Known as Long Dong Silver, Black Spire, Silver Tower, Lone Tower, and many other names, this area near Hanksville has exploded in popularity recently The valley is a moonscape scene, with a couple of dramatic towers punctuating the views It is a unique and otherworldly place to visit Access Notes Reaching the trailhead requires driving 13 miles on a dirt road The road is accessible by medium clearance vehicles, except when wet Do NOT try to visit when wet, as you will definitely tear up the road and likely get stuc...

Topaz Mountain, located in Utah’s remote western desert, is a premier destination for rock hounds seeking the state’s official gemstone—topaz This rugged, sunbaked landscape offers a unique opportunity to find beautifully faceted amber-colored topaz crystals, which naturally fade to a clear or pale blue hue when exposed to sunlight The area, part of the Thomas Range, is well known for its rich deposits of topaz, as well as other minerals such as bixbyite, garnet, and red beryl On our visit, I was surprised at how e...

For a hike with expansive views, the Slickrock Trail is an exceptional choice Unlike trails that descend into canyons, this route traverses across expanses of slickrock, with panoramic vistas of the surrounding mesas, canyons, and the distant La Sal Mountains There are 4 official viewpoints and an unofficial one that overlooks the confluence of Little Spring and Big Spring Canyons A really nice hike Season Note: There isn't shade or water on this hike If hiking in the summer, I would recommend it either as a sunris...

The Barlett Rock Art site is in the same Barrier style as The Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon The haunting eyes, vivid colors, and clean lines of the Barrier Style are one of my favorites to see The Bartlett site is north facing and must have been substantially larger before the lower portion of the rock flaked off Though unfortunate some of the panel has been lost to the millennia, what is left is still well worth the short hike to visit Note: The area used to be very overrun with ATV and vehicles tracks The tra...

Broken dreams and half finished buildings, Starr Ranch is an interesting place to visit Al Starr, seeking a spot to base his mining and horse operations out of, chose this site in the 1880s Al was a bit ahead of the mining boom in the area, as other mines, including the uranium mines around Farmers Knob to the north and Del Monte to the south, didn't start until about a decade later He hired a stonemason to build a house and cellar at the ranch, near the current day Starr Spring Campground The mason did exceptional...

Ute Horse site is northeast of Rangley, and not in Canyon Pintado proper This small site has a petroglyph of a horse, I assume believed to be carved by a Ute since the site is called Ute Horse There are also some grooves left in the rock from sharpening tools Of the sites we visited in Rangley, this was clearly the least visited and probably my least favorite Be sure to bring a GPS for this one, we had a hard time finding the parking spot and the trail to the site

The 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 Mexican Hat to Clay Hills, is a 57-mile float through an astonishingly deep and dramatic canyon in remote terrain This is one of the finest floats in Utah and very family-friendly provided you have the skills From a geology and scenery perspective, I liked this more than the section above, Sand Island to Mexican Hat This section is typica...

Donut Falls is an excellent and popular hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon This is a good one regardless of the season In the winter, it makes a great snowshoe and, in the summer, a hike On any given summer day, I would wager this makes the list of top 10 busiest hikes in the Wasatch In the winter, the hike is 35 miles from the locked gate on the highway In the summer, this hike can be as short as 14 miles round trip IF you can get a parking spot at the trailhead Unless you are very early, I would generally recommend wa...

The aptly named Hidden Falls, though close to the hustle and bustle of the Big Cottonwood Canyon road and Lake Blanche trailhead, feels off the beaten path and infrequently visited The hike to the falls is short, making it more of a roadside attraction than an actual hike In my opinion, this is an often overlooked or unknown gem The cool mist from the falls makes this the perfect family destination on a hot summer day The short distance is rocky enough that small children will likely enjoy the challenge

St George was founded in 1861 by the Mormon church, under the direction of Erastus Snow The settlement, initially, was meant to produce cotton As the early pioneers settled the area, they left their marks on the country both in the naming of places, as well as literal marks Snow Canyon is named after Erastus Snow This short trail visits an overhang near the main park road that has several pioneer names painted on the rock with axle grease from the late 1800s and early 1900s Though a short hike, I enjoyed the histor...