Utah (U.S. State)

The Gilgal Garden in Salt Lake City contains bizarre stone sculptures, including a sphinx with the face of Joseph Smith and a self-portrait of the creator made of stone!

Utah’s Homestead Crater is a 65-foot-deep, geothermal hot spring inside a beehive-shaped limestone rock that stays 90–96 degrees Fahrenheit all year round.

The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah has the highest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur bones ever found — over 12,000 bones in a single acre!

Snow Canyon State Park in Utah was named after Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, not because it snows there — in fact, it rarely snows in this desert park!

Intermittent Springs in Utah is one of only three “rhythmic” springs in the world that turns on and off by itself throughout the day.

Utah’s Bear Lake is called the “Caribbean of the Rockies” because its turquoise-blue water comes from suspended limestone particles reflecting the sun.

Utah’s Highway 12, known as “A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway,” takes you through 124 miles (200 kilometers) of colorful canyons and fascinating rock formations.

Utah has over 2,000 documented natural arches — more than any other place on Earth!

Utah’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir is over 91 miles (146 kilometers) long and has enough water to fill about 1.85 million Olympic-sized swimming pools!

Brighton Ski Resort in Utah is one of the snowiest places in the state, receiving about 500 inches (13 meters) of snow each year — that’s more than 41 feet (12 meters) of snow!

The first electric traffic light in the United States was installed in Salt Lake City in 1912, showing green, red, and “caution” (before yellow was used).

Utah’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes are made of sand that actually looks pink because it contains bits of eroded red Navajo sandstone.

Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah has removed enough material to fill the Panama Canal twice!

Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah is home to Roller Coaster, one of the oldest wooden coasters in the world, built in 1921 and still operating today!

Utah is the only state where every county contains some part of a national forest, national park, or national monument.

Stansbury Island in the Great Salt Lake becomes a peninsula when water levels are low, connecting to the mainland and allowing visitors to drive out to it.

Fry sauce, a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise, was invented in Utah and is a popular condiment found in restaurants across the state.

Utah’s Antelope Island is home to one of the largest free-roaming bison herds in the nation, with about 500–700 bison.

Utah has the lowest coffee consumption in America, with many residents following religious traditions that avoid caffeinated beverages.

Cove Fort is a historic fort in Utah built in 1867 entirely of volcanic rock because there weren’t enough trees nearby to build with wood.

Dinosaur footprints can be found all across Utah, with one site having more than 1,200 tracks in an area the size of a football field!

The term “Life Elevated” is Utah’s tourism slogan, referring to both its high elevation and the exciting experiences you can have there!