The Year’s Best

Utah is heaven on earth for the outdoor enthusiast. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned recreation pro, Utah has an adventure destination for you. Each year, the staff of Outdoor Utah spends countless hours riding, hiking, canyoneering, river running and exploring the wonders of our state. Tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Even tougher is picking a select few to name as our favorites. The envelope, please. Here are the 2005 Outdoor Utah Year’s Best.

Mountain Bike Rides

THUNDER MOUNTAIN
A 14.7-mile loop just off Utah scenic highway 12 in Red Canyon, this ride begins with a scenic tour on a paved path through Red Canyon, often called “Little Bryce”. The route turns to a singletrack climb through Dixie National Forest followed by an amazing singletrack downhill through red rock hoodoos and spires. Be sure to stop at the top to enjoy the breathtaking views. We rate this trail as high intermediate since some of the switchbacks on the downhill can be a little challenging.
Season: summer/fall

MID-MOUNTAIN TRAIL
In 2004, Mid-Mountain was named an “Epic Ride” by International Mountain Bicycling Association, the first trail in Utah to have this honor. These 25 miles of singletrack connects the three world-class resorts in Park City; Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons. At about 8,000 feet, this high elevation ride is a great one for mid-summer. We rate this trail as intermediate. The elevation remains fairly constant, but there are many intersections and side trails for added mileage, climbs and downhills.
Season: summer/fall

GOOSEBERRY MESA
Located about ten miles southwest of the Springdale entrance to Zion National Park, Gooseberry Mesa is an awesome mix of slickrock and singletrack. This trail offers several different loops ranging from 8-12.5 miles, intermediate to advanced. Check out the spectacular views from the overlooks along the route. We rate this trail as intermediate to advanced.
Season: spring/fall

Hikes

MOUNT TUKUHNIKIVATZ

This 4.8-mile round trip hike is south of Moab in the Manti LaSal National Forest. The climb is fairly steep and the trail is faint, but it’s wide open and very easy to find your way to the top. The panoramic views from the 12,482-foot peak are some of the best in the state.
Season: summer/fall

NAOMI PEAK
Rising 9980 feet, Naomi Peak is the highest point in the Bear River Mountain Range in scenic Logan Canyon. The trail begins near the popular Tony Grove Lake, and then meanders through beautiful meadows of wildflowers that peak in late summer. At the top, there’s wild, rugged country in every direction – peaks to the north into Idaho, east into Wyoming and south toward the Wasatch Range.
tourcachevalley.com

NAVAJO KNOBS
In the heart of Capitol Reef National Park, this 9-mile round-trip hike has a different, spectacular view around every corner. The long steady climb to the top is on a combination of slickrock, sand and loose rock. A side hike leads you to massive Hickman Bridge.
Season: spring/fall
www.capitolreef.org

Slot Canyons

LOMATIUM CANYON
Arches National Park has thousands of natural wonders. This canyon is definitely one of them. The 8 to 9 hour trip is an unforgettable adventure. The route through the canyon is in a section called the Fiery Furnace, has two rappels of 100 and 40 feet, many technical down-climbs, chimneying, and scrambling. The Fiery Furnace requires a permit, which is free. Rated intermediate to advanced for technical difficulty.
For guide info www.deserthighlights.com

BIRCH HOLLOW
Located just east of Zion National Park, this technical slot presents a variety of canyoneering situations. The canyon has several technical rappels, scrambling and down climbing. We did not encounter any water or potholes on our trip, but there is a good possibility of some wading following rainstorms.
For guide info:wwwzionrockquides.com

PEEK-A-BOO and SPOOKY
Located just off Hole in the Rock Road in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, these two short slot canyons are easily accessible and do not require technical gear. The loop route through the narrow slot canyons will take about 2-3 hours and is suitable for the recreational hiker. Best done in combination.
Season: spring/fall

River Trips

CATARACT CANYON
This section of the Colorado River begins just a few miles west of Moab and ends at Lake Powell. We did the five-day/four-night trip to take advantage of the many spectacular hikes, like the Doll’s House and Dark Canyon. Several outfitters offer two and three day packages. This classic run starts with two days of relatively flat water followed by many, many Class III and IV rapids.

GATES OF LODORE
This section of the Green River begins in southwestern Colorado, winds its way through Split Mountain into Dinosaur National Monument and ends near Vernal. Great whitewater and outstanding geological formations highlight this trip. Campsites are excellent and this is a great river experience for families. See more online at whitewaterutah.com.

WESTWATER CANYON
This section of the Colorado River is famous for having so many rapids in just a few river miles. We ran Westwater on a Utah Guides and Outfitters Interpretive Trip, which is a training session for guides. Our two-day run was highlighted by open-air classroom lectures and instruction given by experts in the fields of geology, biology, ecology and history.

New Events

SALT LAKE CITY MARATHON & 5K
Over 3,200 participated in the marathon and 3,100 in the 5k for this inaugural event. Thanks to the thousands of volunteers and fantastic support of the community, this event was a huge success. Several world-class athletes competed for a purse of over $100,000.
www.saltlakemarathon.com

THE ENDURANCE 100: “ MIND OVER MOUNTAINS”
Park City was the venue for the inaugural E100-mile, 100K, and 50-mile mountain bike race. This extremely challenging singletrack course travels through Park City’s three famous ski and summer resorts. Some seasoned 100-mile participants claim this is the most challenging in the west. This year, the Endurance 100 offers a variety of options: July 2 nd, 12 hours of Endurance, July 23 rd, 100 mile team relay/ 50 mile solo and August 27 th, the 100 mile, 100K and 50 mile. So pick your poison!
www.thee100.com

THE DESPERADO DUEL
This event in Panguitch is the only fully supported, single-day 200-mile road cycling event in Utah. The scenic back-road route passes through much of southern Utah’s scenic beauty. Riders have the option of a century or a double century. Hosted by the Color Country Cycling Club this inaugural event was a great success with over 200 riders from 11 states. The 2005 Desperado Dual is August 27 th. See you there!
www.desperadodual.com