Explore Utah's Mojave Desert Country

Snow is falling and it is a chilly 21 F as I write this, sitting in my office in Provo, Utah. Snow conditions are great at the nearby ski resorts. But I'm dreaming about sunshine, remembering how warm the sun felt on my bare arms as I explored the warmest part of Utah over the weekend.

St George, in southwest Utah, is famous for its mild winter weather. But the warmest temperatures in the state are found a little farther to the west, along the Beaver Dam Wash, where the Mojave Desert pushes up into Utah. The point where the wash crosses the Utah/Arizona border has an elevation of about 2,200 feet. That's about the same elevation as Las Vegas, and about 300 feet lower than St George, so the Beaver Dam Wash area gets Vegas-like weather (slightly warmer than St George).

What is there to see in the Beaver Dam Wash area? Not much, unless you like cacti. The Joshua tree, trademark of the Mojave Desert, grows tall and proud along the wash. So do barrel and chollas cacti. The area is stark, desolate, remote, rugged... In short, it is my kind of country.

The Mojave is a high desert. In winter nights are usually cold and days are mild. It is probably close to 50 F today - perfect weather for hiking.

Before I-15 was pushed through the Virgin River Gorge, Old Highway 91 was the major route west from St George. Today it is a scenic backroad that crosses the Beaver Dam Mountains and dives into Utah's Mojave Country. A dirt track, called the Joshua Tree Road, loops below Hwy 91. In years past it wound through a beautiful Joshua tree forest, but vegetation in that area was destroyed by a major brush fire a few years ago and the desert is just starting to recover. Joshua trees are slow-growing and it will be many years before the forest returns.

We had to probe deeper into Mojave country to find substantial stands of Joshua trees. We drove the dirt Eardly Road and Indian Springs Trail along the east side of Beaver Dam Wash to get the photos that illustrate this report. Both roads have steep spots and we encountered plenty of mud. We definitely needed high-clearance 4-wheel-drive on our trip. During drier months a 4X4 may not be needed.

Most people don't visit southwestern Utah just to explore the Beaver Dam Wash area. You come to visit the National Parks or play golf. (February and March are ideal months to hit the links around St George, before they become crowded in April.) But I enjoy solitude and stark beauty and so I recommend the Beaver Dam Wash area as a pleasant day trip.

Note: There are no services - no gasoline, food or water - in the Beaver Dam Wash area of Utah. If you go, bring along a good map, emergency gear and plenty of food and water.

- Dave Webb

Have A Happy, Safe, Adventurous New Year

Here's hoping 2009 brings you joy, prosperity and plenty of opportunity to enjoy spectacular scenery and exciting outdoor adventure.

'08 is now gone - Father Time will determine its place in history. The new year, hopefully, will bring new opportunities to live, to work and to play. The world won't change overnight. Tomorrow's sun will rise over conflict, hate and suffering. But it will also illuminate beauty and love.

Perhaps a year from now we will all be in a better place.

Meanwhile, our national parks offer great escapes where you can find beauty and serenity. That's true even though Zion Park is on track to set a new record for number of visitors in a year. This article gives details.

Our ski resorts offer beauty and adventure. That's true even though the backcountry avalanche danger remains high and experts urge caution. This article has details.

The world looks better after you ski down a mountain or hike up a canyon.

I hope to see you outdoors.

- Dave Webb

Sundance Online Film Guide

Final preparations are being made for the Sundance Film Festival, set to run Jan 15-25 in Park City and Salt Lake City.

Sundance offers this Online Film Guide to help people plan schedules.

Here's info on festival jockeying, including a last-minute festival addition, a feature film called The Winning Season.

Ticket sales have been strong - it looks like the festival will be as crowded as ever. But there is still time to get involved, still plenty of opportunity to see films and hob-knob with Hollywood types. See the Sundance website for complete info on how to do the festival.

New Years Eve in Utah

The First Night celebration in downtown Salt Lake City is a big, family-friendly New Years Eve bash offering music, arts, food and fun.

Live performances and other events will be held at Gallivan Center, Gateway Mall, The Leonardo and Temple Square.

Admission buttons can be purchased in advance at Albertsons, Discovery Gateway, The Leonardo, and The Gateway concierge, $8 in advance, $10 day of show. Children 12 and under are free. Group discounts are available.

Ride TRAX free on December 31st (from 3 pm- 1 am) with your First Night 2009 admission button. * Rider must display button, up to 4 children may accompany an adult. Not valid on FrontRunner.

Many other Utah communities also offer New Years Eve activities.

The Daily Herald has this article about the celebration in Provo. Below are excerpts:

Provo's First Night celebration gets a little bigger every year, and organizers believe this year could be the best party yet.

Helen Anderson, spokeswoman for Provo city, said the theme this year is "Party Under the Big Top." The events will center around carnival activities, including virtual Nintendo Wii carnival games. People will be able to walk a virtual tightrope or participate in a ring toss.

JaNel Grim, recreation supervisor for Provo city, said an event that will likely be most popular at First Night will be the circus performing group, Cirkus Pandemonium. The Salt Lake City group will be performing all night long, with acts such as human juggling and fire dancing.

Utah Is The Fastest Growing State in the US

Utah's population continues to grow, but the rate has slowed somewhat from the boom times of the past few years.

Still, our grown hasn't slowed as much as other areas and so Utah leads the nation in population growth.

Business Week has this interesting article on Utah's population trends. Below are excerpts.

Utah won the designation Monday as the fastest growing state based on figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau for the year ending in July. The population grew by 2.5 percent to more than 2.7 million.

But Utah's growth rate has slowed since earlier this decade, and the rate has continued to decline since July, state demographer Juliette Tennert said Monday.

Still, Utah won the growth race because of the one thing that keeps the state expanding through good times and bad: a high birth rate attributed to the state's dominant faith, Mormonism, and family oriented culture.

"Utah is really unique in that over 60 percent of the growth is natural increase," Tennert said.

The face of Utah's population also is changing. Within a generation, the state's 60-and-older crowd will be larger than the school-age population, part of a nationwide demographic shift, according to a University of Utah study.

The study released last week by the university's Bureau of Economic and Business Research said that a third of the state's population will be made up of racial or ethnic minorities a generation from now.

Developers and real-estate lenders say southern Utah still is a draw for so-called equity refugees from California and other places who are looking for relatively cheaper living in a mild climate.

Snow, Snow and More Snow

Snow is the big new in Utah today. It's snowing as I write this. City streets are snowpacked and plows are working hard to stay ahead of the storm.

A winter storm warning is in effect through tonight. In a nutshell, ski conditions are great but travel conditions are difficult.

And the weather forecast calls for more of the same. A few weeks ago we wondered when the snow would come. Now we wonder if it will ever stop. Snow off and on through Christmas, with heavy snow at times.

Check weather forecasts and road conditions before traveling.

There is high avalanche danger in backcountry areas. Check avalanche forecasts before heading into mountainous backcountry areas.

Hope you can get where you want to go.

Merry Christmas.

- Dave

Get Utah Snow Reports On Your iPhone

A new application to display snow reports on iPhone and iTouch devices has been created by Canyon Sports and is available free from the Apple Application Store. Canyon Sports links to the application from its website.

The snow reports are generated daily by Ski Utah.

"The key to catching some fresh turns this winter is getting dialed into the Ski Utah Snow Report," says Jessica Kunzer, spokesperson for Ski Utah. "The Report is updated each morning by 6:30 a.m. with the latest snow totals, average base depths, open runs and lifts, and resort activities."

The Utah Office of Travel & Tourism also offers a desktop snow report widget for download.

You can also see the snow report on our website and on the Ski Utah website.

Those away from their computer can get the report the old-fashioned way - by telephone - by calling the Ski Utah Snow Report line at (801) 521-8102.