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Utah Travel Headlines

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tickets Available for Miller Motorsports Park Events

The Miller Motorsports Park will host several high profile races during 2008. People interested in attending are encouraged to purchase tickets early, before the events sell out.

The Miller Park is located in Tooele, just west of Salt Lake City. It is rated as one of the best motorsports tracks in the world.

Roadracingworld.com has this article about upcoming events at the raceway. Excerpts are given below.

Fans will be able to purchase multi-day tickets for the four major 2008 events – the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix Presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels, featuring the American Le Mans Series, May 16-18; the HANNSPREE FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP®, along with the Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike Championship, May 29 – June 1; the NASCAR Camping World Series (formerly Grand National West), August 1-2; and the Sunchaser 1000, featuring the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, September 19-21. Single-day tickets for these four major events will be available within the next month.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call (435) 277-RACE (7223) or visit millermotorsportspark.com.

Read the entire article.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Moab Eastern Jeep Safari

The annual Easter Jeep Safari will be held March 15-23 in the Moab area. This is a major event that brings thousands of people to the desert community.

Off-road enthusiasts converge to ride designated trails in the Moab area, including some of the best jeep trails in the world. Advanced registration is required to participate in official rides.

The event brings a festive atmosphere to the community. Many people enjoy being there just to watch vehicles challenge trails and to enjoy the music, food and other activities.

People traveling in the Moab area during that time period need to be aware the town will be crowded - hotels and campgrounds will be full and nearby attractions will see increased visitation.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Seasonal Snowfall Tops 500 Inches at Alta

Utah ski resorts picked up more new powder over the weekend, as snowfall totals just keep getting higher and higher.

FirstTracksOnline.com has this interesting new article about the snowpack, under this headline: Snow-filled Winter Continues at Utah Ski and Snowboard Resorts

Here's an excerpt:

For only the fourth time in 28 years, Alta Ski Area, high above Salt Lake City in Little Cottonwood Canyon, has reached its season average of 500 inches of snowfall already in the month of February. It has been fifteen years since this milestone was reached this early in the month. Fifteen inches of new snow from a statewide snowstorm Sunday into Monday brought Alta's base depth to 150 inches and season-to-date snowfall to 508 inches.

Read the entire article.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

See Thousands Of Snow Geese, Hundreds Of Tundra Swans

Wildlife viewing festivals during the next few weeks will give people the chance to see Tundra Swans, Snow Geese and other species. The events are free. The information below was provided by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Those who have watched snow geese fly in and out of Gunnison Bend Reservoir call it one of the greatest spectacles of nature. You can see that spectacle Feb. 29, and March 1 and 2, at the Eleventh Annual Snow Goose Festival. The festival will be held at and near the reservoir, just west of Delta. Admission is free.

Seeing and hearing just one tundra swan is enough to make your heart jump. Imagine seeing and hearing hundreds of them. You can at Tundra Swan Day, which is set for March 8. Viewing will take place at three sites—the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area west of Farmington, the Salt Creek WMA west of Corinne and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge west of Brigham City.

Read more about the Snow Goose Festival.

More about Tundra Swan Day

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Weak Dollar Makes Utah A Travel Bargain

Utah national parks and ski resorts are attracting a record number of foreign visitors, thanks in part to the weak dollar. The Salt Lake Tribune has this new article on the phenomenon. Here are excerpts:

"We think it's the neatest thing in the world down here," said Lance Syrett, general manager of Ruby's Inn at southern Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park.

"You quote a price to an American and they bellyache," he noted. "You give the same price to a German, and they just smile."

The weak dollar provides a double-jackpot of sorts. More Americans are confining their vacations to within U.S. borders because foreign travel - especially to the U.K. and Europe - has gotten much more expensive.

"The people who would normally consider skiing the Alps are taking advantage of the weak dollar and our incredible snow year," he (Michael Berry) said. "The Brits, especially, prefer the experience in the United States because there is no language barrier, and by some estimates - given the strength of the [British] pound - the beer is practically free."

Foreign tourists now represent one-third to one-half of southern Utah visitors.
And those numbers are going nowhere but up, said Marian DeLay, the executive director of the Moab Travel Council.

"Our bookings are extremely good," she said. "It's been like this for a while, and it will be like this for a while longer."

Read the complete article.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Accolades For Family Ski Services at Park City Area Resorts

This new article on cnn.com says great things to say about family ski services at Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons and Deer Valley Resort. Here are excerpts:

The Canyons Resort, one of the largest ski resorts in the country, heard families lament the cost of ski vacations, so they now offer two free lift tickets and breakfasts with many room packages -- a value of more than $200 a night.When families told Park City Mountain Resort they didn't like leaving their little skiers and snowboarders in big ski school classes (how could the instructors teach the kids anything if they were constantly counting heads?), the Utah resort initiated a Signature Five Program, which guarantees no more than five kids in a class (the 3-1/2-year-old to 5 crowd has one instructor for every three kids).

The Canyons Resort, one of the largest ski resorts in the country, heard families lament the cost of ski vacations, so they now offer two free lift tickets and breakfasts with many room packages -- a value of more than $200 a night.

Let's not forget Park City's other resort, Deer Valley... Multi-generational families -- and there are a lot of them here -- like that there's an "easy" way down from the top of every lift so families can conquer the mountain at their own pace and still spend time together.

But perhaps the biggest plus to choosing Park City: There's as much to do off the slopes as on -- for every age group -- and I'm not just talking about restaurants, though there are 100 of those, including Zoom, owned by Robert Redford, Deer Valley's stellar Seafood Buffet and family favorite The Grub Steak with plenty of kid-sized portions of steak and ribs. And don't forget the shopping -- Park City has more than 300 stores.

Read the entire article.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Bryce Canyon Winter Festival

The annual Bryce Canyon Winter Festival will run Feb 16-18 at Ruby's Inn, at the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.

The festival features cross country ski races, an archery clinic, archery biathlon competition, free snowshoe tours, free clinics in photography and snow sculpture. There will be kids' events, entertainment, food, music and more.

There is plenty of snow at Bryce and so this year's festival should be one of the best ever. For more info call 435-834-5341 or 866-866-6616, or visit this website: www.rubysinn.com/winter.html#festival

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Slow Start Gives Way to Epic Ski Season

The snow just keeps piling up at Utah's ski resorts. And the skiers keep coming. This year may go down as one of the best every for spring skiing, and the season as a whole could set yet another record for skier days.

The Deseret Morning News has this new article describing the current season. Below are excerpts.

• Some Utah resorts are 140 percent of average for their year-to-date snowfall.
• Park City has had 44 powder days thus far this season.
• Powder Mountain had eight days where it received more than 10 inches of new snow in January.
• Alta received 179 inches of snow in January, which tied an all-time record originally set in 1996. Long-term average for January is 92.22 inches.
• Solitude averaged seven inches of new snow a day in December.
• Alta had a total of 404 inches in all of 2006-07. It hit 404 inches for this season back on Feb. 1. Its current total is 467 inches. Snowbird had 365 inches in 2006-07. It hit 367 inches on Feb. 4. The long-term average for the season for both resorts is 500 inches.

March and April are typically among the snowiest months, which will ensure Utah resorts remain snow covered.

Read the entire article.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Zion Mountain Resort Is Perfect For Spring Break

Hotelchatter.com has this new article describing why Zion Mountain Resort makes the perfect destination for a family vacation over spring break. Here's an excerpt:

The location looks stunning -- right on the brink of one of America's greatest National Parks, and with its own heard of roaming buffalo. You can travel to 3 other national parks within a day. The cabins look really cozy, and the decor makes me think of a cross between a Manhattan boutique and a real wild-West ranch. I've read they also have huge, super-soft beds and amazing showers (which sounds weird, in a good way).

Zion Mountain Resort is located on the east edge of Zion National Park, in southwestern Utah.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Contest Would Combine Skiing, Snowboarding

(Editor's note: This is a news release from skiutah.com)

'Skiing and snowboarding?'
There’s got to be a better word.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Is there one word out there that describes both skiing and snowboarding? Because, we’ll be honest with you, the industry is lazy and they’re looking for an alternative to the three-word, 21-letter standard.

In an effort to coin this new term, Ski Utah and Winter at Westminster have teamed with The Addictionary (addictionary.org), an online dictionary of made up werds, for the 2008 Ski/Snowboard Lingo Contest.

There are two goals and two chances to win. The goals? To add to the general glossary of skier and snowboarder lingo and name the best new werd for 2008; and to come up with that one werd – the mighty catch-all, the great equalizer, the big peacemaker – that describes both skiing and snowboarding in one fell swoop. There will be one winner in each category.

The Ski/Snowboard Lingo contest runs from February 4 – March 4, 2008. The winners will be chosen by a panel of celebrity judges.

What: The Ski/Snowboard Lingo Contest
When: February 4 – March 4, 2008
Prize for the best new werd for “skiing and snowboarding”
A Spring Ski Trip to Utah for two in April '08 sponsored by Ski Utah and participating Utah resorts

Prize for the best new general ski/snowboard werd: Two day passes at The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah and 10 T-shirts featuring their winning word

Celebrity Judges: Annie Fast, Executive Editor, Transworld Snowboarding magazine
Derek Taylor, Editor of Powder magazine
Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah President
Kendall Card, “powstash”
Kristin Ulmer, professional skier
Julian Carr, professional skier

"For years people have had to classify 'skiing and snowboarding' as two separate words," said Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah president, "We hope this contest might help us find one single word which describes both of these great downhill snow sliding sports."

For more information or to enter the contest, visit addictionary.org/Browse/ContestWords/19.

The Addictionary
The Addictionary was created by a bunch of skiers and snowboarders in Park City, Utah, who aren’t as much into slang as they are genuine wordplay – not words, but werds. They built The Addictionary on a whim and continue their labor of love, providing lifestyle and niche versions to those who have their own lingo and want to share it: moms (moms.addictionary.org), pet owners (pet.addictionary.org), gamers (gamer.addictionary.org), politics (political.addictionary.org) and more. What’s your werd?

Ski Utah
Ski Utah is the marketing firm owned and operated by the 13 statewide ski resorts that make up the Utah Ski and Snowboard Association. The organization has been creating brand awareness of and demand for the Utah wintersports product since its inception in 1978.

Winter at Westminster
There is no other college semester-away program in the world like Winter at Westminster—a winter program with the perfect balance between the rigors of college and the passion for skiing and snowboarding. College students from all over the country enroll at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah as full-time visiting students. They earn 12–16 transferable credits while riding 70+ days at seven world-class resorts located within 30 minutes of campus. Winter at Westminster allows students to arrange the ultimate class schedule, balancing mid-week skiing and snowboarding with earning transferable credits that will keep them on track for graduation from their home colleges or universities. For more information, visit winteratwestminster.com.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Hiking is Great in Sunny Snow Canyon




I escaped to southern Utah for the weekend and enjoyed great hiking in Snow Canyon. With kids in tow, we hiked easy trails and loved the sun-drenched scenery. We were perfectly comfortable wearing short-sleeved shirts - not bad for a winter day in February.

The name "Snow Canyon" is a bit of a misnomer. The area is located near St George and seldom gets any snow. Mid-afternoon temperatures pushed into the high 50s - very nice for hiking the open trails in this state park. It was a very enjoyable reprieve from the ice and snow found around my home in northern Utah.

Spring comes early to the St George area. The latest weather forecast calls for mild days to continue - apricot and almond trees will probably be in full bloom within a week or two.

Snow Canyon State Park offers a number of trails and most can be hiked year-round. The mild days in spring and fall area ideal times to explore this canyon. Warm periods during winter are also nice, as are the early morning hours during summer. Summer afternoons can be unmercifully hot.

The next few months will bring great opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding and other outdoor sports in the entire St George area, including the lower reaches of Zion National Park.

Golf, or course, is a big deal in St George year-round. They play during the summer, and during the winter, but spring and fall are the best times to hit the links. If you are looking for perfect conditions, get down there in late March

It was so nice, I thought hard about moving there. Northern Utah is also experiencing a spell of mild weather - the snow is melting from my front lawn - but it will be back, northern Utah will yet get a couple more cold winter storms.

But in St George, the enchanting almond blossom perfume and the red rock hiking trails are hard to resist. I'll be back during the next few weeks, and I may yet decide to stay.

- Dave Webb

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Utah's Backcountry Awareness Week

Utah’s avalanche education and awareness program continues this weekend with snow safety clinics, on-snow demonstrations, avalanche transceiver drills and an fund-raiser featuring New York Times bestselling author David Oliver Relin.

Events are being held at Snowbird.

At the fundraiser, David Oliver Relin, author of the runaway New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea, will talk about his experiences writing and reporting the book, show slides from his travels to the Karakoram Himalaya and discuss the work of Greg Mortenson with the Central Asia Institute and the current crisis in Pakistan.

Relin's presentation, the dinner and silent auction will be Friday evening.

A Snow Safety Clinic will be held Saturday, 9-11 am.

The Advanced Beacon Course will be Saturday, 1-3 pm.

A Hasty Search Clinic will be Sunday, 9-11 am.

See the Snowbird website for details.

Here's an article about Utah's backcountry safety efforts.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Smithsonian Features Arches National Park

Smithsonian Magazine features Arches National Park as one of its Points of Interest - a monthly guide to notable American destinations and happenings.

The sandstone spires, balanced rocks, slot canyons and huge arches seem to call out to be explored. Or photographed. With its dramatic red rocks and perpetually blue skies, Arches National Park is about as photogenic as a place can be.

Winter is a great time to visit: temperatures drop below freezing most nights but warm up to an acceptable exploring temperature of 45 degrees or so during the day...

Read the entire article.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Learn and Play at Recreation Expos

Three big consumer expos will be held in the Salt Lake City area during the next few weeks, giving participants a chance to see and buy new products and learn new outdoor skills.

Western Hunting and Conservation Expo runs February 6-9 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Featuring over 500 exhibitors, including guides and outfitters from around the world, this show promotes hunting as well as conservation and habitat restoration.

Sportsmans Vacation & RV Show will be held Feb 7-10 in the South Towne Expo Center. See new motor homes, tent trailers, custom vans, 5th wheels, campers and SUVs.

Utah Boat Show will run Feb 20-24 in the South Towne Expo Center. See over 500 boats including: ski boats, wakeboard boats, cruisers, fishing boats, houseboats, personal watercraft and more. Pro riders will be demonstrating the newest gear and latest tricks on a 17 foot lake inside the show.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Massive Snowfall Creates High Avalanche Danger

A massive winter storm dumped heavy snow on northern Utah over the weekend. It caused some power outages and road closures, but crews rapidly mitigated damage and no serious problems are been reported. You can monitor road conditions here.

The heavy snow has heightened avalanche danger on steep mountain slopes. The Utah Avalanche Forecast Center reports considerable danger in mountain areas through northern, central and NE Utah, and very high danger in the La Sal Mountains near Moab. Monitor the forecast center's website for the latest details.

Avalanche control work is performed on slopes above major highways and at developed ski resorts, so danger is low in those areas. Skiers, snowmobilers and others going into backcountry areas face considerable danger. They need to use extreme caution and carry emergency equipment.

Deep new powder is available at all of our ski resorts. Powder Mountain reports 31 inches of new snow during the past 24 hours, and 39 inches over the past 48 hours.

Alta reports 27 inches of new snow. Alta now has a mid-mountain base of 152 inches - the most of any Utah resort.

See our snow report for more numbers.

More snow could fall over parts of Utah today, and we could get another storm Wednesday.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Tour Pioneer Sites Around Salt Lake City

The Noblesville Daily Times (Hamilton County, Indiana) has this interesting article about tourism to historic pioneer sites around Salt Lake City. The article includes a slide show with beautiful photos.

Writer Elizabeth Granger opens the article: "With a presidential candidate and the death of their Church leader, Mormons have garnered an unusual amount of press in recent months. But a view of the religion has been offered to tourists in Salt Lake City for decades."

She describes touring Temple Square and other historic sites, including some that are not on the typical tourist route. She shares insights from the tour. For example, this story:

Nearby is the Lion House, named for the lion on top of its porch. It was built by Brigham Young for some of his 19 wives and 56 children. Polygamy was abolished in 1890, but it’s part of Church history and is discussed on tours.

The Lion House is now a restaurant. Next door is the Beehive House – the beehive to represent industriousness – with a beehive-shaped cupola and beehive-shaped banisters on the staircase. Here Young’s third wife, Lucy, lived with her seven children.

“Other families lived elsewhere, including the Lion House,” said tour guide Sister Mathews. “But everyone was equal.”

And as proof that Lucy worked on behalf of the other wives and their children, Mathews added, “Lucy made 25 loaves of bread and 25 pies every day.”


Read the entire article.
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