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...

Ash Springs Hot Springs is an oasis in the broad open expanse of the Pahragant Valley The springs crystal clear waters have a temperature in the mid-90s, about perfect for a soak! The springs have a long history of being enjoyed by visitors Not far south of the springs is the Ash Springs Rock Art site, showing Native American peoples used the area and, undoubtedly, the hot springs Though the springs are on BLM land, in 2013, the BLM closed the springs, citing public safety and environmental damage Currently, the sp...

The Fielding Garr Ranch was settled in 1848, a mere year after the Mormon pioneers first came to the Wasatch Front The ranch, on the southeastern side of Antelope Island, is one of the oldest ranches in the Western United States and is at Garr Springs, one of the largest springs on Antelope Island Fielding Garr, for whom the ranch is named, was the man that started it He was a widower with nine children that was instructed to start the ranch by the LDS church The ranch became part of the newly designated Antelope I...

McDonald Creek, part of the McInnis Canyon National Conservation Area, is a lovely hike that meanders down to the Colorado River This is a fairly diverse hike, starting up in the open flats and slowly working down through sandstone layers before reaching the Colorado River in the picturesque Ruby Canyon En route, a very short slot and a couple of rock art sites, adding cherries to the top of an already great hike Note: The area around McDonald Creek has grown immensely in popularity in the last few years, leading t...

The discovery of the cave by George Simms in 1956 marked the beginning of a fascinating journey into what is now known as the Crystal Ball Cave Intrigued by a hole in the ground he stumbled upon while searching for lost sheep on Spring Mountain, Simms witnessed a breathtaking sight as the early morning sun illuminated the depth of the cave Recognizing its potential significance, he enlisted the help of his nephews to explore the underground wonder What they found surpassed all expectations The cave is heavily decor...

San Juan River was one of my most sought after trips that took me a long time to actually do! The section described here, from Sand Island to Mexican Hat, is a 27-mile float through both geological wonder and Native American rock art and ruins that are absolutely stunning to behold This is one of the finest floats in Utah and very family friendly Permit: The trip requires a permit The permit system is a lottery that is drawn months in advance For details on the lottery, or to enter, see the Recreationgov site I am ...

Mount Ogden ~9,579' is the highest peak on the ridgeline directly east of Ogden From Ogden, it is the dramatic backdrop you see to the east This is a peak that has a couple of long routes with fairly big elevation gains or a much shorter and easier route via the tram at Snowbasin Ski Resort Our family opted for the tram route, which made for a very pleasant 1/2 day outing with a very civilized feel It was quite the treat to take the tram up, hike the peak, and then end with a summer music event at the base of the t...

The water level is currently very low as of 4/15/2018 There were only a couple potholes with water and none of them got us in past waist deep sometimes through pretty nasty/smelly ponds! Ewwww Never had to pull out the wetsuits Partner assisting is super necessary! No fixed line over the crux keeper, but with some high stemming, we rigged our own line to get the rest of the crew over it All the bolts seemed solid and the existing anchors were in decent shape Great canyon! Took a group of us 95 hours total, which ma...

Actually had a great time doing the rappelling route for Cool Cave! It is super short but worth it in my opinion The visitors center has the only information for it but unfortunately it's somewhat wrong so I'll post our info hereWe rented bikes from the visitors center for the approach and exit It's about 4 miles or more in and out It is $30 for 4 hours on the bikes and we did the loop and Canyon in about 5 hours they didn't seem to mind that we were late The first rap they will tell you is 115 feet but we found it...

#condtions Super fun canyon with beautiful views We were able to access the trailhead in a 2wd Rav 4 although it was pushing the limits of the car There is lots of standing water that was kind of gross but plenty warm We brought wet suits but never put them on The last section is super cool, but do not attempt it if you are not confident in your ability to stem and climb And what ever you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to go u under the chalkstone on the last rappel I thought I could squeeze through the lowe...