My first trip through Utah was in August 1992 when my family was moving me from Montana to New Mexico. We stayed in Utah less than 24 hours, and our trip included a very brief look at Bryce Canyon National Park. I was quite disappointed that we did not have more time to see the park and that we did not get to see Zion National Park. In August 2003, I made it a point to return to Utah during part of a long summer vacation. I had my opportunity to return to Bryce Canyon and hike into the canyon unconstrained. I also had the opportunity to visit sites that I missed in August 1992, such as Zion National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Utah is a land of deserts and mountains located in the center of the western United States. The area was first settled by a number of different Native American tribes, many of whom lived nomadic existences, like the Utes, Shoshone, and Goshute, but some of whom were farmers, such as the Paiute, and pueblo builders, like the Anasazi. Although the area was first controlled by Spain in the fifteenth century and later Mexico in the early nineteenth century, American Mormons in the mid-mineteenth century were the first Europeans to settle the area in large numbers. Despite conflicts between Mormons and other Americans, Utah became a state in 1896.
Today, Utah is a state pushing to be on the cutting edge of culture and industry. Salt Lake City has become a growing metropolitan area that has garnered worldwide attention through the 2002 Winter Olympics. While the Salt Lake City area as well as many other cities throughout Utah are trendy, growing urban areas, much of the mountainous and arid landscape has been set aside for preservation. The state's national and state parks and recreation areas, including the very well known Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks, attract many visitors to the state every year.
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This page was last updated May 19, 2004.