Outing Southern Utah and Bears Ears Exploration

Activity Notes

This outing will travel to scenic southeast Utah for 8 days of hiking and exploring the high desert canyon country. This area is home to several national parks and monuments; we will specifically visit Arches national park and Bears Ears National monument. The trip begins in Salt Lake city, where the group will rent several SUVs. We will then drive 4 hours south to Moab where we stay at a motel for two nights while we do a day of hiking in nearby Arches park. Next, we will travel 100 miles further south to the small town of Bluff, just below Bears Ears monument. In Bluff, spend three nights lodging in comfortable cabins while exploring the area. Bears Ears National Monument includes red rock, juniper forests, high plateau and an abundance of early human and Native American historical artifacts. A highlight is the nearby Valley of the Gods (similar to Monument valley) and many ancient cliff dwellings. From Bluff we head back north a bit to the larger town of Blanding. Our lodging will be a large condo. This gives us access to the Northern portion of Bears Ears via scenic highway 95, as well as Natural Bridges monument if we so desire.

Lodging is in shared accommodations. Blanding and Bluff have cooking faciilites in rooms (Moab is motel room). It will be necessary to share rental cars. The trip cost does not include airfare to Salt lake, food, or auto rental. Cost is $735 for Mazama members, and $885 for nonmembers. It is limited to 7 participants (plus the leader). Full payment is required by March 15, 2025. Cancellation after March 15 will result in full forfeiture of the fee unless a replacement participant is found. Travel Insurance is suggested to cover such a situation. For more information contact:

Bob Breivogel (breivog@teleport.com), phone 503-201-5101 (cell) or 503-292-2940.