What is Cedar City Like?
One of the greatest things about Cedar City is the location. At an average elevation of 6000 feet, with surrounding mountains rising to over 11,000 feet, the area boasts four full seasons with moderate temperatures and great outdoor recreational opportunities.
Spring in Cedar City
Spring time in Cedar City is a marvelous time of rejuvenation and warming days. Average temperatures from March through May are moderate with daytime highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.
Be careful, though, changes in elevation can bring major changes in temperature. Visitors to St. George, Utah, just 40 minutes south of Cedar City and almost 3000 feet lower, experience temperatures as much as 20 degrees warmer while those who head to the mountains may see an equal drop in temperature as elevation rises.
One thing for sure about spring in Cedar City is that you can literally go from playing golf in the morning to snow skiing in the afternoon. As the picture of the SUU campus in the spring demonstrates, the mountains still have lots of snow while the city and surrounding area is coming to life in anticipation of summer.
Summer in Cedar City
Summer is certainly the time to take advantage of the great outdoor hiking and recreational opportunities. Temperatures in Cedar City for July averages a high of 89 and a low of 58. The surrounding area may see a wide variance where we find the highest temperatures in St. George (98) and the lowest at the 11,500 foot peaks (20) in the Cedar Breaks park area.
For those who stay in or around Cedar City the summer can be absolutely beautiful in large part due to the moderate daytime temperatures. It is amazing how nice it can be, considering just 150 miles away one can experience the burning desert temperatures (115+) of Las Vegas.
Fall in Cedar City
As spectacular as the days can be during the summer there is even more beauty by the time we get to fall. The trees begin to turn magnificent colors, and the hiking along all the great trails can be breath taking.
Of course fall is also the time of year for football, school to start, and for those who love their winter sports to start getting ready for another great year in southern Utah. About the only thing that can beat the other seasons is when that first snow hits and you know that the ski resorts will open for the season soon.
Winter in Cedar City
Since this is really more of a personal site than a true tourist site it's a nice addition to actually see someone you know on the slopes. Yep, that's me racing past the lower lift tower at Brian Head ski area.
Not only can you ski in the area but there are great spots for your snowmobile, cross-country skiing, hiking, and just about anything else you can do for fun outdoors.
Now that you've got an idea of what the weather is like around Cedar City let's spend some time looking at all the great things you can do here.
Recreation and Fun in Cedar City
At the top of the list is all the beautiful and varied scenery you can find in and around Cedar City. There is now where else in the world that allows you to see so much in so small of an area. Cedar City is literally surrounded by National Parks and great outdoor recreation areas. The parks include:
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Cedar Breaks National Monument
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
- Kodachrome Basin State Park
- Snow Canyon State Park
- Zion National Park
Each of the parks listed, along with hundreds of other opportunities for fun, are within an easy driving distance from Cedar City. Because of its central location to the parks, and great climate all year round, Cedar City is a perfect place to call "home" during your visit to the area.
If you are traveling by car, or even better yet ... by motorcycle, then a stay in Cedar City will provide you ample opportunity to take pictures as spectacular as these. What is even better is the fact that you can spend days on end seeing the great sites and still not see it all. That's why Cedar City and the national parks in the area are so popular year after year with travelers.
The sites are of course spectacular, but you will also want to check out the great recreational opportunities that abound year round in Cedar City. Here are just a few of the outdoor activities that you will find in the area.
- Biking
- Camping
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Hiking
- Off-Road/ATV
- Skiing/Snowboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Water SportsFor those a little less adventure oriented there are some truly great civic, cultural, artistic, and just down right entertaining things to do as well.
- American Folk Ballet
- Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery
- Heritage Center
- SUU College of Performing & Visual Arts
- Thunderbird International Film Festival
- Tuacahn Amphitheatre
- Westates Theatres
- Utah Shakespearean Festival
- Zion Giant Screen TheaterAdd to this some just good old fashioned "down home" people who are always excited to see visitors and you can get an idea of why Cedar City is a great place to work and visit.
Important Links:
Cedar City Chamber of Commerce
Southern Utah University (SUU)
