Majestic Utah
Majestic Utah
Words by Dana Ter
Photos by Amangiri, Intricate Explorer, Alex Azabache & Gary Runn
Utah, a land of contrasts in colors and textures, has long captured the imagination of many. Canyons in whirling patterns of red and orange twist and turn, pinnacles stretch skywards – up to 1,000 feet to be exact – and sapphire-blue rivers snake through endless stretches of red rock. In winter, powdery snow blankets the ridges and in warmer seasons, fields of wildflowers and the odd juniper tree, with its contorted shape, whimsical and full of secrets like the desert, remind us that the land, seemingly arid, is fertile and thriving.
There’s so much to explore in this landlocked state that’s home to the highest concentration of national parks in the country, including Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. And this only scratches the surface of things to do in Utah. When it comes to wellness trips, the healing properties of Canyon Country are undeniable. This is a perfect chance to reconnect with nature. There’s no need to pack your passports either as Utah is just at our doorstep.
Long before it was a backdrop for the classic Western, Utah was home to the Navajo who have presence in the land since at least the 17th century. Navajo Nation covers Arizona, New Mexico and southern Utah and Colorado, and today, their reservation is one of the few in the United States to occupy their ancestral land.
Utah’s landscape is inexplicably tied to the Navajo who long understood and harnessed the healing power of nature. The Navajo believe that the current world came into being through successive emergences of four different colored worlds. The number four is important in Navajo culture, exemplified also in the peoples’ connection with the four rivers – the Rio Grande, Little Colorado, Colorado and San Juan rivers – and the four seasons.
It's believed that the Holy People taught them to live in harmony with Mother Earth, a practice carried on today. The Navajo conduct over fifty different types of healing ceremonies, many of which use the ancient methods of sand paintings, and some ceremonies lasting nine days. In traditional ceremonies, a medicine man also tells the story of creation from the first world to the current and fourth world, thus ensuring the oral history is passed down.
It’s amid a topography imbued with history and culture that mindful adventure beckons. Whether it’s a scenic hike you prefer or a helicopter tour – or a cozy hot air balloon trip over the canyons – these hand-picked getaways are as diverse as the landscape. Have a sunrise yoga session and soak in the majestic blue sunshine. Come nighttime, bathe in starlight and quietude under an undisturbed sky.
The slot canyons in southern Utah by the Arizona border are not to be missed and it’s most fulfilling to explore them on a Navajo-guided tour. These narrow gorges made from layers of sedimentary deposits resemble three-dimensional brushstrokes of fiery red to muted orange that have come to life. Some curl in so tight that hikers must turn sideways and walk shoulder-first and others unfurl wide into secret swimming pools. Each curve and contour has a story or significance, too, as your guide will share.
Perhaps horseback riding is your preferred activity – nevertheless, saddleback is a wonderful way to experience Utah’s varied vistas. And it doesn’t get more iconic than riding across the desert in a cowboy hat on a horse!
Try a different mode of transportation and stand-up paddle through the canyons’ twisting waterways. Or simply sit back and relax on a private boat tour, the ever-present red rock wall with pockets of sandy beaches providing a vastly different experience than sailing in the open ocean.
Even the avid explorer knows that balance is key – adventure and wellness need not be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they complement each other quite nicely, so after a day of canyoneering, wash up and unwind at a spa.
In Navajo culture, Hózhó healing is a wellness philosophy with principles to guide one’s thoughts and actions towards the ultimate goal of achieving harmony in the world. A resort that draws on this holistic concept is the Amangiri. Camouflaged in the mesa of Canyon Point, Utah, the resort is awash in beige and earth tones, with minimalist-aesthetic rooms that come with screens that unfold to the open desert. Hózhó inspires the treatments at the Aman Spa which range from massages to restorative therapy.
Utah is raw but it is steeped in history. It might be silent but the red rocks and desert trees speak volumes and tell the stories of the Navajo. Utah’s terrain is manifold but a simplicity so enticing pervades it all. Relax, reconnect, rejuvenate – Majestic Utah is ripe for exploration.
