Page 18 - DreamScapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2022

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BY KARUNA EBERL
From wildflower-dotted alpine meadows to dusty red-rock canyons, Utah is a land of extremes. The only bummer of road-tripping here is that there’s never enough time to see it all. Here are a couple of itineraries, though you can easily create your own adventure. Either way, Utah’s boundless byways are ready for exploration this summer.
REMOTE DESERTS:
Green River to Cedar City
You quickly become immersed in the isolated wilds of the Utah desert as you head south on Utah Route 24 west of Green River. Here, juniper bushes dot building-less expanses. Beyond them, the cliffs of the San Rafael Swell rise like rows of shark teeth from the valley floor.
Along this route you’ll find isolated Goblin Valley State Park, and its menagerie of hoodoo rocks, formations resem- bling mythological beasts frozen in stone. Plan on an extra few hours to hike the Little Wild Horse slot canyon—so narrow in spots that your shoulders will scrape the sculpted sandstone walls.
Continue southwest on Route 24, making a small detour through the mesas of Capitol Reef National Park, before turning south onto Scenic Byway 12. Hike to the swimming hole at Lower Calf Creek Falls, or through the sprawling
Driven to Happiness
18 DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2022