Monday, June 25, 2012

Beat the heat in the Summer


 Cedar Breaks is about an hour and half drive from Desert Cliffs.  This park offers you the chance to stand above 10,000 feet on a cliff edge surrounded by lush forests and flower-covered meadows looking into a desert amphitheater 2,500 feet deep, covered with incredible, multi-colored hoodoos.  The weather is BEAUTIFUL in the summer months




Besides the sheer beauty of the area, the constant cool temperatures make Brian Head Resort an ideal hiking destination. When the deserts are hitting 110°, the Resort rarely exceeds 70°. The coolness is a welcome relief, making a shady hike a pleasure to savor.


 This trail offers a gradual winding descent through a variety of scenic delights; lush meadows, bubbling springs, dense forest, and the famous Southern Utah Red Rock Vistas
This pic was taken  June 19th, and yes it was a chilly morning.:)


This hike in Pine Valley winds through a lush area of Aspen trees, pines and past a delightful stream, reaching a plateau section at 9.200 ft.


Corkscrew falls
The Narrows, recently ranked as #5 on National Geographic’s list of America’s Best 100 Adventures.  This trail will have you hiking up streams through dramatic, narrow slot canyons.

Moss Canyon
Snow found in June on our whipple trail


We have so much to enjoy in the Summer! 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hike out of your comfort zone

Here at Desert Cliffs,  we know that most people love to be fit, and/or want to lose weight, and we are convinced that our signature hikes are THE way to do both.  We started our hiking program because hiking is One of the BEST workouts out there.  Hiking not only gives the body a natural shock that needs to take place in order to lose weight, but then we will continue to hike hours longer so the body can go into a fat burning mode.  Muscle is built while hiking, because you are naturally using all of your muscles for balance, scrambling, and climbing.
We offer hikes for each of guests and their individual needs, and we are able to accomodate anyone no matter what their fitness level is, but we promise to give your body an ALL body workout without entering a gym! 
Today I was reminded how incredibly powerful our program is when I took Stéphane hiking.  We started out on an advanced hike called the Volcano.......and might I add, that our guest Ken who is at a different level,  made us VERY proud when he conquered this mighty hike today!!!  Volcano is a 6 mile intense hike, and overlooks Snow Canyon.  We finished this hike in record time, and then headed 30 miles North for a cooler hike in Pine Valley.  We hiked Mill Flat trail which is 8 miles.  On the way back, I was feeling it, and I was so proud of our program, because I knew that this feeling I was having was what is needed for change, and I knew I could NOT get this feeling from a gym because I would have stopped sooner because I could.....try stopping 3 miles before you get to the end on a hike....not possible, you have to make it back to the van.:)  The last mile Stéphane decided to run, and I wasn't going to let him get a GREAT workout without me, so I ran with him:).  we ran it under 7 minutes!  I LOVE when I am reminded why we are here, why we do this, our hikes are INCREDIBLE, and they contribute greatly to changing MANY lives, so come on out, and .....TAKE A HIKE!!!!
visit us also at www.desertcliffs.com