Memorial Day: Clear skies, warm temps and a lot of water make for perfect weekend plans

As noted, the deep snow that still covers the higher mountain passes will keep some of the higher campgrounds closed. Most of the mid- to lower-elevation campgrounds will be open.

As is typical for this time of year, those state parks in the southern areas of the state are the first to fill.

There are some openings for individual camp sites at Bear Lake and Starvation and some tent sites at Jordanelle Rockcliff.

There are group (25 or more) day-use areas at Millsite, Huntington, Palisade, Wasatch Mountain, Jordanelle, Snow Canyon, Deer Creek and Willard Bay. There are overnight group sites at Bear Lake and Green River.

For information on USFS camping opportunities, call 1-877-444-6777. For camping reservations to any of the state's parks, call 1-800-322-3770. For national park numbers, visit the state Web site at www.utahtravel.com.

Rivers — The rivers are running wild, faster and much higher than they've been in years. This is good news for river runners, but is reason for caution for those camping near running water.

The report early this week was that the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon was running at 51,000 cubic feet per second and was expected to get as high as 60,000 cfs over the next few weeks. Last year, Cataract barely made it over the 20,000 mark. Outfitters are reporting being flooded with callers looking for rides during high water.

One of the more popular river experience here in Utah is Desolation Canyon on the Green River from put-in at Sandwash down about 120 miles to the town of Green River.

Higher on the Green are the Yampa and Lodore Canyon river experiences.

The San Juan River, running nearly parallel with Utah's southern border, is one of Utah's calmer whitewater experiences. It does have what no other river in Utah does, however, sand waves. These are long stretches of roller-coasterlike waves that appear and disappear for no apparent reason.

Westwater is the last of the well-known runs and the shortest — about 17 miles in most cases. It is also one of the more exciting adventures, with several of the rapids equal to those on Cataract. The most famous of the whitewater sections being Skull Rapid.

For those looking for shorter runs, there are the dailies on the Colorado River above Moab. Along with the beautiful scenery, there are a number of small rapids.

For information visit the Web site at www.whitewaterutah.com.

Golf — The one word to best describe Utah golf is "variety."