Conservation groups are fighting to preserve 175,500 acres of public lands in Utah that the Bureau of Land Management has plans to lease for 130 oil and gas developments—a move that would be extremely detrimental for the wilderness areas, wildlife inhabitants, and the fight against climate change as a whole, says the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. On Sept. 12, the Center … [Read more...]
Utah Ski Resort Roundup
Alta The 2019-20 is Alta Ski Area’s 82nd ski season serving up lift served skiing. Alta started out as a mining town and in 1938 the first chairlift was scooping skiers up to earn powder turns. A nightly booking at all lodges includes breakfast and dinner. Alta receives an average yearly snowfall of 547” inches with 2,614 skiable acres. “If you can see it, you can it.” With … [Read more...]
Lights….Camera….Utah!
When movie credits start to roll, you’ll see the names of the actors, best boy, key grip, makeup artists, and sometimes even a special thanks to the Utah Film Commission. Virginia Pearce is the director of the Commission, which she says is a state agency that works with the Office of Tourism and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to encourage filmmakers to choose … [Read more...]
Bikepacking: Two “Mature” Cyclists Bikepack Bears Ears
The body wilts before the spirit does, so it didn’t occur to two 41-year-old men that they might not be able to pedal 155 miles in three days through southeastern Utah on bikes loaded with the essentials: water, food, bedroll … tobacco, coffee, beer. The plan was simple. Pedal from Nizhoni Campground to Elk Ridge, down between Bears Ears, across Cedar Mesa, through … [Read more...]
Zion Brewery: First Microbrewery in Southern Utah
While adventure and beer have long enjoyed their power couple status among outdoor enthusiasts, one Utah microbrewery is ready to take this relationship to the next level. Zion Brewery’s Zion Canyon Brew Pub is located just outside the walk-in entrance to Zion National Park in Springdale, giving southern Utah residents and international tourists alike the chance to enjoy … [Read more...]
Moab Muse(iscian): Sounds from Southern Utah Local Spotlight
There are times in life when words fail. For Scott Ibex, that’s when music speaks the loudest. As an artist with five albums to his credit, and performances at the McPherson Opera House, the Casper Events Center, and the House of Blues in Hollywood, Ibex chose to make Moab, Utah his home after touring nationally for years. Through a desert soundscape, he sought transition to … [Read more...]
The Last Man To Know Glen Canyon Before Lake Powell: Ken Sleight
Ken Sleight is loved by many and obviously loves people. Yet, according to Sleight, people and the industrialization of the West are the big problems. “Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of damn good people coming in here. But how many damn good people can you put up with?” The day after the screening I drove to Pack Creek Ranch and met Sleight in his Quonset hut office. His … [Read more...]
Abbey’s Road: Southern Utah Environmentalism
The Star Theater in Moab, Utah—Every seat is taken by grey-bearded men with sun-baked skin, dreadlocked hippies in sandals and mountaineers dressed in the latest outdoor wear. It’s a lively crowd. The theater is sold out for the screening of ML Lincoln’s Wrenched, a film about the life of Edward Abbey and the real-life characters who inspired Abbey’s cult classic book The … [Read more...]
Ghost Towns of Utah
Frisco, Utah – population zero – is in Beaver County outside of Milford. It may be dead now, but at one point it had a reputation as the “Wildest Town in the West.” According to Stuart Burgess, a mining and ghost town aficionado, it was described in its day as, “Dodge City, Tombstone and Sodom and Gomorrah all rolled into one.” In 1875, Jim Ryan and Sam Hawkes discovered … [Read more...]
Utah Canyonlands Debate Part Two
Another point of view. There is a clear other side to this story, and if you are happy paying high gasoline prices and relying on foreign oil, this side may not be relevant. Utah and Herbert are leading the charge to gain access to land, but they aren’t alone. Lawmakers in the Arizona Senate have passed a bill similar to Utah’s while the legislatures in Idaho, New … [Read more...]