Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Make Utah trip to enjoy outdoors

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 11:06 a.m.

PAULA DEL GIUDICE has been an outdoors freelance writer, author and photographer for 13 years. Her column appears Wednesdays.

LAS VEGANS looking for a way to pass the time during the upcoming Labor Day weekend might head toward Utah to camp, fish and take in the great scenery along the way.

My family had the chance to visit the new national monument at the Grand Staircase Escalante, recently created by President Clinton amid a wave of controversy. After driving through the area, we agreed he had made a good decision when creating the special designation for the Grand Staircase.

Our daughter Katie overheard only part of our conversation from the back seat and proclaimed, "Yes, God did a great job when He created this place!"

The scenic vistas were stunning, though marred slightly by hazy skies -- all too common in the West anymore. The national monument features 1.7 million acres of canyons and gorges, trails and streams, ancient petroglyphs, dinosaur bones and petrified wood. The best part was that there were no crowds, because this national monument is barely on the maps.

Wide Hollow Reservoir nearby offers terrific fishing for rainbow trout and bluegill. There is limited camping there.

It's not the only spot to visit in southern Utah. Many Las Vegans are familiar with all the beautiful and cool fishing, camping and hiking spots near Cedar City and St. George.

In the Cedar City area there are at least nine good fishing spots that offer plenty of variety for anglers. These include New Castle or Navajo Lake. Navajo Lake Lodge is a great place to stay. It also features boat and canoe rentals. There are plenty of hiking trails nearby and the scenery is incredible. For more information call (702) 646-4197.

If camping is not an option this weekend, but you'd like to get away, stay in St. George and travel to nearby fishing spots like Gunlock, Baker, Pine Valley or Quail Creek reservoirs.

Quail Creek State Park provides excellent year-round camping, picnicking, boating and rainbow trout and bass fishing. The park is located three miles east of the Interstate 15 Hurricane exit on Scenic Byway 9. If you choose to camp, there are 23 campsites.

Near Parowan, try Parowan Creek or Yankee Meadow and Paragonah reservoirs.

For more information about fishing conditions, call Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Cedar City at (435) 865-6100.

* HUNTING SEASONS BEGIN: Hunting seasons are now under way with the opening of blue and ruffed grouse in 12 counties and snowcock in Elko County. Dove hunting opened statewide to a volley of thunder, lightning and rainstorms on Tuesday. For more information on Nevada's 1998-99 upland game bird hunts, visit the Nevada Division of Wildlife's office at 4747 Vegas Drive or any store that sells hunting licenses. Or call 486-5127. The next seasons set to open are duck on Oct. 3 in all areas of the state except Overton Wildlife Management Area in Clark County. Goose season begins Oct. 17 in all counties except Clark and Lincoln, which open Nov. 21.

* ON THE NET: A Nevada chukar hunting forecast as well as an outlook for quail hunting in Southern Nevada will be placed on the Nevada Division of Wildlife's web site Sept. 4. Hunters who have not yet joined the information superhighway can obtain copies of the forecasts beginning that day at NDOW's Las Vegas office, 4747 Vegas Drive. A recorded upland game bird forecast can be obtained Sept. 4 by calling the office at 486-5127. NDOW's web site can be accessed at http://dow.state.nv.us.