Utah Tour Guide Association

18/10/2024

Members of UTGA recently visited Hill Aerospace Museum in Davis County at Hill Air Force Base. We were given a tour by one of their knowledgeable docents who caught us up on recent changes to the museum including the new gallery that opened earlier this year. The museum boasts a fantastic collection of aviation history from the early days up to more contemporary technologies. A great place to add to your Utah itinerary.

16/10/2024

Members of UTGA recently took a tour of the new This Is the Place Fort at This Is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. We learned about this new feature in the living history park and about the history of forts throughout Utah including Salt Lake's early fort. Be sure to visit this fun attraction next time you're in Utah.

24/07/2024

What better way to start Pioneer Day than with this announcement from Paris! We at the Utah Tour Guide Association including all of our members celebrate 2034 with our fellow Utahns, and we can't wait to once again welcome the world for the Olympics and Paralympics in ten years. SLCUT 2034 Olympics Visit Utah Visit Salt Lake

Photos by Utah Calling

18/04/2024

Last Friday, members of the Utah Tour Guide Association celebrated our 20th anniversary during a FAM tour of Heber Valley. Our hosts were fantastic, and we learned so much about what Heber Valley has to offer people visiting Utah. We were introduced to Ritual Chocolate, Zipline Utah at Utah Adventure Park, Heber Valley Artisan Cheese dairy farm, The Crater (The Homestead Crater), Soldier Hollow, the historic Heber Valley Railroad, and enjoyed lunch at Cafe Galleria in Midway. We can't wait to share these fantastic experiences with our guests.

18/04/2024

Last week, members of the Utah Tour Guide Association joined a tour of the new Taylorsville Utah Temple in the Salt Lake Valley. This temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located right off I-215 and will be passed by millions of people going to and from the airport, the ski resorts, the Mighty 5, and other destinations. It is a beautiful building. If you would like to go on a tour before it is dedicated on June 2, you can make reservations for tours through May 18 by searching Taylorsville temple open house.

21/02/2024

Happy International Tourist Guide Day from the Utah Tour Guide Association in Salt Lake City, Utah!

31/01/2024

Thank you to our wonderful hosts today at the Utah State Capitol Building! Members of the Utah Tour Guide Association were introduced to two new exhibits up in the building this year, and we were shown the governor's office. Thank you to Michael from Governor Cox's staff for sharing his passion for the people's house of Utah. Thank you to Christina of the Utah Film Commission for sharing the fantastic 4th floor exhibit celebrating 100 years of film in Utah. Thank you to Stephanie for the excellent exhibit on the 3rd floor you curated about the capitol's dome. We're excited to share these exhibits and the stories they tell with our guests throughout the year and beyond.

13/12/2023

Thank you to everyone who came and made our Utah Tour Guide Association End-of-Year Retreat a success! Our day included our annual business meeting, a fascinating presentation about Saltair by Ian Christensen, a helpful photography workshop from Christopher Vanderwilt, visiting Candlelight Christmas, and our end-of-year celebration dinner complete with photography competition awards and another round of Utah trivia. A big thank you to This Is the Place Heritage Park for hosting us, to Ian and Chris for sharing their expertise, to Red Iguana for a yummy dinner, and those who came to our first UTGA Member Showcase.

08/12/2023

Vote now for your favorite photos in our 2023 UTGA Member Photography Competition: https://forms.gle/5D1o6QNSc7Uinx5J7 . Voting ends this Sunday night.

Select one image from each category as your favorite. To see images in a larger format visit: https://utahtourguide.org/2023-utga-photography-competition/

04/12/2023

Friends of UTGA:

We'd like to invite you to join us at our End-of-Year UTGA Retreat on Dec. 11.

Here's what the event has in store:
- Annual UTGA business meeting luncheon (UTGA Members only)
- UTGA Member Showcase: no need to register for this event to come meet local Utah tour guides and tour operators. Learn what they offer.
- "Lost History of Saltair" presentation by Ian Christensen
- Photography for Tour Guides workshop by Chris Vanderwilt
- Celebration dinner, UTGA photography competition awards, and fun

Descriptions of each session are on the event page through the registration link. Here is the link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/utga-end-of-year-retreat-tickets-754113964167.

Sincerely,
Kevin Earl
President
Utah Tour Guide Association

02/11/2023

Several members of the Utah Tour Guide Association joined a tour of the Utah Governor's Mansion this afternoon. For some, this was their first visit to this beautiful historic home. For others, it wasn't, as a few of our members have served as volunteers with Preservation Utah or been on one of Preservation Utah's tours before. If you've never done it, we highly recommend it, especially for the holiday season when the mansion is decked for Christmas.

10/10/2023

10/10/2023

Pictures don't do it justice! Today, a few UTGA members went for a leaf-peeping drive on the Mount Nebo National Scenic Byway. The colors were spectacular as they covered the hillsides in impressionistic strokes of reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. This was the first time on the loop for a couple of our members, but it won't be the last. At one stop we visited the Devil's Kitchen, like a mini Bryce Canyon of red hoodoos. Another stop gave incredible views of Utah Valley and Utah Lake. It's not too late to have a fabulous fall experience in Utah!

25/05/2023

This week members of the Utah Tour Guide Association were treated to a tour of the Violin Making School in Salt Lake City. This is the oldest of three such schools in the United States. During the three year program, students make six violins, one viola, and one cello. They make the instrument and create their own varnishes. They do not make the bows as that is a separate discipline altogether. This amazing institution was founded in 1972 and occupies a historic building from the 1910s in downtown SLC.

02/05/2023

Members of the Utah Tour Guide Association got together for a potluck of Utah foods as we discussed "This Is the Plate: Utah Food Traditions" our latest book club reading. We were treated not just to great food but also the presence of one of the book's main editors, Carol Edison. Utah scones (fry bread) with honey butter, a green jello salad, a dutch oven stew, and sweet pickle pie graced our plates and, in the case of the pie, really surprised us.

07/04/2023

News Release: North Rim to reopen June 2 for 2023 summer season

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Friday, June 2 at 6 a.m. to mark the official start of the 2023 season. Following a record-setting snow season, this delayed opening is necessary to ensure the safe plowing of State Route 67 and allow staff to reopen visitor facilities on the North Rim.

“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our neighbors and visitors with this delay as our partners and park staff work to open the North Rim roads, trails, and facilities safely,” said Superintendent Ed Keable.

Key changes to this year's operations include: a trail closure of the North Kaibab Trail from April 12-June 2 in the area between Cottonwood Campground and the North Kaibab Trailhead, delayed opening of the North Rim Campground and Point Imperial/Cape Royal Road. For more information, including specific operational changes for 2023, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/north-rim-to-reopen-june-2-for-2023-summer-season.htm

For more information on visiting the North Rim during the 2023 season, please visit: www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/north-rim.htm.

Photos of 2022-2023 winter conditions on the North Rim can be found in this photo album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/albums/72177720307309355

NPS Photo/E. Shalla: The Grand Canyon Lodge as seen on April 4, 2023. The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park has received more than 250 inches of accumulated snowfall this winter season.

21/03/2023

Last week, members of the Utah Tour Guide Association were hosted by Preservation Utah to learn about the work they do and experience some of the special historic structures they help steward. At Memorial House, the interim Executive Director introduced us to Preservation Utah's history and mission. Then, we were treated to a tour of Memorial House (which is available to rent for events such as weddings) and the Meditation Chapel in Memory Grove (one of the historic properties they give tours of).

Afterwards, we made our way to the Salt Lake City and County Building (1894) for another tour offered through Preservation Utah. We learned the history of this important building and got to go into the foundation and up in the clock tower.

We highly recommend checking out the tours offered by Preservation Utah by visiting their website. While there learn about how you can get involved in their important preservation work throughout Utah.

17/03/2023

01/03/2023

WOW! Bryce Canyon National Park in winter is spectacular! This morning, Andrea from the Activities Desk at Ruby's Inn introduced us to the many things people can do when in Bryce Canyon City throughout the year including snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating in the winter and horseback riding, biking, and ATV tours the rest of the year.

We were then outfitted with snowshoes and yak tracks and made our way into the park. With the fresh powder, it was gorgeous. A few of us snowshoed through the fresh powder part way down the Queen's Garden trail from Sunrise Point. Others hiked down Navajo Loop from Sunset Point.

After lunch we hiked the Mossy Cave trail. I made a few loops around the new Ice Ribbon and caught the Sun's beautiful glow on Powell Point from Bryce Point.

Overall, this FAM trip to Bryce Canyon City has been super insightful and beautiful. If we don't get snowed in tonight, we head back to Salt Lake. Thank you, Ruby's Inn!

28/02/2023

Over the next few days, members of the Utah Tour Guide Association are experiencing what Bryce Canyon City and National Park have to offer in the winter.

On our drive south, we stopped in Salina and had a fabulous tour of Burn's Saddlery, including their retail location, hat and silver workshops, and boot and saddle factory. It is amazing to see how dozens of artisans create beautifully crafted products.

After lunch at Mom's Cafe, we continued down historic Highway 89 with a quick pitstop at Butch Cassidy's teenage home in Circleville.

Once we finally arrived to the Bryce Canyon Grand, we were welcomed by locals sharing what makes this place so special including Bill from the Garfield County Office of Tourism, Tim and Ward from the Bryce Canyon Wranglers, and the creator of Backseat Geologist audio-visual tours.

With fresh snow falling right now, tomorrow's winter activities should be pretty amazing.

17/02/2023

The Salt Lake Off-Road Expo is almost here!

🎟️ Get your tickets at the door or online! 💥 UTV - Jeeps - Trucks - Dirt Bikes - SidexSides - Trailers - Camping Gear - Speakers - Facepainting - Social Ax Throwing - And more! 💥

🤩 There is plenty to see and plenty to do, with activities for you and the kids (12 and under are FREE)!

💥 Stock up on all sorts of off-road and outdoor gear, just in time for spring.
With 3 drawings and over $30,000 in giveaway prizes, it's time to unite with us on Feb 24th & 25th. 💥

Get ALL the info and your TICKETS NOW at slorex.com!

Sponsored by: Kombustion Motorsports and Sound Warehouse Utah

See you at the Expo!

*Winners of the rig contest will be announced soon!

06/02/2023

04/02/2023

Members of the Utah Tour Guide Association went to the Hardware Wildlife Management Area or Hardware Ranch just outside of Hyrum, Utah today to visit the elk. The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources feeds wild elk for a few months each winter to keep them from raiding hay stores at nearby farms as well as to help manage the state's herds. They offer horse-drawn wagon rides to get out and see the elk and learn about these amazing animals, our state mammal. The ranch also has an education center with great exhibits on elk and other hands-on displays for Utah wildlife.

01/02/2023

26/01/2023