campground. The area was taken out of Bears Ears National Monument when the boundaries were redrawn in 2017. Kate Groetzinger/KUER
KUER: What The History of the Antiquities Act Could Mean For the Future of Bears Ears
KUER
Friends of Cedar Mesa Director Josh Ewing points to petroglyphs at Sand Island Campground. The area was taken out of Bears Ears National Monument when the boundaries were redrawn in 2017.
Just five miles west of Bluff in southern San Juan County, there’s a campground called Sand Island. It’s nestled between a steep cliff and the bank of the San Juan River, and it’s home to some of the oldest rock art in America.
Renee Bright
President Barack Obama designated roughly 1.35 million acres in San Juan County as Bears Ears National Monument in December 2016.
Josh Ewing is the director of a Bluff-based conservation group called Friends of Cedar Mesa, and he’s an expert on the petroglyphs.