Hiking is the best -- and sometimes only -- way to see many of Utah's most beautiful and exciting areas. Particularly recommended destinations include all five of Utah's national parks. You'll find splendid forest trails and wilderness at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and in the Wasatch Mountains around Ogden and Logan. Those looking for spectacular views won't do better than the trails on BLM land around Moab. In Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, east of Bryce Canyon, numerous undeveloped, unmarked hiking routes explore some of the nation's most rugged country. State parks with especially good trails include Kodachrome, near Bryce Canyon National Park; Jordanelle, near Park City; Dead Horse Point, just outside the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park; and Escalante, in the town of Escalante.
Keep weather conditions in mind when hiking, such as the brutal summer heat around St. George and the likelihood of ice and snow on high mountain trails from fall through spring. Because of loose rock and gravel on trails in the southern part of the state, wear good hiking boots with aggressive soles and firm ankle support.
