Frommer's Utah by Mary Brown Malouf

Author:Mary Brown Malouf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FrommerMedia
Published: 2019-02-03T16:00:00+00:00

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar City: 53 miles NE of St. George, 251 miles SW of Salt Lake City; Cedar Breaks National Monument: 21 miles E of Cedar City

So much buzz about the Wasatch and the national parks overshadows this beautiful and uncrowded part of Utah. Cedar Breaks National Monument is like a miniature Bryce Canyon—a stunning multicolored amphitheater of stone, with hiking trails, camping, and a plateau ablaze with wildflowers in summer. But what’s special about it is its designation as a “Dark Sky” park.

Rarer than wilderness, dark skies have become a notable feature of the national parks and monuments program. The campground at Cedar Breaks is one the world’s few dark sky parks, and the low light pollution makes it a great place for stargazing. Bring a telescope or high-powered binoculars and a star map to find your way around the heavens. You’ll find plenty of ranger programs that focus on the rare skies, too.

Brian Head is Utah’s southernmost ski resort—where else but southern Utah can you be on the links in the morning and on the slopes by the afternoon? Because Brian Head has the highest base elevation of any of the state’s ski areas, it gets about 450 inches of powder each winter. And because Brian Head Resort is off the average skier’s beaten track, lift lines are usually nonexistent.

But this area is more than an outdoor play land—with Frontier Homestead State Park Museum and the nationally renowned Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City happens to be a great place to experience a little history as well as some great theater. Even if neither of these attractions appeals to you, you’ll probably end up in Cedar City anyway—it’s home to most of the area’s accommodations and restaurants.

Basing Yourself in Cedar City

The community of Cedar City (elevation 5,800 ft.) is a good base for those exploring this area, especially because Cedar Breaks National Monument has no lodging or dining facilities, though you may camp there. If you’re here to ski and you’d like to save money on accommodations, Cedar City also offers an economical alternative to Brian Head’s more expensive condos, and it’s only 28 miles from Brian Head’s slopes (but keep in mind that that can be a mean 28 miles when the weather’s bad). In addition to the facilities mentioned below, a good selection of motels, restaurants, campgrounds, gas stations, grocery stores, and other services is strung along I-15 at exits 57, 59, and 62.

Essentials

Getting There Delta flies into Cedar City Regional Airport, possibly the coziest airport in the country—it has a fireplace (www.cedarcity.org; 435/867-9408) from Salt Lake City. Car-rental agencies include Avis ( www.avis.com; 435/867-9898), Budget (www.budget.com; 435/867-9898), and Enterprise (www.enterprise.com; 435/865-7636).

Visitor Information Contact the Cedar City/Brian Head Tourism Bureau (www.scenicsouthernutah.com; 435/586-5124) for information or visit the office at 581 N. Main St.; it’s open daily 9am to 5pm.

Fast Facts This area is served by Cedar City Hospital, 1303 N. Main St. ( 435/868-5000). The post office is located at 333 N. Main St. (www.usps.com; 800/275-8777 for hours and other information).

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