Utah
| Salt Lake City is my hometown and where I have again been living for the past five years. I feel very lucky to be able to live in this particularly livable town. The place is clean, beautiful, and affordable. It's also a perfect size for me, in that it is big enough to have major league sports teams (Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake), an international airport (also Delta Airlines western hub), and a good deal of restaurants, clubs, theater, music, and arts, but small enough that there remains low levels of crime, good public schools (depending on the neighborhood of course), manageable traffic levels, and earnest, friendly people. There is also an incredible diversity of outdoor activities available only short distances from each other. Utah is famous for it's world class winter sports resorts and facilities (Salt Lake City was host to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games), but can also boast of some of the best hiking, camping, rock climbing, and biking areas in all of North America. Hunters and fisherman are also spoiled by the vast wildlife and rich rivers and streams that exist throughout the State. There are also many beautiful lakes that are prime spots for water skiing, jet skiing, etc.. I hesitate to mention the golf available here for fear that word will get out and eventually assist in spoiling what we have, but be advised that any trip to Utah during mild weather months should be done with clubs in hand. While I would advise anyone visiting Salt Lake to peruse the local activities paper, The City Weekly for listings of ongoing activities and events, I'll also suggest you link to some of the relevant pages here on my website in order to find suggestions as to where to dine, have a drink, or play some golf. In an attempt to keep these destination sections brief, I'll list here some specific things I would suggest seeing and doing if your travels ever bring you to my part of the world. |
| Park City is a famous ski community located 45 minutes East of Salt Lake City. Originally a silver mining town, Park City is now known the world over as not only a snow skiing mecca, but also the home to the Sundance Film Festival. Park City remains a fairly small and intimate community, but continues to experience an amazing rate of growth and an ever increasing status as a place to see and be seen. Although Brighton is where I eventually became a full fledged skier, Park City is where I had my first ski experiences. Park City contains three internationally famous ski resorts; The Canyons (known as "Park West" when I was a kid), Park City Mountain Resort, and Deer Valley Ski Resort. In addition to the superb skiing, Park City offers top notch dinning and shopping. Art galleries are especially prominent along the famed Main Street section of town. The people of Park City are a diverse lot, ranging from local cowboys to full-time ski bums to the ultra wealthy film producers/actors from Southern California and New York. All are welcome, and all have there place here. While Park City itself is a destination for those interested in outdoor activities such as skiing, snow boarding, hiking, biking, golf, fishing, and hunting, the area of Heber/Midway, located just South-East offers an even more extensive range of potential activities for those looking for outdoor oriented sports and recreation. If you're a fisherman, look to caste a line into the Provo river. If you're a boater, water skier, or jet skier, travel ten minutes out of Park City to the Jordanelle Reservoir. If you want to play some spectacular golf, just drive another 15 minutes to either Wasatch State Park Golf Course or Soldier Hollow Golf Course. And don't ever forget to have a burger and a beer at my favorite Utah watering hole, The Other End, in Heber. |
| Logan is a funny little town in the far northern part of the State, and some people may wonder way I would want to make mention of it here. The fact of the matter is that Tee and I have enjoyed making an annual road trip up to Logan to spend a weekend playing golf for over 5 years now. While most people would never consider Logan a vacation destination, we have found it to be a fun and relaxed getaway that allows us to get out of the "big city" and take in the homey, calm, atmosphere of this clean and pretty town. Logan is only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Salt Lake City and serves as the home to Utah State University as well as to one of the most uniquely beautiful LDS temples (featured above). It's main industry outside of the university has traditionally been dairy farming, but has an ever increasingly diverse economic base including one of the world's largest roller coaster manufacturers. Logan also provides access to a beautiful canyon (Logan Canyon) and mountain range (Bear Mountains) just to the east. Tee and I also really love a couple of the public golf courses (Logan River, and Birchcreeek in Smithfield), and have officially designated The White Owl pub/restaurant one of our favorite summer drinking spots. Funny as is sounds, I used to work with a guy from Thailand when living in Australia who had been to Logan and told me (sincerely) that it was one of his favorite places in the world. Go figure! |
Southern Utah
| Southern Utah is a truly spectacular place. The stunning topography coupled with the wide variety of outdoor activities available make it one of the most special places on the planet. The southern third of the state of Utah contains some of the most beautiful national parks including Bryce Canyon (pictured above), Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches. One will also find the most beautiful and inviting freshwater lake in the country, Lake Powell. We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful natural playground here in Utah, and have it remain unspoiled and often unknown. People from all over the world come to this part of Utah to rock climb, run rivers, hike, bike, fish, hunt, ski, and golf. It also serves as one of the most photographed places on earth, and is often featured in movies, television, and commercials. The area is quite large and divided up into some major sections often referred to by the nearby National Park or town. Here is a brief synopsis of a few of those areas: |
Moab:
| Moab is a small town in South-Eastern Utah which originally was a uranium mining town, but has now grown significantly due to it having become an important destination for mountain bikers, river runners, and photographers. The Colorado River practically runs through town, while both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are only minutes away. Just to the east are the often snow-capped La Salle Mountains, and access to US 49 east to Telluride lies just south. It's impossible not to enjoy time spent in this beautiful area. |
Cedar City:
| Cedar City is a small city located almost halfway between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas on Interstate 15. Like much of southern Utah, it has seen significant growth over the past several years. Cedar City is located in a high desert area and stays much cooler than most other parts of southern Utah, and actually has a wonderful ski resort nearby (Brian Head), as well as a beautiful national monument called Cedar Breaks. Cedar City is most well known for being the home to Southern Utah University, and host to a world famous Shakespearean Festival held each summer. Tee and I like to make Cedar City a regular stop-off when we make the drive to St. George or Las Vegas. Even if we don't stay overnight, we love to play the local golf course, Cedar Ridge. |
| St. George is a small city located in the far South-West corner of the State. More than any other part of southern Utah, St. George has seen a stunning rate of growth over the past 10-15 years. There are many things that attract people to St. George, including it's warm/hot climate, it's number and quality of golf courses, it's family friendly atmosphere, it's proximity to Nevada, it's relatively low cost of living, and easy access to areas such as Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. St. George also has a deep history as a early Mormon outpost (as does Las Vegas by the way), and is home to the oldest Mormon Temple still standing. Personally I'm excited to see the growth of this area because while I love the opportunity to take the occasional golf trip to St. George, I often find myself bored stiff once my golf round is over, and hopefully the influx of people will mean an increase in the number of restaurants, pubs, shops, and other forms of entertainment. |
Saint George:
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