We Love Southern Utah

It’s Valentine’s Day today! So we thought we’d take a moment to talk about how much we love our home – Southern Utah. It is, in our opinion, the best place on earth, full of remarkable beauty and endless adventures. And we love that we get to share it all with you, the guests who come to the Lodge at Red River Ranch from all over the world. So while we’re feeling sentimental about Southern Utah, allow us to elaborate on what makes it such a special place to visit.

Photo by Marc Phillips via unsplash.com

We Love the Beauty of the Desert

Southern Utah is located in one of the most geologically diverse deserts on earth. The sandstone formations of the region have been molded and eroded in different ways across millenniums of time to create every imaginable shape. The result is a stunning collection of arches, bridges, hoodoos, canyons, sheer cliffs, and checkerboard mounds. There is a very good reason that Southern Utah has five national parks, when many states don’t have any.

It’s hard to describe in just a few paragraphs just how affecting the desert of Southern Utah can be. We can talk about the rugged beauty, the soaring sandstone, the expansive overlooks, but in order to fully understand why so many people – including us – come to love Southern Utah, you need to stand here and experience it for yourself. Drive the Burr Trail, hike to Angels Landing, or raft the rivers of Canyonlands, then you’ll understand what we mean. Once this place takes hold of you, it never lets go.

Photo by Brady Stoeltzing via unsplash.com

We Love the Peace of Capitol Reef

Thinking more specifically about our favorite of Utah’s national parks, we love how quiet and peaceful Capitol Reef National Park can be. Sure, during the summer months the main section of the park, Fruita as it’s called, gets pretty busy. But head north to Cathedral Valley and you’ll practically have that whole section of the park to yourself. Or drive south, into the Waterpocket Fold and hike in the slot canyons there, and you’ll be lucky to find anyone else.

And that’s something that we have come to love and appreciate about Capitol Reef. You can still find places in the park to be alone with the people you love most, your thoughts, and the sublime feeling that Capitol Reef instills in its visitors.

Photo by RedRiverRanch via midjourney.com

We Love the Road Trips You Can Create

But lets say you’re not in a contemplative mood, and you’re itching to cram as much natural beauty as you can into your vacation. Then Southern Utah has you covered. We love a good road trip, and good road trips abound in Southern Utah. The Grand Circle, obviously. You can see all five parks, plus some very cool bonuses. Or else you can do the Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon route through the Grand Staircase. We’ve written some guides here to help you start planning. But the main point is that we love the sense of adventure when it’s the open road, good company, and a whole itinerary of locations in Southern Utah to discover.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Maybe you’ve read other posts in our blog, maybe you’ve talked with us at the front desk at the Lodge, or maybe this is your first time on our site. But one thing we think you’ve noticed, one thing that we feel comes through in all our communications and interactions, online and off, is that we love Southern Utah. So Happy Valentine’s Day. And when you get the chance, come visit. You’ll end up loving this extraordinary place too.

Photo by Omer Salom via unsplash.com