Traveling the world one color at a time.
Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?
Look no further than the Four Corners in the United States. This marks the place where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado come together — the only place in the U.S. where this happens.
Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?
Look no further than the wildflowers of Cedar Breaks National Monument. The Utah park is known for its brilliantly colored flowers and, in fact, hosts a wildflower festival every June that includes guided walks, workshops and Zion Canyon Field Institute classes.
Every year my sister and I have a girls’ getaway. This year, we decided to focus on relaxation, and our search for the perfect wellness retreat ended up including options on the beaches of Bali and in the mountains of Canada, but we didn’t have to stray far from my home in Las Vegas to find what I am convinced is the absolute best place to get away from it all.
Red Mountain Resort is tucked about ten miles off the highway near St. George among the stunning red rocks of southern Utah. It’s a relatively small property with 82 standard guest rooms and 24 full-size villas, and while the rooms are top of the line, it’s not the accommodations that attract people to the resort. Red Mountain Resort’s slogan is “Find Yourself Between a Rock and a Soft Place,” which is an excellent way to describe a destination that encourages fitness, adventure and movement while also making it unbelievably easy to relax and chill out.
My sister and I are active people, so we were looking for a wellness retreat that offered ample fitness classes and delicious but healthy food. Not only did we find both of these things but we were also impressed to discover hardcore adventure activities, daily hikes, a spa and general health classes as well. Any way that a person might arrive at wellness and better health — from massages, pottery making classes, thyroid workshops and spiritual meditation to rappelling, healthy eating, zumba, shamanic healing and just relaxing by the pool — seems to be available here. The definition of wellness encompasses so much, and the staff and scheduling at Red Mountain Resort are versatile and flexible enough to provide guidance and support for any health-related goals that visitors might set.
The sun had reached its highest point of the day, and temperatures hovered at slightly more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. After a wrong turn and an additional eight miles on our borrowed bikes, we were finally on the right path to Kayenta, Utah, and its little known art village known as Coyote Gulch.
There is a distinct lack of shade along the roads in southern Utah, and we stopped frequently to drink water to avoid dehydration and overheating. But even with these frequent stops, the ride from Red Mountain Resort (located in Ivins) to Kayenta was a remarkably beautiful one. The landscape consisted of those striking over-sized red mountains that define Southern Utah and several flat, angular adobe homes tucked down hidden roads marked by large, artistic street signs.
After a five-and-a-half mile cycle up a slight incline, we pulled into the Coyote Gulch Art Village. Like the homes we’d passed along the way, the buildings in the art village were low to the ground, stacked with the landscape so that it was both accessible and hardly there at all. It was quiet, uncrowded and unassuming. We tucked our bikes into the bike rack, completely unworried that they were unlocked. My hair stuck to my head with sweat when I pulled off my helmet. We were desperately in need of air conditioning and something to eat.
This past week I introduced my sister to Zion National Park, which is located in Southern Utah. It was my third trip to the national park and also my briefest, as we were on our way to somewhere else when we stopped. I always knew I adored Zion, but those three short hours we were in the park rekindled my love for the striking canyon walls, green moss clinging to the rocks and chilly mountain water dripping over the sides of the cliff faces. I became giddy once again about the eco-friendly shuttles that keep the roads clear of traffic and the variety of trails scattered around the park. Yep … I’m still smitten for Zion National Park.
We’ve hiked the trails in Zion. We “did” Bryce Canyon. We’ve visited the Grand Canyon — both rims, one in the winter and one in the summer. When it comes to traveling the national parks of the spectacular Southwest, we’ve made a dent.
Utah, in particular, is filled with gorgeous national parks. You leave Zion just to enter Bryce. When you leave Bryce, it’s easy to head for Capitol Reef. Drive just a touch further and you’ve reached Arches.
With all the excitement of bouncing back and forth between these national parks that are frequently cited as “must sees,” it’s easy to forget a small spot located only 56 miles to the west of Bryce and an even shorter drive north out of Zion’s Kolob Canyons area.
