It seems people either love it or hate it. Winter isn’t for everyone and I’ll admit there is a limit I can take myself. But I live where there are four very distinct seasons and winter is no exception. This winter in Utah has been one for the books.
I’ve mentioned several times before how Utah is home to such diverse landscapes. You can be in high alpine forest one hour and a vast red-rock desert the next. In south-central Utah are two places I think are quite unique, Goblin Valley and Cathedral Valley.
The short-lived weeks of autumn glory are some of my favorite of the year. Spending some time in Canada this fall took me away from my home state of Utah which was putting on a pretty great show of color this year. With so much territory I wanted to cover and so little time to do it, I focused my efforts on some of the Wasatch’s best places for foliage. I was not disappointed.
We are arguably well into fall by now so I can wrap up the summer recap with some more photos of places I escaped from the heat. If you haven’t yet, you should check out my previous blog entry which highlighted the wildflowers and wildlife I encountered this summer.
The summer flew by and is essentially at an end. So I’ve had the last week or so to gather some photos I’ve taken over the last few months I’ve spent hiking and camping in my backyard, the mountains of Utah. In this post, I’ll highlight the wildflowers and wildlife I’ve encountered.
Depending where you are in the state, or I guess what elevation you are at, spring starts in varying stages. For example, it won’t be until late May when spring shows its face in the upper Cottonwood Canyons. Snow shoeing or skiing can still be enjoyed well past the time the ski resorts close down for the winter season. l But just down the road at the base of the canyon, flowers are blooming and people are hiking around in shorts.
Well as the snow in our mountains begins to melt off, the valleys begin transitioning to Spring and Summer right behind.
When you live within four hours of five national parks in southern Utah, its hard not to take any opportunity you can to visit, even if it is a quick one. Recently I woke up super early to drive down to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks near Moab to spend the day.
Thousands of people drive past it every day. Most don’t give much thought to stopping to see it though. And admittedly, the barren landscape of the west desert between the western side of the Great Salt Lake and the Great Basin never really appealed to me growing up. But as with many places I previously considered “boring”, I am discovering places like the Bonneville Salt Flats are actually quite fascinating and beautiful in its own unique way.
By now we are half way through our winter season in Salt Lake and it has been passing rather quickly it seems. While many, or dare I say most people can’t wait to get the cold season over with, I find choosing to get the most out of it the best approach. Luckily Utah is a pretty great place to be able to have fun in winter.