Stunningly Scenic Mt. Carmel, Utah
Made Famous by Three National Parks and Western Artist Maynard Dixon
Oct 13, 2008
In 1939, famous Western artist Maynard Dixon built a home in the small town of Mount Carmel, in South-western Utah. Like the town’s current inhabitants and visitors, Maynard Dixon enjoyed the peaceful hot summer days, the cool evenings, and especially the magnificent views of Mt. Carmel’s White Cliffs, seen from his home above rolling green pastures, towering Cottonwood trees and red sand foothills, and beneath the clear blue sky of the Southwest. Stunning in any light, the Cliffs are even more scenic in the receding light of sunset, when they glow pink and orange and yellow.
The Grand Circle of the Southwest
Mount Carmel is located on the northern curve of the Southwest's Grand Circle, in the geologically diverse area of East Zion, just south of Bryce Canyon’s whimsical hoodoos, and just north of the pristine Ponderosa forests of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. In addition, to the east, the vast Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument makes its presence known with its towering and scenic White Cliffs, one of the several immense and colorful geological ‘steps’ of the Staircase, ascending in awesome grandeur across Southern Utah. Other nearby sites worth visiting include St. George, the Coral Pink Sand-dunes State Park, Best Friends’ Animal Sanctuary, Kanab’s Little Hollywood, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the clear blue waters and red sandstone cliffs of Lake Powell.
Accommodation in Mount Carmel, Utah
Lodging in Mount Carmel and East Zion is available at several inns, lodges, bed and breakfasts, and motels. The town’s scenic and central location makes it an ideal base camp for hikers, sightseers, and those who wish to escape the clamor of the city.
East Zion: Maynard Dixon Country
With so many colors, the area around Mount Carmel is an irresistible draw for painters and artists of all sorts. Driving through the town, one can often see artists in the fields or on the hills opposite the White Cliffs, with easels set up and paintbrushes in hand. Many of their works, and indeed those of Maynard Dixon, can be seen in the Bingham Art Gallery and Maynard Dixon’s historic Home and Studio, both on the northern edge of town. To celebrate modern western artists, the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts holds the Maynard Dixon Country Art Show at the Bingham Gallery every summer.
Hiking in East Zion
After viewing the White Cliffs on canvas and from afar, one may wish to follow the unmarked hiking trails that wind their way up through the foothills and back to the Cliffs themselves, where sand flats and hidden slot canyons await. Sugar Knoll, an interesting white cone that looks as if a giant carefully poured out a mound of sugar, has a trail that leads to the top, offering an unrivaled viewpoint of the pretty little Long Valley, with Mount Carmel nestled in the middle with green fields, apple trees, and the meandering East Fork of the Virgin River.
Hiking trails for every ability and inclination can also be found in the many nearby national parks and monuments. For the adventurous, ATV tours, horseback rides, biking trails, rock climbing and other thrills are available in the area. Visitors, whether intrepid daredevils or casual sightseers, should come prepared with hiking shoes, a camera, and perhaps a paintbrush.
