Sunshine, Water and RockLate summer brings opportunity for a wide assortment of outstanding travel and recreational activities in Utah. Conditions are ideal for boating and water sports on our numerous lake and reservoirs. Most of the snow has finally melted from our high mountains, allowing campers, hikers, backpackers and fishermen to enjoy areas like our Uinta and Boulder mountains. County fairs and community festivals are being held in many towns across the state. Visitors are always welcome at these events, which offer glimpses into the colorful history and tranquil lifestyle found in many of our rural areas. Davis County, just north of Salt Lake City, includes a fun PRCA Rodeo in its country fair activities, scheduled for Aug 17-20. Payson City holds its Golden Onion Days Sept 2-5. Park City’s August Artstravaganza brings a wide assortment of exhibits and performances to this mountain resort community. See our calendar for a comprehensive list of events. 
The Utah State Fair will be held Sept 8-18 in Salt Lake City. It offers traditional agricultural displays, home crafts, art exhibits and all kinds of booths and entertainment, including concerts by major national performers. Lake Powell offers excellent conditions for boating, fishing and water sports. The huge reservoir rose 53 feet this year, breaking a down cycle caused by years of drought. The lake is bigger now and it offers more sandy beaches, coves and narrow canyons. Fishing has never been better. Striped bass are feeding on the surface, creating some of the fastest fishing action imaginable. Here are excellent fishing tips. Hiking and backpacking opportunities are excellent right now in the Uinta Mountains and other high country areas. The High Uinta Wilderness Area offers thousands of acres of pristine land accessible only to backpackers and horsepackers. It offers alpine forests, craggy peaks, meadows and hundreds of lakes and streams teaming with hungry trout. Afternoon thunderstorms are common this time of year. They are incredibly beautiful as they roll across desert canyons and illuminate mountain peaks. They often bring cooler temperatures and make it pleasant to engage in outdoor activities. However, thunderstorms create flood danger in narrow slot canyons and lightning poses a serious threat in open areas and on mountain peaks. Seek safe shelter if a thunderstorm develops. Even with our hot summer temperatures, many people are starting to think about snow skiing. Our resorts are seeing strong early bookings and all indicators suggest the upcoming season will be excellent. If you want accommodations at ski resorts during the holidays, you had better book now. Here are some upcoming events of special interest: Park City Jazz Festival, August 26-28, Deer Valley Resort. The Fidelity Investments Park City Jazz Festival offers three days of incredible entertainment on two stages. Our expanded lineup broadens our musical reach and expands our targeted audience providing a wide range of entertainment value including two stages, numerous vendor Native American Assn., of West Valley Festival & Contact Powwow, Aug 26-28, West Valley. 7th Annual Native American Association of West Valley Festival and Contest Pow Wow Theme: "Soaring Spirit of Women" August 26, 27 & 28, 2005 Location: Granger Park, 3600 West 3500 South. West Valley City, Utah. (6 miles southwest of Salt Lake City) Notes: Everyone Welcome. Bring your own chains. Harry James Sr, 801-955-1089 Dutch Oven Cooking Demo, Aug 27, Midway. Michelle Nielson demonstrates tips and tricks to successful Dutch Oven cooking. Leave with a full head and belly. Wendy Wilson, 435-654-1791 The E100 Century (100 mile/100 K/50 mile race), Aug 27, Park City. This extreme mountain bike race will take riders over a rolling single-track course through the Wasatch Mountains. 435-649-2129 Moab Music Festival, Sept 2-17. 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. LABOR DAY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS PARADE, Sept 3-4, Manila. This is the last big celebration of the season at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.
Labor Day Red Rock 4 Wheelers Campout, Sept 3-5, Moab. Organized by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers. Overnight trips with backcountry camping, with additional day-trips on each of the three days. Arapeen ATV Jamboree, Sept 5-9, Ferron. Come and ride Utah's beautiful Manti-Lasal National Forest on the Arapeen Trail and the Scenic San Rafael Swell. Beautiful scenery, great fun! Mark Williams, 435-381-2493 Red Rock Indian Pow Wow, Sept 10, Panguitch. This is a public event and everyone is Welcome to come and participate!!! 9am to 10pm there will be Art, Craft and Food Booths. 11 am is the Grand Entry, 5pm Supper Break and 7pm Grand Entry. 1-800-444-6689 Green River Melon Days, Sept 16-17. All the free melon's you can eat! Parade on Saturday morning, street vendors, live music and entertainment on the park, softball games, square dancers and the queen pageant. Teri Parsons 435-564-8225 or Green River City 435-564-3448 Bear River Refuge 'For the Birds' 1/2 Marathon Walk, Sept 17. Participants with be physically challenged, learn about migratory birds and their wetland habitat and have fun during this 13 mile walk on the Bear River Refuge, located west of Brigham City. Joyce Levy, 435-723-5887, x21. LAGBRAU II 2005 "The World's Most Scenic Bicycle Ride," Sept. 25 to Oct. 1. Begins in Blanding and ends in St George. Covers 400 miles, 3 national parks, 3 national monuments, 3 national forests (at the peak of their fall colors) 1 national recreation area, plus and variety of state parks and sites of special interest. "The goal of the LAGBRAU is to raise enough money to hold a Native American Youth Leadership Conference to help youth-at-risk find their direction and prepare for productive careers." |
