By CATHERINE CALDER
calder@du2.byu.edu
Many people will take advantage of Memorial Day weekend by enjoying the warm weather and beautiful scenery Utah has to offer. One of the favorite activities to enjoy this weekend is camping.
Within distance for most BYU students, the Uinta National Forest extends from the Point of the Mountain in Salt Lake County, through Utah County, and south to the city of Nephi in Juab County. Popular camping sites in this area include Payson Lakes, Granite Flats and Blackhawk.
Tiffany Khan, an employee of the USDA Forest Service, said the Uinta National Forest is ranked sixth in demand for camping out of 150 forests in the nation.
'It is hard to specify any certain spots that are better than other spots for camping in the Uinta National Forest,' Khan said when asked her favorite places to camp.
'It all comes down to personal preference,' she said.
Kahn said most BYU students camp in areas that do not require a campground fee. These areas are usually less developed, but they are still nice to camp at according to Kahn.
Although the high mountain areas in Utah Valley are still wet and snowpacked, the USDA Forest Service said most lower elevation campgrounds will be open for Memorial Day weekend. The USDA also said that all roads and trails above 8,000 feet are still wet and muddy, so caution should be used.
Some BYU students do not like the cooler temperatures and spring rain Utah has to offer. Marnae Powell, 23, a senior from Portland, Ore., majoring in Health Education said she likes to camp in southern Utah because it is warm and there is a lot of great hiking.
'The best time of the year to camp in Southern Utah is in May because it is not too hot,' Powell said.
She and her husband just returned from camping in Zions and said it was beautiful. After they decided to go, they simply bought a map, went to the visitors center, registered for a camp site and hiked in.
'It was really fun. I highly recommend it,' Powell said.
Powell said another one of her favorite place to camp is Lake Powell because she loves having a body of water nearby.
Mark Calder, 22, a sophomore from Provo majoring in Mechanical Engineering said the best place in Utah to camp is Escalante because it is so beautiful.
'Escalante is a great, tough hike, with a lot of beautiful scenery far away from everything and everybody,' Calder said.
Calder said out of all the places he has camped in Utah, Escalante is by far the best place to go.
For more information on camping in Utah contact the Uinta National Forest office located in Provo, 88 W. 100 North.