Far and near — Utah offers a myriad of vacation locations

Got plans for the Memorial Day weekend? As always, some people do and some don't.

If you're in the mood for a few suggestions, here is a list of "10 Near and 10 Far" not-so-well-known places to consider for the holiday. The "10 Near" are within a day's drive of the state's main population centers, while the "10 Far" will require some travel and possibly overnight stays.

THE FAR

1. All the wonders of the 1.7-million-acre Grand Staircase National Monument have yet to be discovered. This includes areas such as the "Toad Stools," which are tall pillars holding balancing rocks, and Duck Creek Village, which is found high on Cedar Mountain and about an hour's drive from Kanab. Available on the mountain are hiking, biking and ATV trails, along with picnic and camping areas. For information visit visitsouthernutah.com.

2. For the golfers there's always St. George. While it may be busy, there should be tee times on one of the 10 courses. Reservations can be made on eight of the courses, along with lodging information, on www.redrockgolftrail.com.

3. Hovenweep National Monument, 30 minutes east of Blanding, offers a look back in time at early Anasazi or ancient Pueblo life. It has six archaeological sites, dating back some 700 years, including towers that were first identified by settlers in 1854. For information visit the Web site at www.utahscanyoncountry.com.

4. Outside Price, in Nine Mile Canyon, is one of the state's best Indian rock art exhibits, both for pictographs (painted) and petroglyphs (chipped). The art is different in that the early artists exhibited a special style that shows in greater detail human figures presented with elegant dress and accessories.

5. Vernal has one of the strongest connections to prehistoric animals in the world. The basin is one of the few places where the entire world's history is exposed, starting with the newest formations and going back to the Precambrian era, which dates, some believe, to when the world was first formed — 4.5 billion years ago. The new Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum officially opened in the center of town on May 22. The museum is an information center for the entire region.