I have lived in Northern Utah for 10 years now-- 14 if you count college and I am always amazed at how few people know about Castle Coutry Utah!!
So today, I write of a favorite, newly on my favorite website page, but always my personal top favorite. I grew up in Castle Dale, which is part of the Castle Valley which is included in Castle Country!!
Oh!! Just thinking about home, brings to mind my many fantasies of returning to live there. Castle County is comprised of Carbon and Emery County in southeast Utah--but not quite as southeast as the Moab/Arches area. Castle County is often overlooked as people drive through it all the time without stopping. Such a shame.
If you want a simplier vacation with less crowds, then this is your spot. Like Arches? Enjoy the sandstone cliffs? How about the Grand Canyon? We have our own version of those and many more---but without the crowds! How small are the crowds? Well, last Easter (2010) I look some of my husband's family out to "the desert" as we call it and we passed two cars once we turned off Hwy 10 and ran into a family at our destination. My husband got weary of me complaining for days how busy "the desert" was and next time we need to go out when it is less crowded!!
What is there to do? mountains adventures, ghost towns, missle caves, swinging bridges, fishing, camping, 4x4, outdoor community pageants, desert sites, art festivals, rodeos, the BEST wave pool ever, pioneerhomes, museums, hundred year old outlaw history, an old pony express stop and even thousands of year old indain artifacts.
What about the name? I have never heard of castles in Utah! Well-- you are right. There are no humanly made castles. As one drives south on Hwy 6 from Northern Utah, there used to be a mining town named Castle Gate at the mouth of the canyon. Castle Gate got its name from the mountain formation (see above & below) which looked like a gate to the a medevil castle. Unfortunately the right side was blasted away when they widened and improved Hwy 6 many years ago.
Castle Gate is the gateway to the area and therefore, it came to be known as Castle Country.
Enjoy!!
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