Palisade State Park and Golf Course
Located in the geographic center of Utah, five miles south of Manti, Palisade State Park rests at an elevation of 5,868 feet and is nestled in a beautiful valley of Sanpete County. Visitors can enjoy 18 holes of golf, paddling or trolling on Palisade Lake, and staying overnight at one of 55 campsites. Park provides access for off-highway vehicle riding in nearby Six-Mile Canyon, which in turn provides access to Skyline Drive, a 10,000-foot-high road along the crest of the spectacular Wasatch Plateau.
Areas surrounding Palisade feature semi-arid terrain with juniper and pinyon pine trees, sagebrush, rabbit brush, and low-growing cactus. Native grasses and wildflowers fill in open spaces. Through spring, visitors may sight mule deer, elk, bald eagles, great blue heron, and migratory waterfowl.
(Park: 435-835-7275 / Golf: 435-835-4653)
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Located in southern Utah, just 44 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park features fossils, petrified wood, fossilized dinosaur bones, and artifacts left by ancient Fremont Indians who inhabited the area nearly 1,000 years ago. Park visitors can camp along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir, rent a canoe and paddle on its clear waters, hike along nature trails through a petrified forest, or climb to the 200-foot high mesa top, which was once the bottom of an ancient flood plain.
Approximately 135 to 155 million years ago, trees up to 100 feet tall were uprooted and buried in mud during violent flooding. Groundwater permeated the buried trees over millions of years as part of the process of petrification. The trees were later exposed through erosion, leaving a fallen forest of petrified trees.
(Phone: 435-826-4466)
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Located in southeastern Utah, Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum holds the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) pottery on display in the Four Corners Region. Visitors can explore an authentic Puebloan village behind the museum. In addition to permanent collections, Edge of the Cedars offers special exhibits, festivals, and events throughout the year. Museum exhibits include photography, fine art, current topics in archeology, and contemporary Native American crafts. Festivals, programs and special events promote traditional values through storytelling, craft workshops, and an Indian art exhibit.
From April 2007 through March 2008, visitors can view the Range Creek Exhibit. Range Creek, once a private and protected ranch situated near the Book Cliffs, is the site of a large complex of Fremont habitations. Also this spring (May 14-18), Edge of the Cedars hosts an Acoma Pottery Workshop taught by the Lewis sisters of Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, daughters of renowned potter, Lucy M. Lewis.
(Phone: 435-678-2238)
In 2007, Utah State Parks celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a statewide geocache adventure in 42 state parks. Geocaching is a kind of high-tech treasure hunt using a global positioning satellite (GPS) unit. Participants enter coordinates into a GPS unit, which leads them to the hidden geocache.
