布莱斯峡谷国家公园有一望无际的被称为“石林”的砂岩石柱，前面是一个叫 “雷神的锤子”(Thor’s Hammer)的地形景观。(Tobias Alt/Creative Commons)

想去美国旅行吗？那里有50个州可去游览。

犹他州(Utah)地处美国西部，其地形提供了几乎不计其数的户外娱乐项目，如远足、骑自行车、滑雪、单板滑雪、骑马和露营。

大自然是犹他州最具有吸引力的方面，但如果你想有文化体验，也不用费力寻找。该州州府盐湖城(Salt Lake City)拥有世界著名的摩门圣幕合唱团(Mormon Tabernacle Choir)，还有歌剧、芭蕾和戏剧团体，以及一个交响乐团、多个博物馆和不同族裔的特色餐馆。

规模较小的城市也有充满活力的音乐和戏剧演出。例如洛根(Logan)是夏季举办的犹他歌剧节(Utah Festival Opera)的所在地；锡达城(Cedar City)在夏季和秋季举办犹他莎士比亚戏剧节(Utah Shakespeare Festival)。圣丹斯电影节(Sundance Film Festival)每年一月在帕克城举行，而红岩电影节(Red Rock Film Festival)十一月在圣乔治(St. George)、艾文斯(Ivins)和斯普林代尔(Springdale)等城镇举行。

大自然的圣殿

南犹他州有众多的峡谷，在那里你会发现美国西部最令人惊叹的一些景观。本地居民和外地游客都会涌向犹他州的顶级国家公园，它们有“五大国家公园”(The Mighty Five)的美称——锡安国家公园(Zion National Park)以其巨大的红色和象牙色悬崖闻名；布莱斯峡谷国家公园(Bryce Canyon National Park)，具有被称为“石林”(hoodoos)的各种形状奇特的岩柱；以古岩画出名的国会礁国家公园(Capitol Reef National Park)；拱门国家公园(Arches National Park)，其特色是它的天然石拱门和石桥；以及峡谷地国家公园(Canyonlands National Park)，这里是一片布满峡谷、平顶山和孤丘的色彩斑斓的高原。

在19世纪中期，当摩门教拓荒者穿过如今的锡安国家公园时，他们为其壮观的景色深感震撼。 (Shutterstock)

你可以在白天游览这些地方中的任何一个。有些向导陪同的旅行项目带你在晚上去看同样的景观时，你会为数以百万计的星星惊叹不已。

拱门国家公园的一个岩石地形最适合观星 (Arches National Park/Creative Commons)

冬季游乐场

滑雪和滑雪板爱好者可以在犹他州的14处滑雪胜地中进行选择，其中有不少临近盐湖城。“儿童免费滑雪”在很多地方都有，而且大多数滑雪胜地都能接待各种技术水平的滑雪者。（如果你想享受贵宾待遇，最好去帕克城（Park City），那里有豪华的美容健身中心和高档购物场所。）

在犹他州的斯诺伯德(Snowbird)，一名腾空而起的滑雪者正在很有挑战性的滑雪道上一展身手。 (Thinkstock)

拓荒者时期

盐湖城是摩门拓荒者于1847年建立的，从那时起，犹他州的州府就一直是耶稣基督后期圣徒教会（Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints，非正式地称为摩门教）的总部。当你在盐湖城的时候，可以参观“就是这个地方”纪念园(This Is the Place Monument)，探寻犹他州的早期历史，该纪念园标示了摩门教领袖杨百翰(Brigham Young)指示他的追随者定居下来的地点，他当时在此宣布：“就是这个地方。”

蜂巢屋以屋顶上的蜂巢雕像命名，蜂巢是勤劳的象征，勤劳是摩门教徒珍视的品质。 (Shutterstock)

你可以参观蜂巢屋（Beehive House），这座希腊复兴式住宅是杨百翰的住所，并与他的另一处住所狮子屋(Lion House)相连。

活生生的侏罗纪公园

在位于犹他州维尔诺(Vernal)附近、横跨犹他州-科罗拉多州边界的恐龙国家纪念公园(Dinosaur National Monument)，你可以参观一个叫“采石场”(The Quarry)的地方，在那里的岩石中埋藏有大约1,500件晚侏罗纪时期的恐龙化石。你一定要游览沿着绿河(Green River)和扬帕河(Yampa River)周围分布的峡谷。

恐龙国家纪念公园游客中心的展品中包括这件异特龙(Allosaurus)头骨 (InSapphoWeTrust/Creative Commons)

点击了解有关犹他州或其他49个州的更多信息。如需了解办理访美签证手续，请点击这里。

Utah: Red-rock canyons, ski resorts, dinosaurs and pioneer history

Visiting the United States? There are 50 states in all.

Utah, a Western state, has topography that provides almost unlimited outdoor recreation — hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding and camping.

Nature is the prime attraction in Utah, but if you want cultural amenities, you won’t have far to look. Salt Lake City, the state capital, has the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, plus opera, ballet and theater companies, a symphony orchestra, museums and ethnic restaurants.

Smaller cities have vibrant music and theater scenes as well. Logan, for example, is home to the Utah Festival Opera, a summer event, and Cedar City hosts the Utah Shakespeare Festival during the summer and fall. The Sundance Film Festival is held each January in Park City, and the Red Rock Film Festival is in November in the towns of St. George, Ivins and Springdale.

(State Dept.)

Nature’s cathedrals

Southern Utah is canyon country, where you’ll find some of the most stunning vistas in the American West. Locals and tourists alike flock to Utah’s top national parks, known as “The Mighty Five” — Zion National Park, with its massive red and ivory cliffs; Bryce Canyon National Park, featuring odd-shaped rock pillars called “hoodoos”; Capitol Reef National Park, marked by ancient petroglyphs; Arches National Park, defined by its natural-rock arches and bridges; and Canyonlands National Park, a colorful plateau of canyons, mesas and buttes.

In the mid-1800s, when Mormon pioneers passed through what is now Zion National Park, its grandeur left them awestruck. (Shutterstock)

Go to any of these places to explore by day. Some guided tours show you the same scenes at night, when you can marvel at the millions of stars visible.

A rock formation in Arches National Park invites stargazing. (Arches National Park/Creative Commons)

Winter playgrounds

Skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts can choose from Utah’s 14 ski resorts, many of which are near Salt Lake City. “Kids ski free” programs are widely available, and most resorts can accommodate skiers of all skill levels. (If you want to be pampered, head for the resorts in Park City, where you’ll find luxury spas and upscale shopping.)

A skier, airborne over the slopes in Snowbird, Utah, tests his prowess on a challenging course. (Thinkstock)

Pioneer days

Salt Lake City was established by Mormon pioneers in 1847, and ever since, Utah’s capital has been the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (informally called the Mormon Church). While you’re here, explore Utah’s early history at the This Is the Place Monument, marking the spot where Mormon leader Brigham Young instructed his followers to settle by declaring, “This is the right place.”

The Beehive House was named for the beehive statue on its roof, a symbol of industriousness, a quality prized by Mormons. (Shutterstock)

You can tour the Beehive House, a Greek Revival–style mansion that served as home to Young and that’s connected to the Lion House, Young’s other residence.

A real-life Jurassic Park

At Dinosaur National Monument, straddling the Utah-Colorado border near Vernal, Utah, you can visit an area called The Quarry, where some 1,500 dinosaur fossils from the late Jurassic era are embedded in rocks. Be sure to investigate the surrounding canyons along the Green and Yampa rivers.

The Dinosaur National Monument’s visitors center exhibits finds such as this Allosaurus skull. (InSapphoWeTrust/Creative Commons)

Read more about Utah and check out the other 49 states. If you need a visa to visit,here’s how to get one.

The Beehive House was named for the beehive statue on its roof, a symbol of industriousness, a quality prized by Mormons. (Shutterstock)

You can tour the Beehive House, a Greek Revival–style mansion that served as home to Young and that’s connected to the Lion House, Young’s other residence.