For many U students, Salt Lake City and northern Utah are all they will ever experience during their short academic careers. Many, if not most, will move on to find jobs or continue their education in other locations around the nation. Salt Lake is a vibrant city filled with rich heritage and busy social opportunities alike. It provides its residents a great location where they can experience the unique geography and weather for which the state is so famous. Box canyons, spring cherry blossoms, hiking and skiing are just a few popular attractions here in the north. But to really experience Utah, one must head south and explore the Utah desert.
Southern Utah is where the state truly gets its greatness and world-wide reputation. It is home to five national parks which draw large global crowds every year and keep the native residents busy with as many outdoor activities as they can handle. While students at the U may have heard of these parks, many have not actually gone to see them, which is truly a waste of an opportunity for a life-changing experience. But for those students who have visited the parks and want a little more from Utah, there are a few other locations not as well advertised but still worth the sore legs and mild-to- severe dehydration that accompany them.
The city of St. George sits right in the southwesternmost corner of the state and might appear to some as the location where NASA may have faked the moon landing. The hiking trails just north of the city offer a breathtaking view of the mesas and canyons that can’t be seen from I-15. The wildlife along the trail is abundant and unpredictable, with animal encounters ranging from grey foxes to deer and occasionally even a desert tortoise. There is also access to Snow Canyon State Park, a location popular among residents and tourists alike for its breathtaking views and other activities, such as bike races. There are more than enough hiking trails for several full days’ worth of hiking.
The Parowan Gap, located west of Parowan and just north of Cedar City, is home to petroglyphs — prehistoric rock carvings — left there by several different native peoples centuries ago. These are glyphs chiseled into the rock depicting a variety of different things, such as time and record keeping. Although this is a small destination, it is nonetheless worth the drive, as visiting this location is like stepping back in time and experiencing a Utah that existed long before Brigham Young first came upon the territory.
Sand Hollow State Park is probably better known to residents than visitors, but it is definitely a location for those who like to swim or boat. The reservoir is located west of I-15 and north of St. George, and offers thrill seekers an opportunity for some excellent cliff diving. Although the cliffs aren’t hundreds of feet high, they are still high enough to persuade a few people to change their minds — or at least have second thoughts — and are a great opportunity for those who like to free fall into a cool, deep lake on the many 100+ degree days that the area sees every year.
Even in this very short list of native southern Utah attractions, it is easy to see how the state’s southern half has much more to offer than the National Parks which have already made it famous. Don’t miss the opportunity to go see it in person because it really is like no place on earth.