Utah's State Parks

This blog is not intended to be a guide to the state parks per se. I don't have a boat, I don't have an OHV, I don't have kids... I'm just really into rocks, finding weird angles to take photos from, and poking things with a stick.

I want to illustrate that state parks are for everyone, and you can enjoy them in an atypical way. You don't have to buy a boat to enjoy a reservoir, you can wander off the beaten path and find cool things, and there's a LOT more to Utah than the "Mighty 5" national parks.

I plan to visit 40 of Utah's 43 state parks over the next year. I am not planning to go to the flight park or OHV park as I own neither a hang-glider nor an OHV, and This is the Place State Park is not covered by the annual pass per the paper I signed, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I've already visited 15 since September and I'll be posting about those first. I'm excited to share what you can do in winter at the state parks, as they see a sharp drop in visitation in those months, but they are a great way to cure cabin fever! And there's probably a state park closer to you than you think.

If you want to know how to get to a park, the fee, and all the amenities offered there, the Utah State Parks website is your best bet. If you want to know what you can see at a park without buying any gear, I'm your gal.

Short background on me: My name is Holly and I am 25. I've lived in Utah since 2015 and have also lived in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana. I have worked as a park ranger in national and state parks, and now I am an outreach science educator for Discovery Gateway Children's Science Museum. I work with 3 other adventurous people to visit every public and charter elementary school in Utah and do a chemistry presentation and lab for the 5th grade classes. Since my job brings me to every corner of the state, I immediately bought a state parks pass on my first overnight trip and it paid for itself in 9 days ($75, expires at the end of the month purchased the following year). I realized my job is going to take me very close to all but 4 or 5 parks, so I drafted a plan to visit all of them before the end of next summer!

I basically live outside, my only hobbies are the outdoors and hiking, and I am also a HUGE Leave No Trace (LNT) advocate, and I also pick up at LEAST one piece of trash at each state park I visit. On one visit to Sand Hollow, I cleaned up two full size garbage bags of trash from the dispersed campground... #dontbealitterbug #aparkrangerisneveroffduty. Please help me keep Utah beUTAHful by picking up at least one piece of litter each time you visit a park! Thank you!

I will be basic and leave you with a quote that comes to mind every time I visit a state park...

"There's a wold that was meant for our eyes to see"

(Ends of the Earth, Lord Huron)

If you want to see other things that I do besides geek out over state parks (warning it's still all just nature)...

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