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

There are courses in the mountains, in the deserts, within state parks, in the heart of the cities and in the fringes of small communities.

There are, today, more than 100 courses spread around Utah, from the Bear Lake Golf Course overlooking Bear Lake on the border of Utah/Idaho to the north, to the Coral Cliffs Golf Course near the Utah/Arizona border to the south.

They go from the par-3 holes at Fore Lakes in the heart of Salt Lake City, to championships courses strung out all along the Wasatch Front.

The range of settings is no less impressive, going from the beautiful mountain courses in Heber, to the red-rock backdrop in Moab and St. George, to tree-lined fairways at Bonneville.

All of the courses offer teaching professionals, rentals and carts.

For information, phone number and layout information of all courses here in Utah, visit the Web site at www.utah.com/golf.

Hiking — Considering the number of hiking opportunities, it's easy to see why people in Utah like to hike.

Many communities are now, in fact, incorporating hiking/biking trails within their master plans.

For the more active hikers, the list of opportunities is limitless. There are a number of books pointing out hiking opportunities. Information includes trailheads, distance, elevation changes, description of the area and points of interest.

Along the eastern benches of the Wasatch Front is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail that stretches 90 miles from Ogden to Spanish Fork, and is popular with cyclists, hikers and walkers.

A little further east is the Great Western Trail. The idea of a north/south trail from the Canadian to Mexican border, cutting down the backbone of Utah, has been looked at for many years. In 1990, trail building began in Utah. Over the next five years, at a cost of several thousand dollars and with the help of some 25,000 volunteers, 95 percent of the trail system in Utah was completed.

Other popular hikes include Lower Calf Creek, located along scenic U-12, which also passes Bryce Canyon National Park, to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Adams Canyon in East Layton, Wind Cave outside Logan, Mount Olympus east of Salt Lake City and Kings Peak, Utah's highest mountain, in the Uintas.

Those interested in finding hiking routes in Utah can go on to Outdoor Utah's Web site at www.outdoorutah.com, www.bicycleutah.com and www.utahtravel.com.