Utah
Why is Utah getting trashed?
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Utah’s lovely views are recognized everywhere in the world however in the event you look nearer, the views give strategy to one thing not almost as good. Litter is in every single place.
Piece by piece the whole state is being trashed.
John Gleason, the spokesperson for UDOT, says, “Littering isn’t an issue that’s unique to Utah. We have now this situation that occurs all throughout the U.S.”
Despite the fact that the issue is nationwide, the trash downside right here has created harmful points leading to two deaths to date this 12 months.
Sgt. Cameron Roden with Utah Freeway Patrol informed ABC4, “Final 12 months in 2021, we had over 29,300 particles calls. There are some exceptions to that the place we now have a number of officers on one name logging that. These are very harmful conditions, with accidents, and these are inflicting the fatalities, we’ve seen inside the previous couple of months.”
In keeping with UDOT, over the previous couple of years, there have been 1800 to 2000 accidents triggered every year by highway particles. They’re nonetheless counting for 2021.
The place did it come from? How did it get right here? The issue is complicated, however it begins with all of us.
Gleason says “I believe there are loads of good intentions. I don’t assume anybody units out with the concept that they’re going to litter or drop one thing on the highway.”
The state has grown, and now 3.2 million individuals stay in Utah, and every of us throws stuff away daily. Or at the very least we predict we do. Numerous rubbish doesn’t make it to the landfill, the leaks can begin in our personal properties.
Dustin Bradshaw, Salt Lake County’s Waste Assortment Supervisor says, “when you have an overfilled can, windy days or not windy days, the lids aren’t utterly closed. Generally, as quickly as the motive force is attempting to service the can, trash will spill out.”
That wind makes it worse. Bradshaw says, “Numerous cans will not be both bagged, or loads of the trash blows out of our vans immediately. Simply blowing down the road.”
UDOT’s Gleason provides “It’s a giant downside during the last 5 years. We’ve devoted about 20% extra time of our upkeep crews to be on the market, selecting it up.
That added time prices UDOT $2.5 million a 12 months.
“The irritating factor for our crews is that if we’re on the market on a sure part of highway, we clear all of it up, and simply a few weeks later, you’re driving alongside, and it seems to be like we haven’t been there. That’s not one thing anybody desires to really feel,” says Gleason.
How do you management thousands and thousands of items of trash across the state? We begin by turning into conscious of our leaks. Sgt. Roden says, “It’s one thing we have to work on as a bunch, not simply the regulation enforcement aspect or UDOT, the general public as effectively.”
Subsequent, we begin doing a couple of easy issues otherwise.
Dustin Bradshaw says the beginning may be pretty simple. “One factor that would assist with that’s getting individuals to tie up the drawstrings. Tie up their luggage in a knot.” Tying the baggage retains the contents from spilling, however it additionally helps create density, which makes it tougher for the wind to blow the baggage round.
One other a part of the issue is after we all haul trash to the landfill. We’d like to ensure we’re transporting the rubbish appropriately. UHP’s Roden says, “If it’s one thing like a load that we’re carrying down the freeway, we simply bought some furnishings or one thing like that, we see these very often, go the additional mile to safe it additional good to the car.”
Gleason says the underside line is, “It actually comes right down to you and me as people and what we are going to do to assist tackle the issue. Don’t be a part of the issue, be a part of the answer, tie down your cargo, and be sure to’re not littering.”
Being conscious of our trash, and the place the trash goes is necessary. The opposite issues like don’t overfill your rubbish cans, ensure that your trash is down in a bag and by your door in your automobile, and maintain all the pieces coated whenever you go to the landfill may also help.
Each UDOT and Salt Lake County Waste say the most important factor is to recollect thousands and thousands of individuals stay in Utah now. We have now to appreciate each little bit, if all of us do it as soon as, is thousands and thousands of items of trash. It could actually damage all the pieces we love about our state, the wildlife and us.
Utah is stacked when it comes to outdoor adventure. Not only does the state have some of the country’s most badass skiing and mountain biking, but it also boasts the nation’s third most national parks in any state, which include some of the world’s best hiking trails.
These protected meccas—Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion, known as the Mighty Five—capture unique and stunning landscapes that represent the desert at its absolute finest, from striking sandstone arches to isolated slot canyons to lush oases. And over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit all of Utah’s national parks. Some, during my explorations as a nascent single dude traveling in a diesel VW Jetta with pink bumpers looking for adventure (true story), and others later in life with my wife and kids in tow.
Do I have a favorite? Absolutely. Arches. Wait, Bryce. Definitely Bryce. Or, actually Zion. Okay… truth be told, I can’t pick one. They’re all breathtaking for different reasons, and for me, that’s an impossible task.
I did however pick my two favorite hikes in each park—one for beginners and one for the more adventurous—that you absolutely can’t miss when you go. Especially if you’re a first-timer to Utah’s national parks, consider these hiking trails the ultimate primer. And if you keep coming back as I do, maybe you’ll discover which park you like best. (Good luck with that.)
If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.
Destinations Newsletter
Want more of Outside’s Travel stories?
Sign up here
Arches National Park
As the name suggests, Arches is loaded with more than 2,000 rainbow-like curved sandstone features within its borders—the highest concentration of such outcroppings in the United States. You’ll also find colorful cliffs, towering pinnacles, and balancing rocks that combine for a red rock landscape like no other.
Best Beginner Hike: Park Avenue
Yes, the national park is named Arches, but this hike takes you through the center of towering cliffs and spires, so tall they’re reminiscent of New York City’s skyscrapers. It’s popular, and can get crowded, but it’s a must-do when you’re in Arches. The 2-mile out and back takes you through the middle of the park’s signature outcroppings, including Tower of Babel, a distinctive, freestanding fin that is part of the larger group of Courthouse Towers. (Some people shuttle themselves via two cars and make it a mile-long point to point.)
Best Advanced Hike: Primitive Loop Trail
The 7.9-mile Primitive Loop, the park’s longest maintained trail, accesses a handful of distinctive sandstone features in the Devil’s Garden area and delivers the desert solitude you probably crave after navigating crowds at the park’s entrance. Its landscape-to-arches bang for buck, combined with the opportunity to ditch the masses, make this my favorite trail inside the park. Spur trails lead to Landscape Arch, which at 306-feet across, makes it the longest stone arch in North America. You’ll also be able to see Double O Arch, Private Arch, and the weird Dark Angel, a black sandstone spike emerging from the sand.
Pro Tip: Arches now requires reservations to enter the park (get them up to three months in advance) between April 1 and October 31. But show up after 4 P.M. and you can enter the park without advanced notice. Just bring a headlamp in case your hike goes longer than expected.
BOOK AIRBNBS NEAR ARCHES
BOOK HOTELS NEAR ARCHES
Canyonlands National Park
At 337,598 acres, Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, with three distinct regions; the day-hike-friendly Needles, Island in the Sky (which covers a plateau between the Colorado and Green Rivers), and the super remote Maze. The Needles has the most developed trails for hikers, as well as some of the park’s signature canyons and spires.
Best Beginner Hike: Mesa Arch
This .5-mile lollipop loop in the easy-to-access Island in the Sky District, delivers hikers to a 27-foot arch that’s perched on the edge of a cliff more than 1,000 feet above Buck Canyon. Peer through the arch and you can see some of Canyonland’s signature features, including the massive monoliths of Washer Woman and Monster Tower, as well as the La Sal Mountains beyond the park.
Best Advanced Hike: Chesler Park Loop
Hike some of the best scenery in The Needles District on this 12-mile lollipop that delivers the slot canyons and arches most hikers come to the area to see. The tread is slickrock and sandy washes as you combine four trails (Elephant Hill, Druid Arch, Joint Trail, and Chesler Park), which will have you squeezing through boulders and scrambling through stone notches. Chesler Park itself is a circular valley surrounded by towering sandstone spires.
Pro Tips: First, try to time your visit to Mesa Arch for sunrise, when the red rock cliffs framed by the structure are set aglow by the emerging daylight. Second, there are no reliable water sources on the Chesler Loop hike, so make sure you bring plenty for a full day in the desert.
BOOK AIRBNBS NEAR CANYONLANDS
BOOK HOTELS NEAR CANYONLANDS
Bryce Canyon National Park
Hoodoos are a trip. These tall, stone spires look like huge versions of the drip castles you made as a kid on the beach, and Bryce Canyon National Park is full of them, as well as deep canyons, surprisingly lush forests, and elevations that top out at 9,100 feet.
Best Beginner Hike: The Rim Trail
The Rim Trail traces the edge of Bryce Canyon for 5.5 miles, connecting two popular overlooks, Bryce Point and Fairyland Point. A free shuttle run by the park service hits multiple overlooks and access points along the Rim Trail, making it easy to treat this as a point-to-point, and there are three overlooks and trailheads along the way, so you can tailor the distance to your own ability. Do the whole thing and you’ll only gain 200 feet of elevation, while the views into the canyon offer peeks of the park’s grandiose canyons and spires, including the appropriately-named Thor’s Hammer.
Best Advanced Hike: Under-the-Rim Trail
At 23 miles, you’ll need at least a couple of days to complete this point-to-point highlight reel of Bryce Canyon. But you’ll be glad you dedicated the extra time, as Under-the-Rim boasts serious backcountry goods, including views of towering orange cliffs, clusters of the park’s signature hoodoos, and even forests of ponderosa pines and aspens. It’s not an easy stroll as you’ll gain 5,500 feet along the way, but primitive backcountry campsites enable you to break it up into a multi-day effort.
Pro Tip: Bryce has a free park shuttle, but it doesn’t access Rainbow Point Trailhead, so you’ll need to hire a shuttle (Bryce Canyon Scenic Tours and Shuttles, from $15 per person) or have two cars complete Under-the-Rim Trail, or if you’re planning to hike the entire Rim Trail.
BOOK AIRBNBS NEAR BRYCE
BOOK HOTELS NEAR BRYCE
Zion National Park
To say Zion protects a desert landscape would be too simple of a description. The 148,733-acre park actually encompasses an area where three distinct ecosystems, the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the Great Basin come together. The result is terrain that’s rich with canyons, lush river valleys, and soaring peaks. It’s also one of the most popular national parks in the entire country, with five million visitors last year.
Best Beginner Hike: Emerald Pools Trail
There are three Emerald Pools in Zion, each of which is an actual oasis in the middle of the desert, located on different tiers of a stream, tucked into the base of a massive, sandstone amphitheater. The Lower Emerald Pool, which is actually a couple of separate pools fed by a small waterfall that tumbles over an alcove, is wheelchair accessible via a 1.2-mile out and back. The Middle and Upper Emerald Pools are a little tougher to reach; a 2.5-mile loop accesses all three, but Upper is worth the effort, as the pool sits at the base of a massive sandstone wall. Show up in spring and all of the pools could be fed by seasonal waterfalls.
Best Advanced Hike: Orderville Canyon
Yes, The Narrows is the park’s most lauded hike, but Orderville Canyon offers a similar experience over more technical terrain that keeps the masses away. The first few miles are easy going, but as you descend deeper into Orderville, the canyon narrows and becomes a tangle of boulders you have to climb and repel over, interspersed with springs and waterfalls. It’s a 12-mile point to point through a lush playground that should take a full day, and you will need technical skills and gear to tackle it safely. You’ll also need a permit ($10 per person). (If you’re not comfortable with canyoneering, hire a guide. Commercial guides can’t lead you through canyons inside the national park, but they can take you through similar canyons outside of the park’s boundaries.)
Pro Tip: Zion has a free shuttle that begins at the Visitor Center and delivers you to popular trailheads, but you need to show up early to get a parking spot. During summer, the first shuttle leaves the Visitor Center at 6 A.M. Be on it.
BOOK AIRBNBS NEAR ZION
BOOK HOTELS NEAR ZION
Capitol Reef National Park
Natural arches and bridges, singular rock pillars, canyons… the 241,904-acre Capitol Reef is home to all of the highlights you’d expect from a national park in the desert of Utah. All of these features are a result of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long “wrinkle” in the earth’s crust made by an uplift of an underlying fault about 15 million years ago, which caused massive cliffs to rise and eventually erode into domes, towers, canyons, arches, and monoliths that are found throughout this park. Cool, right?
Best Beginner Hike: Grand Wash
Grand Wash gives you a taste of the narrow canyons that people go ape over, but via a flat hike that’s easy to follow and super family friendly. The entire hike is a 4.4-mile out and back, but if you start on the Highway 24 trailhead, you enter the canyon early, with 200-foot vertical rock walls on either side of you, and can turn back when you’ve seen enough. After hiking a half mile over sandy terrain, the canyon begins to shrink and soon you’ll hit the narrows, which has slot canyon vibes without getting so tight it causes claustrophobia (the walls are about 20-feet apart at their slimmest point). The tan, sandstone walls are pockmarked with holes and small caves, and even offer shade in the morning and late afternoon.
Best Advanced Hike: Sheets Gulch Slot Canyon
Capitol Reef has a bevy of canyons to explore, but Sheets Gulch might be the best non-technical option. There’s no official trail through the narrow gorge, which can be found 12.7 miles south of Highway 24 on the paved Notom-Bullfrog Road, but the occasional cairn and obvious route through narrow, sandstone walls make this journey relatively straightforward to navigate. (Bring a map, regardless.) While you won’t need ropes, you’ll need to muscle up and over several chockstones and wade through the occasional pool to keep moving forward, but that’s half the fun. It’s a 9-mile point to point, but most hikers turn around when the canyon begins to open back up, roughly 6.5 miles from the trailhead, making it a long, 13-mile all-day adventure.
Pro Tip: Bring a 4WD rig. The hikes I mention here are accessible via paved roads, but if you have a high clearance, 4WD vehicle, the entire backcountry of Capitol Reef becomes your oyster, and you’ll have options for free, primitive camping and an easier time getting into the remote Cathedral Valley—a backcountry district of the park where you can find a cluster of sandstone monoliths.
BOOK AIRBNBS NEAR CAPITOL REEF
BOOK HOTELS NEAR CAPITOL REEF
Graham Averill is Outside magazine’s national parks columnist. He’s fresh off of a trip to Utah, where he was able to hike portions of Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He also just survived Hurricane Helene at his home in Asheville, North Carolina and wrote about it, and ranked the best national parks in the nation for fall foliage.
CHICAGO (AP) — Des Watson scored 12 points as Loyola Chicago beat Southern Utah 76-72 on Tuesday night.
Watson shot 3 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 6 from the line for the Ramblers (5-0). Kymany Houinsou scored 11 points and added six rebounds. Jalen DeLoach had 10 points and shot 5 of 7 from the field.
The Thunderbirds (4-1) were led by Jamir Simpson, who recorded 28 points. Dominique Ford added 18 points for Southern Utah. Jamari Sibley also had seven points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
A local favorite is taking his show to a much bigger stage.
Rapper Post Malone is bring his “The Big Ass Stadium Tour” — his first-ever stadium tour — to Salt Lake City in 2025. The tour will visit 25 cities across the United States and Canada and kick off in April 2025.
After two April shows in California — the dates and location match with the Coachella Festival, though the event’s slate has yet to be announced — Post Malone’s stadium tour will launch in Salt Lake City at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
A release announcing the tour from Live Nation “promises fans a concert experience filled with a mix of his biggest hits, fan favorites, and brand new songs from his sixth studio album, ‘F-1 Trillion’.” Malone’s latest album is his first step into the country music world, featuring a hit single with Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help,” which was just nominated for Best County Song at the Grammy Awards, alongside a nomination in the “Best Country Duo/Group” category.
Malone will perform alongside country artist Jelly Roll and American singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Malone kicked off his arena tour for his latest album in Utah earlier this year, with two shows at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in September. Jelly Roll kicked off his arena tour in Utah at the Delta Center in August.
Though Malone recently moved to a new state, he’s become a local favorite both for his music and for living in Utah for some time. A Raising Cane’s franchise in Midvale has his mark all over it. Whenever he performs here, he’s welcomed home by Utahns.
This is the second stadium show to be announced at Rice-Eccles Stadium for 2025. Earlier this year, a Billy Joel and Sting show was announced for May 23.
Presale for the show for fans with a Citi card begins on Wednesday. Artist presale beings on Friday. Sign up for the presale at signup.ticketmaster.com/postmalone. General sale begins Tuesday, Nov. 26, at noon local time, at livenation.com.
Broncos at Raiders preview: Denver looks for season sweep of Las Vegas
14-year-old Seattle teen arrested for shooting at police officers
Female recruits now shipping equally to MCRDs Parris Island, San Diego
Brewers Star Predicted To Leave Milwaukee For $189M Deal With Dodgers
Former Inter Miami and Atlanta United Striker to Hit Free Agency, per Report
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Louisiana lawmakers weighing constitutional amendment that would send more juvenile offenders to adult jails
Sharp rise recorded in landmine casualties in 2023, warns report
SS United States, record-setting ocean liner, makes its final voyage
President-elect Trump has considered buying Greenland: Here's every proposal in American history
G20 Summit: Brazil's president calls for more action on climate change
-
News1 week agoHerbert Smith Freehills to merge with US-based law firm Kramer Levin
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
Technology1 week agoThe next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
-
Business7 days ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health7 days agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business3 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics2 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Sports1 week agoRoki Sasaki’s contract situation, signing process and suitors, explained
