Utah Holidays Guide
USA, North America
Utah has some of the most amazing rock formations to be found anywhere. Whether you visit Zion National Park, Arches National Park, or Monument Valley National Park, you will some fantastic rock formations and canyons in many places around the state. Utah is also home the Church of Jesus Christ for Latter Day Saints, and many landmarks, including Salt Lake City were established by the religion's founder, Brigham Young. Whether you are looking to explore the landmarks of an international religion, points of interest in the countryside, or looking for places to mountain bike or white water raft; there are plenty of opportunities throughout Utah.
Utah Holidays Planner
Zion National Park, near Springdale, is Utah's oldest national park. Its canyons have narrows which have attracted canyoneers from all over the world. Basically, canyoneers are dedicated enthusiasts who do whatever it takes, including utilizing climbing gear, to make it through a canyon; and there is a lot to attract these unique hobbyists in Utah.
There are amazing sandstone sculptures in this park, and while vehicles are not allowed in the park during the busy season, a shuttle links the busiest sites in the park. You can view sites like the Court of the Patriarchs, Grotto Angels, and the Great White Throne in the most viewed area of the park that has the Virgin River running through it. Other areas that are less visited include Kolob Canyon with its finger canyons of red sandstone and deep pocket canyons. You can take the Timber Creek Trail to visit Kolob Terrace at over 800 feet in elevation through a famous 'subway' slot canyon route.
There are plenty of ski resorts to visit throughout Utah during the winter, including Salt Lake, Park City, Brian Head, and Beaver Mountain. They are scattered around the state. Also popular is white water rafting on the Green and Colorado Rivers where you can find routes of all ratings levels from Class I to Class V. For Class I you can visit Labyrinth Canyon while for more powerful and challenging rides you can try Westwater and Iodore with heartstopping thrills there grand and cataract canyons like Satan's Gut, Little Nagara, and Lava Falls.
In Alkali Ridge near Blanding, you can visit ancient Puebloan ruins where archaeologists have recovered ceramics, and you can still visit multi-story buildings and kivas that marked the era when the Puebloan people first embarked on an agricultural lifestyle.
Salt Lake City was named by the founder of the Mormon faith, Brigham Young, he named it after the Great Salt Lake nearby that has a higher salinity than the ocean at 12%. It has great sandy beaches and wildlife, and is shelter to migrating birds. It is a shallow lake which makes it quite turbulent and difficult to navigate by boat even during moderately windy days. There are numerous sites around Salt Lake City that are related to its heritage as the centre of a global faith, and you can use the opportunity to explore your family's roots at the Family History Library. Free of charge, this facility has assembled the greatest collection of genealogical records anywhere in the world, primarily for religious reasons, and it could be interesting to see what you discover about your family in their microfilm records. Also in Salt Lake City, you can explore the site of Utah Olympic Park from the 2002 Olympics.
In Moab, Utah, one of the more popular activities is to go exploring on various roads in a 4X4 vehicle, or explore Slickrock bike trail for some great mountain biking. You can also visit the unique attraction of Hole 'n the Rock, a home carved into a huge rock in the canyonlands.