Built as part of the Legacy Parkway in 2008, the paved Legacy Parkway Trail follows the Legacy Parkway from North Salt Lake to Farmington The trail is a gem, offering easy access for bikers, walkers, runners, and others For most of its length, the trail is within a stone's throw of the highway, which detracts a bit from the ambiance, but views of the Wasatch Mountains, Antelope Island, and wetlands around the Great Salt Lake make up for the highway noise The trail, on its southern end, connects to the Jordan Parkwa...

About 30 minutes south of Evanston, on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, the Lily Lake Ski area is a gem with about 12 kilometers of groomed skate ski and traditional tracks Loops can be combined of the various ways to make for either short outing or a full day in the mountains The trails meander in loops through the forest and open meadows It is a family-friendly and picturesque place to ski Most of the terrain is flat or very gently rolling, making a pleasant ski outing for beginners Dogs are allowed, so be...

17 Room Ruin was one of the first ruins I visited on my first trip to Bluff in the late 1990's Back then, an old wooden swinging bridge provided easy access from near Bluff to cross the San Juan River and hike over to the ruin Sadly, the swinging bridge washed out, and now visiting the site requires a bit of a drive but not much of a hike Though I hadn't visited in a couple of decades, the ruin was every bit as spectacular as I remembered it Perched in an overhang looking north across the flood plain to the San Jua...

With 314, Nevada has more mountain ranges than any other state The Ruby Mountains, south of Elko, are often touted as one of the crown jewels of the Nevada ranges Lamoille Canyon, the most visited area of the range, has been described by some as the Yosemite of Nevada I'm not sure I would go quite that far, but the Ruby Range is indeed beautiful, remote, and has an excellent thru hike that visits a large chunk of it The Ruby Crest Trail is between 33 and 37 miles depending on who you ask With small side trips for c...

Parowan Gap is one of the must see petroglyph panels in Utah in my humble opinion A short drive off of I-15, it feels a world away Ancient peoples found this place interesting, and the gap is covered in petroglyphs These panels were likely etched by many different cultural groups over a long period of time It is believed several of the panels were used as a calendar, marking the equinoxes by using a gnomon to cast a shadow on a particular symbol during the equinox Given the gaps east / west opening, it makes sense ...

Separating the Wasatch Range from to the west from Woodruff, Randolf, and Wyoming to the east, the Monte Cristo Range runs north-south for about 30 miles State Highway 39 crosses the range and offers exquisite views and a winding road often frequented by motorcyclists Monte Cristo Peak, the tallest point in the range at 9,148, sits a very short distance off the highway and makes a great family friendly leg stretch when passing through the area A note on timing UT-39 is closed in the winter, roughly from November to...

A stone's throw from Salt Lake City, City Creek canyon feels a world away The pioneers, when they settled Salt Lake, used water from City Creek to irrigate their fields, and help develop the budding city The canyon is still used as part of the city’s water supply today, with a water treatment plant situated several miles up the canyon Historical fun fact, the upper reaches of the canyon have both a mining history, and a bootlegging history City Creek Canyon is one of my favorite quick outings in the city The gentle...

Fallen Angel is my least favorite of the Angel Slots The canyon is short, with quite a bit of crumbly rock and somewhat light anchors There were no recent signs of passage on our descent, and several anchors required placement or replacement Because of this, it is probably best left for intermediate or better canyoneers with decent natural anchor skills Once down the short canyon, the exit hike is marvelous, passing a pictograph and petroglyph panel along the Dirty Devil before climbing an elegant exit route up the...

Knotted Rope is a pothole adventure extraordinaire! Although the canyon has no rappels, it is recommended for canyoneers with pothole escape skills Generally the potholes are easy to get out of, but in 2007 a woman drowned in Knotted Rope when she broke her arm getting into a pothole Her husband did not have the gear to rescue her, and she eventually succumb to hypothermia and drowned Knotted Rope is typically a fun romp, but bring a rope and a be prepared for some potential challenge, depending on water levels

Ah Behunin Canyon, most either love it or hate it, with very few being on the fence about it Odd to me that such a popular canyon has such a strong love or hate opinion in people For my 2 cents, it is a good canyon I am in the love it category, though that is likely because it was one of the first few canyons I did solo many years ago Behunin has a bit of a bear of an approach If doing this in the summer, start early to beat the heat The canyons itself is lovely, with big rappels, open areas and great views This is...