Getting Oriented

Southwestern Utah is remarkable in the range of activities and terrain it has to offer. On one summer day you can explore an arid desert canyon at Snow Canyon State Park, the next you can camp in a high-alpine aspen grove in Dixie National Forest and bundle up for warmth. In winter you can sample mountain biking (at Gooseberry Mesa near Hurricane) and skiing (at Brian Head Resort) on the same trip.

Utah's Dixie. Many of southwestern Utah's Mormon settlers hailed from the American South and brought the name Dixie with them. St. George, the main population center in this area, is often the hottest place in the state.

Along U.S. 89—Utah's Heritage Highway. U.S. 89 is known as the Heritage Highway for its role in shaping Utah history. Many of the towns along this road provide quiet, uncrowded, and inexpensive places to stay near Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks.

Grand Staircase—Escalante National Monument. The three distinct sections of this 1.7 million acre region—the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante—offer waterfalls, Native American ruins and petroglyphs, and slot canyons, and improbable colors abound.