Wildflower specialists and volunteers will be available every day during the festival to provide information beginning at 10am. Festival highlights include guided walks, interpretive fieldtrips, photography workshops, Junior Ranger scavenger hunts, and Zion Canyon Field Institute Classes.   Guided hikes, which will meet at the Visitor Center, will be offered twice a day during all 23 days of the festival.  The hikes will take place at 10am and 1pm. Kids activities include a Junior Ranger ‘Wildflower Scavenger Hunt’ which will be held at 3pm every Friday during the Festival.  On the 12^th and the 19^th of July the park will offer special photography workshops.  These workshops entitled: “Wildflower Photography for Beginners” are open to amateur photographers of all ages and ability levels.  Throughout the Festival, the visitor center will be hosting an ongoing electronic display of wildflower images as well as discounts on wildflower related books and items.

Those interested in identifying plant species and learning more about plant communities can join park volunteer and retired professor Doug Reynolds for a special fieldtrip through the park entitled: “Plant Communities of Cedar Breaks”.

Source: This information was provided by The National Park Service.

Cedar Breaks National Monument Trip Report from thehiker on his visit in mid-june:

Today I traveled to Cedar Breaks which is about 30 minutes from Cedar City. It’s a great park to spend 4-5 hours checking out amazing views. I took two hikes that both took no time at all and were quite easy. The natural ampitheatre looked great from every angle. What was cool about the day was I got to drive to three view points and then hike two moderate trails in such short time. Check out the pics.

There was a campground at the park but a sign read closed. I’m not sure when it opens but it appeared there was a lot of work being done on nearby roads. Maybe they are paving the way to new view points. asta la vista

There are 2 hiking trails and many view points to drive to overlooks.

Spectra Point/Ramparts Trail: is a 2 to 4 miles round trip along the plateau rim and passes a large stand of old ancient Bristlecone pines, located at Spectra Point. The trail ends at a viewpoint overlooking the Cedar Breaks amphitheater.

Alpine Pond Trail: Is a self-guided walking nature tour. It is a 2-mile loop which leads to a beautiful forest glade and pond. A trail guide map is available at the trailhead or the visitor center.
The website at cedarbreakstours invite’s Utah groups to forward us their news to share here with our readers as well as at our outdoor recreation message board at

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What About The Road Closure?
Due to the high elevation, the Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive (Highway 148) is now closed for the winter from Highway 14 to Highway 143. All visitor facilities are closed for the season. The Scenic Drive and Visitor Center are expected to re-open for the season by May 27, 2006. The park remains open to cross-country skiers, snowshoeing, and snowmobiles. Snowmobiles must remain on the marked route over the unplowed roads through the park and are prohibited in meadows.

From early June to mid-October, the visitor center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.. All visitor facilities are CLOSED from mid-October through late May. The Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive remains open to vehicular traffic until snow and heavy drifting occur, normally anywhere from late October to early December. Please call 435-586-9451 to check the status of the road before traveling to Cedar Breaks during this time. Winter recreational activities begin once there is sufficient snow depth for cross-country ski, snowshoe, and snowmobile trails.

Cedar Breaks Individual Fee
$4 Per Person (Valid for 7 Days)

This fee is for all visitors, age 17 or older, entering the park with a private, non-commercial vehicle. Children age 16 and under are free, and entrance fees are not charged to holders of a valid National Parks Passes, Golden Eagle Passports, Golden Age Passports, or Golden Access Passports.

Directions

Visitors traveling south on I-15, exit at Parowan, then take Utah Highway 143 east, to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Visitors traveling north on I-15, exit at Cedar City, then take Utah Highway 14 east for 18 miles, then Utah Highway 148 north for 4 miles, until you reach Cedar Breaks National Monument. Visitors traveling north or south on U.S. Highway 89, can take either Utah Highway 143 from Panguitch to Cedar Breaks National Monument, or Utah Highway 14 west, to Utah Highway 148 north, to Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Source: This information is provided by the National Park Service

The website at cedarbreakstours invite’s Utah groups to forward us their news to share here with our readers as well as at our outdoor recreation message board at

http://www.adventurezonetours.com

Cedar Breaks rests on top of the Colorado plateau, at over 10,000 feet in elevation. Millions of years have carved out this giant amphitheater. Due to minerals that have been deposited over time, the cliffs of Cedar Breaks National Monument display an amazing rainbow of warm hues. There are dozens of places for your Adventure in this area. Brian Head, Cedar City, Dixie National Forest, Mammouth Cave, and Duck Creek….and the list just goes on!

The rim of the canyon is over 10,000 feet above sea level, and is forested with islands of Engelmann spruce, sub alpine fir and aspen; separated by broad meadows of brilliant summertime wild flowers. There are lots to see when enjoying Cedar Breaks Tours!

Cedar Breaks resembles a miniature Bryce Canyon. It’s been said that its brilliant colors even surpass Bryce. The Native Americans called Cedar Breaks the “Circle of Painted Cliffs.” Down deep inside the coliseum are stone spires, arches, pinnacles, and intricate canyons and columns, in many different shades of red, yellow and purple. One of the world’s oldest trees, the bristlecone pine, grows here and can be found along the Spectra Point Trail. The Forest that surrounds Cedar Breaks providing wonderful alpine meadows full of ponderosa pines and quaking aspens. During the summer months, the wildflower display is spectacular. The monument is bordered by Dixie National Forest. All services and roads are normally closed during the winter due to heavy snow.

Cedar Breaks National Monument is close to Cedar City, Utah. Driving distances to the Monument are:

· From Las Vegas 194 miles, 312 km

· From SLC 251 miles, 404 km

· From Phoenix 419 miles, 675km

Cedar City, Utah is home to SUU, Southern Utah University. It has most of what people would expect for accommodations and shopping requirements during your visit. In addition Brian Head Ski Area is just a few miles for the monument. It offers 4 seasons of activities. It is the highest elevation ski area in Utah. It receives over 400 inches of snow per year. It is a unique ski area because of its red rock views into Cedar Breaks. It is very possible to be in the desert in Las Vegas, Nevada or Saint George, Utah in the morning and ski Brian Head and be back to the desert for dinner!

Some source content provided by The National Park Service and UT BLM.

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National Parks, State Parks, National Monuments, and Wilderness Areas, All in One Website!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR NATIONAL PARKS –

On AdventureZoneTOURS.com

Cedar City, UT (February 27, 2007) The good news is that the United States of America has protected some of the most unique and incredible places to see on earth, and to encourage visitors, AdventureZoneTOURS.com brings all the parks, monuments, and wilderness areas into one online message board where people can share information about these fantastic outdoors resources.

The bad news is that the National Parks face a budget crisis. Struggling to protect the historic, cultural and natural resources, the parks are short of funds for operating facilities, repairs to roads, bridges, trails and buildings. In 2006, a $814 million shortfall was reported. With the National Park Service covering almost 400 protected areas, NPS has fewer employees to service the growing number of visitors per year. Over 273,000,000 people visited the National Parks in 2005, with reports of declining visitors. AdventureZoneTOURS.com fills in the gap where information on locations and services are currently lacking. Instead of contacting a variety of parks or wilderness areas to compile your trip, now planning and previewing a vacation or adventure is just a click away on AdventureZoneTOURS.COM.

In a recent trend, volunteering has become very popular with more people willing to offer their time or vacation in assisting the parks and outdoor organizations with clean up, rebuilding trails and other important tasks. AdventureZoneTOURS.com not only features a message board for each region of every state but under the category Special Interests members are invited to post messages for volunteer opportunities or find links to the volunteer opportunity just right for them.

Bob Therrien, President of TrainingPASS Sales, Inc., creator of AdventureZoneTOURS.com, outdoor writer, and constant traveler commented, “Over the years, the hardest part for me has been the research about which parks, hikes, climbs, guides I want to visit with my family and friends. Exploring site after site, then mapping the distance from each area of interest is inefficient and many times lacking in information. To solve that inefficiency we (AdventureZoneTOURS.com) have collected all the basic information about our parks, wilderness areas and national monuments into one website. We’re still working on the mapping solution right now, so that a visitor can visually see just a region of a state and distances between multiple areas of interest. AdventureZoneTOURS.com is an outdoors recreation message board that now needs real trip reports from people who love these parks and are willing to share information on their special places.”

The Outdoor Adventure Message Board opens up to reveal historic park photos and a listing of U.S. States separated into travel regions. Click on search to find your park or any state region and there are sub forums for all the parks, monuments and wilderness areas in that region. You’ll find links to park maps, webcams and several interesting choices to pick from within a state region. Choose just the park to visit or check special interest message boards for posts on volunteer opportunities and travel for women only, men, training retreats, or shuttle posts.

For the activity-specific minded, AdventureZoneTOURS.com encourages users to share trip reports for a variety of outdoor activities from hiking, climbing, canyoneering, geo exploring, photography, ghost towns, mines, and cave to water sports such as boating, fishing, jet and water skiing, tubing, rafting, and scuba. Winter travel sports locations for snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding are featured. Hunting locations, ATV and horseback trails as well as the most scenic areas for outdoor photography are also available as individual topic posts. To research or share your favorite adventure travel location, and for more information, log on to www.AdventureZoneTOURS.com.