{"id":18,"ordinal":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:33:17","content_modified":"2026-04-17 19:33:17","featured":0,"title":"Utah's Complicated Great Outdoors","creator":"Marc Jonathan Wein, Brigham Young University","description":"<p>Perhaps the first two characteristics that come to mind when someone mentions Utah are “Mormons” and “the great outdoors.” Although Alaska and California are tied for the most national parks (with eight each), Utah has five national parks and is not even among the ten largest states. Because California is twice as big as Utah, and Alaska is eight times as big, the fact that Utah ranks third in number of total national parks speaks to the diversity of outdoor recreation that can be found in the Beehive State. Outdoor recreational activities—which can be found on mountains and ski slopes and sand dunes, in canyons and lakes and rivers and hot springs, beside waterfalls, and deep within forests and caves—are vital to Utah’s economy. Such sites need to be protected so that hikers, skiers, rock climbers, kayakers, and campers will return year after year. Although some of Utah’s great outdoor sites are under threat, all of its sites have fascinating histories that most visitors and nature enthusiasts wouldn’t even know about. Those outdoor adventurers who are interested in adding an extra layer of insight on trips through canyons, up mountains, or to Utah’s national parks should read on.</p>","postscript_text":"","tour_img":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/93bc4a8d2af66f16d61117bfdde2ee4a.jpg","items":[{"id":211,"title":"The Bomber Peak Crash Site","latitude":40.40417000000000058435034588910639286041259765625,"longitude":-111.65778000000000247382558882236480712890625,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/93bc4a8d2af66f16d61117bfdde2ee4a.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/93bc4a8d2af66f16d61117bfdde2ee4a.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":null,"custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":212,"title":"The Legend and History of Bridal Veil Falls","latitude":40.33895400000000108775566332042217254638671875,"longitude":-111.6018616999999721883796155452728271484375,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/995531031235d53a420b1535d4353e68.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/995531031235d53a420b1535d4353e68.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":null,"custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":213,"title":"Camp Steiner: The Holy Grail of Scouting","latitude":40.7191437999999976682374835945665836334228515625,"longitude":-110.8850148999999873922206461429595947265625,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/8beb0379b4a7cf5af5832490a1c468f1.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/8beb0379b4a7cf5af5832490a1c468f1.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":null,"custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":214,"title":"Charles Steen’s Former Hilltop Mansion","latitude":38.58727309999999732781361672095954418182373046875,"longitude":-109.5558558999999831939931027591228485107421875,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/1c696df5a134bb4118b5bc82e7ea351f.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/1c696df5a134bb4118b5bc82e7ea351f.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":"900 N Main St, Moab, UT 84532","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":215,"title":"Eugene “Timp” Roberts’ Annual Timpanogos Hike","latitude":40.3908569999999969013515510596334934234619140625,"longitude":-111.6459459999999808132997713983058929443359375,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/0df951123b8ebf3e59b222f524b5434d.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/0df951123b8ebf3e59b222f524b5434d.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":null,"custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":216,"title":"Moab’s Uranium Mill Tailings Pile","latitude":38.5996999999999985675458447076380252838134765625,"longitude":-109.59759999999999990905052982270717620849609375,"thumbnail":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/square_thumbnails/3646cbeb4873f2970c61de3905c3825d.jpg","fullsize":"https://www.intermountainhistories.org/files/fullsize/3646cbeb4873f2970c61de3905c3825d.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":null,"custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}}]}