2. Scenic southern Utah is a red rock paradise, full of natural, cultural, and historical
resources that make it one of the West‟s great year-round vacation destinations.
Easily accessed within a day‟s drive of major cities in the West, and just three
hours from Las Vegas, Iron County Utah is home to Brian Head Resort, Zion-
Kolob Canyons National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Dixie National
Forest and Cedar City – Festival City, USA.
Experience Southwest Utah and “Get Away To It All”.
3. Cedar City, Utah
For a small town of less that 50,000 people,
Cedar City has a big heart and more than it‟s fair
share of festivals and events, earning it the
moniker „Festival City, USA‟. Visitors are drawn to
Cedar City year round for the vibrant culture, fun
festivals, rich western history, endless natural
resources, opportunities for year round
recreation, and easy access from population
centers in Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, and
Colorado. Cedar City has even been recognized
by American Cowboy Magazine as one of their
20 Best Places to Live the West, as well as one
of the best places to retire in the US by Where to
Retire Magazine.
4. Brian Head Resort
Brian Head Resort, a year-round mountain resort
destination in Southwestern Utah‟s Dixie National
Forest, offers world class skiing in the winter
months as well as lift serviced hiking, mountain
biking, and disc golf in the summer months. Brian
Head is just 45 minutes from Cedar City and I-15,
just a 3 hour drive from Las Vegas. Situated among
the stunning red rock vistas of Southern Utah, Brian
Head offers the same great powder skiing that has
made Utah resorts like Park City and Snowbird
famous, but with half the lift ticket price and none of
the crowds. Sunset Magazine even named Brian
Head one of the West‟s Best Secret Ski Slopes.
5. Cedar Breaks National Monument
Cedar Breaks is an often overlooked treasure nestled
between southwestern Utah‟s well-known Zion and
Bryce Canyon National Parks. This 2,000 ft. deep,
three mile wide natural amphitheater is the result of
millions of years of geologic change that created
fascinating geological features like ridges, pinnacles,
buttresses, hoodoos, fins, and natural windows.
Cedar Breaks‟ wildflower fields and alpine forests
make the 6-mile scenic drive though the National
Monument one of the West‟s most spectacular fall
foliage viewing drives. Cedar Breaks is also home to
the Bristlecone Pine, one of the oldest living trees on
earth, as well as some of the West‟s darkest night
skies for star gazing.
6. Kolob Canyons
Zion National Park
Kolob Canyons is a lesser known section of
Zion National Park that is located just 20
minutes from Cedar City. A six-mile scenic drive
through Kolob Canyons offers access to
spectacular vistas of red rock canyons,
cascading waterfalls, blooming wildflowers, and
remarkable fall foliage displays during autumn.
In addition to a year round National Park Visitor
Center, there are scenic pull offs with
interpretive roadside exhibits, picnic facilities,
and access to hiking and backcountry camping.
Though it is part of Zion National Park, visitors
to Kolob Canyons will experience none of the
crowds and congestion of Zion proper.
7. Dixie National Forest
The Dixie National Forest is Utah‟s largest national forest, occupying almost two million
acres of southern Utah. The Dixie National Forest is one of Southwest Utah‟s greatest
natural resources, offering recreational opportunities like camping, hiking, Nordic and alpine
skiing, canoeing, fishing, hunting, swimming, horseback riding, ATV and off-roading, and
snowmobiling. Utah State Route 143 through Dixie National Forest, the Patchwork Parkway,
received National Scenic Byway Status in 2009 and has been recognized by NBC‟s Today
Show as one of the nation‟s best destinations for fall foliage viewing.
8. Festival City, USA
Germany has their Oktoberfest and Brazil has
their Carnival, but Cedar City has a whole
summer full of festivals to celebrate. Dubbed
„Festival City, USA,‟ Cedar City offers family
friendly activities and events ranging from
theater and rodeos to music festivals and
sport competitions. Highlights include the
Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival,
the Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival, the
Paiute Tribe POW WOW, the Utah Summer
Games, and Utah Shakespeare Festival.
The summer festival season kicks off in June
and goes through October. View a full
calendar of events and festivals at
http://www.scenicsouthernutah.com
9. Utah Shakespeare
2013 marks the 52nd season of this Tony Awarding
winning regional theatre. The Utah Shakespeare
Festival in Cedar City has been hosting live
performances of Shakespearean classics and
contemporary plays since 1961, making it one of the
longest running nonprofit theatres in the west.
Performances play out on three different
stages, including a wonderful outdoor Shakespearean
theatre. Performers come from across the country to act
in productions of The Tempest, 12 Angry Men, Anything
Goes and Richard the II just to name a few. The Utah
Shakespeare Festival‟s performances are held daily
throughout the Summer and Fall season from June
through October.
10. Western History and Culture
Southwestern Utah is home to a rich heritage of
geologic history, Native American culture, Western
exploration, and homesteading pioneers. The red rock
geologic formations of Cedar Breaks and Zion harken
back to prehistoric eras, while the rich history of the
Anasazi and Freemont ancestors of today‟s Paiute tribe
can still be seen in Southern Utah today. Tributes and
monuments of the Spanish Trail, used by early Spanish
explorers, mountain men, and Mormon pioneers, are
scattered throughout Southern Utah, and places like
the Frontier Homestead Museum and the Old Iron
Town ruins showcase the rich history of the region‟s
early settlers. Today the western culture lives on and
thrives during the many western and Native American
themed events and festivals throughout the year.
11. Parowan Gap Petroglyphs
Parowan Gap represents one of Southwest Utah‟s most
interesting and valuable archeological sites. The Gap is a
geologic formation used by prehistoric peoples as a passage
through the surrounding mountains. As the Parowan
Freemont people passed through the Gap during their yearly
migrations, they left carved drawings called petroglyphs
scrawled on the walls of the Gap. These petroglyphs were
different than the human or animal forms found at many other
glyphic sites. The Parowan petroglyphs take the form of
repeated geometric shapes that mark days, forming a
rudimentary calendar. The distinct „V‟ shape of the Gap
allowed the Freemont to track the sun‟s movement through
the sky, and using their petroglyphs they were even able to
track solstices and equinox. To this day locals hold seasonal
Solstice and Equinox celebrations at Parowan Gap.
12. Media Contacts
Hailey McDonald
Director of New Media, Adventure Media
hailey@adventuremedianews.com
970.568.7423
Bonnie Char Hallman
PR Specialist, Cedar City Brian Head
Tourism Bureau
bonnie@ironcounty.com
800-354-4849