Onward and upward…waaay up – to the small town of Brian Head, Utah.  Sitting at approximately 9,800 feet, Brian Head is the second highest town, by altitude, in the United States.  And – they average more than 360 feet of snow each year.  Now that is some serious snow! (www.brianheadtown.utah.gov)

While in Brian Head, we stayed at the Cedar Breaks Lodge & Spa. (www.cedarbreakslodge.com)  The lodge is located in the Dixie National Forest and is surrounded by pine trees that literally look as though they are touching the sky.  As we drove up through the mountains, we noticed what looked like snow or ice on the ground, but that was impossible because is was the middle of July!  It was 114 degrees when we left Las Vegas, heading to Cedar Breaks.  As we drove up to the resort, we noticed there was more of this “ice” around the grounds of the property and up next to the building.  We got out of the car to go inside to check-in, but first…we had to check out what this stuff was.  It was ice!  Slushy in some areas and little ice pellets in other areas.  The weather was very chilly, definitely jacket weather…and we were in shorts!  We asked the people at the front desk, and believe it or not, they told us that a brief snow storm had just passed through only a few hours before we had arrived!  I was totally under dressed for the current weather we were experiencing, but the lady at the front desk told us not to be concerned as it would warm up quit a bit as the day progressed.  She was right, the weather turned out to be fabulous!

If you’re ever in the Brian Head area, I definitely recommend the Cedar Breaks Lodge & Spa. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. The rooms range from Studio to 1 & 2 Bedroom Villas. We chose a 1 Bedroom and it was very roomy, with a fireplace, but no air conditioner, it’s cool enough without it, the temperature dropped into the 40’s that night. I must say, it was wonderful waking up the next morning to the cool, fresh mountain air blowing in the window. After breakfast the next morning, we set out to site see and stumbled upon a breathtaking national park, Cedar Breaks National Monument. (www.nps.gov/cebr/index.htm)

Cedar Breaks was originally named u-map-wich by the Southern Paiute Indians and means “the place where the rocks are sliding down all the time”.  Later, when the settlers came to the area, they mistook the juniper trees for cedars and described the deep vertical, severely eroded terrain as breaks and renamed the area Cedar Breaks.

At over 10,000 feet, Cedar Breaks overlooks a ½ mile deep, three-mile-wide geologic amphitheater, multi colored mountain rock, Bristlecone Pines, and wildflower meadows.  Wild flowers of Mountain Bluebell, Lavender, Fleabane, & Cushion Phlox begin to bloom in June.  By July this magnificent display is followed by Larkspur, Lupine, Columbine, & Scarlet Paintbrush, just to name a few.  And not to be outdone, Autumn bursts on the scene with it’s groves of aspens and the splendor of golden yellow, bright oranges, and sun fire red’s in magnificent display.  It is Stunning to say the least!  Cedar Breaks also has beautiful forests & fields with a large diversity of wildlife, such as Black Bears, Mountain Lions, Mule Deer, Marmots and many more.

There are four overlooks along the scenic drive and steep hikes that lend to spectacular views.  One of the hikes leads to a pet-friendly trail, the Campground Trail, which connects to the information center.  Cedar Breaks also offers a wheelchair-accessible paved path that is mostly flat with some steep spots, but nothing to strenuous.

 

 

 

 

If it’s camping you’re looking for, there are 28 camp sites at Cedar Breaks.  The campgrounds are open from mid-June to mid-September (for reservations visit www.recreation.gov).  The campgrounds have water, restrooms, showers, tables, and fire grills.  In the winter, mid-October through May, the snow play is on!  The park only offers cross country skiing and snowshoeing.  You can snowmobile only on marked, groomed trials due to the heavy snowfall they receive…remember this area boasts of getting over 360 feet of snow each year!

We only had one full day of site seeing in Cedar Breaks because our trip was taking us further into the mountain areas of Utah to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.  Visit my site again soon and read about our trip to these two majestic parks.