What’s New in Utah
Start the Car!
As the U.S. re-opens its land border to vaccinated Canadians on November 8, 2021, the easing of restrictions comes just in time for Canadians to drive south for the winter. Utah is both a popular route to the Snowbird meccas of Arizona, Nevada and California, and an alternative winter destination in itself. Winter is the best season to road-trip through Southern Utah. Home to Utah’s Mighty 5® national parks, visitors will feel they have the renowned red rocks to themselves. Brian Head Resort in Cedar City is the only one of Utah’s 15 ski resorts where skiers and snowboarders can see red rock while hitting the slopes. And, St. George, located less than a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, is the warmest destination in Utah boasting the Red Rock Golf Trail. The Utah Office of Tourism has also prepared a primer for any families looking to travel the state by RV.
Learn How to Live Navajo
Utah is home to eight Native American Nations, each with their own traditional and contemporary lifestyles. A third-generation Navajo native, Carol Talus calls southeastern Utah her ancestral home. Living on the Navajo Nation, just outside of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and Bears Ears National Monument, she welcomes visitors to her home. Talus takes guests on an intermediate hike through her grandparents’ ancestral sheep camp. Guests will help tend sheep while exploring hidden canyons in Monument Valley. She shows what it’s like to visit a Navajo, or Diné, family at their home site and shares stories from some of the earliest peoples of this region of Utah. Meet Carol in this short video
Black Chefs Changing Utah’s Culinary Scene
As Utah attracts new residents from around the world, a story that began with Native American tribes and then Pioneer settlers, a more multicultural community and culinary scene has evolved. Over the last year, a new generation of Black-owned restaurants have received an outpouring of support in response to social justice awareness. This includes understanding their stories and how their cultural history inspires the food they serve. Like Chef Julius Thompson of Sauce Boss Southern Kitchen who educates diners on Southern comfort food’s origins as slave food; Park City’s 11hauz as the only Jamaican restaurant in the state, and Miss Essie’s BBQ where Marcus Jones showcases family recipes passed down from his grandmother (Miss Essie herself, of course!). Learn more here.
Utah Ski Resorts Ready for 2021–22 Season
Despite the pandemic, Utah experienced a record breaking 2020-2021 ski season for skier days. Utah’s 15 ski resorts, 10 of which are less than an hour drive from Salt Lake City International Airport, boast the Greatest Snow on Earth® and are gearing up for the coming season. Both Powder Mountain and Snowbird will celebrate their 50th anniversary, and visitors can access a suite of savings with the Salt Lake Ski Super Pass, an all-in-one lift ticket to Salt Lake City’s four world-class resorts, including Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude. Park City Mountain, the largest ski resort in the U.S., has broken ground on a solar project that will provide renewable energy for 100 percent of its electric usage by 2023. Snowbasin Resort has announced it will build a 300-room, all-inclusive Club Med Hotel to be completed by 2024. For a complete list of all Utah ski resort improvements and accommodation openings/renovations for the 2021-22 season, click here.
