Moon Utah

844 Pages·2017·25.1 MB·English

by  W. C. McRae

UTAH
W.C. McRAE & JUDY JEWELL

Contents
Index
List of Maps
Discover Utah
Salt Lake City
Park City and the Wasatch Range
Provo and Central Utah
Dinosaur Country
Zion and Bryce
The Escalante Region
Arches and Canyonlands
Background
Essentials
Resources
Photo Credits
Copyright
cairns mark the way snow in Bryce Canyon
DISCOVER Utah
Planning Your Trip
The Best of Utah
National Park Road Trip
ANCIENT HISTORY
FAMILY FUN
Salt Lake City Weekend
BEST RECREATION
Deep Powder Without Deep Pockets
Zion National Park.
The story goes that in 1847, when the trail-weary Mormon leader Brigham
Young surveyed the Salt Lake Valley from Emigration Canyon high in the
Wasatch Range, he declared, “This is the place.” Since the founding of Salt Lake
City and the settlement of Utah, many other people have taken a look at this
dramatic landscape and agreed: “Yes, this is the place.”
Few places on earth combine such spectacular terrain and unusual history. The
state hosts the majestic splendor of the Wasatch Range, the colorful canyon
lands of the Colorado Plateau, and the remote deserts and arid mountain ranges
of the Great Basin. This region beckoned as the “Promised Land” to members of
the struggling Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1840s—a place
where those faithful to the Book of Mormon could survive and prosper in a land
of their own. Today, this once insular state has put out the welcome mat—Utah’s
extravagant scenery and superlative recreational opportunities lure sightseers,
mountain bikers, hikers, and skiers from around the world, many of whom stay
on to make this beguiling state their home.
on to make this beguiling state their home.
signpost marking the Pony Express Route Panorama Point in Capitol Reef National Park
the Fruita area of Capitol Reef National Park
the Fruita area of Capitol Reef National Park
Utah presents some curious statistics: Although it ranks 33rd among states in
population, it is the 9th most urban state in the nation, a startling fact when you
consider how utterly vacant—though dramatically beautiful—much of the
landscape is. The unyielding deserts, craggy mountains, and imposing slickrock
formations that cover much of the state aren’t really fit for human habitation, and
the majority of citizens live in a few large cities in the sprawling Wasatch Front
metropolitan area.
About 60 percent of the people living in Utah are practicing Mormons. To
outsiders, the social homogeneity of smaller towns far from Salt Lake City, Park
City, and Moab can seem off-putting, but the strong religious and cultural bonds
that tie families and communities together in Utah are themselves noteworthy
and increasingly rare in the fast-paced modern world. The uniformity of the
population stands in stark contrast to the diversity of the landscape and the
abundance of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
From incredibly varied canyon country, remote and rugged mountain ranges, and
glistening salt flats to ancient Native American rock art and cliff dwellings,
fossilized dinosaur footprints, and old mining towns, the many fascinating sights
and experiences of Utah are waiting to be discovered.