Southern Utah Vacation 3: Boulder

After a few days in Moab, we ventured on to Boulder - a small, quiet town with a population of only 180. Boulder is located between Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park.  Lets just say - in the middle of nowhere far from civilization. Our plans were to spend a night here on our way to meet friends in Zion National Park.
We stayed at Boulder Mountain Lodge -an eco-lodge named one of the top adventure lodges by Outside Traveler magazine and "Best Civilized Escape" by Salt Lake magazine. There was nothing typical of the accommodations. The entire place was truly incredible - just being there gave you a sense of complete relaxation. We all didn't want to leave.

The grounds of Boulder Mountain Lodge

Relaxing by the hot tub

Perhaps the best part of Boulder Mountain Lodge is the restaurant located on its grounds, Hell's Backbone Grill.  

"They serve organic, locally produced, regionally and seasonally appropriate cuisine, growing many of their own vegetables organically in the restaurant’s two gardens and on their six-acre farm. They feature dishes made with fruit from Boulder’s heirloom orchards and rely largely on local ranchers for the natural meat they serve."

We strive to eat organically or at least all natural foods whenever possible.  It is easy with groceries as we live 2 blocks from a Whole Foods and the Costco here in SLC has a huge selection of organic foods, but it is always difficult when out to eat. This restaurant was amazing. The ambience was perfect, the company delightful, and food was delicious. We definitely hope to visit many times while we are living in Utah. 

Dinner at Hell's Backbone

We enjoyed dinner so much, we went back for breakfast the next morning.  David and I even purchased their cookbook and look forward to making some of their recipes on our own.  

After a hearty breakfast we set out to hike Calf Creek Fall's trail.

Frog Rock

The boys tend to leave us...

The Waterfall...

Playing in the water

After our time in Boulder, we headed to Zion National Park where we met up with a group of friends to camp for the weekend.