Utah Tourist Attractions
Vacation Ideas

Lake Powell’s 2,000 miles of shoreline winds its way south through Utah and sneaks across the border into Arizona.

In the south, along the border with Arizona, the best places to access the lake is at the Wahweap Marina and the Antelope Marina near the town of Page. In the north, the most popular is the Bullfrog Marina which is near the midpoint of the lake’s length.

Lake Powell is located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area where you can mountain bike, hike, take a scenic drive. Lake Powell is one Utah’s best vacation ideas.

Skiing is one of the top Utah tourist attractions. One of my co-workers and I had heard about a local mountain a few hours north of Park City. Word was that it was a locals place, un-crowded and had amazing snow. Being avid skiers we were intrigued by the unknown and untouched stashes of Utah Pow Pow. So we Googled some directions and headed up.

We stayed at a local bed and breakfast as there is no big sprawling base area full of hotels. The B&B was great; clean, cozy, close to the mountain and with friendly on site owners. All the cabins are themed and we stayed in the 'Orca room', which was a little cheesy but we thought it was hilarious at the time. The price was also great at about 100 bucks a night.

The next day we went to Powder Mountain and found out what the secret was all about. The place touts itself as having the most skiable acres in the US, and at 7000 I am inclined to believe them. Powder has a small services building at the bottom, middle and top of mountain, and a free shuttle that you can catch at the base and will bring you back up to the top station.

They also have a number of lifts as well. They have, for an extra fee, backcountry cat skiing. However I will say that the inbounds powder skiing left little to be desired. Having worked at some of the best ski resorts in the world I can say that the skiing and terrain is on par with any of them, and the lift ticket was easily half the price!

We had lunch on the mountain, which wasn't a gourmet noodle bowl but was a tasty burger instead and also about half the price we would have paid at one of the brand name resorts. At the end of the day we popped into a local restaurant for some dinner and a few beers. It was nothing fancy but it was a great end to a great ski day. I would recommend this great little spot for people who love snow sports and are not looking for all the bruhaha.

We had a great time, some great runs paid about half the price that we would have at a major resort to do so and it was less than half as crowded. Make sure not to put this one off though as the rumors at that time was that some people were looking at 'developing' the resort and surrounding areas!!!!!

Here we were treated to beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and were greeted every morning by the cries of peregrine falcons chasing each other down the river. We spent our days hiking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and exploring local trails.

In the evenings, we either cooked and ate at our site or used the showers at another campground to clean up and enjoyed one of several good restaurants in Moab. It's a great, laid back little town surrounded by beautiful red rocks. Our vacation was filled with the grandeur of nature and was one of the most relaxing of my life. When it comes to Utah tourist attractions, for me it's camping.

Not much further along was Arches National Park. The hikes we took were spectacular, with a sense of being so far removed from the bustling world. The best, though, took a bit more effort. We signed up and got, after taking a required class, a permit to hike in one particular part of the park, called Fiery Furnace.

It was the first time in years I had felt so removed from any signs of civilization, no cars, no people, just nature. The scenery was impressive, the weather was perfect, and I cannot imagine a more refreshing, rejuvenating experience. I highly recommend Arches NP - and hiking in Fiery Furnace.

Note: A ranger-guided hike is available at Fiery Furnace, also, and would be a good idea for anyone hesitant about trekking into an area where getting lost is a real possibility.

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