A Charming City In Utah's Castle Country Is A Gateway To Outdoor Adventures With Artsy Vibes

Deep in Eastern Utah's Castle Country, an area known for its unique rock formations and fascinating prehistoric sites, is the charming city of Price. Located about two hours south of Salt Lake City, Price remains under the radar and offers cozy, small-town vibes. It's set amidst the northern section of the stunning San Rafael Swell, with beautiful sandstone cliffs just outside the city. The Price Downtown District has been undergoing a revitalization as part of a pilot program through the Utah Main Street Program, and the result is a more vibrant downtown area with unique restaurants, shops, and public art on display.

With a population of about 8,000, this small city makes a perfect base for exploring nearby parks and scenic areas, including Goblin Valley, a wildly unique state park that looks like a trip to Mars and is full of canyons and sandstone. Just 30 minutes outside of Price is Jurassic National Monument, home to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, one of the largest collections of mounted dinosaur bones in the world (with more than 12,000 bones). The Price Canyon Recreation Area is another natural treasure, with some fantastic hiking trails, while the Nine Mile Canyon is full of prehistoric rock drawings, and it's America's largest collection of rock art, consisting of 46 miles of incredible creations from the Fremont and Ute.

A great way to explore the city of Price is on a walking tour, which includes places like the outlaw section of the local cemetery, the Prehistoric Museum, and a stop at the Coal Miner's Memorial, with names of the 1,353 workers who perished in the mines. The tour also includes the Bookcliff Mural, a 434-square-foot display of street art which pays homage to coal miners, pioneers, and other cultural aspects of life in Utah's Castle Country. For more fabulous artwork on display, Utah State University Eastern features rotating exhibitions, as well as works from the permanent collection, including paintings, ceramics, photographs, and prints.

The Prehistoric Museum, which is operated by Utah State University, features a hall that's full of dinosaur skeletons and exhibitions that showcase the fascinating history of the area, such as ancient cliff dwellings, rock drawings, figurines, and projectile points. For little ones, the museum has a kids' discovery area where they can dig for fossils and learn about prehistoric cultures. When you're ready to take a break from exploring, downtown has an array of dining options, whether you're grabbing a burger or a slice at Juniper Kitchen, Mediterranean cuisine at Greek Streak, or classic pub grub at Toby's Bar and Grill.

If you're flying in, Provo, Utah, is your closest option for commercial flights, and it's about an hour and 20 minutes' drive from Price. However, the Provo Airport is only serviced by a limited number of carriers (American Airlines, Breeze Airways, and Allegiant Air), so for more flight options, Salt Lake City is about a two-hour drive from Price. Amtrak train service is available to the nearby town of Helper, which offers a charming main street, an eclectic art scene, and cozy lodging.

If you're staying in the area, there are several chain hotels and budget-friendly accommodations. Or, if you'd like to "rough it" a little, the Price Canyon Recreation Area has a small campground with 12 first-come, first-serve campsites that have picnic tables and fire rings, and is about 19 miles north of Price, or, 20 miles south of the city, Huntington State Park has a beautiful reservoir and several campsites just steps from a sandy beach. For epic stargazing, Goblin Valley State Park is a Dark Sky International-certified location and has campsites, yurts, and RV sites.