Red Rock Corridor

The Red Rock Corridor has long been hailed as a pantheon for all things outdoors. These days, with a groundswell of outstanding resort and semiprivate golf courses, chasing the little white ball around has become a legitimate outdoor pursuit in these parts.

The corridor is flanked by St. George, Utah to the north, and the tumbleweed town of Mesquite to the south. This natural wonder spills through the American southwest like a rambling, risk-reward par 5.

The risk, in this case, is forgoing some of the region's more ballyhooed golf destinations in favor of a off the beaten path golf gorge. The reward is breathtaking layouts, surprisingly reasonable rates and (of course) the fairway less traveled.

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A surreal blend of glowing red sandstone cliffs and deep, rambling valleys, the Red Rock Corridor is a 48-mile geological phenomena that shuns all political boundaries, covering acreage in Utah, northeast Arizona and southwest Nevada.

Aside from natural wonders Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Lake Powell, and the Grand Canyon, the Red Rock Corridor is - as previously alluded to -- home to some wonderful golf.

Sunbrook Golf Club affords golfers views of jaw-dropping natural beauty throughout its 27-holes. The course weaves through red rocks, valley river bottoms, and wetlands and features holes carved out of black lava. Entrada at Snow Canyon is a new Johnny Miller layout set among the Corridor's trademark red rock landscape, with an array of sand dunes and lava fields thrown in for good measure.

Mesquite, a small town of 15,000 is a budding golf stronghold with four fine courses of its own, including the Oasis resort, one of the area's finest stay-and-play facilities.

The Red Rock Corridor is accessible via the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas airports, depending on which side of the corridor you favor. Mesquite is just 80 miles north of Las Vegas and is popular day and weekend trip for the locals.

The stunning natural beauty of the Red Rock Corridor is second to none, and its golf courses have enough prowess to make even the hiking and biking trails blush. After all, connecting on a drive from a tee box perched atop a red rock cliff and watching in wonder as it disappears into a lush green fairway below is worth the gamble.

Las Vegas - Red Rock Corridor