Northern
Utah features two impressive mountain
ranges, the Wasatch and Uintas. The
Wasatch
Mountains offer Utah's best snow
skiing, and good hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Along the western
edge of the range -- called the Wasatch Front -- reside over 80% of Utah's
total population and most of its major cities, including
Salt
Lake City. With a metro-area population
of over 1,000,000, Salt Lake is a good-sized, clean, modern city boasting
a fine night life, cultural activities and the Mormon's magnificent Temple
Square.
The rugged
Uintas
are Utah's tallest mountain range. Most of the range is a protected wilderness
area offering good backcountry hiking and camping. Just east of the range
are two noteworthy scenic national monuments,
Flaming
Gorge and
Dinosaur.
Central
Utah is not much visited, but offers
some good scenery. It encompasses very rugged and remote areas of the
Colorado Plateau and some pretty mountain regions. Of special note is
the
San
Rafael Swell, a wild and inhospitable
area on the Colorado Plateau, and the
Wasatch Plateau , an expansive area of rolling hills, alpine meadows and mountain lakes. You should also consider the
Tushar
Mountains just east of the town
of Beaver.
Southeast
Utah is an area of tremendous red
rock canyons and magnificent rock formations in the heart of the Colorado
Plateau. Its starkly beautiful desert landscape offers some of the best
scenery in the country. It contains magnificent
Arches
and
Canyonlands
national parks and the desert recreation mecca of
Moab.
You'll find excellent opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, 4wd adventuring
and whitewater rafting.
Southwest
Utah contains some of the prettiest
land in the state as the desert red rock landscape of the Colorado Plateau
steps up to the lofty alpine forests of the
Markagunt
Plateau and other ranges. Famous
Zion
National Park with its towering
canyon walls and
Bryce
Canyon with its wonderful eroded
rock forms are located here, as well as
Lake
Powell, a blue jewel in the red
rock desert.
