Added: 04/14/2006 |
Utah Holidays -- Outstanding Outdoor Recreation!Many visitors to Utah will do anything - hike, bicycle, paddle, rock climb, ski and snowboard - to experience the natural wonders the state has to offer. With the biggest, most beautiful and most pristine landscapes in North America and activities for every age and style, you'll find Utah holidays the premier opportunity for outdoor pursuits, whether your tastes run to hiking, off-track mountain biking, whitewater rafting or skiing.
The most significant sights and attractions have been formed by the dramatic forces of nature, creating ruggedly beautiful, multicolored canyons, eroded rock sculptures, red desert plains, forested mountains and snow-capped peaks. Southern Utah has more national parks than anywhere else in the US; in fact it has often been suggested that the entire area should become one vast national park. The most accessible parts - such as Zion and Bryce Canyon - are by far the most visited, but lesser-known parks like Arches and Canyon lands are every bit as dramatic and ideal for Utah holidays.
The beautiful pre-Columbian pictographs and Ancestral Pueblo ruins lie hidden in huge tracts of the empty desert that is all but unexplored. In the northeast of the state, the Uinta Mountains remain uncrossed by road and form one of the most extensive wilderness areas in the US outside Alaska, while Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur preserve more desert splendor.
The northwest is predominantly flat and dry, with the granite mountains of the Wasatch Front tower over state capital Salt Lake City. Alta, Snowbird and the resorts around Park City offer superb powder snow and some of the best skiing and in North America.
The Anglo settlement of Utah began with the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake area in 1847, led by Brigham Young. The Mormon heritage defines the state's modern culture. Since the early 1980s tourism been appreciated as the state's major industry, and former mining towns such as Moab developed facilities for wide-eyed travelers drawn by the lure of the desert.
Increased tourism has also led to a relaxation of Utah's notoriously arcane drinking laws. In most towns, at least one restaurant will be licensed to sell beer, wine and mixed drinks to diners.
Salt Lake City is a modern metropolis regarded as one of the top business environments in the country. Its proximity to the Wasatch Mountains makes it a popular base for winter and summer Utah holidays.
Utah airports serve the areas of the state's major cities, however, it's nearly impossible to get anywhere in Utah without your own car. Amtrak and Greyhound serve Salt Lake City and a few provincial towns, but practically nowhere else. However, a couple of firms offer bus tours of the national parks, and if you're feeling adventurous, southern Utah also has an unbeatable range of mountain biking, river rafting, even hot-air ballooning opportunities for your Utah holidays.
The opportunities for outdoor recreation in Utah are truly unlimited - a real paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.
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