Tag: Greater Zion

St. George, Utah — It would be easy to make the case that the Greater Zion region of Utah is the most-underrated golf destination in the southwest. The density of golf courses – 13 within a 20-mile radius, including six ranked among the top 10 statewide by Golfweek – offer unusual value, convenience and landscapes that will leave you gobsmacked.

But let’s set aside golf for a moment. If you’re traveling to Bandon Dunes or Myrtle Beach, you’re going to cram as many golf holes as possible into your trip. You could do the same in Greater Zion, but even if you never tee it up, there are no shortage of reasons to visit. Here are five reasons, unrelated to golf, why you should book your trip to southwest Utah.

1. The same dramatic landscape that creates such as a stunning backdrop for golf is more thoroughly enjoyed in the area parks. This is a region where you can do everything from mountain biking to scuba diving, and everything in between, on the same day. (Quick quiz: Name another destination anywhere in the world that could make the same claim.)

2. It’s a breeze getting here. For example, St. George Regional Airport offers direct flights from several major cities in the west and southwest. Or in just under two hours, you can drive up Interstate-15 from Las Vegas Airport. (Alternatively, it’s an easy commute if you’re in St. George and want to slip away for a day on The Strip or a sporting event in Las Vegas.)

3. One of the reasons this is among the nation’s fastest-growing regions is that there’s a deep connection to the land and the history of southwest Utah. You’re not just going somewhere to hit as many golf balls as possible, then pack up and leave; you’re visiting a community that has embraced its history and invested in its future.

The former is evident in everything from Greater Zion’s 16 museums, many of which tell the story of the region, to the petroglyph sites on Snow Canyon State Park’s Gila Trail that evoke Native Americans’ centuries-old attachment to the land. The latter – the future of Greater Zion – is evident nightly at Tuacahn Amphitheatre, where residents and visitors alike can enjoy great theater and music.

4. No one has ever gotten rich betting on the weather, but you can feel pretty confident that you’ll enjoy a sun-splashed stay in Greater Zion. This is a temperate, year-round, high-desert climate that typically experiences 300 days of sunshine annually. You won’t face the stifling heat of Las Vegas in summer, nor will you be deluged by snow like residents of northern Utah.

5. What’s your lodging preference? Do you want to enjoy luxury accommodations, or would you prefer glamping in the great outdoors? Do you want to end your day with a relaxing massage at the spa or would you prefer s’mores over an open fire pit? In Greater Zion, the choice is yours.

Bonus round: You know how we said we were going to give you five good reasons to visit Greater Zion? We lied. We’re going to give you one more reason: those remarkable Greater Zion sunsets. Regardless whether you’ve spent the day hiking, biking, fishing, jet-skiing, rock climbing, racing ATVs, or simply relaxing on a beach in one of Greater Zion’s state parks, those killer sunsets will soothe your soul and keep you coming back for more.

St. George, Utah — The southwest corner of Utah won the geographic lottery. Its world-famous collection of national and state parks showcase a landscape where, in the space of a single day, visitors can experience soaring sandstone cliffs, sprawling desert, even beaches and boating. That same topography also serves as a dramatic backdrop for 13 golf courses – six of which rank among Golfweek’s top 10 statewide – in what is commonly known as the Greater Zion area.

Suffice it to say, when you plan your trip, your biggest concern will be how much you can cram into your itinerary – and what activities you should leave for future visits.

Here are some suggestions for your next Great Zion adventure.

Day 1

Start at Sand Hollow Golf Course, which is a true “destination course” – one that golfers travel great distances to play. Since 2009, Golfweek has ranked Sand Hollow No. 1 among public courses in Utah. It is the American answer to Ireland’s Tralee – a classic, elegant front nine that gives way to a raucous, vertiginous back nine. The cliffside par-4 12th and the par-3 15th are two of the most-photographed golf holes in the American West.

After that thrilling back nine, keep the adrenaline pumping next door, racing all-terrain vehicles across the dunes of Sand Mountain Recreation Area, which is the closest thing you’ll experience to a Martian lunarscape. Sand Mountain is the highest dune in the Great Basin, offering an extraordinary, 360-degree panorama of perhaps the most stunning landscape in the American West.

After playing in the sand, it’s time to hit the beach. Yes, the beach. Drive into Sand Hollow State Park, where you can go cliff-jumping or jet-skiing in the reservoir. Me? I’m going to wind down with a little paddleboarding on the calm waters, then enjoy the sun setting on the red sand and reservoir.

Day 2

Johnny Miller is best known for the many years he spent as a player and announcer, but he also has a sneaky-good résumé of building golf courses. One of his best is Entrada at Snow Canyon, ranked No. 3 on Golfweek’s state list. This is where you’ll start your day. (Visitors are able to play at Entrada if they stay at the amenity-rich Inn at Entrada.) This is thrilling target golf played through red clay and black lava.

Beginning in late 2020, architect David McLay Kidd, whose seminal design work launched Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be freshening up Entrada. If you’re visiting while Entrada is closed for renovations, consider an equally compelling golf landscape nearby at The Ledges of St. George, ranked No. 10 statewide.

After golf, it’s just a short drive to Snow Canyon State Park – so short you can see the park’s red-rock formations from the par-3 12th at The Ledges. Movie buffs might recognize Snow Canyon as the backdrop for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Like Butch and Sundance, you can ride horses here, though most visitors prefer hiking and mountain biking among the black lava and sandstone cliffs.

When the sun goes down, the lights come up nearby at Tuacahn Amphitheatre, which is carved into Padre Canyon, a short drive from Snow Canyon. Depending on which night you visit, you might enjoy either a Broadway-style musical or brand-name rock band.

Day 3

The Greater Zion region is all about enjoying the outdoors, but after two fast-paced days, perhaps it’s time to slow down and pamper yourself. Consider starting the final day of your visit with a spa treatment at Red Mountain Resort or Amira Resort & Spa.

Then it’s off to Coral Canyon Golf Course, where the demands presented by Keith Foster’s daunting layout are softened by the vistas of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

But you’re going to end your trip just a few miles away, at Quail Creek State Park. Rent a boat, drop a line, and maybe you’ll catch a few trout as you ponder all of the new ad

St. George, Utah — The secret is out.

There was a time years ago when this city, the hub of Utah’s Greater Zion region, was a sleepy hamlet, but those years have long since passed. In recent years, Greater Zion, in the state’s southwest corner, has become one of the hottest destinations in the American West for tourists and young families looking to relocate. The numbers back that up.

Colby Cowan, director of golf for the city’s four courses, has lived in St. George 22 years and recalled when it was “a little gas-station town on Interstate-15.” Folks passing by on their way to Las Vegas or Los Angeles would stop, refuel and hop back on the highway.

Over time, however, those folks got curious. The lure of Zion National Park and four remarkable state parks was too compelling, particularly for young thrill-seekers searching for new adventures. Greater Zion offered the possibility, within the space of a few days, of unforgettable outdoor pursuits: make the cliffhanging Angeles Landing hike through Zion National, go rock climbing in Snow Canyon or kayaking at Gunlock, race mountain bike at Quail Creek, go cliff jumping or scuba diving at Sand Hollow, or race ATVs across the buttes and through the canyons of Sand Mountain. Your imagination is the only limitation on the outdoor activities you can enjoy.

That landscape also provides the backdrop for what is arguably the most-underrated golf destination in the southwest United States. Thirteen courses are clustered within a 20-mile radius, including six of Golfweek’s top 10 Best Courses You Can Play in the state. The must-plays are headlined by Sand Hollow Golf Course, the perennial No. 1 in Utah. Golfers, who always are searching for the next big thing, also will want to check out Copper Rock Golf Course, which opens this spring.

“When you think of Utah, a lot of people think of mountains and snow,” Cowan said. “But we’re in the southwest corner of the state, so you can play golf year-round. We have a similar topography to Sedona (Arizona), but with a better winter climate.”

The numbers tell the story of Greater Zion’s skyrocketing tourism. In 2018, some 216,000 out-of-towners visited the region on golf vacations. An increasing number of them flew directly into St. George Regional Airport, which is growing exponentially. In 2018, nearly 278,000 travelers used the airport, more than twice the passenger count when the airport opened in 2011.

Zion National, the seventh-most-visited federal park in 2018, remains the biggest attraction, but increasingly, visitors find themselves drawn to the state parks. They combined to draw more than 1 million visitors in 2018, with three of the parks posting strong double-digit visitor increases.
All of those new visitors need a place to stay, which is why 1,800 new rooms have been added to the region’s lodging inventory over just the past three years.

Here’s the most interesting long-term trend: Many of those visitors are buying homes and staying in the Greater Zion area. In recent years, St. George consistently has ranked among the fastest-growing metropolitan markets in the country, even topping the U.S. Census Bureau’s list two years ago. The presence of Tuacahn Amphitheatre, nestled spectacularly into Padre Canyon north of St. George, along with museums, new restaurants and spas, help to ensure that all of those tourists and new residents will have plenty of entertainment even when they’re not chasing their next adrenaline-spiking moment in the parks or on the golf courses.

Savvy travelers have discovered Greater Zion. Isn’t it time you did as well?

St. George, Utah — John Fought has traveled to six continents, first playing tournament golf and later as one of the game’s leading course architects. In all of his travels, Sand Hollow Golf Course occupies a special place in his mind.

“It’s probably the most unique site I’ve ever worked on,” said Fought (pronounced “Fote”). “That is some of the most interesting landscape in the world. It’s just like working in a national park.”

In a sense, Fought was working in a park. Sand Hollow, the perennial No. 1 among Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in Utah, is surrounded by Sand Mountain and Sand Hollow State Park, where visitors can do everything from riding ATVs across massive dunes to cliff diving and scuba diving in the park’s reservoir. The proximity of Greater Zion’s four state parks – Sand Hollow, Gunlock, Quail Creek, and Snow Canyon – guarantees that visitors are never far from their next adrenaline-pumping activity, which could take place in the mountains or on the beaches. It’s all there for your choosing.

This is the backdrop for what is arguably the most-underrated destination in the southwest. Thanks to the Greater Zion region’s reliable climate that annually produces 300 days of sunshine, golfers can tee it up year-round at 13 courses clustered within a 20-mile radius – including six courses that Golfweek ranks among the top 10 in the state. Sand Hollow and Entrada at Snow Canyon are among the local courses offering stay-and-play packages. Greater Zion’s golf landscape will get even better this year with the opening of Copper Rock Golf Course, located on the east side of Sand Hollow State Park.

The names of the region’s courses often hint at the jaw-dropping nature of the landscape. At courses such as Coral Canyon, The Ledges, Sunbrook, Sky Mountain, and Entrada, holes often are framed by stunning red-rock formations, lava fields and canyons. Long views of mountain peaks in the surrounding parks heighten the sensory experience. Invariably, many visitors will find themselves reaching for their cameras as often as their drivers during the course of a round.

Fought’s experience building Sand Hollow illustrates why this is such a compelling landscape for golf. In the lingo of golf architecture, the golf holes at Sand Hollow were “found”; Fought estimated that only about 75,000 yards of dirt were moved, much of that to fill a ravine on the postcard-perfect par-4 12th. By comparison, architects sometimes have been known to move more than 1 million yards of dirt in creating modern courses.

“We did not mess with (the land) at all. It was just there,” Fought said. “There was no reason to shape it, make it contrived, or make like something it really wasn’t. It’s a site that’s as natural as I’ve worked on.”

While Sand Hollow’s 12th and par-3 15th, which plays through rock outcroppings, tend to get splashed across more magazine spreads, Fought is particularly fond of the cliffside 13th, a potentially drivable par 4.

“When I got to that hole and looked at it, I said, ‘You have got to be kidding me. This looks like the Lord built it,’” Fought recalled.

Those sorts of transcendent experiences happen a lot in Greater Zion.