This article discusses luxury resorts and outdoor adventures in southwest Utah, including national parks like Zion and Bryce Canyon. It describes several high-end resorts like Red Mountain Resort which offers wellness classes and a spa, and Amangiri which is set on 600 acres and dissolves into the landscape. It also discusses guided outdoor activities like hiking, canyoneering, and stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Powell. The article promotes southwest Utah as a destination that offers both luxury accommodations and access to varied outdoor experiences.

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2. 8 54 9denverlifemagazine.com
adventure | departures
TheCornerof
Adventure
&Luxury
Luxury resorts, national
parks and thoughtful cuisine;
all wedged into a little corner
of Utah.
By Alison Roth

3. 8 55 9 DENVER LIFE MAGAZINE
Utah is an expansive state that bridges ideal vacation
destinations in Colorado, Arizona and Las Vegas, but it is
certainlyworth a visit itself. On a recent trip to southwest
Utah, I was able to relive childhood vacations—long
car rides culminating in hikes through famed national
parks—and explore Utah’s luxuryaccommodations and
fresh dining. Southwest Utah is a fitting destination for
Denverites who have a gung-ho passion for adventure, the
outdoors and hidden dining hot spots.
The cityof St. George, central to Zion National Park
and the Mojave Desert, is the commercial hub of southwest
Utah. Near St. George is Red Mountain Resort, set on 55
acres of black lava gardens and aromatic mesquite. The
resort embodies all areas of wellness, including nutrition,
cooking, anti-aging and stress-management classes; guided
hiking and biking; an adventure concierge; more than
50 fitness classes each week; a spiral labyrinth; indoor
and outdoor swimming pools; and a full-service spa and
salon (voted byTravel+Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2012
Reader’s Surveyas the #1 Destination Spa). Additionally,
the delicious, healthycuisine at the on-site Canyon Breeze
Restaurant won’t cause the wellness-minded to stumble.
Red Mountain Resort is an easypit-stop, or home base,
while exploring southwest Utah.
Within this corner of Utah are two national parks
within two hours of each other. Zion National Park’s
diverse landscape of canyons, woodlands and desert are
easilyaccessible because Zion has the most varied hiking
trails of anynational park. Roughlytwo hours northeast
of Zion is Bryce Canyon National Park. As the daughter of
national park enthusiasts, I believe this is one of the most
overlooked national parks in the country, resulting in
much more solitude than its famous neighboring parks.
Bryce is famous for its rock formations, or “hoodoos,”
soaring toward the skyalong a 25-mile plateau rim,
resulting in a natural amphitheater that is well worth a day
hike and an evening stargazing session.
From Bryce Canyon, head east on Hwy. 12, one of
the most scenic American highways—Bryce Canyon
National Park and Capitol Reef National Park are at each
end—and stop at the Grand Staircase/Escalante National
Monument, which exposes 200 million years of the
earth’s historythrough wide, slanted rock terraces. Make
sure to experience canyoneering in the Escalante region.
Excursions of Escalante is the local guide service, and
their staff will make even the most fearful person a brave
canyoneer within one afternoon. Myguide taught me
howto navigate slot canyons and rappel down cliffs; it was
PhotocourtesyofAmanresorts

4. 8 56 9denverlifemagazine.com
exhilarating and unforgettable.
Past Escalante is Boulder Mountain Lodge, a
family-friendlyhotel bordering an 11-acre lake. The
rooms are a natural place to rest, with comfortable
beds, full kitchens and views of the quiet landscape.
The on-site restaurant, Hell’s Backbone Grill, has
a cult-following that’s caught the attention of The
Wall Street Journal, The NewYork Times, Bon Appétit
and more. I had the pleasure of sharing a meal
with Blake Spalding, the co-chef/owner of Hell’s
Backbone. Spalding and Jen Castle, her business/
culinarypartner, maintain a noticeable commitment
to Buddhist principles, sustainabilityand social
responsibility. Their food is organic, local and
seasonal, and manyfruits and veggies are grown
on the restaurant’s six-acre farm. I made a vow that
somedayI will feast once again on their Moqui Mac
and Cheese with roasted tomatoes, green chili and
organic vegetables, as well as the Dark Molasses
adventure | departures
Gingerbread Cake.
Another can’t-miss area of southwest Utah: Lake
Powell, a reservoir that straddles the border between
Utah and Arizona. I visited on a warm dayand Melanie
Webb, founder of Sol Fitness Adventures, led me in
meditation while we stand-up paddleboarded over the
cool water. Webb created Sol to help people connect
to their bodies and the outdoors through fitness and
outdoor activities. She certainlyshowed me howto slow
down and experience nature.
Mere minutes from Lake Powell is a hidden
gem, Amangiri, of the world-renowned Amanresorts.
Amangiri is set on 600 acres in a protected valleyand
is designed to visuallydissolve into the surrounding
landscape. Each room has sweeping views of the
canyons and plateaus. Lanterns guide guests through
quiet corridors to the Pavilion where you can sit near
a wood-burning fire and sip a cocktail before savoring
local, rustic-chic cuisine near the open kitchen.
Amangiri made CondéNastTraveler’s Gold List 2013
and was named the No. 1 Best Resort in North America
and No. 1 Best Hotel Spa Worldwide byTheGallivanter’s
Guide’s 2012 Awards for Excellence. The resort’s trail
system allows guests of all abilities to explore the desert
on foot and—for the more experienced—bya series of
fixed cables and ladder rungs. With a private helicopter
pad, horseback riding, boat trips and more, Amangiri is
the ultimate culmination of desert luxury.
PhotocourtesyofSolFitnessAdventures
PhotocourtesyofRedMountainResort
PhotobyTomHill,courtesyoftheUtahOfficeofTourism
Getting There
Multiple airlines service flights between McCarren
International Airport in Las Vegas and Denver International
Airport (DIA). As of press time, United Airlines began
operating once-daily direct flights between St. George
Municipal Airport and DIA. mccarran.com, flysgu.com
sin city side trip
Begin or end your trip in Las Vegas! Only two
and a half hours southwest of Zion National
Park, there are many unconventional ways to
enjoy the city. Visit the interactive Mob Museum,
which showcases both sides of the battle
between organized crime and law enforcement
in the U.S. Or, zip-line over the neon lights of
historic Fremont Street. themobmuseum.org,
flightlinezfremont.com