What’s New in Utah: “Plan now, travel soon”
New Native American Experiences
Indigenous tourism experiences are rightly receiving more interest in Canada than ever before, and this is true in other destinations as well. Utah is home to eight Native American Nations, each with their own contemporary and traditional lifestyles. Their history is found among the state’s many dwelling sites, petroglyphs and pictographs, and museum exhibits. Ancient Wayves Adventures is a new Navajo-owned and operated company offering guided hiking and photography tours in and around Bears Ears National Monument. Another is Simpson’s Trailhandler Tours which offer unique tours, including an overnight stay in an authentic Hogan and their Dreamcatcher tour where native dances are performed at a campfire dinner. The Navajo Taco, made with homemade frybread, can be enjoyed at Navajo Hogan in Salt Lake City and in countless restaurants across the state. More Native American history and experiences in Utah are available here.
Distill Your Pandemic Stress with a Whiskey Massage
Two of Park City’s most renowned visitor experiences, High West Distillery (Utah’s first award-winning distillery) and The Lodge at Blue Sky (opened by Auberge Resorts Collection in 2019), have teamed up to offer a whiskey spa treatment. The Edge Spa at The Lodge at Blue Sky offers a 90-minute High West Whiskey Rubdown taking guests on a journey to the Old West with a whiskey, salt and sage foot soak paired with an herbal-infused whiskey elixir, followed by a massage, foot scrub and scalp invigorator. Thankfully High West Whiskey is available in Canada, so future travellers to Utah can raise a glass of whiskey until we can soak in it.
Milestone for National Monument
Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will celebrate its 25th anniversary in September 2021. The newest location from Under Canvas® (and third in Utah!), Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase, opened in April 2021 and provides the perfect base-camp from which to experience Grand Staircase-Escalante’s nearly one million acres. With 60 safari-style tents, the camp boasts views of both Lake Powell and Grand Staircase-Escalante, with its own slot canyon on-site and easy access to popular nearby attractions, including Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. As the Canada-U.S. border is expected to open by Fall, the camp will be open to guests until October 31, 2021, or plan ahead and book now for 2022.
New State Park to Protect Dinosaur Bones
Utah is renowned for its Mighty 5® national parks, but also currently boasts 44 state parks that is soon to be 45. Utahraptor State Park will be created in eastern Utah, north of Moab and adjacent to Arches National Park, to protect prehistoric fossils in the region. Named for the Utahraptor dinosaur predominately found in the area (not to be confused with the Toronto Raptors), evidence of an additional 10 new dinosaur species have also been discovered in recent decades. Utahraptor State Park will be located along the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway, a National Scenic Byway that connects dinosaur-related tourist sites, including a national monument, museums and quarries. The future park will cover 6,500 acres of land and also include over 240 km of existing mountain biking, hiking and ATV trails.
