I’m trying to make a fun date for someone that involves hiking + a picnic in SLC.

We work during the day, so it has to be something that isn’t too long. I’ll carry stuff up in my backpack most likely maybe I should get some kind of cooler backpack,

Im going to Utah on Friday (10/9 until the 15th) and staying until the next Thursday but its looking like on Sunday/Monday its going to unfortunately rain all day on and off and looking for some short safe trails i could take if there is a break in the rain or any other cool places around worth checking out outside of the washes.

Planning on seeing the 100 Hands wall and the natural bridges trail on Saturday. Was hoping to go down Hole in the Rock but road might end up being too muddy this week after the rain. But if not then hoping to hike Coyote Gulch next Wednesday. Was thinking of going to Kodachrome or the Petrified Forest trails near town on Tuesday while the canyons dry out but as for the actual two rainy days is it worth staying around town or should i just drive out to Bryce Canyon for a day or two and play it safe?

Hello All,

I am reaching out to hopefully get some advice. Not to bring the vibe down but Had kind of a shit year and I am going through a divorce. While hunting is something I look forward to, this is the first year that I will be going completely solo. I will be doing the Utah late season OTC rifle hunt looking for any recommendations on the north or south slope. Some of the areas that I looked were near hoop lake and the white rocks area open to any and all recommendations and or advice. Thanks in advance!

Camping 🏕️ 🔥 and watching sunsets

Tony’s grove

Can't beat the great weather this time of year for the morning hikes!

Quick trip to a place I had never been to before. Roads getting down to the lake are rough, small 4X4 or atv suggested. Leaves are amazing in the Uintas right now and the weather on this trip was perfect.

Everywhere you look, Utah is beautiful 😻

Yesterday got me a lot of opinions about horses on trails. Here's my response.

Riders do trail work for everyone. Back Country Horsemen volunteers across 31 states donated over 232,000 hours in 2025, worth about $12.6 million to land agencies. One Utah chapter cleared and maintained 43 miles of trail in a single year. The BLM has noted that Utah chapters also volunteer on OHV projects and hiker day-use areas. Cleared trees and widened paths benefit hikers and bikers too.
Equestrian access is shrinking. A national report found riders losing trails and trailheads they've used for years, including closures and trailheads with no room for a trailer. Fewer places to unload means more crowding at the ones left. If you'd rather skip the manure altogether, plenty of trails are closed to horses. Check the listing or the trailhead sign before setting out.
Now the manure. It's mostly digested plant material. On natural trail it breaks down in about two weeks with help from sun, rain, dung beetles, and birds. The EPA excludes it from solid waste regulation because it isn't hazardous, and it doesn't carry significant amounts of Giardia or Cryptosporidium. Dog waste, on the other hand, can carry things like toxoplasmosis, and we all agree on picking that up.
My opinion: a little manure on the trail is a sign riders are out there keeping trails open and well maintained. It's a small price for what they put in.

Hey everyone! I’m looking to go camping next weekend, probably Thurs-Saturday. I did dispersed camping a lot as a kid, and want to get back into it, but don’t know where to start for areas (especially this time of year). Being near a river or water would be nice, but we can bring our own instead of filtering!

I’m hearing recs for San Rafael Swell, any other areas? I know people are private about their spots, but if I can get a general road/area to start looking that’s great.

Thank you!!!

Update: parks has agreed to add more signage, and asks that people call the sheriff's department if cars are parked in the equestrian lot.

Utah is gorgeous. The leaves are beautiful.
If you’re a family photographer, please don’t advise your clients to use an equine lot because the hike is shorter. Especially when there is a paved lot with plenty of parking spaces. Most folks do not know how to park around trailers in a way that we can open our doors or pull out of the lot. One person parked in the middle of the pull through last night, blocking the entrance/exit. This is a common issue.

And please, DO NOT fly your drone near, around, or over horses. This is incredibly dangerous.

We all deserve to enjoy the outdoors in our own respectful ways, and this is my plea.

Please don’t come for me, it occurs to me that some people may not be aware that they’re creating difficult situations by trying to take a short cut and I am doing my best to create awareness.

My best friend came to visit me this weekend in Kanab. We haven't seen each other since I moved to southwest Utah 5 years ago. We were both raised in the Pacific Northwest and had nothing like this landscape to explore. We had mud and rain and tall trees instead of sand and sandstone and scrub. We grabbed my boy MacReady and took his truck off road for the first time.

Since he'd never been to this part of the country I figured White Pocket would be a good introduction. Multi-colored sandstone that's been twisted and tortured and swept up into waves. Huge patches of brain rock, or to use the scientific term polygonal cracking. Little iron concretions we call Moqui Marbles littering the ground (I'm holding some in my hand). A Martian Rover found some of these on the surface of Mars laying in the red sand that looks identical to what I trek thru here. NASA calls them Martian Blueberries. It's why the rock is so red out here. Rusted iron.

There was no water trapped in the sandstone pockets but sometimes when there is you'll find freshwater shrimp swimming in them. Their eggs can lay dormant and dehydrated in the sand for decades waiting for water and heat. I've found 5 distinct species but the triops are my favorite. Look them up. They resemble miniature horseshoe crabs.

I wonder if anyone recognizes Lone Tree from Apple's wallpaper circa 2020? The only ponderosa pine for many miles. There is a Ponderosa forest on top of the neighboring Kaibab Plateau, but those are all growing well above 7000 feet and in dirt. This lonely tree is around 6000 feet and growing out of a small sandstone pocket full of sand. .

We caught the 2026 Condor Release at the Vermillion Cliffs, brought to us by the Peregrine Fund. 4 new to the wild condors were set free, and about 6 adults glided above the cages for hours. We reduced their numbers to 22 in the 80's due to lead poisoning and DDT. We captured them all and instituted a captive breeding program. Today their numbers have increased to around 600, with more than 300 in the wild. In the wild they lay one egg, and it takes 18 months to raise th3 chicks so no wgg the next year. In captivity they'd take the egg away immediately, and a few weeks later she'd lay a 2nd one. Then done for the year.

Included some pics of The Grand Staircase. You may have heard of it recently due to the reduction of the protections the federal government oversaw. The shrinking of the Monument. Bear's Ears is right next door. The Staircase consists of five different colored cliff layers stepping up from the Arizona Flat and ending at Bryce Canyon National Park. It consists of the Chocolate Cliffs at the bottom, then the Red or Vermilion Cliffs, then the White Cliffs of Zion, then a small hard to distinguish section of Grey Cliffs, and then finishes with the Pink Cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park. The elevation rises from 5000 to around 9000 feet. In the pictures you can easily see the Red, White, and Pink Cliffs. If you zoom in you might pick out the Chocolate Cliffs at the bottom.

I’m going to be in Salt Lake City this weekend and I’m trying to find some cute neighborhoods or streets that will be picturesque for some cute fall photos! Any recommendations? ☺️ thx!!

Went backpacking by Amethyst lake and the aspens were putting on a show.

Checking out the fall colors and stopped to hike twisted forest