Between Zion And Fishlake National Forest Is Utah's Year-Round Playground Town For High-Altitude Outdoor Adventure

When folks in Utah or southern Nevada talk about "going to Brian Head" for the weekend, they're often referring to the uncrowded, intimate, and affordable ski resort called Brian Head. But the mountain inside Dixie National Forest in southern Utah actually has a tiny village called Brian Head, home to about 70 people, that's open year-round. With an elevation of 9,800 feet, it's the highest town in Utah and is touted as the highest resort town in America. While it's best known as a winter playground, Brian Head offers a surprisingly wide range of outdoor activities the rest of the year, too.

Whether you're road tripping from Zion National Park or the aspen-filled Fishlake National Forest, Brian Head is worth a detour for high-altitude adventure, especially if you have outdoorsy kids or teenagers in tow. The area offers a variety of high-alpine activities for thrill-seekers of all ages and sits about an hour from Zion National Park, 3 hours from Las Vegas, and roughly 3.5 hours from Salt Lake City.

Brian Head receives the bulk of its visitors in winter, when the mountain is blanketed in fresh snow and powder hounds from Las Vegas and across Utah make the 14-mile drive up from Parowan to hit the slopes. Brian Head Resort is known as a family-friendly ski and snowboarding destination, particularly for beginner and intermediate riders, and as a less crowded, more affordable alternative to many resorts in northern Utah or California.

But Brian Head is also a fun place to visit year-round, especially during the hot summer months, when nearby Zion National Park or St. George can reach triple-digit temperatures. By contrast, Brian Head's elevation keeps summer highs in the 60s and low 70s Fahrenheit, making it ideal for hiking or cycling. One must-see spot in the warmer months is Cedar Breaks National Monument. Sitting at more than 10,000 feet, it offers sweeping views of a stunning desert landscape without the desert heat. Roads to Cedar Breaks typically close in winter, making summer and early fall the best times to visit.

If you need to cool off, you can swim, kayak, paddleboard, or fish at Bristlecone Pond. For a mountaintop view without the strenuous workout of a hike or bike ride, take a summer chairlift ride to the summit, where you'll find wildflowers in spring and vibrant orange and yellow foliage in fall.

Beyond its scenery, Brian Head also offers a lot in the way of outdoor adventures and extreme sports, many of which are kid-friendly, including summer "avalanche tubing", rock climbing, zip lining, and bungee trampolining. Brian Head Resort also features an 18-hole disc golf course, along with skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter.

Prefer to enjoy the crisp mountain air on two or four wheels? Brian Head has nearly two dozen mountain bike trails, ranging from beginner to advanced, passing ponds, lakes, and waterfalls, over bridges, and fields of wildflowers. You can also ride ATVs on dirt roads that wind through ancient bristlecone pine trees, red sandstone hoodoos, and through the scenic trails and colorful landscapes of Dixie National Forest, Utah's largest national forest.

Brian Head itself is a quiet town, with only a few restaurants and two standalone bars. The nearest small city, Cedar City — a vibrant and artsy college town – is down the mountain about 32 miles away. Both Cedar City and St. George have regional airports, while the nearest international airport is in Las Vegas, about 3 hours away. That relative distance means it can be a journey to get there, but its isolated location helps keep the crowds away, making it possible to feel as though you have the entire mountaintop to yourself.