A little piece of paradise

From the views at Cedar Breaks, to the sunsets at Antelope Island State Park, there was so much to see on this trip

After our Bryce Canyon experience we were steered toward the canyon area called Cedar Breaks. I had never heard of this area before, but people we talked to said it was very beautiful and well worth the drive, so off we went. It is located southwest of the town of Panguitch, Utah. We left our trailer in town and drove the 32 miles southwest of Panguitch on Highway 143. From town we travelled up the Markagunt Plateau to a height of 10,546 feet. It had snowed a couple of days earlier and there was still two feet of snow in the fields and on the side of the highway. Getting to Cedar Breaks was a beautiful drive, through hills covered in fresh snow and pine forests.

When we reached the visitor centre, it was snow-covered and closed. We were able to walk to the viewing spots and we were not disappointed—the brilliant red colours of the Cedar Breaks spires and hoodoos stood out against the fresh snow. The area is in the shape of a huge amphitheatre that is 2,000 feet deep and three miles in diameter.

With the colours of red, yellow, grey and purple, it has been said that, “if Cedar Breaks were anywhere but in this region it would be picked as one of the world’s greatest scenic wonders.” The plateau surrounding Cedar Breaks has lush growth that can only be appreciated by visiting and hiking some of the numerous surrounding paths. To plan your trip, go to this website.

Pleasant campsites and spectacular sunsets

We drove through a long construction zone between Provost and Salt Lake City. There was very heavy traffic on four narrow lanes, with all vehicles speeding toward their destinations. We camped at a nice clean campground called the Golden Spike Campground at Brigham City, Utah. This is one of the cleanest campgrounds we have stayed at so far on our journey. We visited the Hill Aerospace Museum at Roy, Utah, just down the road from Brigham City. For anyone who likes military aircraft, this if a fascinating display of airplanes. There are several very large aircraft located outside and many more inside the display hangars.

We left the air museum and drove to a place called Antelope Island State Park, located one mile from the mainland out into the Great Salt Lake and linked via a causeway. This is a very large island, complete with a small mountain range. It is home to many pronghorn antelope, bison and cattle. The sunsets are so spectacular from the vantage of Buffalo Point that many locals stop by each night to catch a glimpse. There were actually quite a large number of vehicles parked at Buffalo Point and at the visitors centre to witness the spectacle. There is a campground on the island, with each site completely separate and offering a great view of the sunsets.

Next we drove to the city of Idaho Falls. We stayed at the Sunnyside Campground—a very clean, quiet and well-kept campground. Out hostess was able to give us directions to several shopping and dining areas we wanted to visit. On Saturday morning we drove downtown and visited the farmers market. Here you will find everything you could want in the way of fresh produce. The Snake River flows right through the middle of the city and the parks bordering it are gorgeous.