The fiery red rock formations, orange hoodoos (fantastical rock columns) and ombre canyons of Utah’s national parks are a colorful reminder that, sometimes, nature enjoys showing off. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion — known collectively as the Mighty Five — boast otherworldly scenery that leaves visitors feeling connected to Earth and eager to explore it.
Arches National Park, Moab
The Delicate Arch is the most well-known rock formation in Arches National Park
(Image credit: Mark Brodkin Photography / Getty Images)
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Arches is not a misnomer, but visitors still might not be prepared for how many of these rock formations are in the park. More than 2,000 natural stone arches, including Landscape Arch, the longest in North America, are scattered across 76,519 acres. Trails lead to park icons like the Delicate Arch and Park Avenue, an area where the sandstone spires resemble skyscrapers. While exploring the park, see how many ephemeral pools you can spot. These are natural sandstone basins that collect rain water and sediment and turn into habitats for plants and animals. Due to their fleeting nature, they can be present one day and gone the next.
Note: Visitors who plan on coming before Oct. 31, 2024, need to have a timed entry ticket to gain access to the park.
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Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon
The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon each have their own unusual shape
(Image credit: Francesco Riccardo Iacomino / Getty Images)
Hoodoos, craggy rock formations that take on an ethereal glow at sunrise and sunset, are testaments to time and erosion. Thousands of these orange and tan spires form natural amphitheaters in Bryce Canyon, giving the park the distinction of having the world’s largest concentration of hoodoos. If you want to get close to them, set out on the Sunset Point to Sunrise Point trail, which is paved and offers a sweeping view. To see a different, less crowded side of Bryce Canyon, hit the backcountry and hike through forests and meadows. Keep in mind that Bryce Canyon’s altitude ranges from 8,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet, so prepare accordingly.
Canyonlands National Park, Moab
From the Green River Overlook, visitors have a tremendous view of Canyonlands
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(Image credit: Don White / Getty Images)
Canyonlands calls to adventurers with four distinct districts to explore: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze and Rivers. Island in the Sky is a mesa with unending views of canyons, sandstone towers and the Green River, and more accessible than the remote Maze, which draws backcountry enthusiasts. Hundreds of striped sandstone spires stand tall in The Needles, where some areas can only be reached via 4-wheel-drive vehicles. The Rivers — Colorado and Green — offer kayaking and canoeing in the late spring and early summer when water levels are at their highest. If you can only do one hike at Canyonlands, make it the Mesa Arch Trail. At 0.6 miles roundtrip, it is one of the shortest hikes in the park and takes visitors to the iconic Mesa Arch.
Capitol Reef National Park, Torrey
The Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun formations can be found in Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley
(Image credit: John McAnulty / Getty Images)
Look closely while walking by the Navajo sandstone rock formations in Capitol Reef. Etched into many of the surfaces are petroglyphs by the Fremont people, who drew human figures, wildlife and abstract designs. In the Fruita Historic District, visitors can see several of these ancient petroglyphs, plus historical sites like the Gifford Homestead and one-room Fruita Schoolhouse. Camping here is a quaint experience, with the 71 sites surrounded by orchards dating to the 1880s and localed near the banks of the Fremont River. For a more rugged experience, head to the Cathedral Valley District, a remote area popular with stargazers who enjoy night photography.
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Zion National Park, Springdale
A hike through The Narrows involves wading through the Virgin River
(Image credit: Matteo Colombo / Getty Images)
As Utah’s first national park, Zion set the bar high. There is much to admire about this space, which offers a well-rounded experience for visitors who only want to take a scenic drive around the park to those who plan on staying for days to hike as much as possible. For the thrill-seeker, there is no greater adventure than taking on Angels Landing, a steep and strenuous climb that involves footholds and chain handrails. The Narrows offers a less harrowing but equally beautiful journey through Zion Canyon. Hikers make their way through the gorge via the Virgin River, so dress accordingly and wear shoes that can get wet. It is incredible to see the canyon walls from this vantage point, and the only way to get closer is to obtain a permit to go canyoneering.
Note: Everyone who hikes Angels Landing must secure a permit prior to arriving at the park.
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SANDY, Utah — Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez scored one minute apart late in the second half, and Dayne St. Clair earned his second clean sheet of the season as Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Soccer legend Lionel Messi played the entire 90(+7) minutes of the game in his Utah debut, but failed to score despite late opportunities.
Miami (5-1-3) is unbeaten in its last eight regular-season games to sit in second in the Eastern Conference standings.
Salt Lake (5-1-2) had a six-game unbeaten run come to an end. RSL had secured multi-goal wins in its previous two games.
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De Paul took a short corner from Telasco Segovia and curled a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal in the 82nd minute.
Suárez, who entered in the 75th, volleyed a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Rafael Cabral for his second goal of the season.
The only other meeting between the teams resulted in a 2-0 victory for Miami at home in the 2024 season opener.
Utah transfer Terrence Brown gives UNC a dynamic scoring guard with playmaking upside.
Utah transfer Terrence Brown, one of the top combo guards in the portal, has committed to North Carolina, giving the Tar Heels a high-scoring backcourt addition for next season.
Brown chose UNC over Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Ole Miss and USC. He is ranked the No. 8 combo guard and No. 38 overall transfer by 247Sports.
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The 6-foot-3 rising senior averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds for Utah last season while shootingt 45.3% from the field and 32.7% from 3-point range. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention.
His ability to both score and create for others makes him a natural candidate to replace former Tar Heels combo guard Seth Trimble.
Here is a full breakdown of what Brown brings to the tables.
What to be excited about
For starters, Brown is a high-level scorer. He scored 20 or more points 18 times and 25 or more points nine times last season. North Carolina’s backcourt had a player score 20 or more points only five times last season. Trimble accounted for four of those games, and Bogavac had one in UNC’s regular-season finale against Clemson.
Brown has shown he can be an effective passer as well. He posted a 27.7 assist percentage, an increase of 6.4 points from the previous season. That number rose to 28.1 percent in conference play, eighth-best in the Big 12.
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He has shown he can be a capable defender, averaging 1.7 steals per game throughout his career. His career best was 2.2 steals per game in 2024-25 with Fairleigh Dickinson, which led the Northeast Conference.
What to be concerned about
The only concern UNC should have with Brown is his ability to play with players just as good as, and possibly better than, he is. The worry should not be that he may intentionally ballhog. In fact, he may simply try to do too much.
Because he was on two mediocre programs such as FDU and Utah, Brown had free rein to shoot himself out of slumps as he was the No. 1 scorer and the primary ballhandler. The last two seasons, Brown has ranked in the top 15 in usage rate and has averaged 16.4 and 15.4 shots per game. While his offensive rating improved at Utah, going from 96.8 to 108.1, his effective field-goal percentage was still below 50 percent at 48.6.
He will have to learn not to put too much pressure on himself as he plays alongside teammates such as Neoklis Avdalas, Jarin Stevenson and possibly Henri Veesaar, if Veesaar returns to Chapel Hill.
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How He Fits at UNC
Brown should fit in just nicely in Chapel Hill and will provide a much-needed boost to its backcourt.
With UNC’s stronger supporting cast and a coach with a championship pedigree in Michael Malone, Brown will be pushed to process the game faster. He will need to read the floor quickly, use his first step to collapse the defense or kick out to shooters, and he could form an intriguing pick-and-roll duo with both Avdalas and Veesaar.
Brown’s athleticism could be a difference-maker at UNC. All he has to do is improve his shot selection and overall efficiency.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
SALT LAKE CITY — A California man in Utah, as part of his duties with the National Guard, is accused of trying to solicit sex from a young teenager.
Joshua Ruben Rodriguez, 29, of Fresno, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with attempted rape of a child, a first-degree felony, and enticement of a minor, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began when an agent with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation posed as a 13-year-old girl on a “popular social media site … in an attempt to locate and apprehend adults attempting to have sexual contact with children,” according to charging documents.
On April 16, Rodriguez sent the agent a message — believing he was talking to a teen girl — that stated, “I’ll be direct with you, I would like to get to know you and (have sex with) your mind into a daze to where you feel like a woman,” according to charging documents.
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When the “girl” asked if he had a problem with her age, Rodriguez replied, “I don’t have a problem with your age,” the charges state.
The agent told Rodriguez to meet at an apartment complex in Salt Lake County where the girl lived, claiming her mother would be gone. When Rodriguez arrived, he was taken into custody, the charges state.
“(Rodriguez) does not have ties to Utah. He is a resident of Fresno, California. (He) was in town as part of his military service with the California National Guard,” prosecutors stated in charging documents while requesting he be held without bail pending trial.
