Utah has more International Dark Sky parks than any other region in the world, and now is the time to celebrate. Mark your calendars for September 7-9 to join a regional celebration of astronomy and our glittering dark skies.
While the U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently deferred the auction of oil and gas leases near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado, the issue of energy development is not dead there, nor in many other areas of the National Park System. Contributor John Miles takes a look at the state of oil and gas exploration in the park system in this article.
Though demand for coal nationally and in Utah is on the decline, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is recommending expansion of an open pit mine near Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments that would impact night skies, adversely impact nearby towns, and likely destroy "a large number of significant fossils."
Getting to Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah by driving can be a challenge most of the year. While Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef national parks are all accessible for the spring and summer seasons, winter has kept a stranglehold on the route to Cedar Breaks. That should change by May 15...barring another snowstorm, of course.
Two parks in the Southwest – Saguaro National Park in Arizona and Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah – have proposed higher fees as the National Park Service works to standardize rates across the country. Both parks also raised their entrance fees last year.
It's hard to beat autumn for prime hiking in parks from coast to coast. This season brings fine weather to most of the country and in many locations fall foliage is an added bonus. There are more hikes in national parks than we can take in a lifetime, so here are a few suggestions for some great ones all across the nation—including some alternatives to the most heavily-visited sites.
On August 30th, Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah and park visitors will be serenaded, during sunset on the rim of Point Supreme, by a chamber concert of brass musicians from the Utah Symphony.
Though it's only about a two-hour drive through the countryside from Zion National Park to Cedar Breaks National Monument in southern Utah, relatively few folks know about the monument. This short video primer provides an introduction.