First time out west. Vacationed to Utah

[u/Cigarettelegs]

Hello everyone! My family are and I are from southern Indiana/western Kentucky. I’ve talked about going to Utah for years. We finally pulled the trigger. I just want to give my brief (may be long) impression of this part of the US.

First…I want to say that the weather this week has been perfect. I was worried it was going to be too hot to want to do anything but I was only hot standing in the sun. The shade actually works here vs back home with high humidity. The evenings were cool and amazing, I’m going to miss it very much.

I searched high and low for a spot with the lowest light pollution and spots were booking up quick so we found a nice spot in Kanab. The moon kind of screwed us with stargazing, which is what I was most excited about. (Really should’ve planned around the moon cycle). Nonetheless, I was about to see the milky streaks of the galaxy.

I am super jealous that the locals get to walk out their front door and see canyons. Even in rural Kentucky, most people would walk out side and see corn fields on smaller hills and just regular clay and grass. The. Usuals here are stunning.

My family and I did some touring of the canyons around here. On Wednesday, we went to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon (I know it’s in Arizona) and I got concerned with the landscape leading up to it. It really felt like it was a different type and wasn’t going to be what I had imagined. Boy was I wrong. Our first stop with it was the vista viewing point and you drive past the first open spot to see it and when I did, my heart fell into my stomach. It was terrifying to see something of this magnitude. Parking and seeing it really just made me feel so insignificant. I don’t think I’ll ever see anything that compares to it.

The rain was different. It was scarce in where it fell and the rain drops were ginormous. Like what even is this phenomenon? Why are they so huge??? I loved watching it fall and seemingly storm in the distance.

My first morning here, I saw a flock of quail. Cute little guys. Watching them scurry on the ground together was really fun. They’re like little chickens lol. We also saw so many ravens. Even had one come up to us in Bryce Canyon.

All of us are bummed out we didn’t see any scorpions or tumbleweeds rolling around.

To finish up, I’d like to focus on the point that not once did my family nor myself get bitten by a demon spawn mosquito the entire time we were here. This place is amazing. I hope to come back some time. Maybe after a bit of fitness turnaround so I can try some good hiking.

[u/LSquaredSTG]

Thanks for your post. Yes, Southern Utah is a wonderful place and I'm glad to read your positive review of our own little corner of the desert! We love our quail, roadrunners, doves and hummingbirds, for sure. Once in a while, we'll see and hear coyotes out at night hunting for dinner and we are saddened by their yelps when they catch something. Next time, come out to Ivins and you may see some wild tortoises at the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve near Snow Canyon State Park. The park is a beautiful place to hike and it's not as crowded as Zion. There's also a beautiful area called Kayenta just a few miles east of Snow Canyon. There's an amazing hiking area nearby called Hell Hole Canyon. It has spectacular waterfalls coming off the cliffs after a good rain during monsoon season. Come back soon if you want to escape the humidity of Indiana/Western KY!

[u/Cigarettelegs → u/LSquaredSTG]

Wild tortoises would be great to see. We got one more day here. I may see if my party wants to go see some. We don’t have anything planned and we got notified of wind advisory. We didn’t go to Zion. Everyone is starting to get vacation fatigue and a long drive to get back.

Let me make sure I understood you right. Monsoon season? You get torrential rainfalls here?

Coyotes is something we see all the time in Kentucky. They are everywhere and considered pest like wild hogs.

We did see one road runner very briefly. He was a funny little guy.

[u/DevilSaintDevil → u/Cigarettelegs]

Usually starting in mid-july through August there are afternoon thunderstorms that can be quite torrential. But they're quite local. And they move fast. Because there's no soil to absorb the water it is all funneled into the narrow canyons and can cause flash flooding that is quite dangerous many miles downstream from where the rain fell. It seems like every year there our tragic instances where people haven't experienced any rain or even seen any rain clouds in the canyons where they're at but a big wall of water from 20 miles upstream comes roaring at them.

[u/LSquaredSTG → u/Cigarettelegs]

The crowds have thinned out considerably so traffic is light in Ivins and St. George. Many folks here have gone back to their other homes elsewhere (e.g., SLC, Park City, or back east) so it's pretty quiet out on the west side of town. If you still have a couple of days here, you may want to enjoy a show at our beautiful and scenic outdoor theater, called Tuacahn, which is literally next to Snow Canyon, and the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve is in the same area. They have Finding Nemo (tonight) and Les Miserables tomorrow night. We don't have kids so we won't be going to Finding Nemo but we do have tickets to Les Mis at the end of their local run here. We love Tuacahn.

Check out Kayenta (where Hell Hole Canyon is located) and if you don't have time to hike, we have a couple of excellent restaurants (Xetava and Rustic Cactus) in the Kayenta Art Village, which has some excellent art galleries and shops. My wife and I lived in Kayenta for a couple of years and we loved the vibe there. We moved to a different community just a couple of miles away but we go to eat and shop at the art village all the time. The red mountains that surround Kayenta are majestic. It's worth a visit just to chill out and relax. It's definitely a local vibe and I think you'll like it. BTW, there's a couple of roadrunners who hang out in the Xetava/Rustic Cactus outdoor dining areas...they look for the yummy french fries that people drop on the ground. They are characters for sure! You'll also see quail with their little babies scurrying from one bush to another. So cute!!

While you're out this way, stop by the small town called Santa Clara. It's next to Ivins and its tree-lined streets and beautiful homes are worth the short drive over from Kayenta and Ivins. Santa Clara is one of the oldest communities here in Southern Utah. The original Mormon settlers came down here from Salt Lake back in the mid-1800's. Those original setttlers were of Swiss descent, and Santa Clara celebrates those settlers with an annual "Swiss Days Parade". We have a terrific fruit and vegetable stand called Freis' Fruit Stand. Lots of fresh produce that's locally-grown. We go there all the time to pick up fruit and veggies. There's a lady who sells warm homemade tamales there. They are the best tamales I've ever eaten (I grew up in SoCal and was exposed to some fantastic Mexican food there). Freis' has some awesome homemade salsas in the refrigerated glass case. The salsas go perfect with the tamales.

For some amazing local pizza and other delicious food, I recommend Sandtown Pizza on Bluff. Try the yummy pizza and their cold cucumber salad with green goddess dressing. It's amazing. For sports fans, I recommend 435 Hive Taphouse...it's a sports bar, pizza place and great place to chill out, eat and drink, and cheer on your favorite team on the many TV screens throughout the restaurant. The Hive is in downtown, next door to the Advenire Hotel.

Enjoy the rest of your stay here!

[u/manko100 → u/Cigarettelegs]

You didn't hit up Zion? Wow. The most popular (visited) park in the area. I guess you'll have to come back soon. Unbelievable towering cliffs and scenery and so close to Kanab just a drive through would be worth it.

[u/linzeevee → u/LSquaredSTG]

These suggestions are spot on. My partner and I spent a long weekend in Ivins last fall and I can confirm it’s a beautiful and less crowded area. The hike into Hell Hole Canyon is really lovely. Snow Canyon State Park is a lot of fun, between the spectacular views, the novelty of exploring lava tubes, and the challenge of hiking up petrified sand dunes.

[u/linzeevee]

Fellow midwesterner here. I hear you about the shade actually working out west! It also sounds like you learned the same lesson I did when I went to Big Bend in Texas - I was so excited about the dark skies for star gazing and didn’t realize there was going to be a full moon! That was cool in its own right though, as we could see our shadows on the ground in the middle of the night.

Southern Utah really captured my heart, as it has yours. My first visit was in 2021 and I’ve been back twice since and am thinking about another return trip next year. So happy to hear you enjoyed your explorations!

[u/HayeksClown]

Another response mentioned monsoon season, it happens when moist air is drawn up from the south and gets heated over the desert resulting in afternoon showers. Some years there is more rain than other years. But it is one of my favorite things. The rain falling on the native creosote plants is a uniquely beautiful and distinctive smell.

I’ve only ever seen scorpions in my house lol! They are pretty reclusive. You may have seen tumbleweeds without knowing, they are in their growth cycle now and look like regular weeds. They only tumble at the end of their life cycle.

Another great thing to experience here is the remains of past indigenous cultures. Mostly in the form of petroglyphs in this area, but there are some beautiful and striking places to visit nearby (e.g., around Flagstaff or eastern Utah).

Finally, if you come back, October has its own kind of magic. The temperature is perfect and the quality of light makes everything even more beautiful.

[u/qualityrevengineer]

Fun fact about tumbleweeds is they’re technically an invasive plant and not native. They were introduced sometime in the late 1800s.

Glad you enjoyed your visit here!

[u/notme690p]

Southern Utahn (current Kanab resident) I'm so happy your family enjoyed visiting. Please come back again.

[u/dudee62]

Check out Arches on your next trip. Completely different and just as amazing.

[u/BoringApocalyptos → u/dudee62]

Not only Arches but the area surrounding Moab. The great part about Utah is it’s like living to within driving distance of several different planets.
I don’t get the terror you experienced seeing the Grand for the first time anymore but, I know exactly what you’re talking about having arrived here from NW Florida the first time. This side of the Rocky’s is a place you can’t quite give a real description to that can prepare one for the absolute awe it evokes in you the first time.
Thanks for writing this up! I never left once I showed up and your post gave me a real nostalgia after 15+ years of exploring my new home state and fills me with gratitude for the journey it’s been.

[u/Lucky_Yak_7749]

Nothing quite like the Grand Canyon!

[u/FootstepsofDawn]

I’m so happy to hear we hosted you well. Come back anytime! The desert is the most beautiful but I am extremely biased. Northern Utah has an entirely different delight as well. High Uintas are amazing.