Southern Utah Tours of Unique Outdoor Adventure Places


by Bob Therrien - Date: 2006-12-03 - Word Count: 733 Share This!

Covering 84,904 square miles, Utah is bordered on the north by Idaho, on the east by Wyoming and Colorado, on the south by New Mexico and Arizona and on the west by Nevada. Utah is located in the heart of the American West.

The land itself embraces everything from desert to alpine and is divided into three major kinds of landscape: Basin and Range, Middle Rocky Mountain and Colorado Plateau. (Now, don't you wish you'd paid attention in that geography class?) To make it easier, we generally talk about the Great Basin, the Rockies and Canyon Country.

Southern Utah is a land of drop-dead beauty. Gorgeous! Awesome! Unbelievable! It doesn't really matter which byway you take (but be sure to take Highway 12-Utah's All-American Road); it doesn't matter which St. George golf course you tee off, which back country guide you charter, which spa you use to escape: it's all one stupendous eyeful after another. Ever wonder how Dead Horse Point State Park got its name? Well, a bunch of cowboys forgot to water the horses and…you get the picture. No matter what its origins, the views from Dead Horse will leave you speechless. Southern Utah is "The Old west…" "John Wayne Country…" "Little Hollywood…"

For amphitheaters chock-a-block with sandstone spires all aglow in luminescent earth tones: Bryce Canyon National Park. For looming sandstone walls guarding a pastoral Virgin River landscape marked by unique microclimates, fauna and flora: Zion National Park…Monument Valley, Lake Powell? Southern Utah is the kind of place other states can only dream of.

An ancient spirit inhabits southern Utah. It is evident in the cataclysmic forces that have thrust the earth up into snow-capped mountains; in the towering fins of ruddy sandstone cut by the patient forces of erosion into bridges, arches, deep canyons, and strange "hoodoos" of stone; in dramatic faults where the earth jumbles and twists, contrasting with gentle, rolling hummocks of "slick rock.

Visiting Utah can be quite an experience. The major airport to fly into the region is normally Las Vegas, Nevada for southern Utah tours. Saint George and Cedar City both have growing airports with thousands of travelers who fly there too! Utah is very diverse. It has everything from desert to alpine and is divided into three kinds of landscape. First the Basin and Range, then Middle Rocky Mountain and Colorado Plateau. Normally referred to as the Great Basin, the Rockies and Canyon Country. There is so much to choose and

• Hiking
• Camping
• Biking
• Golf
• Boating
• Beaches
• ATV
• Museums
• Scenic Drives
• Dog Sledding
• Snowmobiling
• Horseback Riding
• Hunting
• Antique Shopping
• Festivals/State Fairs
• Rafting
• Ice Skating
• Fly Fishing
• Wildlife
• Lake/Rivers
• Alpine & Nordic Skiing/Snowboarding

Red rock canyons, sandstone cliffs, the desert, the best snow on earth skiing, Joshua trees, slot canyons, canyoneering, travel, tour & adventure await you for your Southern Utah tours. Utah has five National parks. Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Zion National Park.

If that's not enough of the most incredible landscape anywhere, there are 3 National Monuments. Cedar Breaks National Monument, Dinosaur National Monuments and GSENM, Grand Staircase National Monument. How about adding two National Recreation areas to the mix and maybe you'll never want to leave Utah. The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area all add up to one of the most spectacular places on earth to visit.

Southern Utah has Saint George just a couple of hours north of Las Vegas. It has an elevation of 2,880 feet above sea level. St. George has an average annual temperature of 59.9° F with summer temperatures well into the 100s. Palm trees and red rock cliffs are the norm in Saint George along with all the convenience of a city of 100 thousand.

45 minutes north on highway Interstate 15 is Cedar City. It is a well known festival city. It is home to Southern Utah University, The Utah Shakespearean Festival, The Utah Summer Games, The American Children's Christmas Festival, The Cedar City SkyFest, Neil Simon Festival, Himmelsk Festival Royal, yearly Cowboy Gathering, Rodeo, July Jamboree, Utah Midsummer Renaissance Faire, Groovefest, and Paiute Restoration Gathering & Pow-wow. Cedar City is very close to Brian Head Ski Area. Close enough to be in the Vegas desert, ski during the day with views of Cedar Breaks Red Rocks and back to the desert for dinner. You'll enjoy your trip there. Source Credit: Some content provided by The Utah Office of Tourism.


Related Tags: tourist, utah, southern utah tours, scenic, conventions, iron county, nation parks, bryce national p

Bob Therrien is a travel writer and has traveled all over North America. He currently operates the website at http://www.cedarcitytours.com

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