Take advantage of all our state has to offer with these tips for outdoor adventures at state and national parks.

Utah is home to five national parks – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion – as well as many other amazing outdoor recreation destinations, including 43 state parks. With summer travel plans in the works for many families, consider these tips to help you get the most from your outdoor adventure.

• Timing is everything.
  • With millions of people from all over the world traveling to Utah’s parks, it’s important to plan your visit when crowds and heat are at a minimum. Arriving before 8 a.m. can help with both. Knowing where you want to go and getting there early can help ensure the experience you hope for.
  • Try to get to the most heavily used trails and sites early, or save them for later in the day. Heavily visited trails, like Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park or crowded sites like Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, receive the most use in the middle of the day.

• Location matters.
  • Before you arrive at the park, map out the sites you want to see. Having a plan will save you time and the frustration of having to make last-minute decisions.
  • Learn about the trails and sights that are farthest from the visitor’s center, as these are often visited less.
  • If you do want to stop at the visitor’s center, do so on your way out of the park and not on your way in. Visitor’s centers tend to be less crowded later in the day, which will give you more time to talk with park rangers and learn about the park’s resources.
  • Getting in and out of many of Utah’s remote parks can take time. To avoid spending much of your vacation time in the car, camp within the park or stay as close to it as possible. Also know that most parks have more than one access point.

• Use resources on the Internet.
  • Save time by purchasing your passes online. National Park passes can be purchased at store.usgs.gov/pass. State Park passes can be purchased at stateparks.utah.gov/resources/passes.
  • For campsite reservations within the National Parks, visit recreation.gov. For campsite reservations within Utah’s State Parks, visit utahstateparks.reserveamerica.com.
  • For National Park maps, go to npsmaps.com.
  • For information on traveling with children, go to visitutah.com/plan-your-trip/traveling-with-children.

This article was written by Jordan Smith, Utah State University Extension outdoor recreation and tourism specialist and USU Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism director

Where is your next road trip destination? Wherever you are headed, ditch the chips and follow these tips to stay healthy on the road!

Summer time is often filled with road trips. Living in Utah, there are often wide and vast stretches of highway between destinations, and most breaks include gas stations and tourist attractions that are known to stock sugary drinks, candies, sweets and salty snacks. It’s not always easy to eat healthy foods while on the road, or any vacation for that matter, but it can be done.

Here are some ideas of how to be healthy on road trips and vacations:

1. Pack a small cooler with easy-to-eat healthy snacks (and wet wipes and garbage bags for easy clean up) such as:
• Apples (Be aware of Agriculture check points that won’t allow fruit to pass through the border into California or other locations. Buy fruit after passing through.)
• String cheese and whole-grain crackers
• Pre-packaged yogurt tubes
• Trail mix and dried fruit
• Hummus and pre-cut veggies, like carrots, radishes, snap peas, bell peppers and hummus
• Celery and small individual-sized containers of peanut butter (check the peanut butter aisle for the small 1-2 tablespoon packages); pretzels also can be dipped in peanut butter for an easy snack
• Whole-grain bread and peanut butter and jam or cheese and lunchmeat

2. Take refillable water bottles to save cooler space and to avoid purchasing sugary beverages. They can also help you save money on buying beverages. Refill each time you stop for gas and restroom breaks.

3. When eating out, seek healthier options on menus, such as fruit cups or slices, milk, wraps, salads, rice and veggie bowls and whole-grain options of breads, tortillas and rice.

4. Use a navigation app on your smartphone to look for restaurants near you beyond the ones connected to the gas station when stopping to refuel. Consider non-burger fast food restaurants for variety and possibly healthier options, such as:
• Sandwich restaurants where you could split a larger sandwich with a family member and load up on those veggies options.
• Chinese food places often have more choices of veggies than other fast food restaurants.
• Mexican food where you can look for beans, rice and veggie options, but remember to eat less of the high-fat fried foods.
• Pita and wrap restaurants also offer fresh veggie options, but beware of high-calorie sauces.

5. Make farmers markets a destination around meal times. This is a great way to literally taste some of the local foods and culture. Most markets have more than just produce, so enjoy many other vendors selling fresh breads, homemade tamales, side salads and more. Plus, you’ll get to move and stretch your legs after all that driving.

6. Visit grocery stores or local bakeries at your destination to buy meals and/or replenish your healthy snack cooler. Consider whole-grain muffins, fruit and small milk containers for breakfast or instant oatmeal packets you can make by using hot water from gas stations or hotel room coffee makers.

7. Plan moving time. Search for places along the way to discover by walking, hiking, biking or swimming adventures to break up driving time and get your body moving. It might take a little extra time, but together with choosing varieties of fruits and veggies, moving your body will help you feel more energized, help you sleep better and help keep you “regular,” if you know what I mean.

8. Make gas and restroom breaks a physical activity break—walk, run, do some yoga, stretches or dance. You could even have races with the family. Consider ordering your meals take-out and head to a picnic spot at a local park to enjoy fresh air and more opportunities to get up and move your body.

9. Save treats for the events and special destinations of your trip. This will save your car from sugary, sticky spills and melts, and also help reduce calories consumed.

10. Plan non-food activities in the car to pass time and to avoid the snacking-from-boredom syndrome. Listen to audio-books the whole car can enjoy, make videos of the family rocking out to a favorite song, sketch Picasso-like portraits of each other without looking at the paper, play “I Spy,” bingo or read books and articles about the history of places you’re heading to visit.

This article was written by Melanie Jewkes

Melanie Jewkes works part time in Salt Lake County and has worked for USU for 6 years. The best part of her job is learning and relearning some of the things that matter most–loving and caring for marriage and family, living within your means, and growing, cooking and eating delicious, nutritious food. She is married with two adorable children and lives in Taylorsville.