Canyoneering
Canyoneering offers the adventure seeker a way to hike, swim, explore, and wiggle your way through some of nature’s most incredible canyons. Trips with Wild Expeditions are available for all levels. Half-day to custom trips. 435-222-5708 or riversandruins.com.
Bears Ears tour
Hop in a 4×4 van and have a guided tour of many sites in the area most don’t know about. Wild Expeditions leads tours that are focused on seeing ancient sites and the Bears Ears area correctly and with respect. Each tour includes lunch and sites that will inspire anyone.
For details, call 435-222-5708 or visit riversandruins.com.
go take a hike!
This area has many incredible places to hike to. Some hikes are easy and right off the road. Others take a bit more work and determination. All need to include respect for the area and any artifacts you may see along the way.
Cells phones basically don’t work in many areas, so don’t rely on them. Have a map and know how to read it. Make good choices, stay on the trail, and let somone know where you are and when you hope to return.
Always have plenty of water, food, and keep an eye on the weather. It can rain fast and hard and you don’t want to be in a canyon if there is a possibility of a flash flood. Most of all, enjoy and soak up this amazing land!
The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park has some amazing hikes. One that shows off the various characteristics of the Needles area is Chesler Park. This 10.4 mile loop hike winds through deep and narrow fractures in the rock and along part of a 4×4 trail. This is an all-day journey so be prepared. Visit nps.gov/cany for more hikes and details.
Any day hikes or backpacks in the Cedar Mesa area need to have a permit obtained by the BLM. You can get one at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station off Utah Hwy 261. Advance reservations are available during the peak season. For more details, visit blm.gov/visit/kane-gulch-ranger-station or blm.gov/utah/monticello.
If a guided hike to a dwelling or rock panel sounds good, Wild Expeditions leads private hikes that go at your pace. They focus on teaching respect to the sites and to the land. They can also outfit you with gear and Jeep rentals if you decide to venture out on your own. 435-222-5708, riversandruins.com.
Scenery, ferry ahoy
For a scenic opportunity, offering great views of Lake Powell, take a ferry across the famous lake. Whether you are on a driving loop of the area (see our area map on page 158) or want to just see the lake, there is a ferry that runs across 3.1 miles of open water between Bullfrog Marina and Hall’s Crossing (or in the reverse).
There are 11 crossings a day offered during the summer months between 8am and 6pm but only four crossings a day in the winter.
The trip takes approximately 25 minutes on a first-come, first-served basis. The ferry is $10/pedestrians and bicyclists and $25/vehicle (driver and passengers included).
To make sure the ferry is running the day you want to go, call 435-893-4747 for current schedule information, or go to udot.utah.gov and search for “ferry.”
Float then 4×4 tour
Take this adventurous tour with Wild Expeditions. Get the best of both worlds by floating the San Juan River in a kayak and visiting one of the largest rock imagery panels in North America, and a 1,000 year-old cliff dwelling. Then return to Bluff on a rugged 4×4 Hummer Tour that travels on part of the original Hole in the Rock expedition of 1879.
For details, call 435-222-5708, or visit riversandruins.com.
Fore!
The Hideout Golf Club is one of Utah’s premier golf courses. This scenic and enjoyable course is not to be missed.
This 18-hole course offers a wide range of scenery and year-round play. Its elevation makes summer golf a bit cooler. 435-226-1292, hideoutgolf.com.