While skies appeared thick with smoke this past summer, and images of flaming landscapes were featured on newscasts, there were not a record number of wildfires last year. When Utah wildfire officials closed the books on the 2020 season that ran from June 1 to November 30, they counted 1,547 total fires that burned 336,364 acres in the state and cost an estimated $60 … [Read more...]
Utah’s Winter Wonderland: Snowshoe or mountain bike this season on these 6 trails just outside Salt Lake City
Throughout the pandemic, Utahns have found an escape from social distancing, working from home and remote learning — terms that have come to define our lives — in the beautiful natural environment we are so lucky to live in. Whether it’s a stroll through Sugarhouse Park or a strenuous trek in the Uintas, there’s never been a more important time to get out and get moving — for … [Read more...]
Construction of Northern Corridor Highway Threatens to Decimate Iconic Mojave Desert Tortoises
The desert possesses a special beauty. In these harsh environs, life must fight to persevere, and the desert deserves special protection. In 1995, 4,500 acres in Washington County were set apart as the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. To the north is Pine Mountain and Dixie National Forest. Surrounding the area are the communities of Ivins, Saint George, Washington, and … [Read more...]
Burn Scars – Restoration Work Continues to Revive Land After Bald Mountain and Pole Creek Fires
March 12, 2020: A year-and-a-half after the Bald Mountain and Pole Creek fires combined to burn over 120,000 acres in southern Utah County, restoration efforts are well underway, but there are still many years of environmental work ahead. In September 2018, the lightning-caused fires forced the evacuations of nearly 6,000 people in Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge, and several … [Read more...]
Spelunking in Utah – Exploring the Vast World Beneath – Cavers Take Their Sightseeing Underground
Utah is an outdoor playground on all levels, from 13,528 feet atop Kings Peak in the Uintas to 1,227 feet below ground in Main Drain Cave — the deepest cave in Utah and 11th deepest in the nation. The Beehive State’s underground world, shaped by water, minerals and time, is filled with colorful formations like helictites — hollow twiglike deposits of calcite or aragonite — and … [Read more...]
Saving Sheep Bridge: A Southern Utah Gem is Threatened
While visiting a small music festival, I learned about the effort to save Sheep Bridge. In the shadow of Zion National Park, a small trail winds through the vast desert. Below the picturesque town of Virgin lies the 419 acres known as Sheep BridgeBeginning in the 1850’s, shepherds employed a single lane bridge to move sheep over the Virgin River. The unique environment is an … [Read more...]
Your Summer Vacation on Ice in Escalante and Boulder Utah
Utah has so much natural splendor, it’s a shame we feel so strongly that it can only be enjoyed in the spring and summer, the same time the rest of the state—and the rest of the world, for that matter—also decides to enjoy the canyon country. Consequently, those wide-open spaces can sometimes feel a little cramped when you’re elbowing way your past German tourists in … [Read more...]
5 Amazing Places For Hiking And Running With Dogs in Utah
Hiking, running, exploring, hunting, backcountry skiing. It’s difficult to think of any outdoor sports that are not more enjoyable with dogs. After about fourteen years of mostly hiking and running with dogs, we have collectively decided on our favorite spots: Stansbury Island The Wild West still lives in Utah, and it is found on Stansbury Island. Not for the faint of … [Read more...]
Graffiti Along the Wasatch Front
When Utahns are asked what they love about our state, one of the common answers is the close proximity to our National Forests and Parks; but what many Utahns don’t realize is that according to the U.S. Forest Service, “graffiti is the most visible and prominent crime within National Forest System lands along the Wasatch Front and can make areas that contain a lot … [Read more...]
Life as a Liftie: Skiing Thrills with Olympic Caliber Hills at Snowbasin Resort Utah
Ski season is finally here! Time to start haunting the weather app and planning your time off around good powder days. For some Utahns, though, time on the mountain is spent on the clock. Gonzola Artola, a supervisor in the lift operations department at Northern Utah’s Snowbasin Resort, is entering his fourth winter as a liftie. What it’s like to work at Snowbasin Resort? I … [Read more...]