Archive for the ‘Cities - Towns’ Category
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
 Mountain biking near Zion National Park, Utah A few years ago it was common knowledge that some of the best mountain biking in the United States was found in the Moab, Utah region. However, in recent years there is a growing trend toward choosing the St. George and Zion National Park area for offering some of America’s best year-round mountain biking experiences. Utah is well known for its mountain biking opportunities, but most of Utah has elevations above the 4,000 foot level and this means generally snowy conditions throughout the winter months and even early spring. The St. George area, on the other hand has many mountain biking trails that are between 2,800 feet and 4,000 feet in elevation. This means that mountain biking can be enjoyed year-round in the St. George area. Even the mountain biking trails around Zion National Park are around the 4,000 foot level and still great for most winter days.
 Cyclist ride near St. George, Utah Check out our AtoZion.com web-site for details on trails, biking guides and outfitters, and more.
Trails: One of the other factors that has contributed to the growth and awareness of mountain biking in the St. George and Zion National Park area is the number of trails that have been identified, signed and developed. Mountain bike enthusiasts around the United States are now talking to each other about their favorites mountain bike destinations and St. George is often the top of the list in these conversations.
 Riding the slick rock near Zion National Park and St. George, Utah Weather Conditions: St. George is known for having at least 325 days of sunshine on an annual basis. With nearby mountains rising over 10,000 feet in elevation, the sparse clouds often pass over St. George at this higher elevation and the sun simply has a heyday in the St George area. While summer temperatures are warm, morning rides are still great, and there are also higher elevation trails where temperatures are more cool. In St. George, Fall, winter, and springtime mountain biking and cycling is absolutely spectacular.
 Scenic mountain biking overlook between St. George and Zion National Park Scenery: Yes there are a lot of places in the world to ride a mountain bike, but not many with the diversity of scenery that you find in the St. George and Zion National Park region. This area offers four Utah State Parks, a national park (Zion) and the added diversity of high mountain forests and lower desert terrain. There’s a multitude of rock formations for slick rock trails and plenty of desert biking trails that follow unique concourses around the geologic strata of this region.
 Mountain bikes ready for rental Services: Another factor that has increased the popularity of mountain biking in the St. George, Utah and Zion National Park area is the number of bike shops and biking guide services that are found in the region. Below is a list of just some of the companies that provide mountain bike and road cycling support and services.
Bicycles Unlimited
Bike Zion
Desert Cyclery
Mountain Bike Buddies
Over the Edge Sports
Paragon Adventures
Red Rock Bicycle
Zion Adventure Company
Zion Cycles
Zion Rock and Mountain Guides
Tags: Mountain Biking, saint george mountain biking, saint george utah cycling, st. george cylcing, st. george mountain biking, utah cycling, utah mountain biking, zion cycling, zion mountain biking, zion park cycling, zion park mountain biking Posted in Adventure, Biking, Cities - Towns, Health & Fitness, Recreation, Sports, St. George Utah, Zion National Park, activities, cycling
Monday, August 9th, 2010
 Download this free printable file to your computer. Complete Vacation Planning Guide. Planning your vacation to St. George and Zion National Park has never been easier. Recently we updated our AtoZion.com web-site. Not only does it load faster, but it includes many new pages of information. One of the best resources on the site is our PDF file download for Vacation Planning. This full-color printable vacation planner include many important details that you’ll use as your plan your next vacation to this region. Please note that this St. George and Zion National Park vacation planner has a lot of information and is therefore a larger file, and will take a minute to download to your computer. Once the file is open on your computer you can print it out and use it as a resource at home, work or on the road. We also can send you a vacation planner in the mail. Visit this page to obtain our contact information.
 Vacation Planning Guide for Entertainment, Lodging and more. This vacation planning guide includes; maps, details about Zion National Park, details about St. George, area activities including golf, spa treatment services, museums and galleries, entertainment, historic landmarks, locations for meetings and conventions, local guides and outfitters, events, dining, lodging and many other important details and resource information. Remember that you can find much of this information on the web-site but the easiest way to get a hard printed copy of this information right away, is to click on this link for our official Vacation Planner and print it off on your computer. You may also find the new itineraries on our web-site very helpful in planning your experience. We have already posted itineraries for Zion National Park, Outdoor Adventure, and Golf. Visit www.AtoZion.com and search the drop-down menus for itineraries under the “What To Do” section.
What’s new on the web-site: On the AtoZion.com web-site you’ll find new pages on; State Parks, Scenic Drives, One-week itineraries, maps, nearby attractions, and more.
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
 St. George, Utah rests against a scenic red rock backdrop. According to the new August, 2010 issue of CNN Money magazine, St. George still ranks as one of the best places to live in America. St. George comes in at number 80 on this year’s list. Itemizing some of the reasons for rating St. George as one of the best places to live, the publication identifies St. George’s close proximity to Zion National Park, an abundance of excellent golf courses, shopping in the historic downtown district, or playing softball in one of America’s best softball complexes.
 St. George is known for it's great golf courses. Visit RedRockGolfTrail.com St. George is also well know for the many state parks and other natural scenic attractions that surround the community. Health care is highly rated with excellent medical facilities and practitioners. Fine dining, high quality entertainment, mild winter weather and the friendliness of the people are all likely other reasons for the high rating as one of America’s best places to live.
View the story by visiting the link to below or pick up a copy of the August issue of CNN Money
.
Tags: best places, best places to live, CNN, Golf Courses, Money, Money Magazine, saint george, saint george utah, St. George, St. George Utah, Zion National Park Posted in Cities - Towns, St. George Utah, Zion National Park, activities
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
 Utah's Highway 18 from St. George to Enterprise Highway 18 (SR-18) encompasses a 40-mile stretch between St. George and Enterprise. As part of the Legacy Loop Highway, the paved scenic byway winds past rugged red canyons and dramatic turns of history as it follows along a section of the historic Old Spanish Trail trade route.
Highway 18 begins in St. George, just south of I-15, and heads north past the Ledges Golf Club and through the black lava-capped sandstone cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park. The road continues northwest through Wide Canyon, and past the imposing Veyo Volcano cinder pit. A four-mile hike leads to the summit of this geologic relic (5,223-feet above sea level) , where panoramic views of Snow Canyon and the surrounding mountains and valleys await. Continue the short drive north to the quiet, bucolic community of Veyo (pop. 724), an acronym for “virtue, enterprise, youth, and order” coined by the girls of a local Mormon youth group “Beehive girls” in the early 1900s.
 Diamond Valley area volcanic cinder cone near Snow Canyon State Park North of Veyo, Highway 18 winds for another 21 miles through the hills and vales of the Dixie National Forest. The remote community of Central is the gateway to Pine Valley town, reservoir, and recreation area; exit Highway 18 onto Forest Highway 35 and head east for about ten miles. At an elevation of 6,500 feet Pine Valley is known for its alpine forest, cool summer temperatures, camping, hiking, and horseback riding. Continuing north on Highway 18, you’ll pass the site of the controversial Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857. The road then turns northeast for the final stretch to Enterprise (pop. 1285), a small upper valley town with access to camping, hunting, and rainbow trout fishing in nearby Upper and Lower Enterprise Reservoirs.
Click on the pictures to see a larger view.
Tags: dixie national forest, enterprise reservoir, enterprise utah, highway 18, ledges golf club, mountain meadows, pine valley utah, saint george, Snow Canyon, St. George, utah, veyo utah, volcano Posted in Camping, Cities - Towns, Fish, Geography, Geology, Lakes / Reservoirs, Scenic Drives, Snow Canyon, St. George Utah, State Parks, activities, fishing
Monday, June 14th, 2010
With this loop there are many places to stop and look around, or even take a hike, or you can simply enjoy the scenic drive. This drive offers different perspectives depending on which direction you follow the loop.
 Gunlock Reservoir Utah The Gunlock scenic drive is a 48-mile loop that circles northwest from St. George, past Gunlock State Park and the Veyo Volcano, through the northeastern edge of Snow Canyon State Park, then back to St. George. The loop is a paved road with a gradual increase and decrease in elevation, perfect for a scenic afternoon drive or an aerobic bike ride.
This is the loop that is part of the famous Ironman Triathlon. Ironman participants do the loop twice. For cyclists, clockwise is the easiest way to ride. Begin in St. George and head west on UT-8 (Sunset Boulevard). Five miles west along the road the beautiful little city of Santa Clara is home to the Santa Clara River Reserve, the Santa Clara City Arboretum, and several city parks and trails. From Santa Clara, UT-8 turns into Old US-91. The turn for Ivins City is just a few miles down the road. Ivins is home to the renowned Tuacahn Theater, nestled beneath the magnificent red rock cliffs near Snow Canyon State Park. In Ivins you’ll also find the Art Village of Kayenta where you can visit various artist studios, galleries and even catch a meal.
Old US-91 continues past Shivwits, a small village on the Shivwits Indian Reservation and home of the oldest band of Paiute Indians. Bear right onto CR-3184/N. Gunlock Road around the reservation. The road gently increases in elevation as it climbs past Gunlock State Park, where the sparkling blue waters of Gunlock Reservoir attract boaters, swimmers, and fisherman year-round. The park and the nearby town of Gunlock are named for “Gunlock Will” Hamblin, a renowned 19th-century Mormon pioneer and sharpshooter.
 View of a volcanic cinder cone near Snow Canyon State Park Continue northeast for about 5 miles on CR-3184/N. Gunlock Road, then turn right onto West Center Street/W. Gunlock Road to the small rural community of Veyo. Turn right (south) onto SR-18. A mile down the road you’ll pass the imposing black cinder pit, Veyo Volcano. Just past Veyo Volcano is the turn-off for Upper Sand Cove Reservoir, where largemouth bass and trout are plentiful. Continue south on scenic highway 18 through the northeastern section of spectacular Snow Canyon State Park and past the Ledges Golf Course. SR-18 turns into Bluff Road as you re-enter St. George.
Tags: backway, byway, gunlock, gunlock reservoir, gunlock utah, Ivins Utah, Santa Clara Utah, scenic drive, scenic loop, veyo utah Posted in Cities - Towns, Fish, Geography, Hiking, Lakes / Reservoirs, Scenic Drives, Snow Canyon, St. George Utah, State Parks, Tuacahn, Water Sports, activities, fishing
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
 Early finisher at the Ironman St. George Triathlon St. George, Utah, 5/27/10 – The record will show that Austrian Michael Weiss was champion of the Inaugural Ford Ironman St. George. But talk from the athletes, visitors, race crews and event organizers testify that there were many more champions in this spectacular event. “My hat off to you all in St. George!” said Mike Reilly, ‘Voice of Ironman’ since 1989. “It was one of the most special Ironmans I have ever been at.”
Reilly who has announced more than 90 Ironman races said “this one set a precedent on how to put on a first year event.” Three days after the event Reilly was still just as animated as he is at the finish line. “The energy and electricity in the air was infectious,” he said. “I haven’t stopped telling people about it since I arrived home.”
Pre and post race surveys from more than 1300 athletes verified that sentiment. 98% of respondents ranked the St. George area and the people with the highest possible rating. “This is a great place with friendly people,” said Kevin Lewis, Sports & Events Director for the St. George Area Tourism Office. “The post race comments and survey data validate how exceptional they really are.” The comments below are just a few of the hundreds received in the post event survey:
 Cyclists on the St. George Ironman course - “I have been to many places and many events. To be honest, they are all good but St. George was without a doubt the best. The entire town came together for this and you would have thought this was the 10th year of IMSG, not the first.”
- “One of the best venues and most supportive communities - and I have raced all the Ironman races in USA and Canada!”
- “Could not believe how friendly, excited and overall welcoming the people of St. George were. I have done 7 Ironmans and this was the best!”
 Just finishing the water portion of the course The St. George course is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most challenging and most scenic on the Ironman circuit. “The feeling in the triathlon community is that this is a signature course with epic beauty,” said Lewis. “It’s a photographers dream,” he said. “I overheard several photographers talking about how enjoyable their day was and one quipped: “You can point a camera anywhere and get a good shot.”
“Who would know?” said Paula Newby-Fraser, eight-time Ironman World Champion, and Vice President of Development for Ironman. “You’ve got the red rocks, you’ve got the lava fields, the vistas – it’s just spectacular.
On race day, thousands of spectators followed the athletes as they made their way through the 140 mile course. St. George officials estimate nearly 25-thousand spectators gathered at the finish line from 3:00 pm to midnight. “What an exciting way to showcase our incredible surroundings to people from around the globe,” said Lewis. “It’s a remarkable event – the only one I’ve seen where spectators cheer louder for the last person across the finish line than they do for the first. It was everything we hoped for and we can’t wait to do it again.”
“For the community, the benefits of hosting a successful event like this go well beyond race week,” said Lewis. ”Ironman introduced thousands of people to this area, and according to the survey, most of them plan to visit again.” 52% of the athletes indicated that Ironman was their first introduction to the St. George. 68% said they planned to return to the area for a vacation, while 38% said they would return to train.
The 2010 Ford Ironman St. George race will be broadcast on NBC-Universal Sports. The broadcast will follow a format similar to the Emmy-award-winning Ford Ironman World Championship show.
For additional details contact the St. George Area Convention & Tourism Office: phone: 435-986-6615, email: Kevin@AtoZion.com, or visit www.ironmanstgeorge.com
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Saturday, May 1st, 2010 marked the first time an Ironman Triathlon event has ever been hosted in St. George, Utah. After two years of arduous preparations approximately 2,000 male and female athletes from around the world, began the event by swimming a 2.4 distance in the cool waters of Sand Hollow Reservoir.
 Ironman triathlon competitor in Sand Hollow Reservoir Insulated with wet suits the cool waters were handled quite well by most swimmers who subsequently embarked on a 112 mile road cycling course. This stage of the race follows very scenic roads through the Utah cities of Washington, St. George, Santa Clara, Ivins, Gunlock and Veyo. With Zion National Park in the rear-view mirror, cyclists pedaled a large double loop around Snow Canyon State Park. The final stage, a 26 mile marathon, traveled a course from downtown St. George along the red rock formations that hug the northern skyline of the city.
 St. George Ironman Triathlon cycling competitor races past Red Mountain rock formation A very difficult triathlon course: Participants said that the course may be the toughest within the United States but that the scenery, when they took time to view it, was exceptional. The bike course and marathon stages both involve significant elevation changes but the weather cooperated on this day, with blue skies and mostly mild breezes.
Finishers: Michael Weiss, an Austrian residing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the first male to cross the Ironman triathlon finish line in a time of 8 hours, 40 minutes and 8 seconds. Weiss shared in a $50,000 cash prize with other top professional male and female finishers. Heather Wurtele, of Canada, was the top female finisher with a time of 9:35:26. She won over a group of approximately 400 women that competed in the event. There were 413 Ironman triathlon competitors from the host state of Utah and among these were many participants from the St. George area.
Ironman officials and participants alike liberally praised the local effort to organize and manage the logistics of the race, saying that this race felt more like an event that was in its 10th year rather than its first. Spectators from around St. George joined with thousands of visitors along roadways to encourage the athletes. An estimated crowd of over 10,000 lined the 140.6 mile course.
 Runners pass each other as they loop in and out of downtown in the St. George Ironman Triathlon Montana’s Ben Hoffman finished the water portion of the triathlon in 51:13 (2.4 miles), ahead of the pack, but was unable to fend of Weiss who excelled in the bike and running portions of the race.
Economically the event is said to have infused between seven and ten million dollars into the local economy. This was the first of what is intended to be an annual event, and Ironman officials indicate that the triathlon will continue for at least five years. If all goes well the event will continue indefinitely. Based on the success of this first triathlon the St. George Ironman is likely to be going strong in 20 years.
Tags: Biking, cycling, Ironman, ironman st. george, ironman triathlon, marathon, running, saint george ironman, st. george ironman, st. george triathlon, St. George Utah, triahalon, Zion National Park Posted in Cities - Towns, Events, Health & Fitness, Ironman, Lakes / Reservoirs, Sports, St. George Utah, State Parks, Zion National Park, activities
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Zen Trail - Mountain Biking: The ride has much to offer and is comparable to the challenges of Gooseberry Mesa, but the Zen trail offers more of a sloping terrain. This trail is considered by many to be the most technical mountain bike ride in the St. George area. It has numerous rock obstacles or challenges and should be approached with anticipation and a little caution for the first time. This is a mountain biking trail that is recommended for intermediate and advanced riders. Bring along your a good attitude and your sense of adventure.
 Mountain Biking on the Zen Trail How to get there: The Zen trail starts at 2,700 feet (823 m), just left of the road to the northern Bearclaw Poppy trailhead, in the bottom of the valley. If you’re riding counterclockwise, you can climb either of the first two doubletracks which offer some technical riding before the two routes come together.
The highest part of the Zen trail reaches an altitude of 3,450 (1,051 m). There’ll be about 1,100 feet of climbing if you do the loop ride that returns by the lower singletrack. The loop is 6 miles in total distance.
The Zen Trail offers many different experiences. There’s the straightforward but fairly stiff one-mile climb to get to the “business area” of the ride. There are the technical challenges as you enter areas of pillow-shaped sandstone and hoodoos. The rock monoliths are so visually interesting. There are also expansive vistas. One minute you cruise along snaking desert singletrack and the next you’re route-picking over slabs of rock.
At mile 1.8, you’ll spot trails running in many directions. Stay to the left and slide straight across the small valley, and then climb the big rock to a shelf on the other side. There are interesting nooks and hideaways in the rock formations here, and that’s the reason for so many trails.
Whatever your purpose in tackling the Zen trail, you’ll find it to be one of the most interesting and challenging rides you’ve come across.
Tags: Mountain Biking, mountain biking trail, saint george, St. George, st. george mountain biking, trail, utah, utah biking trail, utah mountain biking, zen, zen mountain biking trail, zen trail, zen trail mountain biking Posted in Adventure, Biking, Cities - Towns, Geography, Geology, Health & Fitness, St. George Utah, activities
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Grafton, Utah
 Grafton School House Grafton is a historic ghost town just south of Zion National Park and located along the Virgin River. The modern day town nearest Grafton, is Rockville. Grafton was first settled in 1859 and was located just one mile west of its present town site. In January of 1862 the town was completely washed away by a flood on the Virgin River. Settlers rebuilt the town a mile further up stream at its present site.
 Gravestone of young teenager killed in uprisings There were many log houses, a post office, a church, a school, and a community hall. The town was deserted in 1866 due to Indian attacks and resettled once the threat had subsided.
Said to be the most photographed ghost town in the West, it has been featured as a location in several films, including 1929’s “In Old Arizona” and the classic “Butch Cassidy and the Sandance Kid”, filmed in 1969 and starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. If you are familiar with the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” you may remember the scene where Newman is riding a bicycle while the music of B.J. Thomas serenades he and Katherine Ross (Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head). This was part of the scenes that were filmed at Grafton.
Directions: To get to Grafton Ghost town you will drive to the town of Rockville and look for a road labelled “Bride Road” at the east end of town (south side of street). Turn on this road and go south across the old iron bridge. Follow the road to the right as it turns west and becomes a dirt road. Travel this direction for a couple of miles until you see the Grafton cemetery on the left. The road to the old Grafton town site curves right (north) toward the Virgin River (just a few hundred yards). Park your car and wander around the old school house and through the old cemetery.
 Grafton Cemetery
Tags: butch cassidy, butch cassidy and the sundance kid, church, flood, Grafton, grafton ghost town, grafton utah, in old arizona, indian, indian attacks, katherine ross, paul newman, post office, robert redford, rockville, rockville utah, springdale, Springdale Utah, sundance kid, virgin river, Zion National Park, zion park Posted in Cities - Towns, Education, Geography, Ghost towns, Hiking, History, Scenic Drives, Springdale Utah, Weather, Zion National Park, virgin river
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Ever since the new freeway was opened through the Virgin River Gorge, travelers simply don’t travel very much to Las Vegas via old highway 91. This state road, that goes west through the quaint city of Santa Clara, comes to a fork near the base of Utah hill. Go left at the fork, and you would continue toward Las Vegas, turn right and you will go north to Gunlock State Park. The reservoir, tucked away about 15 miles northwest of St. George, is a hidden secret.
 Water Skiing on Gunlock State Park Gunlock State Park is a scenic 600-acre park is a great place for boating, swimming and for other water sport enthusiasts to enjoy some of the warmest water temperatures in Utah. The reservoir, built in 1970 and fed by the Santa Clara River, also provides excellent fishing for bass, crappie, and catfish. The banks of the reservoir are lined with pine and juniper trees, with a backdrop of red and pink Navajo sandstone cliffs to the west and ancient lava beds to the east. With heavy spring snow-melt and rains, you may find water flowing over the southwest corner of the reservoir and then cascading across the red rock formations below. This is quite a spectacular site and the best opportunities to see this are usually between March and April. It really depends on the weather conditions. Also found in this area are a wide array of ancient Native American writings. Click here to read more.
 The town of Gunlock - Just 1 mile north of the Gunlock State Park The park is named for “Gunlock Will” (William Haynes Hamblin), a Mormon pioneer and expert marksman who settled in the area in the mid-1800s. The road to the park was once known as the Old Spanish Trail and was traversed from New Mexico to California by adventurers in search of gold.
Southern Utah’s sunny, dry climate allows the park to remain open year-round, although spring and fall entertain the most visitors. There is a day-use fee ($5.00 in 2010) for this state park, which includes the boat launch and limited facilities, including a covered pavilion and vault toilets. Primitive camping is available ($10 per night in 2010).
Tags: Boating, Camping, cliff jumping, fishing, gunlock, gunlock state park, gunlock utah, kayaking, State Park, State Parks, utah state park, utah state parks, wake boarding, water skiing Posted in ATV/4x4, Adventure, Boating, Camping, Cities - Towns, Hiking, Lakes / Reservoirs, Scenic Drives
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