Utah brims with scenic landforms. The north-south running Wasatch join the Uinta Mountains, which reach east along the Wyoming border. Topped by Kings Peak at 4,123m, the Uintas are the only major range in the Rockies that face east-west.

When mountain man Jim Bridger first tasted the water of the Great Salt Lake in 1824, he thought he had reached the Pacific Ocean. Utah’s southern section stands the Colorado Plateau, a huge raised tableland shared with Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

For thousands of years the Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone peoples lived in small groups in this remote region. But it was the Mormons who settled in great numbers. With hard work and cooperation they turned the desert into productive farmland. Arrival of the railroad brought non-Mormons and other immigrants.

Nearly two-thirds of the state is owned by the federal government. Some of the best opportunities for skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and boating are on government land. Manufacturing, especially of computer and other high-tech equipment, is in another key industry.

Utah’s Great Salt Lake is the remnant of a much larger ancient inland sea (Lake Bonneville) and it is almost five times saltier than the ocean.