Home Care In Mount Carmel, UT

There's nothing quite like a road trip. The USA is a huge country, with so many sites that it would take a lifetime to experience them all. Even exploring a single state can be quite an undertaking, particularly a state as diverse as Utah.

Thankfully, travelers don't have to hop on one of the giant US national park road trips to enjoy Utah's scenery. A variety of simple, one-day Utah road trip itinerary options exist throughout the state, with each drive offering unique views and beautiful stops.

From the mountains of Central Utah to the red rock country further south, these are seven fantastic one-day road trip itineraries in Utah to explore the state's incredible landscapes.

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12 Bucket List National Park Road Trips In The US

From single-state loops to the ultimate Lower 48 epic adventure, these scenic routes might be the best national park road trips in the US.

7 Scenic Byway 12

The best road trips are those that offer beautiful scenery right from the driver's seat. Scenic Byway 12, a designated All-American Road, offers some truly panoramic views of the red rock terrain of Southern Utah.

The well-maintained road is perfect for all kinds of vehicles, and unbeatable stops like Bryce Canyon National Park, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Dixie National Forest, make this a haven for outdoor lovers.

As if to emphasize just how scenic the road itself is, drivers along Scenic Byway 12 travel through two separate red arches, perfectly carved to allow vehicles to pass through.

6 Guardsman Pass Scenic Backway

Park City is one of the top ski destinations in the US, but there are plenty of things to do in Park City in the summer as well. One popular summer-only activity that starts in Park City is the Guardsman Pass Scenic Backway.

One of the most beautiful places to experience fall foliage in Utah, Guardsman Pass is the perfect one-day road trip during its entire open season. The backway takes drives through the Wasatch Mountains and Heber Valley, leading them south to the underrated, Swiss-German-themed town of Midway.

While the drive takes less than an hour, the various mountain vistas, along with the variety of things to do at both endpoints, make this short road trip perfect for an all-day adventure.

5 Utah 128 - Colorado River Drive

Carving its way through Southern Utah, the Colorado River has had an undeniable influence on the shape of the state's landscape. Starting in Moab, travelers can enjoy a one-day drive along the Colorado River, following Highway 128 towards the Utah-Colorado border.

Despite passing through no national or state parks, there are plenty of exceptional natural formations to enjoy along the way. The river itself is gorgeous, a bright contrast to the rest of the region's arid terrain. Updraft Arch, Huntress Arch, and more natural features are right off the road for viewing. Various hiking trails, including the Grandstaff Canyon Trail, offer even more red rock views and turn this 44-mile drive into a true one-day Utah road trip adventure.

4 Zion & Bryce Canyon Scenic Drives

Both Zion and Bryce Canyon are full-day (or multi-day) outings, but serious drivers looking for epic one-day scenic drives in Utah can see these two major attractions in a single day. The entrances of these two giants are less than two hours apart, with each park having its own scenic loop that takes less than two hours to complete. Even the drive between the two follows Route 89, the most scenic road trip route in the US.

While making this epic drive in a single day may mean foregoing the more intensive hiking trails, there are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy scenic overlooks like the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater and hop on quick, easy trails like the Zion Canyon Overlook, one of the top-rated easy scenic hikes in Utah.

3 Monument Valley Along Highway 163

Utah is filled with some of the most unusual natural formations in the world. While many are protected within the state's national and state parks, there are several other dramatic sites that can be found right on the side of the road. Starting in the small southern town of Bluff, travelers can enjoy this route, one of the most scenic Utah day trips on the road, down to the Utah-Arizona border along Highway 163.

While the view from inside the car is awe-inspiring, there are countless opportunities to pull over for a short walk to petroglyphs and more of Utah's one-of-a-kind rock formations.

2 Arches & Canyonlands Scenic Drives

If the two-hour drive between Zion and Bryce Canyon is too much, there are two national parks that are even closer together. On the Southeastern side of Utah, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are just 40 minutes apart. Both parks have scenic drives within their bounds, and Arches National Park in particular has a number of short, easy hikes for stretching weary legs.

In addition to these national parks' beauty, the drive through Moab and along Highway 313 is full of spectacular scenic spots. The Knoll, Plateau Viewpoint, and Intestine Man Petroglyphs are just three of the photograph-worthy stops along this scenic one-day Utah road trip.

1 Alpine Loop

The Alpine Loop is perhaps the most popular scenic drive in Central Utah, with a year-round appeal that keeps even locals coming back time and time again. The numerous waterfalls, several of which can be seen right from the road, and the groves of Aspen trees provide year-round serenity for travelers.

In the spring and summer, colorful wildflowers and fast-flowing water features create a lush escape from the surrounding desert. In the fall, the Alpine Loop becomes one of the best places to see fall foliage in Utah, as the aspens and maples turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red.

While the drive can be completed in as little as 45 minutes, many travelers spend at least a half day exploring the trails and scenic areas along the route, including the Stewart Falls hike and Timpanogos Cave National Monument, both near the American Fork Canyon side of the loop. These gorgeous stops along well-maintained roads are just a few reasons this amazing one-day Utah drive is also one of Utah's most popular national park road trip routes.

Carmel Mountain Car Show Celebrates 11 Years

This September marks the 11th annual Carmel Mountain Car Show held at the Thunderbird Golf Course and sponsored this year by Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort.

Friday the 23rd, 4-7pm, is the FREE Cruise Night held at the City Center, 20 N 100 E Kanab, UT. With cars, trucks, bikes of every kind, local vendors, local celebrities- Fab Rats, SDM, Kane County Sheriff’s, Kanab City Fire, music from JC Hackett and food, this Show and Shine event is a great way to kick off the show.

Saturday the 24th is the Carmel Mountain Car Show held on the green at the Thunderbird Golf Course in Mt Carmel Junction, UT, 4530 State St. This family-friendly car, truck, bike, and vintage RV show with classic and custom vehicles of every kind, begins at 9 AM, with registration happening a little before. Going until 3 PM, the entire family will find something to enjoy with artesian/craft vendors, food, music by JC Hackett, local celebrities- Fab Rats, Slade & Shelly of SDM, Cedar Mountain EMS/Fire and Kane County Sheriff’s Department all in attendance.

Events happening throughout the day: Ho-made Pie Girl Look-a-like Contest? ($100 First Prize), Pie Eating Contest ($50 First Prize), Car Show Bingo (Candy Bar Prizes), Frozen Tee Shirt Contest (Three $50 Prizes), Prize Raffle and Car Show Awards. This year’s raffle proceeds will go to the Valley High School Vocational Agricultural Department. These amazing students are making the show awards for this year’s show.

Admission to this event is free. Thanks go out to J.C Hackett for acting as the event master of ceremonies and providing music, awards, and dashboard plaques for the show. A huge thanks to this year’s Sponsors helping make this show happen. Save the dates September 23rd & 24th and come on out for a good time.

“The car show is one of our favorite events,” said Ed Myers, Thunderbird owner. “It’s always a thrill to see the vintage cars and trucks that turn out, and the pie eating contest is a lot of fun. And if you don’t feel like competing you can always get your pie one slice at a time at the restaurant!”

For more information about our sponsors, vendors, or the show schedule, check out our website www.carmelmountaincarshow.com or in their Facebook page.

ST. GEORGE — The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, which runs through the heart of Zion National Park, has reopened, following a rockfall described as “significant” by park officials.

Update June 1, 7:40 p.m. Adds re-opening of Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

According to a National Park Service news release posted at 7:38 p.m.:

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway is open after Zion National Park staff cleared a rockfall west of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. After initially clearing the road, National Park Service (NPS) staff observed other loose rocks above the right of way. NPS staff used water pumped from a fire truck to dislodge these rocks.

The rockfall, which occurred west of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel shortly before 2 p.m., had forced the closure of state Route 9 from the Canyon Junction Bridge to the East Entrance of the park. The length includes much of the area that is usually only accessible to the park’s shuttles as well as the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.

“There was a rockfall on the highway, Jonathan Shafer, a spokesperson with Zion National Park, told St. George News. “Maintenance crews are going up to address it right now.”

Shafer added that to his understanding, there have been no injuries or property damage connected to the rockslide.

A news release issued by the National Park Service shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday confirmed the rockfall did not damage any vehicles or cause any injuries. It also did not affect the road to Zion Canyon.

The road in Zion is commonly a site that sees landslides from the continually changing landscape of the park, including one last year and another in 2019

Check Zion National Park’s website to see alerts about the status of the road, and follow us on social media to learn more about the ongoing work.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has selected the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) to participate in a national initiative to give new nurses strong skills in leadership, resilience, self-care and well-being.

The School of Nursing is one of 10 nursing schools nationwide funded by Johnson & Johnson to implement AACN’s new initiative, A Competency-Based Approach to Leadership Development and Resilience for Student Nurses. To advance this work, AACN worked to identify a diverse set of nursing schools to integrate new learning strategies into curriculum that meet expectations outlined in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.

Leaders of the program at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing are Cynthia O’Neal, PhD, RN, associate dean of undergraduate studies; Wesley Richardson, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL assistant professor/clinical in the School of Nursing and VALOR program coordinator for the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System; and Isabell Stoltz, DNP, MN, RN, CCNS, assistant professor/clinical.

“The School of Nursing is excited to contribute to this important work,” O’Neal said. “A healthy nursing workforce is essential for nurses to be positive role models and strong advocates for healthy communities. Preparing nurses who are resilient and engage in self-care will ensure the nursing workforce is energized, strong and ready to solve the health challenges of tomorrow.” The program began in December 2022 and is to be completed this June.

Additional schools of nursing selected to participate in the program include:

“Preparing nurses with the skills needed to foster wellness, self-care and resilience in themselves and others is imminently important in today’s healthcare system,” said AACN President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN.

AACN launched the initiative to infuse new content into baccalaureate nursing programs, which will help graduates develop the skills needed to foster personal health, resilience and well-being, as well as strong leadership skills. Learning resources created through the project will be incorporated into the AACN Essentials Implementation Tool Kit and disseminated to all schools of nursing. Faculty development also will be offered to facilitate the integration of new content into nursing curricula.

Shuttles to reduce density in park to areas like East Zion.

Zion National Park’s Mount Carmel Tunnel bottlenecks with one-way traffic when a huge recreational vehicle is climbing its 25-mile Zion Scenic Byway, also known as Route 9. No RVs taller than 13 feet and 1 inch are allowed into the park’s east entrance, but the larger ones still stop traffic in one direction when they pass through. There is also a $15 fee for RVs that pass the tunnel’s allowed threshold.

But to avoid all that, an electric shuttle service from Kanab to Zion is being offered as an alternative way in for park visitors. The bus will make Zion more accessible and cut a little bit of carbon in the process.

Last week during the annual Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit in Kanab, Utah Clean Cities debuted its electric shuttle system, which is part of a larger plan to spread out Zion’s four million annual visitors to lessen the burden of mass tourism to other parts of the park like East Zion.

The shuttle service system will become a regional transportation hub with the proposed $16 million East Zion Visitor Center Applecross Station, a regional recreation planning effort led by the East Zion Initiative, which includes the McLaws family, who has donated about 20 acres of private lands for sustainable growth and conservation, Zion National Park, Kane County and state and federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, Utah Office of Tourism and Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.

The recreation plan looks to address the four-county region needs of Garfield, Kane, Iron and Washington counties.

The electric shuttle service was funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office and is a partnership with the East Zion Initiative.

Utah Clean Cities is trying to get more communities to adopt electric vehicles to cut their emissions, according to Tammie Bostick, its executive director.

“The big part of my work is to get people outdoors, especially here in our national parks, and to move people in a smart mobility way,” Bostick told The Salt Lake Tribune during the groundbreaking of the East Zion Bike Trail Network in East Fork.

The electric shuttle bus seats about 14 people, has a wheelchair ramp and makes no emissions or noise. Bostick added that these types of shuttles exist in cities and airports but not at national parks.

(Alastair Lee Bitsóí | Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Clean Cities is trying to get more communities to adopt electric vehicles to cut their emission, according to Tammie Bostick, its executive director.

Zion’s east entrance starts at the Mount Carmel junction and goes up switchback grades before the entrance at the east gates. From there, traffic in the park snakes through the Mount Carmel tunnel to the park’s visitor center and onto the park’s south entrance and the gateway town of Springdale.

The Mount Carmel Tunnel slows down to a standstill every 45 minutes or so because of an oversized vehicle closing down a lane of traffic, Bostick said, noting that two shuttles provided by Utah Clean Cities are specifically made to fit the size of the Mount Carmel Tunnel and can drive through it at the same time.

The shuttles are currently a pilot program and two shuttles will be operating over the next year, with overnight charging happening at the Kanab Center.

“When the visitor center is built, there will be an entire shuttle system that will work in the park, in cohesion with the park’s existing bus and shuttle system,” Bostick said. “It’s a big step for this community.”

Out of Zion’s 4 million visitors, about 1 million of them access the park through the east entrance, said Zion National Park Superintendent Jeffery Bradybaugh.

Rolling Through History and Beauty

Living at 6,000 feet in Cedar City, Utah, most of my winter riding involves heading south, which offers a quick drop in elevation and less chance of the falling white stuff. So that’s what I did a week before Christmas, giving myself a gift of a one?day ride through some southern Utah and Arizona history.

See all of Rider‘s West U.S. Motorcycle Rides here.

The day promised unseasonably warm temperatures…eventually. Just after the sun peeked over the mountains, the ambient temperature was in the upper 20s, but doing 80 mph on the interstate meant I was closer to single digits. Thankfully, the BMW R 1600 GTL Grand America I was riding offers great wind protection, and with my California Heat heated apparel (see California Heat gear review here), I didn’t need to use the bike’s seat or grip warmers.

Utah is one of the few states where even interstate riding offers great views. Descending the Black Ridge south of Cedar City, the mountain terrain changes from gray and sage green and reveals distant red rock mesas. Exiting Interstate 15, I took State Route 17 to Hurricane and connected with State Route 59.

After a quick climb out of Hurricane, SR?59 flattens out and heads south. Just a few miles outside of town, jagged peaks painted in rust, deeper reds, and oranges rise in the distance. Much of this area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and numerous dirt roads meander from the highway.

Within an hour, the temperature had risen nearly 20 degrees as I rolled into the small twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, an area locally known as Short Creek. Much has already been written about this area that is both the last U.S. stronghold of the FLDS church (read: polygamists) and the non?FLDS members struggling against that stigma, so I’ll just say they have a beautiful place to live.

Scan QR code above or click here to view the route on REVER

Continuing on, the road isn’t especially exciting, but the scenery remains impressive. Crossing into the Kaibab Indian Reservation, the road heads east, paralleling red cliffs to the north. To the south, on a clear day, you can see as far as 60 miles into the Arizona Strip – a wedge of that state between the north side of the Grand Canyon and the Utah border – without any signs of humanity. The desolation makes it easy to imagine life a couple centuries ago. However, not far onto the reservation is a sign for Pipe Spring National Monument, an oasis in the desert where Mormon pioneers erected a fort in 1872 for protection against some of the very people whose land they had settled on. Located a half mile off the highway, the museum and fort are worth a visit.

Farther east, I picked up U.S. Route 89 in Fredonia, and 7 miles later, I rode into Kanab, Utah, known as “Little Hollywood” for its filmmaking history, particularly old Westerns. My family likes to come here in February for the annual Balloons & Tunes Roundup hot air balloon festival. The historic Parry Lodge is a fun place to stay, and there’s a good mix of dining options.

Outside of town, the road cuts into the red rock, climbing and then dropping again into Mt. Carmel Junction, with the landscape colors changing from red to white to yellow.

Taking State Route 9, this diversity of landscape continues with almost every twist and turn, both in tones and textures, leading to the east entrance of Zion National Park. For most of the year, you can only get up the road into Zion’s main canyon via shuttle, but as spectacular as the towering cliffs in the main canyon are, I much prefer riding on the east side, which is always open. It’s like an alien landscape, and with the slower speeds, you get to enjoy both the views and the numerous curves.

On the west side of Zion is Springdale, a typical national park gateway community with lots of lodging and dining options (depending on the season), as well as art galleries and novelty shops. Just a few miles past Springdale is Rockville, where you can detour on Bridge Road to cross over the Virgin River on the last surviving Parker?through?truss bridge in Utah. Continuing 3.5 miles on this road, which turns to dirt about halfway, takes you to Grafton Ghost Town, where parts of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were filmed.

Staying on SR?9, it’s about 16 miles from Rockville to close the loop at SR?17 in La Verkin, where I made my way north and back home. Like the places I’ve ridden through, this Favorite Ride is now in the history books.

Southern Utah and Arizona Loop Resources

ST. GEORGE — Construction for the bridge and tunnel preservation project will begin Sunday night with anticipated completion on Aug. 28 in Zion National Park.

In 2017, bridges and tunnels along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway were inspected and are considered safe, but attention is recommended to increase service life and avoid major rehabilitation needs, according to a press release issued by the town of Springdale.

The main goals of this project include general maintenance, historic preservation and updating traffic safety devices.

Construction is scheduled to begin on the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway) this Sunday at 7 p.m. MDT and will continue for 50 consecutive days. According to the release, the weekly construction schedule is as follows: Sunday through Thursday work will begin at 7 p.m. and run until 5 a.m. the following morning. No construction is scheduled to occur over the weekends from Friday 5 a.m. to Sunday 10 p.m.

During the weekly construction schedule, tunnel hours for oversized vehicle operations will end at 7 p.m. One-way traffic control will be provided from 7-10 p.m. A full closure to all vehicle traffic will be implemented in the tunnels Sunday through Friday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. To accommodate anticipated seasonal increases in visitor traffic, oversized vehicle operation hours will change to end at 8 p.m. beginning April 23.

Proceeding with construction and full closures at night is anticipated to decrease traffic congestion, reduce visitor impacts, as well as facilitate safe and efficient working environment for the construction crew.

Strategic vehicle closures will also help reduce impacts from artificial light intrusion on night skies and wildlife.

Construction on the North Fork Virgin River Bridge and East Portal Bridge will occur during normal business hours so visitors should anticipate minor delays. One lane of vehicle travel will be provided throughout the construction period on the bridges.

Construction of the 1.1 mile Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel began in the late 1920’s and was completed in 1930. At the time that the tunnel was dedicated, on July 4, 1930, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the United States. The purpose of building the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway) was to create direct access to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon from Zion National Park.

Today the tunnel is basically the same as it was upon its completion over eighty years ago. This preservation project will improve the safety of the bridges and tunnels in Zion National Park.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.