Page Updated: May 03, 2023
Southwest Utah
I’m not really sure what we expected when we planned our visit to Utah; neither of us had ever been. But, it’s a beautiful state! The sky – a deeper shade of blue. The rock – a striking shade of orange. The green –a rarity that’s appreciated when it pops up. And when it does, you know there’s a river around.
Our rental - a condo in the small ski resort of Brian Head - was comfortable and quiet. Off-season meant fewer crowds, which we appreciated; but it also meant shorter business hours for the few of restaurants and necessity grocers serving the area. A factor we hadn’t considered when booking places in “off-season.”
Other factors we hadn’t considered were elevation and snow. Brain Head sits at 9000+’ and still had a bit of snow still lingering in the surrounding area. Consequently, many of the hiking trails we wanted to explore were closed.
Three weeks in the Brian Head area proved an excellent spot to explore a bit of Utah start ticking off Utah’s Mighty 5. Exploring led us through a number of tiny towns and learning to rappell, and Zion led our Mighty 5 adventure - followed by Bryce Canyon. It’s interesting to see how each national park had its own personality.
THE LOCAL GRUB
Sopa de Pollo /
Arroz Chaufa
Viva Chicken; a quick Peruvian restaurant in St. George. Their niche is rotisserie *chicken marinated in Peruvian spices in hand crafted ovens shipped from Peru. Fried plantains for dessert didn’t survive long enough for photos.
Hot Pastrami Reuben
The Zion Brewery and Brew Pub in Springdale served us well on our visit to Zion N’tl Park. There were several things on the menu to try and we stopped here twice. Reubens seem to be a big deal in the west. Being a fan of them in general, I paired the Hot Pastrami Reuben with a Conviction Stout and gave it a whirl.
Excellent stop for those hungry after a hike around Orderville. Hamburgers, Cheesesteaks, Cheesesteak Fries, Chicken Finger Sandwiches, etc.
Archies Food to Die For can hook you up. Two thumbs up.
Philly Cheesesteak
scenes from the leg!
THE FUN STUFF
05/15/2021
Surprise! Horseshoe Bend has long been on our list of places to see, but we didn’t know we would be driving right by it on the way out of Arizona!
Horseshoe Bend
05/20/2021
The geological amphitheater of Cedar Breaks National Monument sits at around 10,000’ above sea level, is 1/2 a mile deep, and is gorgeous to behold!
Cedar Breaks National Monument
05/22/2021
The first of the Mighty 5 for us to explore, Zion National Park is Utah’s most visited Park and a slice of heaven for a nature lover. Zion exceeds 145,000 acres and there are loads of hiking trails to check out!
Zion National Park
05/23/2021
Angels Landing Trail
Angel’s Landing Trail is an extremely popular hike in Zion National Park.
And difficult!
05/29/2021
Rappelling Orderville - East Zion
Our first attempt at rappelling - and doing so in our first slot canyon - was a blast!
05/30/2021
The sands of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park are anything but pink to me. I’d call it orange… or maybe rust. But, I guess Rusty Sand Dunes State Park doesn’t sound that appealing!
Coral Pink Sand Dunes
05/31/2021
Of all the Mighty 5, Bryce Canyon National Park is the one we were excited to see the most. Teeny by comparison - just shy of 34,000 acres, it still packs a punch.
Bryce Canyon National Park
06/01/2022
Wall Street - Peekaboo - Queens Garden Figure 8 loop
Fantastic! One of our favorites in all of the US. Started at dawn hiking counterclockwise. Would absolutely hike this one again.