The10 Wonders of Utah
THE GREAT STATE OF UTAH
I was born and raised in the great state of Utah and I love it. Over my life, I have had the blessing of visiting some 35-40 states and a handful of different countries. This world has some amazingly awesome places, but Utah is the best.
Recently my family and I took a trip to the Moab area of Utah and it is absolutely stunning! Standing in this area, it is hard to believe that there is another part of this earth that is as beautiful and unique. God was definitely in a fantastic mood when he created my state.
Since Utah is so awesome, I decided to let everyone in on the secret. In no particular order here we go...
Wonder 1) Moab/Arches National Park/Canyonlands National Park
Located on the east side of our great state, Moab is the inspiration for my blog. There is a ridiculous amount of outdoor activities for those who love hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, rock climbing, fishing or off-roading. And it isn't just Moab, there are two national parks only a few miles away. Yup, two national parks in Moab's backyard! It is absolutely amazing with its huge arches, amazing rivers and beautiful land formations.
Wonder 2) The Greatest Snow on Earth
I don’t even like the cold, ice or snow, but there is something majestic about staring up at a mountain peak 5,000 feet above you covered in snow. If I want to go snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, make a snowman, get in a snowball fight, go sledding, drink some coco, look at Christmas lights etc., then there is no better place than Utah. The combination of the mountains and snow is amazing and the activities are endless.
Wonder 3) Salt
The Salt Flats and Great Salt Lake are absolutely astonishing. Both are remnants of a huge and ancient salty lake, though I recently heard that the salt comes from some big underground connection to the ocean. I don't know if that is accurate, but it is still cool. It is amazing to see a huge dessert made completely of salt. The cars racing out there for new world land speed records doesn't hurt its cool factor either.
The Great Salt Lake makes a great (though stinky) place to go swim and see how buoyant the salt really makes you.
Wonder 4) Awesome People
The people here are what really make my state great. Utah consistently ranks at the top of every worthwhile "top" list such as - Top of places to live, places to start a business, best place to find a career, best fishing, low crime, low-unemployment, best economy, residents who live longer, fewer diseases and on and on and on (pretty much everything except top "beaches"). In just this past week, I've had people from other states tell me 1) how beautiful it is here, 2) how nice everyone is and 3) how clean our cities are.
Recently, I saw a Youtuber go to 20 different cities and drop 10 wallets in each city to see how many were returned. Salt Lake City came out at the top of that list as well, with all 10 wallets being returned. Sure, we have our share of people who would steal your wallet as soon as look at you, but those people in the very small minority. Yup, it is an awesome place!
Recently, I saw a Youtuber go to 20 different cities and drop 10 wallets in each city to see how many were returned. Salt Lake City came out at the top of that list as well, with all 10 wallets being returned. Sure, we have our share of people who would steal your wallet as soon as look at you, but those people in the very small minority. Yup, it is an awesome place!
Wonder 5) Bear Lake
Bear Lake is a large-freshwater lake in Northern Utah. It is referred to as the Caribbean of Utah due to its amazingly clear blue water.The North end is very shallow making it a great place to play and swim. The amazing water makes it a beautiful place to play, boat and visit. Plus there are amazingly huge caves nearby and rumors of a Loch Ness-type monster living deep within. If you are going to visit, I would recommend heading there around the end of July or beginning of August so you can get a fresh raspberry shake during the Raspberry Days festival. Oh my gosh, it is amazing.
Wonder 6) Uinta Mountains
Though we have beautiful dessert scenery, we also have amazing lush forest mountain areas. One can hike through this area for days and days and see hundreds of amazingly beautiful lakes, hikes, wildlife and if rumors hold true, you might just run in to Bigfoot. The forest region around the Northeastern portion of Utah is heavenly.
Wonder 7) Zions, Bryce and the red rocks of Southern Utah
Southern Utah contains some amazing red rock dessert areas and two national parks. Zions is incredible with its beautiful mountains, rivers, waterfalls and hikes. Bryce National Park is awe inspiring. What is even better, is when you leave the crowds and drive out around the southern end of this state to see the other amazing and less traveled sites. This one picture does not do this amazing place justice! Absolutely amazing!!!
Wonder 8) Fantastic Food
When I travel outside of Utah, I make sure and research local food joints and try and sample the best of what they've got. Crab in Boston, chowder in San Fransisco, BBQ in the south and pizza in Chicago! It is amazing! However, I don't think it compares to the wonderful grub in Utah! The population of Hispanics, Polynesians, Native Americans, Asians and pioneer ancestors mean that you can find some of their best eats here in our state. I'm not sure how the rest of the country forces down french fries, without fry sauce, but we've got that and lots more! Come try some funeral potatoes, pastrami burgers, scones, big thick shakes, millions of flavors of ice cream, all kinds of jello, and all sorts of things cooked in dutch ovens!!!
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Wonder 9) Bold Seasons
Utah has 4 true seasons. In the summer, there are several days where the mercury will bust up over 100 degrees. Winter brings it back down to single digits with a ton of snow. Springs busts out melting the snow, turning the world green and colorful. Fall is incredible and a drive through the canyons while the leaves are changing, rivals anything in New England. Each season is strongly unique and we can never get too comfortable with the weather outside.
Utah is filled with an incredibly rich history. Sure it is kinda cool to see older buildings in the Eastern United States or in Europe, but though our infrastructure doesn't date back that far, it doesn't mean we do not have history. One of the few places in the world where you can find such a concentration of prehistoric dinosaur remnants, Indian history and everything else in history through the pioneers. You might have 200 year old buildings, but we have new buildings and dinosaurs. Pretty awesome!
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