A 'time traveler' poses for a selfie at Frontier Homestead State Park and Museum in Cedar City, Utah. Utah residents are encouraged to visit various state parks this summer and participate in the Utah State Parks selfie contest. (Justina Parsons-Bernstein)
BYU students and Utah residents alike are being invited to 'travel back in time' this spring and summer by visiting various Utah state parks to learn more about the state's heritage and history.
To encourage individuals to participate, Utah State Parks is hosting a selfie contest between May 1 and June 30. Winners of the contest will receive a year- long pass good to all of Utah's state parks.
Justina Parsons-Bernstein, heritage resources coordinator for Utah State Parks, came up with the idea as a way to help people think of Utah's heritage parks in a new way.
'I've been wanting to do this for a while now,' Parsons-Bernstein said. 'I hope it will spread, and (I) encourage people to share it.'
Several of the 11 participating state parks are located within just a few hours of BYU campus. Students can easily travel to a park or two in the space of an afternoon and get their selfie game on.
Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park Museum in Fairfield, which is just over 30 minutes south, houses Pony Express and Stage Coach stops and a military station that was once the largest station west of the Mississippi.
Historic Huber Apple Orchard and Creamery at Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway, which is about 30 minutes north, offers picnics under ancient apple trees.
Historic Fielding Garr Ranch at Antelope Island State Park in Syracuse, which is just over an hour north of campus, provides individuals with an opportunity to rope and ride.
Other parks within two hours of BYU include the Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum in Fillmore and Fort Deseret State Park Heritage Area near Delta. People feeling even more adventurous can travel throughout the state to visit each of the participating parks.
A girl poses for a selfie at a Utah state park. Utah residents are encouraged to travel the state and take their own selfies throughout the summer and enter the 'time traveler' contest. (Justina Parsons-Bernstein)
As for the selfie contest, there are two different ways to win. Fox 13's 'The Place' will select their favorite submission each week, and staff members at each of the 11 participating state parks will select their favorite submissions at the end of the contest. Submissions are limited to one per park per person.
Participants are also encouraged to look like time travelers, exhibiting creativity and the spirit of the sites.
'I can't wait to see how creative people are going to get,' Parsons-Bernstein said.
Selfies can be uploaded to the Utah State Parks or Fox 13's official Facebook pages.
For more information, visit stateparks.utah.gov