Best-Kept Secret: Capitol Reef National Park

One of America's best ideas is also one of our best kept secrets. Capitol Reef National Park is featured in this photo essay on weather.com/travel. The photos are well worth viewing and the text offers useful insights. Below are excerpts.

With such natural beauty, it's a surprise that more people don't come in crowds to visit the park. But the nearest traffic light is 78 miles away, reported National Geographic, and it's Utah's least-visited national park. Strolling alone along the lengthy trails in the park, you might think you're the last human on earth.

In addition to breathtaking scenery and a long history, Capitol Reef offers a number of outdoor activities, from rock climbing to off-road driving, says the Utah Travel Industry. The National Parks Traveler particularly recommends the newly reopened Hickman Bridge Trail, a 2-mile-round-trip that gives hikers views of the Hickman Bridge, the reef, Capitol Dome and the Rim Overlook.

"Hot and Smart" College Students

Another well-kept secret secret is the quality of our universities, and students. Brigham Young University in Provo recently came out on top of a "hot and smart" survey by Business Insider magazine. Who would have guessed that conservative, Mormon-owned BYU would win that contest.

The website reportedly based the rankings on data that included nearly 1 million student reviews of more than 8,000 schools, and at the end Brigham Young University was ranked No. 1 on the list.

Well, those of us who live in the Provo area aren't that surprised.

Dave Webb