SUU Summer Experience offers Outdoor Guided Learning Adventures

Published: May 09, 2019 | Author: Susie Knudsen | Read Time: 2 minutes

Outdoor Guided Learning Adventure for Community Members and Tourists Offered through New SUU Summer Experience Program

Continuing its commitment to providing adventure opportunities for community members, Southern Utah University (SUU)’s Community on the Go program is launching new guided adventures with 17 options to choose from for visitors and local residents alike. And just in time for summer as temperatures begin to rise and residents flock to higher elevations for fun and relief.

SUU Summer Experience is set to offer guided learning adventures led by SUU and community experts. Experiences are designed to immerse participants in local culture, history, scenery, and recreational opportunity. Even longtime residents of Iron County can find new ways to explore the region through the new SUU offerings.

“Summer Experience engages adventurers of all ages in the incredible outdoor and cultural offerings the Cedar City area has to offer,” said Melynda Thorpe, executive director of Community & Academic Enrichment for SUU. “Led and taught by professionals, experiences include hikes and driving history tours, petroglyph crawls, outdoor art and water recreation courses, wagon rides and Sunday history brunches.”

During three different geologist-led hikes, learn about the geologic events that shaped southwestern Utah’s spectacular landscape. “Few places in the world can rival the diversity of geologic structures and rock types that are superbly exposed in our own backyard,” said Tyler Knudsen, geology hike instructor and professional geologist for the Utah Geological Survey.

Photographers looking to further develop their talents will enjoy an astrophotography course. During a new moon period, this four-day experience will take participants to Cathedral Gorge State Park to learn how to successfully shoot the Milky Way.

For those interested in learning more about the area’s rich history, there are experiences that will take participants back in time to learn about first inhabitants and early settlers. The native heritage experience offers an exclusive tour of SUU’s Archaeology Repository, field trip, and special presentation by Eleanor Tom, a Paiute Elder. On a two-day migrant trail, driving tour make stops along the Old Spanish Trail and dine at Iron Springs Adventure Resort.

Enjoy one or all of the Sunday brunch history lectures at Iron Springs Adventure Resort west of Cedar City. Hear the incredible story of Old Iron Town and its significance in southern Utah’s historic mining industry on June 16. Ryan Paul, Museum Curator for Frontier Homestead State Park, will be presenting images and stories of Cedar City’s oldest buildings and those forging an oasis in the desert on June 23. And on June 30, Paula Mitchell, Assistant Professor of Library Media for SUU, will tell about the unique partnership between the Union Pacific Railroad, National Park Service, and Utah Parks Company that developed early tourism in southern Utah.

SUU Summer Experience offers educational opportunities to spend quality time with a friend or family member, and to explore the region. 

Photos courtesy of Iron Springs Adventure Resort, Cedar City, Utah Pine Valley Sunset -7- “Hike with a geologist at Thunderbird Gardens and Three Peaks.” Pine Valley Sunset-42- “Learn about the region’s rich history during the Sunday brunch history lectures at Iron Springs Adventure Resort.”

Tags: Community on the Go Community and Professional Development

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