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f “geography is destiny” as the saying goes, no wonder Utah has such a rich and |
varied spray of award-winning spas and resorts. Inspired by the extraordinary diversity of Utah’s geography, the State boasts dozens of spectacular spas and resorts, from tiny alpine havens that have hosted Olympic athletes, to reflective red-rock refuges that attract the rich and beautiful.
And bear this in mind, Utah hosts one of the nation’s largest schools of massage therapy. So pampering isn’t just a matter of geography in Utah.
Boasting easy access to Zion’s, Bryce and the Grand Canyon national parks sits the booming city of St. George, consistently one of the nation’s fastest growing areas. St. George, about two hours by car north of Las Vegas and five hours south of Salt Lake City, hosts three superb resorts each in nearby Ivins.
One is Red Mountain Spa. Recently remodeled to make best advantage of its location among the huge cliffs and red rock formations at the entrance of Snow Canyon State Park, this red rock resort has won mention in nine categories of the 2006 SpaFinder magazine Reader’s Choice; hiking, affordability, best spas for men, weight loss, going solo, fitness program, cuisine, mind-body-spirit, and cooking classes.
The granddaddy of all Utah fitness spas is the Green Valley Spa. Ranked the best mid-sized spa in America by Spa Finder Magazine, and one of the top three spas in the world by Travel & Leisure, Green Valley Spa boasts six pools, a wide range of fitness activities, five swimming pools, a meditation room, and dozens of spa and treatment options. Rock climbing instruction in the nearby mountains is available throughout the week. For the tennis buff, there’s the Vic Braden Tennis College and 19 tennis courts on the property. And hone your game at the spa’s 4,000 square foot indoor golf center with golf video analysis. The spa’s Coyote Inn features one- and two-bedroom suites.
Fitness Ridge Resort and Spa is a boutique resort that specializes in helping patrons “jump-start” their health and fitness goals. In addition, the resort offers spa and salon services.
With its miles of Colorado River frontage, temperate climate, and almost Martian landscape, Moab is perhaps the world’s most famous location for smart mountain bikers. It’s also the gateway to both Arches and Canyonlands national parks and host to two notable resorts.
One is the Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge, located 100 feet above a bend of the Colorado River. The resort includes the Castle Creek Winery and a movie museum that has memorabilia from the many movies shot in the area. All the rooms make good use of the location with outdoor patios facing the mighty Colorado. The resort’s facilities include a pool, exercise room, and spa.
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Grand America Hotel’s outdoor pool |
Sorrel River Ranch Resort is a four-diamond hotel and spa resort located on the banks of a spectacular, isolated stretch of the Colorado River near Moab. Named a 2005 World Traveler Award Winner as the best resort in the Rockies, Sorrel River Ranch boasts a gourmet restaurant and a new health spa.
In northern Utah, closest to the State’s main population base, all of the resorts and spas are located in Utah’s spectacular Wasatch Range and in the Uintah’s, the largest range of east-west mountains in the lower 48.
The baby of northern Utah resorts and spas is Zermatt Resort in the Swiss-settled burg of Midway. Just 15 minutes from Park City this two-year-old resort is winning fans with its 250 rooms and suites furnished with down beds, fireplaces, alpine furnishings, and Swiss folk art. There’s a spa that offers massage, herbal, body-wrap, and facials, and facilities that include aromatherapy, Finnish sauna, steam, and a solarium. In addition, there’s a par-3, nine hole executive golf course, golf simulators and clinics, year-round swimming pools, whirlpool spas, geothermal springs, and both indoor and outdoor tennis courts.
Almost across the street from Zermatt is the classic Homestead Resort. Sited on an expansive 200 acres, The Homestead has a golf course, year-round diving in a unique hot springs cavern, horseback riding, snowmobiling, volleyball, tennis, plus 142 rooms and convention and meeting space.
For the catch and release fly fisherman or trophy elk hunter the 2,600 acre L.C. Ranch, in Altamont, offers an “anti-spa” destination with its 28 trout ponds and easy access to more than 500 lakes in the High Uintah Wilderness Area. Oh, the L.C. Ranch still has its amenities, including catered meals and a honeymoon cabin complete with heart-shaped Jacuzzi, this just isn’t the place to get your nails done or give tai chi a try. The resort has several cabins with one to 10 beds. |
Daniel’s Summit Lodge, also in the Uintahs, is a resort spa ready not only for you, but for the whole family. The lodge offers horseback riding, Jeep and ATV rentals, and hiking in the summer and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter. There’s a pool, a day spa, a gameroom, a general store, and a restaurant.
Resorts
With the coming of mild mountain weather and wrapped in velvet green, Utah’s most famous resorts are magnificent in the summer. But they seem to be in their most natural state when veiled in snow. Among the world’s most revered ski areas, the state has an abundance of facilities for skiers of every ability and taste. Utah’s ski resorts are always consistently ranked high among the resorts of North America. In fact, seven of Utah’s ski resorts are counted among Ski Magazine’s top 30 in 2006. And Snowbird and Alta have been named the No. 1 or No. 2 ski resort in the United States by SKIING Magazine every year since the State hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
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World famous Cliff Lodge at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort |
At the top of the State’s only glacially-carved canyon in the south-east part of the Salt Lake Valley, lie Snowbird and Alta. The ‘Bird’s terrain is loved by intermediate and advanced skiers the world over, thanks in no small measure to the fact that it receives on average upwards of 500 inches of snow a year. Snowbird has a 125-person aerial tram that whisks you up Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet above sea level, and 10 chairlifts serving 2,500 skiable acres. Snowboarders are served by the exciting Terrain Park and a Superpipe. And access to Mineral Basin has never been easier than now thanks to newly-built 600-foot-long tunnel, the first in North America.
Steep and deep describes Alta, about two miles up the canyon from Snowbird. Alta is the nation’s second oldest ski resort and maybe the most traditional. It, too, averages about 500 inches of Utah’s legendary powder. There are more 116 runs and 2,200 skiable acres. Alta works hard to give its skiers a high-quality, high-value experience. So it limits the number of skiers and doesn’t allow snowboarders at all. Although since Alta and Snowbird now sell a joint pass that allows you to ski both resorts, a boarder could sneak onto some of Alta’s famous terrain.
In the neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon, also in the Salt Lake Valley’s southeast side, sit two more ski resorts beloved by locals and the ski press, Brighton and Solitude. Brighton, celebrating its 70th year, has 1,050 skiable acres and a terrain park served by seven lifts. It also the most night skiing in Utah with 22 runs on more than 200 lighted acres. Solitude has eight lifts serving 1,200 skiable acres and more than 2,000 feet of vertical drop from lodge to mountain summit. Solitude also offers the most slopeside ski-in ski-out lodging in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Park City, up Parley’s Canyon on Interstate 80 from Salt Lake City, boasts three world-class ski destinations. Park City Mountain Resort, with over 40 years of experience, spreads over 3,300 acres and enjoys an annual average snowfall of 350 inches.
Park City Mountain Resort was the venue for the giant slalom as well as snowboard events at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. It averages 350 inches of snow a year, and has 3,300 acres of skiable terrain and a 3,000 foot vertical drop. Deer Valley, justly famous for its luxuriant service and world-class cuisine, is often ranked among the top three North American ski resorts by the ski-industry press. Deer Valley, the venue for the slalom, mogul, and aerial events at the 2002 Games has 1,700 skier-only acres and more than 90 runs.
With 3,700 skiable acres stretching over seven mountains, The Canyons is Utah’s second-largest ski resort and one of the largest in the country by acreage. To cover that expanse, The Canyons has 17 lifts and 152 runs.
They didn’t have to trick out Snowbasin, for the 2002 Olympics; nearly 80 percent of the resort is considered intermediate or advanced. Located above the Ogden Valley, a little more than an hour from Salt Lake City, Snowbasin hosted the 2002 Olympic downhill and super G events. It has 3,200 skiable acres which are blanketed on average by 400 inches of Utah’s powder a year.
Sundance, one of Utah’s most famous of resorts remains assuredly intimate and luxurious. Located about 70 minutes from the Salt Lake International Airport it sits on the eastern flanks of 12,000-foot Mt. Timpanogos. Spread over 5,000 acres Sundance is truly a year-round resort, with skiing in the winter and spectacular hiking and horseback riding in the summer. But it is more than just a resort. As befits its founder, Robert Redford, Sundance has a strong arts orientation, with crafts classes available all summer. And come hungry, because some of Utah’s finest dining is available at Sundance’s restaurants.
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