Yuba Lake State Park is popular with anglers, boaters, and many ATV enthusiasts visiting to ride the trails that surround the lake There are few opportunities for hiking at Yuba Lake, aside from wandering along the seashore There is a social trail above Painted Rocks that has great views of the lake At low waters, it is possible to walk out to the base of Painted Rocks and visit a pictograph panel The panel, on the south face of Painted Rocks, is quite stunning The difficult to access location of the panel has help...

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...

The Box in Escalante is the name of the canyon Pine Creek descends through on its way to join the Escalante River and, in my opinion, one of the best short backpacks in the area Unlike many Escalante hikes, this one descends from high forest to the desert that Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is famous for The hike follows Pine Creek for its length, making it suitable in warmer temps when the drier regions of Escalante would be too hot to hike The 10-ish mile through hike is very do-able in a day 5-7 hou...

Tucked at the south end of Capitol Reef National Park, Halls Creek Narrows is a stunning, convoluted canyon that makes a meandering path through Navajo sandstone The canyon has a bit of everything: deep alcoves, a spring feed stream, narrower sections, and towering walls I would compare it a little in scale and experience to Coyote Gulch, but it is also quite different This is one of those hikes that has been on my list for literally decades When I started going to the desert, a friend showed me photos and told me ...

Cathedral Valley, in the northern part of Capitol Reef National Park, is a mesmerizing geological wonder The area gets its name from the towering rock formations that resemble Gothic cathedrals, with massive monoliths and intricate sedimentary layers creating a surreal landscape Capitol Reef itself is known for its diverse and stunning red-rock scenery, but Cathedral Valley stands out as an extraordinary highlight within the park It is an area I have visited many times over the years, and always enjoy We did an ove...

I find the Great Salt Lake a fascinating place The scenery and uniqueness of the lake are interesting, but the history and stories of the people who have tried to live and make a life there I find even more fascinating Fremont Island is one of those places on the lake that is steeped in history I had wanted to visit for several years, but visiting requires quite an effort At about 18 miles round-trip from Antelope Island and across the sandbar just to REACH the island, this is an outing for experienced outdoors peo...

Snow Canyon State Park is a beautiful park filled with many interesting hikes, but it can also be very crowded However, I found that the Cinder Cone Trail was not particularly busy even though I was there on a holiday weekend The cinder cone is generally referred to as the Diamond Valley Cinder Cone You can see black basalt rock throughout Snow Canyon, some of which originated from volcanic eruptions that started 3 million years ago The formation of the two cinder cones on the northern end of the park are from more...

Sometimes good things come in small packages! Although short, both the East and West forks of Big Spring Canyon offer fantastic slot sections The two canyons have different personalities, with the West Fork being more challenging and technical The West Fork is recommended for intermediate or better canyoneers The East Fork, on the other hand, is much easier and suitable for most canyoneers It does not have any rappels, but a short rope is recommended to help beginners over a couple of moderate downclimbs WARNING: F...

"There is an exquisite charm in our ride to-day down this beautiful canyon It gradually grows deeper with every mile of travel; the walls are symmetrically curved and grandly arched, of a beautiful color, and reflected in the quiet waters in many places so as almost to deceive the eye and suggest to the beholder the thought that he is looking into profound depths" -John Wesley Powell, Canyons of the Colorado I can think of no better introduction to Labyrinth Canyon than the imagery Powell conjures up in his descrip...