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 CENTRAL
UTAH
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 The
San
Rafael Swell is a terrifically
wild and lightly visited area of desert canyons in the heart of
Utah. Visitors here should expect plenty of solitude in a harsh
but starkly beautiful setting. The adventurous can explore the
backcountry on foot.
The Tushar
Mountains are a pretty
range with a good network of hiking and biking trails, campgrounds
and small lakes. Though the Tushars exceed the height of the Wasatch
Mountains in Northern Utah, they remain under appreciated and
relatively uncrowded.
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 SOUTHEASTERN
UTAH
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Southeastern Utah has numerous great
destinations for hiking. Most of your options are in desert conditions
through red rock scenery, though the La Sal mountains offer hiking
in cooler alpine settings.
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 Arches
National Park is a geological
wonderland set in the red rock desert of southeastern Utah. It
is home to the largest concentration of sandstone arches in the
world, some 2,000 in all, and many other fascinating rock formations.
There are numerous good day hiking trails to the parks attractions.
There are also limited overnight backpacking opportunities possible.
Canyonlands
National Park is a spectacularly
wild area of immense orange-red canyons and superlative red rock
formations in the desert of the Colorado Plateau. Canyonlands
is made up of three distinct districts, each of which offers great
hiking. The Island in the Sky District sits on a peninsula high
above the Green and Colorado rivers. It has a handful of short
day hikes on the peninsula and numerous backpacking trips down
to a mesa above the rivers. The Needles District has a great network
of trails offering lots of day and overnight possibilities among
wonderful canyons and rock formations. The isolated Maze District
gets its name from an incredible series of box canyons that make
for extraordinary backpacking trips for skilled hikers.
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Dark
Canyon Wilderness is a
pristine wilderness/primitive area. The upper portion of the canyon
features timbered backcountry, whereas the lower portion presents
a red rock desert landscape. It is best explored on multi-day
backpacking trips.
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The La
Sal Mountains, Utah's
second highest range (12,721 feet), rise impressively above the
surrounding red rock desert landscape of southeast Utah. They
have a good network trails that wind through pretty alpine terrain.
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Moab
is located 5 miles from Arches, 30 miles from Canyonlands, and
20 miles from the La Sals. It serves not only as a base from which
to access the many hiking opportunities at those destinations,
but also has many good day hikes in the red rock canyons near
town.
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 SOUTHWESTERN
UTAH
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Bryce
Canyon National Park offers
a spectacularly beautiful series of amphitheaters filled with
colorful, eroded rock forms. It has a number of excellent short
hikes down into the amphitheaters and some overnight possibilities
as well.
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 Capitol
Reef National Park is
made up of a 100 mile long ridge of rock that was forced up out
of the earth millions of years ago. Erosion has created marvelously-colored
and wildly-varied rock formations of great beauty out of the ridge.
Numerous good day hikes are accessible from the park's main scenic
drive or Hwy. 24. Longer backpacking excursions are possible in
the backcountry.
The Markagunt
Plateau is an attractive,
heavily forested, highland located just east of Cedar City. It
contains Cedar Breaks National Monument, an area of colorful,
eroded rock forms, and the ski resort town of Brian Head. Dozens
of trails provide opportunities for day hikes and some overnighters.
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Pine
Valley Mountains are an
attractive, small range that rises out of the surrounding desert
to thick forests of pine and aspen. It is located 30 miles northwest
of St. George. The range has a good network of hiking trails,
providing day and overnight possibilities.
Zion
National Park is an awe
inspiring place with massive cliff walls that tower majestically
a half mile above the canyon floor. It is Utah's most visited
national park. It has many great easily accessed day hikes and
numerous opportunities for overnight excursions into its expansive
backcountry.
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Select Hiking
Publications for a list
of relevant publications. The following outfitter leads backpacking
trips and day hikes throughout the state.
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