Great Salt Lake, Provo, Ogden, Salt Lake City & Northern Utah

Utah is home to canyons and mountains, desert and abundant waterways, thriving cities. The setting for novels by Zane Gray and Edward Abbey, film characters Thelma and Louise and Butch Cassidy, Utah has harsh country for individualists and tamer areas for the meeker at heart. The Beehive State (so called because of the industriousness of its residents) is the geological crossroads of the elevated tableland known as the Colorado Plateau, the western slope of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin, the huge expanse of land cradled between the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch mountain ranges. The state boasts six national monuments, five national parks, countless wilderness areas and thousands of additional acres of public lands accessible for hiking, biking, skiing, rafting, fishing, and much more. Needless to say, these natural spaces provide one of the greatest year-round concentrations of adventurous pastimes. The preponderance of rugged, virtually primeval terrain lends itself naturally to high adventure. Furthermore, the territory has long been pre-eminent in the pantheon of spiritual places to the native peoples who were first to settle here, and whose ancient mysteries and modern presence are keenly felt today. If you want to experience the special nature of this exceptional area, and to get out and do things, this book is for you. It provides all the nuts-and-bolts information you need to plan and accomplish an informed trip, as well as specific details on a variety of adventures. Ride a horse for a day, raft through rapids the next. Climb mountains for a week and know all the best fishing spots in advance. Ski at world-class resorts or snowmobile over hundreds of miles of groomed trails. Climb through ancient Indian ruins. Steer a jeep or a mountain bike over the Wasatch Plateau. Soar above it all in a glider, a balloon, or take a scenic motorized flight. Trek through labyrinthine canyon country with a llama to carry your gear. The state's population base is clustered around a 100-mile-long swath of mountains known as the Wasatch Front. There you'll find the capitol, Salt Lake City, two university towns (Logan and Provo) that are home to high-tech industries, and the up-and-coming former railroad center, Ogden. The cities make great jumping-off places for high-country adventures. Venture beyond the Wasatch and you'll be hard-pressed to find a crowd of people anywhere. Utah is also home to some of the world's best skiing. Feather-light snow, which dries out over the vast Great Basin, frequently slams hard into the Wasatch Range. The result: feet, not mere inches of white stuff, cover the mountains. The majority of resorts are clumped within an hour's drive of Salt Lake City. This guide covers it all, focussing on Northern Utah (see our Southern Utah guide for the other half!). Plus the best places to stay and eat are detailed, as well as the touring information you need, plus the adventure - on foot, on wheels, on snow, on horseback, in the air... everything you need to make your trip unforgettable.