If you are a resident of Utah you know that the 24^th of July is a big holiday – so many festivities – fireworks and thing to do. On this day Utah celebrates the pioneers who came across the plains risking life and limb to settle this great state.

If you are visiting during that time take advantage of all the wonderful festivities!

The Days of 47 Family Fun Day provides an excellent opportunity to bring families together to celebrate Utah’s great heritage at This Is The Place Heritage Park.

Pack a picnic and join the fun. Enjoy the many activities throughout the park, which include:

The Days of ‘47 Rodeo games, train rides, petting corral, and pony rides, educational crafts and art garden, magic show, carnival games, pioneer Demonstrations, live music, dancing, entertainment and a Native American exhibit.

The mini King and Queen competition will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 are welcome to compete for a chance to win the crown and ride in the Youth Parade.

If you would like to visit us – we have some great specials on full accommodations give us a call! 1-800-762-7606

For more information and the official website go to:

http://www.daysof47.com/

From the dinosaurs in the north to the petroglyphs in the south – it is full of the history of mysterious civilizations long ago and was a stomping ground for dinosaurs when they ruled the world!

Did you know that more than 100 of the 900 valid dinosaur species were discovered in Utah? Utah’s geologic record reaches back 160 million years.

In fact as a child I was fascinated with fossils and would climb a small mountain to find trilobites and worm trails left in sandstone.

Northern Utah has some of the most fascinating places to visit:

Beautiful “Flaming Gorge”, “Nine Mile Canyon”, “Dry Fork Petroglyphs” and more.

To plan an amazing day in Northern Utah check out this website – and while visiting come stay with us!

Centrally located and an amazing place to stay “WFSA” is comfort and style…

http://undiscoveredutah.com/

Brice canyon is one of my favorite places to visit in Southern Utah. It is engorged with beautiful red cliffs and just spectacular all year around. But when you see the Red Cliffs in the Snow it is breath-taking!

Winter is perhaps the most beautiful time at Bryce, when snow caps the pink hoodoos making them more colorful than during any other season. Photographers find the scenery breathtaking and give their cameras workouts, shooting one picture after another.

Every Presidents Day weekend Ruby’s Inn hosts the Bryce Canyon Winter Festival. This year it will be held February 13-15. The three-day event includes cross country ski races, a people-powered sled race, kids snowboot races, an archery clinic, archery biathlon competition, free snowshoe tours, free clinics in photography and snow sculpture, kids’ events, food, music and much more. Most of the clinics and events are free but there is an entry fee for some activities.

For more information and for other fantastic things to do at Bryce Canyon Click here.

We would love you to take your next vacation in beautiful Utah – and we have spectacular places for you to stay on your visit!

Payson Canyon

 There are few things more spectacular than bike riding in the Utah Mountains– our canyons are beautiful and Payson Canyon is no exception. If you like sightseeing, hiking or biking you will love to explore this side of Utah.

 Hiking and biking trails In Payson Canyon are beautiful spring, summer and fall. We found an amazing site that gives detail on the hiking, and what you can expect.., Please check out Utah Mountain Bikes website for a lot more details. Alternatively, click the links below on the trails you are most interested in…

Bennie Creek Cutoff Downhill. 

 Must-Ride Classic!  Rowdy downhill romp from the Nebo Loop road in Payson Canyon. Shorter loop with pavement uphill or longer ride by adding a portion of Blackhawk Trail. Trivial climbing on downhill single track. If ridden uphill, strenuous climb. Upper-intermediate technical.

 Season June through early October.

 Bennie to Beaver Dam Loop. 

 Long tough loop from Birdseye up to Bennie Creek, over the top of Payson Canyon via Blackhawk, then down Beaver Dam Canyon, and out via Nebo Creek. Beautiful mountain views. Very substantial climb, some technical riding. 

 Season June through mid-October.

 Blackhawk Loop Trail. 

 Editor’s Pick!  Single-track loop in Payson Canyon rides the Nebo Loop area. Aspen and pine, occasional views. It includes Rock Springs Trail. Longer ride with moderate climbing, intermediate technical. Shorter loop options available.

 Season June through September.

 Holman Canyon (Nebo Loop).

Narrow single-track drops off the backside of the Nebo Loop area. Option of loop ride or long downhill with road return vs shuttle. Loop has a strenuous difficult climb. Some downhill steeps and a few tricky spots, upper-intermediate to advanced technical.

 Season June to October.

 Jones Ranch Trail.

 A Must-Ride!  Easier single-track trail in Payson Canyon. Options of out-and-back, loop with pavement, loop with a portion of Blackhawk Trail, or DH with shuttle. Mild climbing, a quick ride.

 Season June to October.

 Lizard Lake.

 DH or loop. Payson Canyon. Advanced technical due to multiple log-hops. Short single-track loop (about 5 miles) with 900 vertical or DH route 3.5 miles with 1500 vertical, almost all downhill. DH route connects two parts of Nebo Loop road (paved).

 Season July through October.

 Rock Springs Loop.

 Single-track loop at the top of Payson Canyon. Beautiful alpine area, great views. Moderate climbing, intermediate technical. Options to extend or shorten ride.

 Season June through October.

 Sheepherder Hill.

 Loop or out-and-back in Payson Canyon. Advanced-rider single-track in the forest on steep side-slopes, it’s a lot of fun. 5-mile each way out-and-back, or 12-mile loop ride using Shram Creek and western portion of Rock Spring trail. Significant climbing, mostly intermediate technical.

 Season mid-July through October. 

 Shram Creek Loop.

 Moderate-length single-track loop with short portion of paved road, Payson Canyon. Includes Shram Creek Trail and portions of Rock Spring and Jones Ranch trails. Moderate climbing, intermediate technical. Views and forested riding.

 Season June through October.

 Wardsworth Creek.

 Single-track climb in Hobble Creek, in and out of the creek up to the ridgeline. Moderate climb, intermediate technical.

 Season mid-May to October.

Many people are surprised when visiting Utah it has so much more than beautiful mountains and skiing. Among Utahans is a diverse society, and we want to shine a light on some of the more interesting jewels you will find when visiting Utah.

Today we are going to showcase a little coffeehouse with a tremendous amount of heart – if you are into the arts, poetry slams and tarot cards, you are going to love this place.

Located in the west side of downtown Salt Lake City,  in one of Utah’s most interesting and culturally diverse neighborhoods is Mestizo.

This place was created by artists, community and private investors. In addition to bringing organic coffee’s, vegetarian dishes, and great food – Mestizo Coffeehouse shares space with their sister organization, Mestizo Institute of Culture and Art (MICA).

If you are visiting Utah or live here and are interested in learning more, please go to this link and enjoy some of the more eclectic side of SLC, UT!

http://www.mestizocoffeehouse.com/

I have found a really fun site that will show you some of what Salt Lake City has to offer! This site shows pictures of some of the beautiful scenery and events in our city. If this doesn’t entice you to come and visit SLC UT – nothing will!!

http://tinyurl.com/pictures-saltlakecity

We hope all of you have a fantastic Christmas and are looking towards the New Year with fun and exciting plans!

American Towns has a great page on things to do in Salt Lake City and we would like to share it with all of you.

Once you see all of the fun and exciting things that Salt Lake City has to offer – we hope you will come and stay with us. We have some really amazing specials on our vacation rentals!

We not only have world class skiing and snowboarding – but as you can see we have so much more…

http://www.americantowns.com/ut/saltlakecity-things-to-do

The Sundance Film festival brings some of the biggest stars and celebrities in the world – to Utah.   

Celebrating over 30 years of cinematic excellence, the festival has changed over the decades from a low-profile venue for small-budget, independent creators from outside the Hollywood system to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges.

 2010 will be no exception to the glamour and glitz that the film festival is famous for – this year (2010) the film festival will Run from Jan. 21 – to – Jan 31.

WFSA is just a stones throw away from the festival and with such beautiful accommodations at affordable prices why not stay with us!

Photo’s from the 2009 event:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/festival/photos

To buy tickets go to:

http://festival.sundance.org/2010/boxoffice/

Sundance Blog Post: Salt Lake Tribune

Want to walk around the world without leaving Park City? Collaborate on an art project with a guy last seen snogging Zooey Deschanel? Get a job after the apocalypse?

All that and more are available from the 10 installations and two performance works announced for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier on Main exhibits.

New Frontier on Main, curated by Sundance’s Shari Frilot, takes place downstairs in Park City’s Main Street Mall, 333 Main St., Park City, during from January 21 to 30.

Here’s a thumbnail rundown of the installation artists. For more details, go to the festival’s web site:

• Gina Czarnecki’s “Nascent,” “Cell Mass N2″ and “Infected” — Czarnecki is a multimedia artist who “explores the convergence of biology, sensuality, dance, and the cinematic in her mesmerizing single channel installations.”

• Petko Dourmana’s “Post Global Warming Survival Kit” — What looks like an old caravan is actually a workplace for the person assigned “to observe the border between the land and the rising sea,” using night-vision devices.

•  Thomas Gläser and Jens Franke’s “The Earthwalk” — Google Earth is projected onto the floor, allowing people “to surf the globe with their feet.” (Here’s video of the piece.) More…

Hope to see you here this year – book now – before all our beautiful vacation places are gone!

We at WFSA would like to announce a really great event going on here in Sandy Utah.

Our 1st premiere gallery stroll!

Come and enjoy an evening to remember.

Eat authentic Italian food – listen to live Jazz – and see some of the most intriguing and beautiful art work of both Utah and European Artists.. 

What a fantastic way to spend a beautiful November evening. If you cannot make it for the evening, we are going to be starting at noon so come on over for lunch and enjoy this unique experience.

Mark you calendars for Friday November 13th, don’t miss out.

All you art aficionados will love to experience the special Latin American exhibition by contemporary masters and Galeriapollock.biz

Fratelli’s Ristorante will be offering authentic Italian entree special and a FREE bruchette appetizer (please go to www.datenightdiscounts.com to print your coupon!)

Time:

Friday November 13th – Noon to 10 P.M. 

Place:

The Gallerie & Fratelli Ristorante

9400 South 1000 East

The shops at Quarry Bend, in Sandy 

See You There!

History of Snowbird..

Before Little Cottonwood Canyon became popular with skiers, miners discovered deposits of silver ore within the glacial canyon. The history of Little Cottonwood Canyon and the town of Alta dates back to the 19th Century, when a soldier in the U.S. Army first prospected for silver in 1869. The tiny minerals he stumbled upon soon supported a massive industry. Little Cottonwood Canyon became one of the largest producers of silver ore in the Wasatch Mountains. Known as the Emma Mine and the namesake for the Big Emma run in Snowbird’s Gad Valley, the soldier’s find eventually produced more than $3.8 million in silver.

At its peak, 8,000 people lived and worked in the narrow canyon, which held two smelters, 138 homes, hotels, boarding houses, stores and even a railroad. The entire town was later destroyed by a series of avalanches.

About

Snowbird resort is a year-round ski and summer resort located in the heart of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest on the eastern border of the Salt Lake City. It is 29 miles from Salt Lake International Airport, 24 miles from downtown Salt Lake City and 4 miles east of the suburb of Sandy. The resort first opened in December 1971.

Snowbird shares the canyon with neighbor Alta Ski Area. Beginning in the winter of 2002, both resorts began offering a joint day pass and a joint season ticket, allowing skiers to fully access all of the terrain on both mountains (26 total ski lifts and tows and a skiable area of 4,700 acres.

The offer coincided with the opening of a new lift in Mineral Basin, a large bowl owned by Snowbird on the back of Snowbird’s Hidden Peak and Alta’s Sugarloaf mountains, that allowed access to Alta from the Basin. Other access points between the two resorts exist as well. The offer is open to skiers only, as a result of Alta’s skiers-only policy.

Both receive over 500 inches of snowfall per year, with a single storm capable of producing over 100 inches due to lake effect enhancement from the Great Salt Lake, making it the greatest area of snowfall in the mainland United States outside the Cascades.

Unlike the humid and wet snow of the Cascades near the Pacific Ocean, Snowbird being in the arid Great Basin is known for its unusually dry and powdery snow.

Snowbird usually closes on Memorial Day in late May while the occasional ski year can last as long as the Fourth of July.

The Little Cottonwood Canyon resort perennially offers the longest ski season in Utah. Snowbird has a skiable area of 2,500 acres with a vertical drop of 3,240 ft  from the summit of Hidden Peak, which has an elevation of above 11,000 ft. Hidden Peak is serviced by an aerial tram from the lodges.

The resort covers three areas, each with a unique character. The Peruvian Gulch side was the least crowded of the three until they put in the new Peruvian chairlift, but is still exceptional on a good powder day.

The Gad Valley has the widest range of skiable terrain, from the slow-skiing Big Emma to steep Regulator Johnson. The third, and most recently developed bowl, is Mineral Basin — which tends to be warmer and more open than the other two. The strong point of the resort is the aerial tram which provides access to 3,000 feet vertical.

Come stay with Wasatch Front Ski Accommodations at our fantastic affordable vacations home close to this amazing ski resort…

Call for specials. 1-800-762-7606