Wildlands of Utah

Whenever I’m traveling outside the U.S. and someone asks me where I’m from, and I say, “Utah,” their face often lights up as they launch into a story about how they recently took this “incredible, amazing” trip there where they ran whitewater rapids on the Colorado River near Moab and then traversed along the edge of a 1,000-foot drop-off on their way to the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park. They go on to describe how they walked through huge sandstone arches and rode their mountain bikes across an endless sea of sandstone beneath 13,000-foot snowcapped peaks. As their story concludes, they usually add the words “busy,” “crowded” and “long lines,” just before mentioning that they can’t wait to go back.

This attraction to Moab and Zion is not limited to international visitors. Every American family organizing their first trip to Utah will very likely have these two locations at the top of their wish list, and it’s easy to understand why. Each year, countless pages of magazine ads around the globe showcase the wonders of southern Utah, relying heavily on promoting our five national parks, dubbed “The Mighty 5” by Utah’s Office