What makes Utah better than any other place in the world, like say, the Rocky Mountains or Florida Beaches? Why do you want to go hike in a hot barren, seemingly lifeless desert for three weeks? And enjoy it?!?! Utah isn’t necessarily the best place in the world for most people, but for us, it is. We don’t mind if it’s not everybody’s favorite, because actually that is one of the reasons we like it so much.

Solitude

There aren’t many places on earth where you can get some solitude. Utah is a really good place to find tranquility, because…well, there isn’t much there. Sure there are a few people, but usually they like the opportunity to leave the crowds behind as much as we do, so they keep to themselves. For the most part, there aren’t even any big cities close by. In fact, one of the darkest places in the continental United States is in Utah. It is absolutely amazing how many stars you can see at night. Of course all of this solitude goes out the window when you try to hike Angels Landing on Earth Day and Free National Parks Day. More on that in Angel’s Landing-The Perfect Hike.

Strenuous

Now this may seem like a weird one to some people, but we find it irritating when a hike is advertised as strenuous only to discover that it’s a paved 3/4 mile loop. In Utah, strenuous means the following: uphill both ways, on slick-rock and loose sand, through tight canyons, by steep drop-offs with the wind blowing against you and over (or under) old trucks that rolled into a slot canyon and instead of pulling it out they just made a bridge out of it. But, I think you get the point. There aren’t many “strenuous” hikes in Utah.

Beauty

Words can’t even begin to describe the beauty found in Utah. Unfortunately pictures really can’t either. So this one is one you really just have to see for yourself. But, in an effort to tantalize your visual taste buds (if that’s even a thing), here are a few pictures from our trips that at least show a glimpse of what we mean by the beauty of Utah.

You may disagree with us, but that’s okay. We’d love to have you share with us your favorite place to go hiking. Leave us a comment on Facebook and tell us where it’s located and what you love about it.

Justin