Long before Euro-American settlers found Bear Lake, the Bannock, Shoshone, and Ute tribes frequented the surrounding landscape for hunting. U.S. military officers John Fremont and Benjamin Bonneville surveyed this area in 1842. Their findings paved the way for Oregon Trail travelers, who later traversed around the lake en route to Oregon. During the late 19th century, Bear Lake was an informal outdoor recreation site, attracting tourists from across the American West to enjoy boating, camping, fishing, hunting, and swimming at the lake’s bright blue waters. Multiple ambitious locals recognized the site’s popularity and chose to open resorts with lodging and dining. By 1926, several private resorts operated on Bear Lake’s shores, including Bear Lake Hot Springs, Fish Haven, Ideal Beach, Lakota, and Logan Canyon. In the following decades, some of these facilities expanded to offer indoor entertainment, such as rollerskating at Lakota Resort and dancing at Fish Haven Resort. Alongside outdoor recreation, Bear Lake’s various resorts became popular sites for large gatherings like family reunions and school field trips. During the early-mid 20th century, the Bear Lake resorts received higher volumes of tourists between June and August, leaving their lodging facilities with no vacancies. The Bear Lake resorts would experience increased patronage following the extension of Highway 89 from St. Charles, Utah, to Paris, Idaho, in 1956. These businesses advertised the lake’s accessibility to Salt Lake City residents who could reach their summer getaway via the highway without being too far from home. Recognizing the site’s popularity, the Utah Bureau of Land Management declared Utah’s portion of Bear Lake a state park in 1962 with plans to expand the marina and harbor that year. In 1963, the Idaho State Land Board designated the lake’s northern shore as a state park. It was not uncommon for travelers en route to Yellowstone National Park to stop and behold the unexpected beauty of Bear Lake. The site grew to such popularity in the 1970s that the two state parks closed temporarily and considered ways to control the expanding crowds. Members of the Bear Lake County Commission and the State Parks Commission in each state considered charging overnight campers additional fees, enforcing a maximum capacity, and enforcing boat speed limits. While the state park directors strove to allow the maximum number of visitors to enjoy the beaches, they agreed that certain regulations were necessary to promote a quality experience for all. Bear Lake continues to be a popular outdoor tourist destination along Highway 89 throughout the year. Spring and summer visitors can enjoy biking, bird-watching, boating, camping, swimming, and water skiing, while winter visitors enjoy ice fishing for the native Bonneville Cisco whitefish. This unique fishing opportunity has made the lake a popular attraction for such an activity, especially when the fish spawn near the lake’s icy shores in late January each year. Even if highway travelers do not plan to stop at Bear Lake, its vibrant blue waters offer a uniquely scenic view as they cruise by on Highway 89.

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The state and federal trust land east of Cortez, CO, on which Phil’s World lies saw infrequent use into the late 1980’s with a small portion on the western half leased by a shooting range and the rest exploited or polluted through livestock grazing, firewood gathering, and illegal waste disposal. The sparse use and proximity to town did however offer enough seclusion for recent transplant Phil Vigil to trace deer tracks on his mountain bike across the undulating terrain. As the paths grew broader and more distinct, Vigil marked them with animal skulls and in-so-doing laid the groundwork for the trail system that came to bear his name. In 1994, friends Jimbo Farley and Morgan Bell moved west from Alabama and opened Cortez’s only bike shop, Kokopelli Bike and Board. Vigil quickly became a regular. Phil’s tales of the paths near the shooting range prompted staff to nickname the area Phil’s World. Cortez local Scott Darling, then a teenager employed at the shop, was introduced to the trail system by Phil. Inspired, he and a small group of riders began to develop the network. While Phil had moved on to more remote country in the four corners region, builders like Bob Wright, Stephan Barnes, Sam Dayzie, and Shawn Gregory saw potential in the terrain and further established an engaging network unlike any other in the Southwest. Wright, Barnes, and Gregory prioritized ease, fun, and speed in their design and were advised by Dayzie, an indigenous amateur archaeologist, of conflicts in route finding with remnants of Ancestral Puebloan sites. In the late 1990’s electricity supplier Tri-State Generation expressed interest in developing the land for coal production. While Tri-State pursued extractive access, the shooting range expanded its lease in October of 2003. Safety concerns citing repeated conflict between cyclists and target shooters and a lack of legal authority to build and maintain trail on the land placed Phil’s World in jeopardy. Advocacy groups Kokopelli Bike Club (now Southwest Colorado Cycling Association) and Greater Dolores Action filed a motion to lease 500 acres of state trust land and use adjacent Bureau of Land Management holdings to avoid conflict with gun enthusiasts with dual-members of the bike club and Four Corners Rifle and Pistol Club acting as mediating liaisons. By 2005, Tri-State Generation had shifted interest and the lease and funding for Phil’s World had been secured, mountain bikers were formally guaranteed land and resources. To maintain the feeling of solitude for riders in the spirit of Phil’s original design, organizers established a directional loop system to minimize rider interaction and traffic. The clever layout, fast and fun trail building approach, and nearness to Cortez distinguished Phil’s as a prototype of the BLM’s Backyard to Backcountry project. The network’s revenue generating ability for Cortez and nearby Dolores, accessibility for all ability levels, and protection of sensitive resources made it a valuable asset to the BLM and encouraging example in cooperative land management for other Plateau communities.

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As mountain biking developed around Marin County, CA, from the outfitting of WWII era “balloon tire” bikes with knobby tires and better brakes to more specialized equipment, two-wheeled recreation also began to take hold in the mountains and forests near Flagstaff, AZ. A local motorcycle club, the Coconino Motorcycle Trail Riders, connected remnants of the original Schultz Pass Road into a unified trail running up Schultz Creek in the 1970’s. When bicycle manufacturers began bringing bespoke mountain bikes to the market in the early 1980’s, Flagstaff’s existing cycling culture made for a quick uptake of the new machines. Mechanic Steve Garro of local shop Cosmic Cycles and the counterculture mountain bike racing team The Mutants joined other hobbyists to set about exploring the higher elevations accessible by Schultz Pass and Elden Lookout roads. A series of disused wagon routes from the early 1900’s, old communications lines servicing the first lookout towers, fire breaks from the 1977 Radio Fire, and the plethora of livestock and game trails on the slopes were connected to unify the upper elevations of Mount Elden with the lower Dry Lake Hills to the west. As the trail network grew and diversified, so did the user base and rate of conflict. Many trails were closed to mountain bike access after unfavorable interactions with hikers and equestrians. After the forest service officially dedicated the Mount Elden Dry Lake Hills trail system in 1987, local advocacy groups successfully lobbied to restore mountain bike access and employed a code of conduct wherein cyclists were to yield to hikers or equestrians.  As mountain bikes modernized into the 2000’s and usage expanded, MEDL supervisors recognized that mitigation of environmental damage induced by increased traffic was necessary. In 2006, the Flagstaff Bicycle Organization began advocating for directional downhill trails in the MEDL network to minimize hiker-biker interactions. Following the Schultz Fire in 2010, the forest service advanced a comprehensive trail planning scheme accounting for fire risk, endangered species protection, reduced user conflict, and local quality of life improvement. The proposed MEDL trail plan specifically focused on environmental protection and improved recreational access for residents over tourism. Though delayed by thoughtful debate with groups like the Sierra Club, and the Museum Fire in 2019 that burned existing paths and planned expansion, the realignment of several traverses on erosive slopes in 2020 proved the venture worthwhile. The subsequent effort between the forest service and volunteer mountain bike, trail running, and motorcycle groups to professionally mark and build sustainable routes across the MEDL network garnered community support. The ongoing project has improved or created over twenty-five miles of trail since 2022 including the first sanctioned, directional mountain bike trails in Flagstaff – called Meteoride and Full Sail. The city’s assets in the sciences and passionate volunteer advocacy groups have allowed for thorough planning in current and future trail building that is as mindful of the protection of the mountain’s fragile ecology as it is of the improved quality of life that outdoor recreation can bring the community.  

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When mountain bikes became commercially available in the early 1980’s, wealthy baby boomers from coastal California began to explore the west on their new machines enticed by the vast landscapes and inexpensive accommodation. Moabites recognized the economic opportunity afforded by mountain bike tourism and by the late 1980’s Moab, UT, had become a premier cycling destination. While the highly publicized Slickrock Trail was leveraged to draw visitors in, the vast network of 4x4 roads surrounding the town, relics of a defunct uranium industry, began to see increased use among cyclists. Nearby Grand Junction, CO, was experiencing similar backcountry traffic in the late 1980’s. Grand Junction Bureau of Land Management officials observed illegal mountain bike use in the Black Ridges Wilderness Study Area threatening to undermine ecological research. BLM area manager John Singlaub sought to protect the wilderness without alienating cyclists and proposed BLM recreation planner Carlos Sauvage build a cycling route on non-wilderness lands along the Colorado River. Lacking funding, the BLM turned to mountain biker and Grand Junction lawyer Timms Fowler to help plan and coordinate the effort. Long dreaming of a unified route across the remote region, Fowler jumped at the opportunity to aid in the construction. Beginning in November of 1988, Sauvage and other BLM personnel began driving and mapping the dozens of dirt roads abandoned by the uranium industry between the route’s planned start point in Loma, CO, and terminus in Moab, UT. Meanwhile, Fowler set up meetings with bike shops in Grand Junction and Moab to secure volunteer support for the project. After identifying a course on 4wd tracks, BLM workers planned ten additional miles of singletrack trail to access scenic vistas and ensure an engaging riding experience. A volunteer building effort commenced in the spring of 1989 under the newly formed Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association and after six weekends of construction, the 142 mile long Kokopelli’s Trail was completed. On May 6^th, 1989, the Hopi Flute Clan for whom the trail was named held a ceremony under elder Ebin Leslie in Cisco, UT, the halfway point, to officially open Kokopelli’s to the public.   Kokopelli’s quickly generated interest among mountain bikers. The high level of community engagement guaranteed considerable public awareness of the project and increased ridership. Proximity to major throughfares like Interstate 70 and Highway 191 made for easy access to the trail. The federal officiating in route creation and surveying resulted in an abundance of maps and backcountry planning resources for prospective users. The trail’s position on BLM land made it popular among bikepackers, backcountry cyclists who pursue multi-day, self-supported rides, because of the relaxed camping regulations imposed on remote public lands. The vastness of the landscape Kokopelli’s Trail traverses and the solitude afforded by its 142 miles in length made for an experience difficult to capture elsewhere and secured the Southwest as a stronghold for backcountry mountain biking.

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When Mike and Morgan Harris relocated to Hurricane, UT, in the early 1960’s, Gooseberry Mesa was a seldom frequented parcel allocated to the Bureau of Land Management that remained unused on account of the tight, maze-like topography. The water holding capacity of the rock that caps the mesa, Shinarump conglomerate, enables an ecology with pockets of lush vegetation frequented by game populations. The Harris’ early exploration of the mesa was as a hunting ground. Their use of motorcycles and frequent hikes through the formation gave them an intimate knowledge of the landscape and route-finding abilities that others lacked. While the Harris’s were hunting the mesa, mountain biking had slowly been moving into the rural West. The fledgling sport originated in the late 1960’s in Marin County, CA, when a group of teens started riding single-speed “balloon tire” bikes up and down Mt. Tamalpais. After noticing cycling clubs optimizing old bikes for offroad races in the 1970’s, major manufacturers developed consumer market bicycles for the harsher settings mountain bikers were riding in the early 1980’s. Enticed by the new trend and cheap, rural accommodation, wealthy baby-boomers bought in and began to explore the Colorado Plateau. Moab’s Slickrock Trail came to be the pinnacle mountain biking destination in the late 1980’s and after a visit in 1993, Mike and Morgan realized their secluded hunting ground would be an ideal venue to develop deliberate mountain bike paths. Upon returning from Moab, the Harris’ scouted and marked a primitive trail network across the twenty-four square miles of Gooseberry Mesa. Their approach attempted to fully immerse riders in the terrain by utilizing the entirety of the landscape. Though both were inexperienced riders and still honing their skills, their recognition that mountain biking equipment was consistently improving lead them to pursue increasingly challenging obstacles. They offered the spectacular scenery afforded by the mesa’s 2000 feet of prominence over the badlands below as a reward for each completed section. While their Gooseberry trails lacked the elevation gain and loss of Slickrock in Moab, they engaged mountain bikers by keeping difficult trail features like near vertical ascents and descents hidden around corners or behind foliage affording little time to prepare for each challenge. The construction style they helped popularize made riding acumen more important than quality of gear earning popularity among hobbyists and professionals alike. After hearing that other builders were fined for similar unsanctioned work, the brothers turned themselves in to the BLM and facilitated a visit with federal officials to the mesa. To their surprise, BLM personnel were so impressed with the work that measures were taken to officially adopt the tracks resulting in their designation as the first official mountain biking trails in Washington County, Utah, on October 26^th, 1999. Seven years later in 2006 the routes were upgraded to National Recreation Trail status by the BLM, an accolade that demonstrates a commitment to continued use, sustainable environmental practice, and an anticipated increase in tourism for the surrounding communities.

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In the summer of 1919, the Methodist Epworth League in Montana wanted to join the growing trend of church camps that started after World War I. At a conference in Billings, they decided to create a camp about 30 miles north of Helena at Wolf Creek. The Wolf Creek camp was a hit, so the Epworth League decided to build more camps in Montana. Four years later on, a district missionary conference convened in Livingston to build a camp near Yellowstone Park. They decided to investigate Grinnell Park, a glacially-formed valley about 15 miles south of Livingston near Pine Creek as a potential site for this camp.

On March 11, 1923, a group consisting of Epworth League members, conference members, and Albert Alan, the owner of the land, traveled to Grinnell Park in 3-seated buckboard wagons, fighting against 2-3 feet of snow. The Methodists fell in love with the area and swiftly authorized the Livingston conference to “proceed with all necessary arrangements” to use Grinnell Park as the location for a church camp. Alan sold the land, which was about 25 acres “more or less” for $2,500. Pastor Otto G. Ponath of the local Pine Creek Church helped to build a road up to the camp that was determined to be about a $6,000 job by the highway department. With this road, a Model-T Ford was “driven, pushed, and pulled up to the camp” and both guests and staff were able to travel to the camp. Using old Ringling Circus tents from Billings, members of the state convention were able to make important decisions while being protected from an oncoming storm. One of these decisions was naming the camp “Luccock Park” after the first resident Bishop of Helena, Naphtali Luccock. They also decided to name the mountains that surround the camp from left to right, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

One hundred years later, Luccock Park still stands as a place for people to gather. It has survived extreme weather, a wildfire that almost burned down the camp, and a global pandemic. There are now permanent buildings on site: the main lodge, an old ranger’s station, a chapel, multiple bathhouses, and dozens of cabins. The camp is open from mid-May to mid-September, hosting a number of Methodist camps, weddings, group getaways, and so much more. In the summer of 2023, a celebration was held to celebrate the last 100 years of Luccock Park. People from all over the country came together at Luccock Park to celebrate and talk about the past and their hopes for the future of the camp.

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The San Francisco Mountains are located ten miles north of present-day Flagstaff, Arizona and include Humphreys Peak, the tallest in the state. Formed as a stratovolcano from 2.8 million to 200,000 years ago, erosion eventually carved the eastern side of the rim away, leaving a semi-circular ridge line of peaks that rise above the timberline. The range includes the San Francisco Volcanic Field, which covers about 1,800 square miles in northern Arizona.

The mountain peaks hold sacred significance for thirteen Indigenous nations in the Southwest, including the Diné (Navajo), Hualapai, Hopi, Southern Paiute, Havasupai, Yavapai, Zuni, Acoma, and several Apache tribes. The Diné regard the San Francisco peaks (Dookó’oslííd in Diné) as the western boundary of Dinetah, or Navajo homeland. For the Diné, the sacred peaks connect cosmology to the physical world and spiritual power to their people. In traditional Diné culture, the peaks were created by First Man and imbued with an inner spiritual form known as bii’istiin. Each of the sacred boundary mountains has an associated color full of history and significance, such as yellow for the San Francisco mountains.

The peaks not only occupy a central place in cosmological narratives, they also play a vital role in medicinal and ceremonial practices in daily life. The mountains’ spiritual nature requires that they can only be ascended in a respectful way that includes prayer and song. Healers visit the mountains to collect soil and materials for medicine bundles, and to renew spiritual powers. Diné spiritual leaders regularly invoke the powers of the mountains in ceremonies across Dinetah.

The spiritual significance that the San Francisco mountains have for the Diné and other Indigenous peoples collide with Euro-American approaches to the land. In the 1800s American settlers began grazing livestock on the mountains’ slopes, including the Mormon-run cattle company at Fort Moroni. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt designated the peaks as National Forest land and, in 1920, a Flagstaff entrepreneur began building a road to the top of the peaks for tourists. In 1938, the Forest Service leased land to entrepreneurs who created a ski resort called the Arizona Snowbowl, which has been in operation ever since.

An ongoing controversy began in 2002 when the Snowbowl announced plans to expand the resort and create artificial snow using reclaimed wastewater. After years of pushback, a 2007 court of appeals ruled in favor of the Diné who sued the Forest Service over using reclaimed water. The court reversed their religious rights decision a year later. In 2012, an appeals court ruled in favor of the resort against the wishes of the Hopis, and artificial snowmaking commenced. In 2022, after years of snowmaking, a proposed 60 millionaire dollar expansion led to increased tribal resistance that is presently ongoing.

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Kiva Beach on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe attracts thousands of visitors annually who seek a beach vacation and historic interpretation provided by the Tallac Historic Site.

Visitors enjoy swimming and sunbathing, and although there is no boat launch, people are welcome to bring their personal kayaks or paddle boards. Parking is free and the beach is also accessible by the Pope Baldwin Bike Path. The forest trail to the beach offers historical interpretation, including signs along the path that describe vegetation and local history. This beach is often less crowded than others around Lake Tahoe and provides picnic tables for people to sit at and enjoy the view of Maggie’s South Peaks in the distance.

The Washoe Tribe calls the region of Lake Tahoe their home, and Kiva Beach got its name after the traditional Indigenous kiva, which is a ceremonial structure. The lake provided life-sustaining water for the Washoe and each family had its own fishing grounds along the shorelines. While the tribe is still around today, they no longer reside near Lake Tahoe due to European settlement in the 19th century and contemporary tourism. The Washoe people continue to lobby for their rights to their homeland in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The first settler at Lake Tahoe was John C. Fremont, explorer and politician, in 1844. However, it was not until 1859 that other European settlers started to pay attention to the area for its mining potential. Silver mining opportunities and the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1869 brought people to settle around Lake Tahoe. One settler, Ephraim Clement, built the Tallac Point House located on Kiva Beach in the early 1870s. In 1880, Elias Baldwin bought the property and began to turn it into a luxurious beach resort complete with steamboat rides for guests. Baldwin added a second building called the Tallac Hotel, revered as “the grandest in all the world,” in 1899. These hotels allowed for high-end beach living on Lake Tahoe as only wealthy guests could afford to stay at Tallac Point. After the outbreak of World War I, tourism slowed in 1914 the Tallac House burned down, and the Tallac Hotel was razed in the 1920s. The land went through multiple family owners until the Baldwin descendants sold the land to the Forest Service in 1969. The interpretive museum opened in 1990 where they give guided tours of the remaining buildings.

In 2011, Kiva Beach became a popular place for spiritual yoga practice. Attendees can participate in a yoga class on the sandy shores and then take an optional “cold plunge” in the lake. Beachgoers recommend this beach for dog owners since it is one of the few dog-friendly beaches on the lake. Kiva Beach is also family-friendly due to its secluded nature and the prohibition of alcohol on its shores. People continue to visit peaceful Kiva Beach as it allows guests to experience the best of both worlds, with both snowy mountains and a sandy beach.

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Located on the southeast shore of Keyhole Reservoir, Keyhole Beach is hailed for its fishing opportunities and as a “mecca” for bird-watching with about 225 species to see. Along with catching one of Wyoming’s largest fish, a freshwater drum, beachgoers can enjoy swimming, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, sunbathing, and waterskiing. The closest campground is called Tatanka, after the Lakota word for “buffalo.” Tatanka Campground has the best selection of amenities in the area, including water and electric hookups for RVs and rentable cabins, as well as picnic tables at Tatanka, a marina, and a boat launch on the beach.

The Sioux inhabited and controlled the area long before the Bureau of Reclamation completed Keyhole Dam in 1952, and they continue to fight for this right today. In the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868, the U.S. recognized the tribe's ownership of the Black Hills territory which included the Šahíyela Wakpá River (also known as the Belle Fourche River). Named by French fur traders in the 1780s, Bella Fourche means “beautiful fork.” As miners illegally entered the territory throughout the 1870s, the settlers and the Sioux continued to have disputes about the ownership of the territory, and after the defeat of Custer at Little Bighorn, the U.S. waged war on the Sioux and then confiscated their land in 1877. While offered monetary compensation for the land grab after the 1980 Supreme Court case United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Sioux believed this was an insufficient settlement and declined the money. The dispute over land ownership, and the Sioux’s claim on it, continues today.

As the gold rush persisted in the Black Hills more settlers moved in and in 1891 the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad entered the town of Belle Fourche, seventy-three miles to the northeast. The community became a livestock shipping hub and the name of Keyhole Reservoir derives from the livestock brand the McKean brothers used at their nearby ranch. The Bureau of Reclamation proposed the dam as a part of the Belle Fourche Project, started in 1904, which irrigated lands in the area. While ranchers protested the dam in 1950 due to their loss of farming land, the benefits of wildlife conservation, flood control, and recreational opportunities outweighed their concerns.

With the completion of the dam in 1952, beach life started to take off at Keyhole Reservoir with the creation of Keyhole State Park. In 1984, the Keyhole Expo was a county fair on the beach's shores that included hot air balloon racing, windsurfing, and more. In 1989, the State Park expanded upon the fair as a part of Wyoming State Park’s “Summerfest.” This event included boat rides to discover the beauty of Keyhole Reservoir, arts and crafts booths, and food concessions.

Today, Keyhole Beach hosts events such as a Lantern Fest where beachgoers can release floating lanterns on the reservoir and witness the illumination of the lake. Keyhole Marina also contains a bar and grill where visitors can eat and listen to live music on the beach. The community-oriented marina and campgrounds paired with scenic views make Keyhole Beach a memorable vacation spot.

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Nestled in Provo Canyon, what is known today as Sundance has a rich history that reflects the different eras of Utah settlement. The land was occupied by the Ute nation beginning in 1,400 AD. Sundance was in an area where the Utes would visit in the summer to enjoy the cool mountain temperatures and lush forests filled with game. The arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers pushed the Utes out of the area, leaving Sundance to be settled by the Stewart family.  The Stewarts were Scottish immigrants that came to Utah in the mid-1800s. Andrew Jackson Stewart Jr. and his sons surveyed land in Provo Canyon and felt particularly drawn to the area. Through the Homestead Act of 1862, the Stewarts were each able to secure 160 acres of land within the canyon. Other families joined them, and by 1911, there were 2,200 acres of settled land in the North Fork of Provo Canyon that were then known as Stewart Flats.  Stewart Flats began to be recognized for its recreational draw in the 1930s and 40s. In 1944, S. Paul Stewart and his brother and sister-in-law Ray and Ava Stewart opened up Timp Haven, a small ski area that operated for 20 years. Timp Haven was greeted by a noteworthy guest in the 1950s when Hollywood actor Robert Redford accidentally stumbled on the area due to a miscalculated turn on a road trip through the West.  Redford purchased a sizable portion of the Stewart family land in 1969 and renamed the area Sundance, after his character in the western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. According to Redford, one of his major goals for Sundance was “to develop a little and preserve a great deal.” Instead of succumbing to overdevelopment with hotels and condominiums, Redford’s focus at Sundance was environmental conservation and the promotion of the arts.  In 1978 Redford increased his Utah presence by founding the Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, building on his Sundance legacy. In 2020, Redford sold 2,600 acres, including the Sundance Mountain Resort, to Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners with an agreement that they would continue Sundance’s pursuit of environmental preservation and conscientious development.

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In 1953 a fire tore throughout Lagoon, Utah’s only amusement park, and destroyed many buildings there. Then owner, Robert Freed, saw this as an opportunity to update the architecture of the park to something much more modern–to create the “New Lagoon.” One of the buildings constructed during the renovations was the Patio Gardens, a concert venue to replace an old, ruined Dancing Pavilion. While Lagoon had live performances before the 1950s, Patio Gardens, with its stage and dance floor, became the new house for concerts. The performances in Patio Gardens over the next two decades included some of the most popular national artists and would make Lagoon nationally known, especially within the 1960s counterculture music scene.  One such popular group was the Beach Boys who, on September 7, 1963, thrilled their youthful Utah audience with their song “Salt Lake City,” claiming that Salt Lake City had “the grooviest kids.” The Beach Boys returned to Lagoon again and again with their final performance of fourteen appearances taking place on September 12, 1970. The Beach Boys were just one of many popular groups that performed at Patio Gardens. Other notable counterculture bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, The Who, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane also performed there. Even The Beatles were in discussions to perform at Lagoon, but their high asking price led to their exclusion. Patio Gardens also housed more classic acts, such as Benny Goodman, the Utah Symphony, and Ella Fitzgerald.  Most bands had a good experience, with some even returning to perform again or immortalizing the venue in songs, as the Beach Boys did. However, there were also bands who hated the venue and, more importantly, the crowds. On May 25, 1968, The Doors performed to a crowd of about 3,500, nearing the venue’s 4,000-person capacity limit. Jim Morrison, the band’s lead singer, declared that the crowd was dead for his first performance of the day, hurled vulgar insults to the audience, and after three songs walked off of the stage, never to return.  Regardless of the failure of The Doors concert, Patio Gardens is remembered fondly by many Utahns. Patio Gardens closed in 1973 after operating for twenty years. Where music legends used to perform is now the home of the dark ride Dracula’s Castle and Lagoon’s arcade. The original light fixtures and the top of the stage (the rest of which is hidden by a wall) are the only reminders of what helped make Lagoon so famous.

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Bartholomew “Tim” Malan (1848-1913) came from a family of Italian immigrants that moved to Ogden when he was seven years old. In 1891, Malan purchased roughly 800 acres of land and began constructing a road up Taylor’s Canyon. The road led up the south part of the canyon and reached a basin at the peak of the mountain. Malan began building a hotel, which he called the Malan Heights Resort when it was finished in 1894. The nearby peak and basin also carry Malan’s name. A newspaper article, published August 20, 1895, reported, “B. Malan has now completed a road to Waterfall Canyon and is prepared to accommodate any number of pleasure seekers.” Another article noted that “he has succeeded in carrying out his plans done well.” Malan offered transportation services up the mountain at a cost of one dollar for a round-trip. One of the primary attractions of Malan Heights Resort was the view of the valley from the top of the mountain.  Tourists’ responses to Malan Heights Resort were overwhelmingly positive. Visitors were quick to note the beauty and grandeur of the mountain scenery. One tourist, Mrs. L.L. Rogers, exclaimed, “To say the scenery is grand, grand, my pen only feebly conveys the idea. One needs take the trip to fully realize and appreciate the grandeur of the affair.” An Ogden Daily Standard article reported that “the visitors exclaim that they never saw anything like the mountain scenery of the Wasatch range.” The mountains surrounding Malan Heights Resort provided stunning views that created an enjoyable environment for tourists. The resort offered such a refreshing experience for visitors that it could be compared to a “Copacabana of the West.” Malan chose a strategic location for his hotel, as tourists could enjoy both the hotel’s services and the extraordinary landscape. For the years the hotel was in operation, guests were treated to a prime vacation spot in the mountains.  Despite the beautiful backdrop, the hotel faced some unfavorable circumstances, including vandalism and property damage. According to an Ogden Daily Standard article, “visitors have pulled stones down from the sidewalls which protect the road” and “others have taken a delight in hurling stones from the wall down the mountain side, endangering the lives of those who might be walking below.” Malan created a ten-cent toll on traveling to the hotel to make up for the destruction, but was ultimately unsuccessful in reversing the hotel’s prospects. The hotel permanently closed in 1904, and in 1910, it burned down due to a forest fire. All that remains today is an old boiler and a memorial plaque that sits in the basin to inform visitors about the resort.  Today, visitors can still enjoy the breathtaking landscapes and hike Malan’s Peak and Malan’s Basin. After hiking through Taylor Canyon, visitors arrive at a sign with instructions to cross the bridge and start the switchbacks up Malan’s Peak. After reaching the Peak, one can continue on to Malan’s Basin concluding their hike after 2-3 hours with a total of 6.8 miles roundtrip. While the hotel may be gone, the scenery endures as testament to Malan’s vision of western grandeur.

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Only a few miles southeast of Salt Lake City on the Wasatch Front stands Little Cottonwood Canyon, forged by a giant alpine glacier. Soon after arriving at the Salt Lake Valley, the pioneers quickly sought to explore their new home, including the canyon. Up until the 1860s, there had been very little mining done in the Salt Lake Valley apart from the quarrying near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. However, the 1863 discovery of ore in Bingham Canyon, directly west from Little Cottonwood Canyon, led to an increase in mining and prospecting throughout Utah. The discovery piqued interest in prospecting and led to the subsequent discovery of silver in 1864 in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The details surrounding the first silver strike are vague, but the stunning reaction to the ore is not.  After the discovery, miners quickly petitioned for a new mining district, which eventually led to the creation of the Little Cottonwood Mining District. With a proper mining district in place, the miners of Salt Lake City began frantically searching for deposits all along the Wasatch Range. Eventually, the miners struck a lode brimming with silver about nine miles up the canyon. The continual influx of miners led to the creation of a small mining city in 1865 that they named Alta, due to the high elevation of the city. The miners also named the mine itself the Emma Mine.  Miners continued to profit from the Emma Silver Mine during the end of the 1860s but still required financing from investors to support the operation. Owners of the Emma Mine looked to sell ownership to British investors in accordance with common practice of the time. In 1871, Senator William M. Stewart and James E. Lyon attempted to sell the mine for an estimated $1.5 million. To portray the mine as profitable, Stewart and Lyon sent falsified estimates and production numbers that hid the reality of the declining profitability of the mine. They even went as far as to have Robert C. Schenck, a U.S. ambassador, promote the quality and profitability of the Emma Mine to English investors. Eventually the mine sold for $5 million to English investors, and even after an investigation, Congress did not charge any individual with criminal offense.  The obvious lack of ore within the region led to a decrease in production and relevance of the mine. Additionally, a massive fire destroyed the mine and most of the City of Alta in 1878. Then in 1885, an avalanche leveled the town once again during one of Utah’s intense winters. By the turn of the century, the already small mining town of Alta had greatly diminished and by the 1930s, only one resident remained, George Watson. Watson eventually sold his land in the canyon to the U.S. Forest Service who had plans to develop the area into a ski resort with the help of skiing legend Alf Engen. By 1938, they built the first ski lift, and the city began to grow once again, this time as a resort city instead of a mining town.

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As the population of Brigham Young University increased in the latter-half of the 20th century, new facilities were being announced and constructed to accommodate growing numbers as part of BYU's "building boom." In 1965, as part of this boom, the Stephen L. Richards Building was opened. The “RB” is an athletic facility that houses multiple courts and olympic-sized pools. Recreational activities are held in the building, which at the time of its opening, seemed to be an ever-increasing necessity for students. Since its opening, it has become vital to the experience of many students. As one article read, “Students interested in exercise and intramural sports should become familiar with the Stephan [sic] L. Richards Building.”  In the RB, a wide range of classes and activities have been offered to keep students busy. In 1970, classes included slimnastics, personal safety for women, senior life saving, and physical education for men. Around that same time, an outdoor camping workshop with intermittent adventures in the Uintas was offered. Additionally, many clubs met at the Richards Building. One club, the Orson Hyde club, met at the RB for an “Israeli folk dancing” activity. There was also a fencing club, Polynesian club, ski club, skydiving club, and Swedish club which utililized the building's facilities.  In 1988, the RB hosted a special olympics, where students were able to volunteer. Discussions on health were also held in the RB on topics such as mental health, cardiovascular health and exercise, and physical education in public schools. Interestingly, in 1996, the RB was host to a juice booth in an effort to “promote the health benefits of drinking Florida orange juice.” Just a few years later in 2000, the RB put on a turkey trot in celebration of Thanksgiving. However, despite the range of activities offered through the decades, one of students’ favorite activities is the annual Midnight Madness, put on by BYU Student Wellness, where students come to watch and participate in an array of activities. In 2022, these activities included Zumba, Spin, High Fitness, basketball, volleyball, and a cannon-ball contest. To further entice students, Chip cookies and a soda bar were served. Student activity continues through the rest of the year, as well. The Richards Building is often packed during nights, especially Monday nights, when free play is available. True to its purpose, students continue to participate in recreational classes such as pickleball, basketball, and volleyball. 

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