Sights in Utah
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Dinosaur National Monument
In the meantime, the monument is still accessible, with a scaled-back, temporary visitor center. You can drive, hike, backpack and raft through the dramatic and starkly eroded canyons. Budding scientists can walk through seven different periods of geologic history, and see a few bones on the Fossil Discovery Hike. The monument straddles the Utah-Colorado state line. The Utah portion of the park is about 15 miles east of Vernal via Hwys 40 and 149.
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Antelope Island State Park
White-sand beaches, birds and buffalo are what attract people to the pretty, 15-mile-long Antelope Island State Park. That’s right, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake is home to a 600-strong herd of American bison, or buffalo. The November roundup, for veterinary examination, is a thrilling wildlife spectacle. And then there are the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that descend on the park to feast on tiny brine shrimp along the Great Salt Lake’s shore en route to distant lands during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. The island is a year-round home to burrowing owls and raptors as well as namesake antelope, bighorn sheep…
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The Narrows
If there's one hike that's made Zion famous, it's this 26km/16mi waltz down the Virgin River, through the thousand-foot sheer gorge known as the Narrows. Overnight camping promises the best experience, though you can hike from the top in one very strenuous, long day. (You can also day hike the Narrows from the bottom, the only approach that doesn't require a permit.) This is the easiest and busiest of the backcountry hikes, and is unforgettable.
Plan on getting wet: about 50% of the hike is in the river. The trip takes 12 hours; split it into two days, spending the night at one of the designated campsites. This hike is possible between June and October, and may close…
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Bryce Amphitheater
Bryce 'Canyon' is actually a horseshoe-shaped amphitheater eroded from the cliffs, where hoodoos stand like platoons of soldiers or melting sandcastles, all painted endless shades of coral and magenta, ochre and white, and set against a deep-green pine forest. A shaft of sunlight suddenly breaking through clouds can transform the scene from grand to breathtaking. For the best views, head to Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration or Bryce Points.
You can walk the rim above Bryce Amphitheater for awesome views, but the best way to experience the canyons and weirdly eroding hoodoos is to hike below the rim. Descents and ascents can be long and sometimes steep, and the altitude makes…
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Starvation State Park
No one is quite sure who did the stealing, but either trappers in the area stashed some winter stores in the mountains, or Native Americans did, and then the other group took the food. Advance planners starved when they found no tasty treats buried under the snow, or so the story goes. In all likelihood bears were to blame for the theft and the name of Starvation State Park. Subsequent homesteaders tried to make a go of it here on the Strawberry River, but with a short growing season and frozen ground they had no better luck fending off hunger. Today the park contains a 3500-acre reservoir as well as plenty of picnickers. The 60-site campground (campsites $16; open June…
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A
University of Utah
The university contains two interesting museums and an arboretum. The fine Utah Museum of Natural History features gems and stones, dinosaur bones, a butterfly collection and more. The new, architecturally-intriguing Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a broad permanent collection and hosts changing exhibits in the Great Hall.
For a dose of fresh air, the Arboretum spreads beyond campus to the Red Butte Garden which is full of walking trails, water features, plant collections and outdoor sculpture.
Self-guided trail brochures are available from the Museum of Natural History. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the campus was the Olympic Village, while the Rice-Eccles Stadium held…
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Goblin Valley State Park
A Salvador Dali-esque melted-rock fantasy, a valley of giant stone mushrooms, an otherworldly alien landscape or the results of an acid trip the creator went on? No matter what you think the stadium-like valley of stunted hoodoos resembles, one thing’s for sure – the 3654-acre Goblin Valley State Park is just plain fun. A few trails lead down from the overlooks to the valley floor, but after that there’s no path to follow. You can climb down, around and even over the evocative ‘goblins’ (2ft- to 20ft-tall formations). Kids and photographers especially love it.
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Hole 'n the Rock
An unabashed tourist trap 12 miles south of Moab, Hole ’n the Rock is a 5000-sq-ft home-cum-cave carved into sandstone and decorated in knockout 1950s kitsch. What weren’t owners Albert and Gladys Christensen into? He was a barber, a painter, an amateur engineer and a taxidermist. She was a cook (the cave once housed a restaurant) and lapidary jeweler who lived in the blasted-out home until 1974. The hodgepodge of metal art, old signs, small petting zoo and stores make it worth the stop, but you have to tour the surprisingly light home to believe it.
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Bingham Canyon Copper Mine
Fourteen miles south of downtown Salt Lake City, you’ll find what’s reputedly the only construction on earth beside the Great Wall of China that’s visible from outer space. Six billion tons of rock have been removed from Bingham Canyon Copper Mine since 1906. It’s an environmental disaster – and whaddaya know, also a tourist attraction. The visitor center (open 8am to dusk April to October) includes a museum, film presentation and overlook. Take I-15 south to exit 301, then Hwy 48 west.
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Thanksgiving Point
Fifty-five acres of gardens, a petting farm, a golf course, a giant movie theater, dining and shopping: what doesn’t the Thanksgiving Point infotainment complex have? The on-site Museum of Ancient Life (adult/child $10/8) is the highest-tech and kid-friendliest dinosaur museum in the state. Little ones can dig for their own bones, dress up a dinosaur, play in a watery Silurian reef… Interactive exhibits teach about fossils found all over the world. Take exit 287 off I-15; Lehi is 28 miles south of downtown SLC.
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Golden Spike National Historic Site
On May 10, 1869, the westward Union Pacific Railroad and eastward Central Pacific Railroad met at Promontory Summit. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the face of the American West changed forever. Golden Spike National Historic Site, 32 miles northwest of Brigham City on Hwy 83, has an interesting museum and films, auto tours and several interpretive trails. Steam engine demonstrations take place June through August. Aside from Golden Spike National Historic Site, few people visit Utah’s desolate northwest corner.
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Bryce Canyon National Park
The Grand Staircase – a series of steplike uplifted rock layers stretching north from the Grand Canyon – dramatically culminates in the Pink Cliffs formation at Bryce Canyon National Park. These cliffs were deposited as sediment in a huge prehistoric lake some 50 to 60 million years ago, slowly lifted above sea level, then eroded into wondrous ranks of pinnacles and points, steeples and spires, cliffs and crevices, and oddly-shaped hoodoos.
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Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine
The view into this century-old mine is slightly unreal, with massive haulage trucks (some more than 12ft tall) looking no larger than toys as they wind up and down the world's largest factitious excavation. The 2.5-mile-wide and 0.75-mile-deep gash, which is still growing, is in the Oquirrh Mountains west of SLC. The pit is visible and there's a picture from Apollo 11 inside the museum to prove it.from space, Overall, it's a fascinating stop.
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Rim Road Scenic Drive
The lookout views along along the park's 18-mile-long main road are amazing; navigate using the park brochure you receive at the entrance. Bryce Amphitheater – where hoodoos stand like melting sandcastles in shades of coral, magenta, ocher and white, set against a deep-green pine forest – stretches from Sunrise Point to Bryce Point. For full effect, be sure to walk all the way out to the end of any of the viewpoints; a shaft of sunlight suddenly breaking through clouds as you watch can transform the scene from grand to breathtaking.
Note that the scenic overlooks lie on the road's east side. You can avoid left turns on the very busy road by driving all the way south to…
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This is the Place Heritage Park
Dedicated to the 1847 arrival of the Mormons, the heritage park covers 450 acres. The centerpiece is a living-history village where, June through August, costumed docents depict mid-19th-century life. Admission includes a tourist-train ride and activities. The rest of the year, access is limited to varying degrees at varyingly reduced prices; you'll at least be able to wander around the exterior of the 41 buildings. Some are replicas, some are originals, such as Brigham Young's farmhouse.
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Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
Zion's three main roads - Kolob Canyons Rd to the northwest, Kolob Terrace Rd in the middle, and Hwy 9 to the south - pass through fabulous scenery. But the most spectacular is the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which pierces the heart of Zion Canyon. This is most visitors' primary destination; if you've time for only one activity, tour this road (only possible by park-operated shuttle from April to October; cars permitted November to March).
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Western Mining & Railroad Museum
The Wild Bunch’s only heist in Utah took place in April 1897, when the gang (which included Butch Cassidy) stole more than $8000 from Pleasant Valley Coal Company in Castle Gate, 4 miles north of Helper on Hwy 191. The little Western Mining & Railroad Museum, 8 miles north of Price, has exhibits on the outlaws, including photos, in the basement. For more, check out The Outlaw Trail, by Charles Kelly.
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Dead Horse Point State Park
A tiny but stunning state park, Dead Horse Point has been the setting for numerous movies, including the opening scene from Mission Impossible II and the finale of Thelma & Louise. Located just off Hwy 313 (the road to Canyonlands), the park has canyons rimmed with white cliffs and walloping, mesmerizing views of the Colorado River, Canyonlands National Park and the distant La Sal Mountains.
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Red Canyon
Deep ocher-red monoliths rise up roadside as you drive along Hwy 12, 10 miles west of the Bryce Canyon turnoff. The aptly named Red Canyon provides an easy look at eerie formations. A network of trails leads hikers, bikers and horseback riders deeper into the area. Legend has it that outlaw Butch Cassidy once rode here; a tough 8.9-mile hiking route, Cassidy Trail, bears his name.
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Tabernacle
The domed, 1867 auditorium – with a massive 11,000-pipe organ – has incredible acoustics. A pin dropped in the front can be heard in the back, almost 200ft away. Free daily organ recitals are held at noon Monday through Saturday, and at 2pm Sunday.
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Zion Human History Museum
A half-mile from the park’s southern entrance station, the Zion Human History Museum presents the geological and human history of Zion and its birth as a park. A good introductory video is shown every half hour. The paved Pa’rus Trail parallels the road for 2 miles from South Campground to the main canyon junction, passing the museum on the way.
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D
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
East of the Brigham Young Monument is the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which was, until 1987, the elegant Hotel Utah. Inside, there's a large-screen theater with eight daily screenings of the 65-minute Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, about Mormon beliefs.
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Utah State Capitol
The 1916 Utah State Capitol, modeled after the US capitol, cost an amazing $2.7 million to build back in the day. After six years, and 500 cherry trees, a full renovation of the building and grounds was completed in 2007. Look for colorful Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals of pioneers, trappers and missionaries adorning part of the building's dome. Free hourly tours (from 9am to 4pm) start at the 1st-floor visitor center.
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Arches National Park
One of the Southwest's most gorgeous parks, Arches boasts the world's greatest concentration of sandstone arches. Just 5 miles north of Moab on Hwy 191, the park is always packed in summer. Consider a moonlight exploration, when it's cooler and the rocks feel ghostly. Many arches are easily reached by paved roads and relatively short hiking trails.
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Maynard Dixon Home & Studio
In Mt Carmel, the Architectural Digest –noted Maynard Dixon Home & Studio is where renowned Western painter Maynard Dixon (1875–1946) lived and worked in the 1930s and ’40s. Docent-led tours are by appointment only. Look for the house at Mile 84 on Hwy 89, about 6 miles south of Glendale; it’s easy to miss.
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