Gift for Utah lover
December 21, 2014 10:20 AM   Subscribe

I'd like to give a gift to someone who adores Utah and will be making his second trip there next year. Any suggestions for the best travel books or some kind of unusual service/gift certificate I could give him? He likes wide open spaces and adventurous travel off the grid.
posted by Paris Elk to Travel & Transportation around Utah (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Has he read Ed Abbey? Desert Solitaire is probably the place to start.
posted by fieldtrip at 10:36 AM on December 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


Butler maps! Butler has created maps for motorcyclists and they've published two of Utah: the regular map sticks to scenic paved roads and the Backcountry Discovery Route map requires 4WD or a dualsport motorcycle to explore. Both maps feature off-the-beaten-path scenic and historic areas. Alternately, a Utah Benchmark Atlas is invaluable for off-the-grid trip planning.
posted by workerant at 10:45 AM on December 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


Things I suddenly wanted once Utah became my favorite place to hike:
- "Trail running shoes," i.e., regular sneakers with grippy tread, better than boots that cover your ankles for running up the angled slickrock, better than slick shoes
- A Camelback water system (hands free + water is a bigger deal than less arid places)
- A sweet poster of red rocks and starry night sky
- A gift certificate to a restaurant or bookstore in, e.g., Moab. If you know that's his base area, I can come up with some specific ideas
- I was into geology, so I really liked this book. If I'm remembering the right book, it has great illustrations. ...Do you know what he likes about the area? Some people get into the human pre-history of the area, so that's a whole other set of possible books.
- They also put out a series of books with the history of each county, like this one. If he likes, say, the area around Moab, you could get him the one for that place. They're a bit dry, but if he has fallen in love with the place, well, I certainly went through a phase of wanting to know everything about it.

Anything more that you can say about where in Utah, what kinds of places (slot canyons? slick rock? Arches? top of plateau vistas?), or why he likes it could guide our answers.
posted by salvia at 10:47 AM on December 21, 2014 [2 favorites]


A gift certificate or gift membership to REI, who have been helping people enjoy Utah all my life.
posted by the Real Dan at 11:23 AM on December 21, 2014


The America the Beautiful Pass is $80 and works at the National Parks and a large list of other places.
posted by feloniousmonk at 11:26 AM on December 21, 2014 [2 favorites]


Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but a gift certificate to Cafe Diablo in Torrey, near Capitol Reef National Park, or Desert Bistro in Moab, near Arches National Park. They both serve very good food, which is really nice when you're eating camp meals and trail mix for days on end.
posted by cnc at 12:24 PM on December 22, 2014


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