If you go to southern Utah

The best times to visit southern Utah are spring and fall. Winters are cold and snowy, and scorching summers can make hiking unpleasant and sometimes dangerous if you're not prepared.

If you decide to go in the summer, take a gallon of water per person, per day and plan to carry it with you. Wear a hat and light-colored clothing to cover anything you don't want sunburned. Wear and reapply sunscreen often.

Stop at the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and National Park Service offices. Employees there know the land better than anyone and are eager to point out trails for all levels of hikers. They also have information about road conditions — which can turn nasty after even a slight sprinkle of rain or snow — weather predictions, pointers for wildlife watching, and plenty of maps and written directions.

Open campfires are not currently banned on Utah public land, but agencies banned fires last year amid wildfire dangers. The state, in its fifth year of severe drought, is likely to be a tinderbox later in the summer, and campers should use stoves rather than open fires where possible.

San Rafael Swell and Reef

Getting there: The Swell is best approached from Salt Lake City, traveling south on Highway 6 until turning west at the junction with I-70. The Reef juts from the desert about 10 miles west of the junction.

The Reef marks the dramatic eastern boundary of the 2,000-square-mile Swell, an anticline filled with canyons, washes, plateaus and mountains. Most access into the heart of the Swell comes from dirt roads off I-70 or Utah State Road 10, which runs roughly north-south through the western edge of the Swell.

There are no entry fees for the Swell. Camping is free, but campers should be familiar with leave-no-trace tactics and plan to haul out all trash. Maps and four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended to negotiate patchy roads.

If you're planning to explore the canyons, take rock-climbing rope and know how to use it. Be familiar with canyoneering techniques, underestimate your ability, and overestimate the land. Watch the weather report faithfully. Leave plans with friends or family members and check in as often as you can.

Information: www.ut.blm.gov/sanrafaelswell

Capitol Reef