by Lisa Trottier, Sunset travel editor

I’ve been to Zion National Park in the blazing days of summer, and I’ve been when it’s dusted with snow. I’ll take the latter any old day. When the crowds thin and the park eases driving restrictions, it’s so much easier to enjoy its surreal beauty.

I visited this year in late March—and for the first time stayed at the Zion Lodge, the only overnight option inside the entrance gate. Springdale, the gateway to the park, is a nice town, but eating pancakes every morning with the canyon walls glowing outside the window. Well, it’s the only way to go.

The lodge rooms themselves aren’t much to shout about, but they open onto a broad lawn which itself is one of the park’s most scenic sights. When we weren’t feeling ambitious, my kids and I did our sightseeing right there.

Tackled by my kids on the Zion Lodge lawn.

And now, the off-season rates have kicked in. This month, until just before Thanksgiving, rooms start at $100/night. Starting Dec. 1, they start at $89/night.

Book it: 888.29.PARKS

Plan your trip with Sunset’s online guide to the park, including the top wow spots and your best plan whether you have one day or three.

by Lisa Trottier, Sunset senior travel editor

When the superposh Aman Resorts opened their first U.S. hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 11 years ago, it was clear they knew something about the habits of the American jet-setter. This week, they open their second U.S. project. But this one’s a bit more of a head-scratcher.

Amangiri, they’re calling it, a collection of 32 suites fit for a CEO who’s taken the golden parachute. And they’ve put it on a 600-acre swath of Utah desert 25 minutes outside Page, Arizona. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Page, but I have. And it ain’t no Jackson.

No one loves the desert of Southern Utah like Sunset does—it’s tops in our book. But having camped in this country many times, I can’t help but chuckle when I picture the guests of a $600/night hotel (that’s the discounted opening rate, by the way) mingling with the beer-chugging houseboaters on Lake Powell or pulling into a strip mall in Page to hook up with a tour of Antelope Canyon.

There’s no arguing with the views. I mean…wow. But will this arid corner of the world, so remote and desolate that polygamists like to hide out in it, really become a playground for the world’s superrich? If so, the Aman visionaries are smarter than I am. They’re certainly gutsier.

Curious? Check out more photos on Amangiri’s website.

Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite—that's right, the cables are up

By Amy Anderson, Sunset editorial intern

Growing up, my family never took trips to the beach. I’ve yet to visit Hawaii or Mexico, and I’m pale year round. Instead, we were all about the National Parks: road trips to Yellowstone and the Tetons, camping, kayaking, hiking.

But surprisingly, I’d never been to Yosemite. Until last weekend, when my dad (fellow hiker and adventurer extraordinaire) and I left San Francisco on Friday night and woke up Saturday morning in our canvas cabin in Curry Village — surrounded by granite walls and massive trees.

Committed to conquering the hardest possible hike everywhere we go, naturally my dad and I chose to hike Half Dome, 8,800 feet above sea level. Here's the iconic image that Ansel Adams captured in his photographs:

Daunting? I agree.

For a little inspiration, here's our Half Dome experience:

We were on the trail by 6:30 am, along with all the other early bird hikers trying to beat the heat and crowds. Our backpacks were filled with water bottles, Gatorade, and power bars to last us the projected 10-12 hours of the hike.

We took Happy Isles trail to the Mist Trail, excited to see the rushing waterfalls that spring in Yosemite is known for.

Note: the name Mist Trail is quite misleading at this time of the year. It should definitely be renamed Downpour Trail. As we climbed slick stair after steep stair to get to the top of Vernal Fall, it was like we were in the middle of a storm— we came out completely drenched.

I was not pleased.

Nearing the top and practically in tears, I told my dad that I couldn’t do it. We'd only gone a mile-and-a- half, but, already, I was fed up. But Yosemite's climate is tricky—if I turned back, I would have to go right through the downpour again. If I kept going, I would dry off in the sun. So I swore at the waterfall under my breath, wiped off my wet camera, and continued.

By 11:00am, we were at Half Dome, staring up at the cables that would take us to the very top. The last 400 feet are traversed by walking nearly vertically up the rock face, gripping wire cables on either side. There’s nothing to strap you in—you just hold on for dear life and pull your way up.

The cables were just put up for the season the day before we arrived. (Depending on the weather, you can expect them to go up around the third weekend in May each year.)

Nine hours after we started on Happy Isles Trail, we were back down to the trailhead, hobbling and groaning, but proud. Already planning which mountain to climb next.

Yosemite National Park: $20 entrance fee; www.nps.gov/yose

By Amy Anderson, Sunset editorial intern

Hotels are making it easy to travel and take in the West's celebrations on April 22, Earth Day, without going overboard on the budget. Check out these lodging deals, local festivals, and eco-friendly tips for Earth Week.

Photo courtesy of visitlakequinault.com

Lake Quinault Lodge: Stay in Washington's Olympic National Forest for $109 on Friday, April 24, then spend Saturday from 9 am- 4 pm volunteering to preserve the Quinault Rainforest.

• Procession of the Species: April 25, Olympia
• King County Earth Day Expo: April 22, Seattle
• Earth Day with Citizens for a Healthy Bay: April 25, Tacoma

Kimpton Hotels: Help cut back on carbon emissions by taking your vacation by train. Then show your ticket at a Kimpton hotel (try the San Francisco, Portland, or Seattle spots), and receive 20 percent off your stay.

• Berkeley Earth Day: April 25, Berkeley 
• Cal Parks Earth Day Restoration: April 25, California
• Oregon Zoo "Party for the Planet": April 26, Portland

Photo courtesy of whotels.com

W Hotel Scottsdale: Until May 22, your stay at the W will get you a donation of 100 Trees for the Future on your behalf through Trees for the Future’s Plant-a-Tree program, in-room breakfast for two, and two spring cocktails starting at $229.

• Earth Day Phoenix: April 22, Phoenix
• Arizona Earth Day: April 25, Phoenix
• Scottsdale Community College Earth Week: April 20-24, Scottsdale

Hotel Terra Jackson Hole: From May 7 to September 30, you can book the Eco Adventures package in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and get a biologist-led wildlife tour, Flip Ultra video camera and a daily breakfast starting at $174 per night, per person.

• Earth Day in Laramie: April 22, Laramie
• Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Earth Week: April 21-25, Jackson Hole

And finally...

• If you're still feeling guilty about all the greenhouse gas that's emitted from traveling, Carbonfund.org can help your conscience. Just use the calculator to find out how much CO₂ came from your trip--by car, train, bus, or air--then donate the amount of money that will offset.

• Find more ways to green your home and lifestyle with Sunset's Real-world Earth Day tips.

Take time this week to think of other ways you can lower your environmental impact!

Yoga master Sue Hollingshead teaches classes and workshops in the Boulder area. Photo by Carmel Zucker

Expert: Sue Hollingshead

Field of study: Best places for yoga in Boulder and beyond

Where to do outdoor yoga in winter: Strawberry Park Hot Springs ($10; four-wheel-drive required in winter; 44200 Routt County Rd., Steamboat Springs, CO). I take my two daughters for yoga and Watsu (water massage). Water is incredibly grounding and brings us to awareness of our own fluidity.

Top yoga studios: The Yoga Workshop (classes from $15; 2020 21st St., Boulder) is one of the most respected traditional Ashtanga studios in the country. Öm Time (classes from $10; 2035 Broadway, Boulder, and 773 Santa Fe Dr., Denver) offers a broad spectrum of styles, from prenatal and kids’ yoga to the most hard-core Anusara Tigress classes. I love their Anjali Restorative Yoga. It’s very healing and quieting, and offers an unintimidating way to get into the flow of yoga.

Stay warm amidst the snow at Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs, CO. Photo courtesy of Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Best shops for yoga gear: Gaiam, for Earth-friendly products like biodegradable yoga mats and organic cotton clothing. Prana (1147 Pearl St., Boulder) has great designs inspired by nature.

by MacKenzie Geidt, Sunset assistant travel editor

Hard times, yes, but smokin' hot deals are the silver lining in all this economic doom and gloom.  The mile-high city is the perfect high-spirit, low-budget option, and Denver is making it worth your while to plan a getaway with their Mile-High Holidays lineup.  Through January, you can stay at some of the coolest hotels (including the funky fabulous Curtis) for $52.80 a night—a steal at 1 penny for each mile high in elevation.  Here's a list of the hotels offering this deal: http://www.milehighholidays.com/Hotels.asp

And if you fly into Denver DIA, waiting at the gate just got WAY more interesting...you might see this crew before takeoff ( Michael Flatley wasn't available):

It's all part of DIA's International Performance Series through December 31.  So while you may pay extra to check a bag, you'll at least get a spring in your step.  No extra charge. 

By Amy Wolf, Sunset travel editor

Can't afford to eat out these days? Repeat after me: Yes you can. That is, if you know where to go. A growing number of restaurants around the West have been experimenting with a new payment model that amounts to a sliding price structure based on what you can afford. Crazy? Maybe. But in today's economy, maybe they're onto something. Just keep in mind that karma happens: pay what's fair. Happy Thanksgiving.

One World Everybody Eats
Where: Salt Lake City, UT
Food: Simple soups, salads, bread grains
Chew on this: A new branch has just opened in Spokane, WA.

So All May Eat Cafe (aka SAME Cafe)
Where: Denver, CO
Food: Healthy, organic soups, salads, and grains.
Chew on this: Volunteers servers welcome.

Shell Creek Grill & Wine Bar
Where: Edmunds, WA
Food: Pumpkin-ginger soup, wood-fired rack of lamb, black-truffle risotto
Chew on this: This is a traditional (and classy) restaurant experimenting with a new model in response to recent economic developments. Word has it business has doubled since the change was made.

Terra Bite Cafe
Where: Kirkland, WA
Serves: Coffee, pastries, energy bars
Food for thought: Word has it people pay an average of $3 per drink here. Sounds about right to me.

Know any other pay-as-you-wish cafes or restaurants in the West? Or got a review of one of the above? Do tell.

Extreme ski champion Kim Reichhelm reveals the inside track on skiing Western slopes. Photo by Robb Pennie

Expert: Kim Reichhelm, World Extreme Skiing Champion

Field of study: Insider skiing in the West

Favorite skiing in the West: Alta (State 210 at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta, UT; 801/359-1078)—a real skier’s mountain.

“Secret” ski trail to try: Big Burn at Snowmass (800/308-6935) in Aspen has wide-open runs flanked by trees and is great for midlevel to expert skiers. It’s the place to be on Colorado powder days.

Best crowd-free resort: Snowbasin Resort (3925 E. Snowbasin Rd., Huntsville, UT; 888/437-5488) hosted a few 2002 Winter Olympics events and did a lot to improve the facilities. It has the nicest base lodge of any place I’ve seen.

Most inspiring view from a ski mountain: Alaska’s Alyeska Resort (1000 Arlberg Ave., Girdwood, AK; 907/754-1111). Looking out over the Turnagain Arm—an inland sea channel—you can sometimes see pods of orcas.

Go-to après-ski hangout: 39 Degrees Lounge at the Sky Hotel ($$; 709 E. Durant Ave., Aspen; 800/882-2582): a fairly young, hip place without the Aspen celebrity vibe—it’s for real skiers, and fantastic for people-watching. There’s a huge crackling fireplace, and the lounge spills out into a pool area with a hot tub.

Reichhelm's Ski Adventures sponsors a trip to Portillo, Chile. Photo courtesy skiwithkim.com

INFO Visit skiwithkim.com for information on Reichhelm’s ski camps and adventure skiing programs.

The November issue of Sunset hits newsstands this weekend. Want a sneak peek?  Here are some Insider Tips from our Weekend Guide.  Each day this week you’ll get a taste of a different region! Tune in daily and don’t forget to leave comments.

Expert: Jamie Korngold, Adventure Rabbi (left) Photograph by Carmel Zucker

Field of study: Spiritual outdoor places in the Rockies

Favorite ways to reconnect with nature this month: A moderate 1.8-mile snowshoe hike beginning at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park ($20 per vehicle; 970/586-1206) up to Emerald Lake—perfect for talking with friends or family and reconnecting with what’s truly important. Also the easy 1.5-mile hike to Corona Arch (435/259-2100), west of Moab, Utah. The red rock with a dusting of white snow is ethereal.

Sprague Lake, one of many treasures in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo courtesy National Park Service

Most spiritual place in the outdoors in Boulder: The smell of sun on soil and the sound of wind on the moderate 1.5-mile Shanahan Ridge Trail (303/441-3440).

Favorite places to holiday-shop for outdoor enthusiasts: Craigslist—you can find great deals on lightly used items.

Thanksgiving tradition: Celebrating up at Copper Mountain Resort (call 866/841-2481 for lift-ticket prices) with a small gathering of friends. Nothing beats the empty slopes of Thanksgiving afternoon when everyone is inside watching ‘the game.’

By Ben Marks, senior editor Sunset Books

Tuesday morning breaks cold and clear, with frost from the season's first cold snap sparkling on the grass. My cousin Helen and I hunker down indoors to give the world outside a chance to warm up while we get caught up on our respective deadlines. She's got 120 homework assignments to grade. All I have to do is write a blog, so I think I know who's working harder...

Having gotten all I could the day before out of the spare commuter bike in Helen's garage, I decide to rent something a bit more substantial for the rest of the week. I could have borrowed a bike for free from the Fort Collins Bicycle Lending Library, but I missed the window of time when they were open. So I call Joe, who runs New World Sports LLC out of his garage and a trailer that's parked alongside his driveway. Joe has a mountain bike that pretty much fits me like a glove. It's not the best thing for touring, which is mostly what I intend to do, but its frame fits my frame almost as well as my bike back home, and that seems like the most important consideration.

We head up Laporte to Overland, which takes us south to County Road 42 and the climb up to Horsetooth Reservoir. This, Helen tells me, is the sort of ride that local cyclists do without thinking too much about it (see above). The climb is less than 500 feet, and it's a far cry from mountain biking in the Maroon Bells, or anything crazy like that. But I'm just having a heck of a time getting my bike up this hill. I finally make it to the top, and then the cause of my difficulty becomes clear; there's hardly any air in my fat back tire. Fortunately Joe has provided me with a pump, which quickly gets the tire back to riding pressure. I must not have noticed that it was low before we took off. But a few miles later, the tire blows completely. Helen, of course, has gone on ahead, bored, I suspect, by my habit of pulling over every so often to take pictures, so I turn onto a gravel driveway and use the extra tube that Joe has given me for just this eventuality. Rubbing my fingers along the inside of the tire, I find the thorn that has let the air out of my afternoon, remove it, and replace the tube as Helen comes riding up, giving me a good-natured amount of grief. We head out.

Maybe two miles later, the thing blows again. I'm out of tubes, and now out of patience. Fortunately we are close to Helen's house so she rides home to get a car while I start walking. I call Joe, and if mortification has a sound, I think I'm hearing it. He quickly offers to give me a new tire and tube. I offer to meet him at his place, and an hour everything has been straightened out. Will I call Joe again the next time I'm in Fort Collins? Absolutely. These things happen. ;-)

Time for Odell's, where we taste from sample trays before zeroing in on whatever strikes our fancy. I'm traveling alone, so I gravitate toward the Isolation Ale, which is delicious. Then we head over to Trail Head Tavern, for $2 pints and baskets of bacon-cheese burgers with fries, which only set us back $5 per pair since it's after 7pm. I take a cell-phone snap of a portion of the bar menu that's scrawled on a chalkboard (see below), comforted in the knowledge that the good innkeepers of Fort Collins understand the importance of setting limits. And those flat tires of earlier this afternoon? Long, long forgotten.