• One night's lodging in deluxe accommodations • Best available room at check-in! • Breakfast in Fanny's Grill • 1/2 hour Refresher massage or Aveda Focus Facial • Soak/Swim in the Homestead Crater • $128-$154 per person based on double occupancy • $255-$307.50 inclusive per couple • Does not include gratuity on spa service Promotion not valid with any other discounts or packages. Advance reservations required. Valid through March 31, 2005. Call to make reservations today: 1-888-327-7220 (Mention you want the Utah.com internet special)

Utah's dry powder is world-famous — enthusiasts call it the "Greatest Snow on Earth." During recent years our resorts and facilities have matured and now offer world-class accommodations, including great dining, shopping and nightlife. There's not much better than spending a day skiing powder and then "coming home" to an exquisite room right at the resort — no need to drive miles, fight traffic and hunt for parking. Minutes after hopping off the lift you can be enjoying a gourmet meal or a soak in an outdoor hot tub.

Major conflict is always a possibility when my wife and I plan a trip to a spa resort. I just don't understand the enticement of smearing honey/cornmeal exfoliation paste all over my body or lying around with tea bags on my eyeballs. I just want a place I can get a vigorous deep tissue massage after my muscles ache from skiing or hiking or some other adventure.

Happily, Utah has many spa resorts that combine decadent pampering with serious outdoor adventure. Each is unique; some offer surprising opportunities. We describe a few of them below:

Homestead Resort
I enjoy scuba diving in "The Crater" at the Homestead Resort, located in a picturesque little mountain valley close — but not too close — to Park City. You can descend about 55 feet into water heated by volcanic activity deep within the earth. It is popular year-round for swimming and snorkeling, and instructors are available to introduce people to the scuba experience. It's a great place to soak after a day skiing Deer Valley or other Park City-area resorts.

The Homestead offers a full range of spa treatments plus a multitude of activities: golfing on the resort's own challenging 18-hole course, horseback riding, fly fishing, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides and skiing at runs just minutes away.

Cliff Spa at Snowbird
The Cliff Spa is one of the best-known destination spas in the US, offering a wide variety of treatments, salon services and body/mind/spirit programs. It is located in the mountains east of Salt Lake City, at the renowned ski resort. During summer months the area is popular for hiking and mountain biking.

Sorrel River Ranch
Located on the banks of the Colorado River near Moab, this luxury guest ranch has a new spa offering massage therapy and holistic health treatments including yoga, body treatments and salon services. The Moab area offers Arches and Canyonlands national parks, whitewater rafting, mountain biking the Slickrock and other trails, rugged 4X4 routes and innumerable hiking trails.

Red Mountain Spa
This unique facility offers all the pampering, luxury and relaxation you expect from a full-service spa in an environment that emphasizes healthy attitudes and lifestyles. Classes and group activities provide enjoyable adventure while reinforcing positive life skills. Red Mountain is located just outside St. George, at the entrance to Snow Canyon State Park, between majestic red cliffs. Guided trips to Zion National Park and adventure canyon hikes are offered through the spa. St. George is Utah's year-round golf capital and also offers excellent opportunity for canyoneering, mountain biking and other sports.

Sundance Resort
Robert Redford's Sundance Resort offers great skiing plus a spa inspired by the Sioux concept of Hocoka — a sacred environment for the restoration and healing of the body and spirit. It offers a full range of spa and bodywork services, some using traditional Native American methods. Fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding are also popular activities here.

It will soon be fall in northern Utah. By mid-September, leaves will be turning and our canyons and mountainsides will be incredibly beautiful. Summer lingers into October in the desert canyons around our national parks — there is still plenty of time for rafting, hiking, biking and other adventures.

Let us help you book trips to Utah. Call: 1-888-881-1120

— Dave Webb

Upcoming Major Events

Western Legends Round-Up, Aug 24-Aug 29, in Kanab. This is a celebration of the culture of the Old West. There will be a Wagon Train, Workshops, Film Festival, Quilt Show, Cowboy Poetry, Tent Revival, Indian Dancing, Quick Draw Contest, Working Displays, Fiddle Contest, and a Dutch Oven Cook-off, plus a Street Fair with art and food vendors, live cowboy music and a parade. Phone: 435-644-5033 or 800-33-5263

Native American Association Festival & Pow Wow, Aug 27-29, West Valley City. New Location: Granger Park, 3600 West 3500 South. West Valley City, Utah. (6 miles southwest of Salt Lake City) Everyone Welcome. Bring your own chairs. Sorry no camping available. Contact Harry James Sr: 801-955-1089

Bryce Canyon Rim Run, Aug. 28. The race starts and ends at Ruby's Inn, just outside Bryce Canyon National Park on Hwy. 63. Phone: 800-468-8660

MAYNARD DIXON COUNTRY 2004, Aug 28-29, Mt Carmel. Sixth annual art show and sale at the Maynard Dixon home & studio in Mt. Carmel, Utah, just thirty minutes from Zion National Park. Featuring artwork by thirty-nine well known artists from throughout the western United States. Contact Angela Bingham: 801-533-5330.

Utah Shakespearean Festival, through Sept 4 in Cedar City. This Tony Award-winning festival's is one of Utah's best-known cultural treasures. Six plays are presented each summer with a variety of free activities (literary, music, costume and actor seminars, play orientations, the very popular Greenshow) to create an exciting theatre vacation for the entire family. For tickets call 800-PLAYTIX or contact the Festival Box Office.

Cache Valley Century Bicycle Tour, Sept 4, Richmond. The Cache Valley Century is a noncompetitive bicycle tour of Cache Valley hosted by the Cache Valley Veloists Bicycle Touring Club. This annual event starts and ends in Richmond and there are three route options: 100 miles, 60 miles, and 40 miles. Lunch and rest stops are provided. Contact Bob Jardine: 435-752-2253.

Utah State Fair, Sep. 4 - Sep. 14 in Salt Lake City. Come see "More than you can imagine" this year at the Utah State Fair. Entertainment and information for all ages! Phone: 538-FAIR

Moab Music Festival, Sep. 4 - Sep. 18. Music in Concert with the Landscape. A unique series of chamber music concerts amidst the striking natural beauty of the red rock canyon country in Southeastern Utah, featuring internationally acclaimed artists. Phone: 435-259-7003

Outlaw Trail Endurance Horseback Ride, Sept 25, Escalante. 30, 50 and 100-mile endurance ride competitions. Public invited. Contact Sharon and Crocket Dumas, 435-826-4899.

Downtown Farmers Market, through Oct 16 in Salt Lake City. The Farmers Market, held in Pioneer Park on Saturday mornings, is a natural gathering place to socialize and shop the more than 100 vendors that provide the freshest seasonal produce, flowers, baked goods, farm-style preserves and garden-related crafts. Arrive early for the best selections. Other similar markets are held in many towns around the state.

24 Hours of Moab Mountain Bike Race, Oct 16-17. Annual Team Relay-Style Mountain Bike Race held in the Behind the Rocks Area. This is an extremely popular 24 hour mountain bike race set in a spectacular red rock desert. Sections of this course follow an old jeep trail while others contain some wild downhill segments. Phone: 303-259-5533.

Check our comprehensive events listing for other activities.

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