Utah General Information Nickname: Beehive State State bird: California Gull/Sea Gull State flower: Sego Lily Capital: Salt Lake City Date of admission to the Union: 4th Jan 1896 Population: 2,233,169 (2000) Population density: 10.2/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 416,000/16 Time: Mountain (GMT - 7). Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: Utah’s attractions include canyons, colourful towns and breathtaking national parks. Salt Lake City is the world centre of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah, surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains, boasts historic buildings, churches, museums, science exhibitions and arts festivals. Other State attractions include Zion National Park around the Virgin River Canyon, with its temple-like rock formations; Canyonlands, Arches and Capitol Reef national parks; Timpanogos Cave and the Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal. Utah has five National Parks. Travel - International AIR: International airports: The Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) (website: www.ci.slc.ut.us/airport) is located 11km (7 miles) west of the city centre and four minutes west of Temple Square. An Airport Bus operates to the city centre every 60 minutes. Bus no. 50 runs between the city centre and the terminal. Redtail Aviation offers flights into Moab from the surrounding areas. RAIL: Salt Lake City is on Amtrak’s ‘California Zephyr’ line (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll free); website: www.amtrak.com), which links Chicago (36 hours) with San Francisco (17 hours 30 minutes). ROAD: Approximate bus travel times: From Salt Lake City to Las Vegas is 8 hours 30 minutes, and to Los Angeles is 15 hours 30 minutes. From Cedar City (near Zion National Park) to Las Vegas is 3 hours, to Provo is 4 hours, to Salt Lake City is 5 hours, and to Los Angeles is 10 hours. Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424 (toll free); website: www.greyhound.com) is the main carrier. URBAN: In Salt Lake City, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) (website: www.utabus.com) offers frequent services to the University of Utah campus, to Ogden, the suburbs, the airport and east to the mountain canyons and Provo. Maps are available at libraries and the Visitors’ Bureau. Taxi companies include Ute Cab, City Cab and Yellow Cab. Introduction GOLDEN SPIKE EMPIRE: This is the best area for viewing the Great Salt Lake, the largest lake west of the Mississippi River. One of the most unusual rock formations in the west can be seen at the Devil’s Slide, which resembles a gigantic children’s slide. Among the natural scenic wonders are the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, the East Canyon State Park, the Willard Bay State Park, the Lost Creek State Park, and the Antelope Island State Park. BRIDGERLAND: On the western edge of Bridgerland in Cache Valley are the Wellsville Mountains. The Wellsville Cone and Box Elder Peak are the highest peaks in this range. The 1500-year-old Jardine Juniper, the oldest juniper in the Rocky Mountains, is 19km (12 miles) from Logan in Logan Canyon and a short hike from Wood Camp Campground. Cultural attractions include Ronald V Jensen Living Historical Farm, an authentic Mormon pioneer farm. Daily activities here are performed exactly as they would have been in 1917. Other popular sights include the Nora Eccles Art Museum, Chase Fine Arts Centre, the Mormon Temple and Rendezvous Beach. GREAT SALT LAKE COUNTRY: The Great Salt Lake is the second saltiest body of water in the world, after the Dead Sea. It stretches 148km (92 miles) north to south and is about 77km (48 miles) wide. Salt Lake City is a thriving modern city whose proximity to the mountains and lakes makes it a popular base for outdoor enthusiasts. The city is also the spiritual centre of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and home to the Salt Lake Temple and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Museum of Church History and Art houses Mormon historical memorabilia, fine art sculptures and paintings. The Utah State History Museum houses State historical exhibits, featuring hundreds of photographs, artefacts and other works of art. Other attractions include the Marmalade Historic District, where many of the original pioneer homes can be found; the Pioneer Memorial Museum; and the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah. Southeast of the city, the year-round Snowbird Tram rises 870m (2854ft) to the top of the 3300m (10827ft) Hidden Peak with a 360-degree view of Utah’s mountain ranges and valleys. Among the natural attractions are the Great Salt Lake Park, Jordan River State Park and This Is The Place Park. MOUNTAINLAND: The Timpanogos Cave National Monument is on the north slope of Mount Timpanogos. The Alpine Scenic Loop is one of Utah’s most popular summer drive destinations. Lying across Utah’s northern border, the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area stretches from Ashley National Forest to the south Wyoming desert. Recreational activities available include fishing, boating and hiking. DINOSAURLAND: Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area offers spectacular rock formations. The Drive-Through-the-Ages Geological Area has rock layers that were laid down during a period of more than a billion years. Dinosaur National Monument sprawls across eastern Utah and into Colorado. Pittsburgh palaeontologist Earl Douglass began scouring the area for bones in 1908 and the quarry he excavated lies at the west end of the park. PANORAMALAND: Fish Lake offers cabins and other facilities on the shoreline. Views of the unusual cliffs of Thousand Lake Mountain to the north and Boulder Mountain to the south are offered near Teasdale and Torrey. Big Rock Candy Mountain in Marysvale Canyon is the only formation of its kind. Little Sahara Recreation Area has more than 20,000 acres of free-moving sand dunes. COLOR COUNTRY: Attractions include Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; the Cedar Breaks National Monument; Mammoth Cave; and the Boulder Mountain Scenic Byway. Southeast of Cedar Breaks is picturesque Navajo Lake and the 1040-acre Joshua Tree Natural Area near the Arizona border. Bryce Canyon National Park shows thousands of delicately carved spires rising in brilliant colours from amphitheatres. Capitol Dome, Hickman Bridge, the Waterpocket Fold and Cathedral Valley are sandstone formations. Zion National Park is one of the nation’s oldest national parks and offers miles of trails. CANYONLANDS: Moab is a great base for exploring Utah’s southeast. The town boasts the Hole ’n the Rock, a 14-room house carved out of a sandstone cliff, the Dan O’Laurie Museum and Pale Creek Ranch which offers trail rides into the La Sal Mountains. The Navajo Tribal Reservation covers 64,750km (25,000 sq miles) in three States. Canyonland National Park is divided into three sections by the Green and Colorado rivers: the Needles Region contains spires, arches and canyons and Native American ruins; Island in the Sky offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and canyons; the rugged Maze area is the most remote district of the park. Social Profile Food & Drink: Hotels and restaurants sell alcoholic beverages and wine. The centre of Salt Lake City offers a variety of ethnic restaurants, with inexpensive eateries on the outer fringe. The main shopping malls, ZCMI Mall and Crossroads Mall on Main Street, have food courts. Theatres & Concerts: In 1899, the third Legislature authorised the nation’s first publicly funded arts council. It supports the Utah Symphony, the Ballet West, the Utah Opera Company and Repertory Dance Theatre, among others. The State has many theatres and art galleries. Cedar City hosts the nationally acclaimed Shakespearean Festival, and Salt Lake City boasts two professional theatre companies. In Logan, the Festival Opera Company performs in a restored theatre. Utah is also home to the Sundance Film Festival, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Sport: Skiing is a popular sport in Utah. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games took place in Utah during February and the public can enjoy most of these winter facilities. The State has 14 ski resorts, seven of which are less than an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City. These include Alta Ski Resort, Beaver Mountain, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Park City, The Canyons Ski Area and Deer Valley Resort. Seven snowmobile complexes are located across the State, linking hundreds of miles of trails systems. Several ski resorts now offer summer chairlifts and mountain biking. Boating is also a popular sport in Utah – the State offers the sixth largest area of navigable water in the USA. Colorado River, Green River and San Juan River are renowned for their rapids and the possibility of whitewater rafting. Utah’s golf courses are famous for their scenery, conditions and variety. Special Events: The following is a selection of events taking place in 2003: Jan Sundance Film Festival, Park City. Mar Easter Celebration, Deer Valley Resort; Easter Weekend Rendezvous, Fort Buenaventura. Apr 6 Annual Pond Skimming Contest, Park City. May Annual Moab Arts Festival, Moab; Living Traditions Festival, Salt Lake Country. Jun Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake City; Paiute Pow Wow, Cedar City; Mormon Miracle Pageant (Utah’s biggest outdoor pageant), Manti; Butch Cassidy Outlaw Trail Festival and Trail Ride, Vernal; Butch Cassidy Days, Moab; Summerfest Art and Jazz Festival, Logan. Jul Utah Symphony Summer Concert Series, Deer Valley; Annual Canyonlands Film Festival, Moab; Ogden Pioneer Days, Ogden. Jul-Aug Utah Festival of the American West, Logan. Aug Park City Arts Festival, Park City; Raspberry Days, Bear Lake. Sep Utah State Fair, Great Salt Lake Country; Annual Moab Music Festival, Moab. Dec Christmas and Tree Lighting Ceremonies, Statewide. Climate Utah enjoys a distinct four-season climate. In summer the days are hot, with cool nights. In winter, the temperatures are low with snow in the north. The climate varies from north to south and from desert to mountain. Summer days are hot in the desert but temperatures drop dramatically at night. Travellers will need extra clothes when travelling in the mountains in summer or winter. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.