Flaming Gorge, Utah - The perfect weekend destination

Boating, swimming, cliff jumping, camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing (some of the best trout fishing in the world), and ATV trails. Flaming Gorge seems to have everything an outdoor enthusiast could ask for in one destination. The Flaming Gorge reservoir stretches across the Utah/Wyoming border in Ashley National Forest in the Uintah Mountain Range and has a multitude of places for RV and primitive camping. We stayed at the Greens Lake campground on the southeastern part of the reservoir near the dam. The campground is 7400' above sea level and is surrounded by ponderosa pines and sits on one of the Greens Lakes. Non-motorized watercraft and catch and release fishing are allowed on the lakes. Use of the lakes is free. There is also a stocked fishing pond for kids under 12 years old. If you are in the area, you should also visit the Red Canyon Visitor Center. There is a glass walled overlook that is perched on the lip of the canyon 1700' feet above the reservoir. The interpretive trail by the visitor center offers breathtaking vistas of the canyon. We also spent a day out on the reservoir in Sunny Cove near Dutch John. This is designated as a swimming area, so you don't need to worry about any boats or waves from their wakes. Non-motorized watercraft are allowed, so we took our kayaks out around the cove. We opted to paddle over to some of the cliffs for cliff jumping. The water was cool, but felt great on a hot summer day. If you are in the mood for a hike, we recommend making the drive to the south of Ashley National Forest. Off an unmarked dirt road just north of Steinaker State Park there is a short trail to the Moonshine Arch. To get to the trailhead, follow the signs on the dirt roads, not the hiking apps. This area is made up of what looks like the Petrified Dunes in Arches National Park, but are a lot less busy. The hike is around one mile each direction. The trail is made up of loose sand like you would find on the beach and will make it more tiring than walking on packed dirt. The trail is exposed the entire way, so it is recommended that you go earlier in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the summer sun. The arch is hidden until you are almost right under it. You can also climb up on the alcove and cave that sit right next to it. Before you head back home, you should definitely take one of the free dam tours that are available throughout the day. It is amazing to see the scale of the structure. The amount of energy passing through the dam is hard to comprehend until you are on it. You can feel the vibration of spinning turbines at the base of the dam from all the way at the top. We were treated to a spectacular show of an over capacity dam that required the bypass tubes to be opened at the bottom. This is was our first time visiting Flaming Gorge, but quickly became our favorite camping spot and will definitely show up on our adventures again.
 Activity rating: 0-10
 Kid fun: 10 
Difficulty: 3 
Cost: $20/night at Greens Lake Campground http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ashley/recreation/recarea/?recid=72179&actid=29 Free Flaming Gorge Tour http://www.flaminggorgecountry.com/Flaming-Gorge-Dam-Visitor-Center

Monument Valley

#UnplugGetOut Monument Valley is one of the iconic features of the Southwest. It is located just south of the Utah/Arizona border. You can see the giant rock formations towering above the valley floor from miles away. This park sits in and is maintained by Navajo Nation. The main tourist attractions are the visitor center with a museum and the 17 mile drive through the park. Guided tours are available, but we recommend that you drive it yourself. You will need some ground clearance to make it through the potholes and washed out areas, but shouldn't need anything more than what a standard SUV offers. The tours take you through the park on the back of a safari type vehicle that leaves you exposed to all of the blowing dust. Make sure to stop by the visitor center if you plan on hiking anywhere, as hiking is only allowed in a limited area. There are horseback tours that run $58 to $195 depending on how much of the park you want to see. They are for ages 8 and up. Finally, make sure to stop off at the Hogan Village at the top of the valley road to see the traditional Navajo dwelling. These 400 - 1000 foot mesas are definitely worth seeing if you are down in the four corners area. 
Activity rating: 0-10
 Kid fun: 4 Difficulty: 0 
Cost: $20/vehicle (4 persons max)

Sand Island Recreation Area

 Much of the four corners area was populated by the Anasazi and we are fortunate enough to have some of that history preserved for us to see. The Sand Island Recreation Area is located just a few miles from Bluff, Utah. There is camping and fishing right on the banks of the San Juan river, but our favorite part of the area is the wall of petroglyphs. It is a couple hundred feet long and is covered with thousands of petroglyphs. The area is fenced off to keep people from touching it, which has helped keep them in excellent condition. There is a rugged path that follows the wall, but you do need to be able to climb over some boulders to go the entire way. Further down the river we came across a very well preserved village. It sits up under a giant alcove about 100 feet above the floor. The only way to reach it is to scale up a very steep embankment that is about a 65 degree incline. It is not roped off or maintained by a park service. Because of this, you won't find this ruin on any map and it isn't very well known. As we were looking at it and walking just below it, we noticed that previous visitors had carved initials in the wall and painted along side the ancient pictographs. Since it is not protected or monitored, we will not be posting it's location here, but you can PM us if you plan on making a trip and would like to see it. 
Activity rating 0-10
 Kid fun: 8 
Difficulty: 2 (petroglyphs) 8 (ruins) 
Cost: Free to visit, $15 to camp

Mexican Hat

 On your way from Goosenecks State Park to Monument Valley, you pass a rock that sits precariously on top of a mesa. It looks like a sombrero and happens to be namesake of the town Mexican Hat. While it isn't a destination on its own, it is definitely worth taking a few minutes to pull over to see it.

Natural Bridges National Monument

This was, by far, the best spring break we have had. We went all over the 4 Corners area and visited a lot of different national parks. Our first adventure took us to Natural Bridges National Monument. We didn't know it at the time, but it would turn out to be our favorite spot of the whole trip. Like us, a lot of people have never heard of Natural Bridges. It is located between Blanding, Utah and Lake Powell.

Lava Tubes and Lava field, Meadow, Utah.

Another fun weekend out took us to the Lava Tubes in Meadow, UT. It was our second time there. It is so fun to go climbing over all the boulders in these underground tunnels. We also stopped at the lava fields to explore a little bit. They seem like they go on forever. These areas are open to the public and there is no fee to go out there.

Four Corners, Arizona, Colorado, New mexico and Utah.

If you are down in the Four Corners area, you can go to the actual Four Corners monument and see where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only place in the United States where you can stand in 4 states at the same time.