Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall – All You Have to Do is Go – to Utah

From soaring red rock cliffs to stunning sandstone mountains, jaw-dropping rock formations, and the perfect hiking and exploring experience visiting Utah offers many pleasures.

The wild beauty of nature is also well matched with top accommodations and five-star dining experiences that are equally awesome. The result: a perfect vacation for just about every traveller.

Visit during the winter holidays, when a dusting of snow makes those red rocks glow like fire; in the spring, when the first wildflowers begin to show their drowsy heads above the magnificent hilltops; or in summer, when temperatures are often surprisingly moderate, and the weather is perfect to stargaze late into the night. Whatever the season, you’ll find a terrific reason to take a trip. Here are three of our favorite spots to explore and relax.

Spa Luxury and Serenity with a View

Located just outside St. George, Red Mountain Resort is the ultimate getaway. The “adventure spa” serves a wide array of gourmet meals, with a terrific range of vegan and vegetarian options. Try an equally substantial menu of exercise and meditation classes, and enjoy a stunning setting ringed by red rock.

Rooms are fresh and modern; family style “apartments” with two bedrooms, a fireplace, fully equipped kitchen, and porch or patio luxuriously large; the perfect retreat to rest awhile. The latter are positioned around a pool and hot tub, one of several on the property, and a great place to indulge in a dip while stargazing.

Don’t miss the spiral labyrinth on property; and as tempting as it is to dine, doze, and take in all that scenery, be sure to attend classes. Take a dive into an exuberant Zumba class, experience a body-aligning Chiball stretch, or find serenity in a guided meditation.

photo above: courtesy of resort

A true don’t-miss is outdoor yoga in nearby Snow Canyon – a state park that is also well worth a day’s exploration in its own right, from layers of Navajo sandstone, lava tubes, fossil finds, and petrified dunes.

General manager Tracy Welsh has been with the resort for 18 years, ten of them as GM. “The challenge for us is to have something different every day for our guests and flow nimbly with whatever fits best.” The fact that the resort is an independence property allows her to remain fluid and offer so many different experiences at the resort. “Our location, adjacent to Zion National Park and a state park, you just feel a sense of calm here. It’s easy to let yourself feel that,” she relates. The property itself encompases 55 acres of undisturbed open space. “The nickname for the area is ‘color country,'” Welsh says, “and just looking at the area, the colors as they change day to day, it’s a constant reminder that life is ever changing, as is earth itself.”

Welsh, above. Below, a look at some of the experiences the resort offers.

“We want to be more about self-care than anything else. Indulge a little, relax, enjoy a hike and a massage. We’re all hitting it too hard, we do all of our work at hyper speed and the level of expectation is high, the pressure is always on. We try to relieve that here.”

Morning hikes originating at the resort are available at three different levels from entry level Explorer hikes to challenging Endurance hikes. Along the way, guests can explore the regions flora, fauna, and a petroglyph or two; or simply take in the beauty of the region and the thoughtfulness the resort uses in preserving it.

Return from any excursion to a beautifully prepared meal in the resort’s dining room. The food is absolutely gourmet-class; no boring “health food” fare here, although the choices are undoubtedly healthy. There’s carrot peanut butter as well as dairy buttter; farm fresh eggs or an exceptional tofu scramble for breakfast.

Lunch is served buffet style, with choices such as baked eggplant or seafood paella.

Dinner, fully served, offers selections like pan roasted sea bass and polenta lasagna; delightful salads; organic produce, and all created in a satisfying and innovative style. Delicious wine-based cocktails and an extensive wine and beer list add to a menu that also includes a changing confection of desserts – yes, there is chocolate.

While the average stay is four nights, some stay for a full week, others just visit for a weekend – only to return, again, and again for more natural beauty and relaxation.

Don’t miss a visit to the spa, where an expansive mountain view spreads out before soft loungers in the reception area, and nature-focused treatments such as a hydrating Agave Ritual massage and scrub, or a Warm Detox Wrap awaits. Try a Warm Himalayan Salt Stone massage or the Zen experience of crystal bowl Vibration Sound Therapy. Sound baths are especially popular.

“35% of our guests are here for a solo experience,” Welsh reports. “So we try to offer a welcoming, safe, and casual environment that has a real lack of pretension.”

Soaring Zion National Park Heights

Zion National Park is popular indeed, but despite shuttle busses around the valley floor and a robust tourist popular year-round, there are many beautiful spots to visit where you can experience blissful nature, breathe deep, and take in towering views and memorable vistas. Here are tall cliffs and dazzling canyons, viewed perhaps most expansively from just outside the valley floor at the Canyon Overlook Trail in the upper East Canyon.

Peer in the slot canyons below, or pause along the admittedly narrow path for a break in a small cavern. At the termination of the one mile, mostly flat hike (warning: it will take an hour both to appreciate the view and approach narrow bends with caution), you’ll be rewarded with a broad and stunning view.

Don’t miss the exceptionally easy 1/4 mile path to Weeping Rock in the heart of the park; in the winter, icicles drip from the red rocks, while come spring and summer, flowers and mosses fill the crevices wet from natural springs with fecundity.

Stroll along the Virgin River to the Narrows, where canyon walls tower overhead; when it’s warm enough, wade with other park visitors into the rivers midst, and feel a part of the flow. In the winter, enjoy deer nibbling on patches of greenery, and let the afternoon sunshine warm your face while you stroll.

After a full day of hiking and exploring, the place to stop is in Springdale, just outside the park’s main gates. The Desert Pearl Inn is a real gem, with sleek, modern rooms that feature hardwood floors, porches or balconies, and a setting that offers views of a bubbling stream or the beautiful cliffs of Zion. Enjoy Native American art and regional flora on the walls; a shiny kitchenette makes the perfect spot to have breakfast before visiting the park or an evening cocktail.

A nice touch: handmade soaps are shaped like natural rock.

A large pool and hot tub are just steps away from the rooms.

The setting is serene, the cool, clean modern look of the inn makes for a totally Zen vibe at the end of a long day exploring the park.

Where to eat? There are plenty of choices: no junk food or chain restaurants to clutter the natural landscape.

Fine dining with southwest flair is the order of the day at the beautiful, art-filled Bit & Spur Restaurant and Saloon also in Springdale.

Enjoy the stunning work of local artist Richard Harding on the walls along with dining on fare such as rich Brie quesadillas, stuffed jalapenos, and a polenta stack with wonderfully fresh shrimp. The drinks are fantastic: spicy jalapeno margarita or prickly pear? It’s a difficult choice to make, and most of the ample craft cocktails are crafted with fresh fruit.

Drinks above, stuffed jalapenos and those amazing quesadillas, below.

Did you think you were full? Mushroom and shrimp polenta, below will lure you right back to the table.

Carnivores will want to try the seasoned just-right tender meat, below.

Below: the don’t miss sweet potato tamales.

Don’t miss the sweet potato tamales, and be sure to save room for the oreo ice cream pie with hot fudge, a chocolate bundt cake, or lush fruit pie.

Decadent delights.

The perfect final touch: espresso with lemon zest.

Or have some of each: you’ll be hiking again tomorrow.

A more casual option is the brilliant gourmet selection at a small, warm cafe in an unlikely location: a former gas station. The Whiptail Grill now adjoins a gift shop; a large patio with great park views has taken the place of the gas pumps.

Check out the chili relleno, above. It’s a beauty, and beautifully plated, too.

Tuck into a cozy booth indoors or take in the view from the patio, either way you’ll enjoy a stellar hand filled chili relleno or a plate of nachos or enchilladas large enough to share.

The stuffed avocado salad filled with sweet marinated corn is also delightful.

For dessert – homemade chocolate cake.

The Park Less Traveled

It’s only a few hours drive to Capitol Reef National Park, one of the least visited in the state, with some relatively deserted trails even in summer. Mild temps year round, brightly hued sandstone cliffs, sunset views, and yes, even an in-park orchard and bakery, make this beautiful place the perfect spot to “wash up” on the reef.

You’ll want to visit the arch at Hickman Bridge and make a stop for an evening view when vivid colors paint sky and rock in a rainbow of shadows at Sunset point. You’ll also want to include a stop in at the orchard shop in Fruita, an historic farming area within the park; settle down on a picnic bench and enjoy a freshly picked peach or apple pie.

The Grand Wash is long at 6 miles, but flat and easy; take in the incredible, shifting views; make a side forray to the more strenuous but rewarding Water Tanks – natural formations worn into the stone.

Reward yourself with dinner at Cafe Diablo, just outside the park in Torrey, Utah.

Feta and Watermelon salad, above; Pumpkin-seed-crusted trout, below

Look at the lobster: lobster mac n’ cheese doesn’t stint, below

At such a remote location, the food is an incredible surprise, with elegant desserts that literally resemble artwork; creative salads such as the watermelon, Feta, and arugula; pumpkin seed encrusted trout; a gorgeous and rich lobster mac n’ cheese, or the roasted butternut squash risotto. The cocktails are exceptional, too. The food is so unique and the setting so welcoming, you may come back more than once to experience it.

Wait for it – here come the desserts –

Aren’t you glad you took on a six-mile hike or two now?

We stayed at the friendly, Western-appointed Broken Spur Inn. The large and comfortable room included delightful features such as spur-shaped towel racks and pillows inviting us to “kick off your boots and stay awhile.” A small sitting area makes the room even more inviting; while outside expansive views look toward the park’s Panorama Point.

An indoor pool, laundry facility, and an on-property steakhouse with salads, pasta, a truly fine fresh salmon, and yes, of course, plenty of well cut steaks, adds to the convenience and pleasure of a stay here. There’s cobblers and brownie sundaes, too.