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Masks, Hand Sanitizer, Health Screenings, & More

Posted by Salt Lake Express on May 14, 2020

How can we help you travel more confidently?

As we enter back into a realm of normalcy, we understand that it’s going to take some time. However, we’re here to help that process along. Our goal here at Salt Lake Express is to earn the trust of our travelers. Even if that takes a little time. In order to improve confidence among our travelers, we’re implementing the following practices on our buses.

Health Screenings

To ensure our riders’ safety on our end, we’re making sure that all of our drivers are taking necessary precautions. They will all receive a basic health screening before their shift. This will help us know if anyone is feeling ill or showing early signs of illness. If a driver is unfit, then a different driver will take their place.

We have and are considering screening our passengers. However, it is a large undertaking so at the current moment we are adhering to social distancing practices. We have scaled back the amount of passengers allowed on a single bus.

Hand Sanitizer

Along with health screenings and the current disinfecting practices employed, we are now offering hand sanitizer. To be direct, we know that it doesn’t matter how often we tell you that we clean our buses if you don’t see it happen with your own eyes. In order to help with this effort, we will provide hand sanitizer on our buses as well as cleaning wipes that you are able to wipe down your area with.

You will find the hand sanitizer near the passenger entry of each bus. This way you are able to use it before touching any surfaces on the bus.

Face Masks

In doing our part to continue to slow the spread, we have been providing masks for all travelers for weeks now. When used in accordance with CDC guidelines, face masks can be effective at helping slow the spread of the virus.

While our drivers and riders employ these safety standards combined with common sense, we believe our buses are a safe transportation option during this time. With the addition of these provided face masks in conjunction with the daily deep cleaning of our vehicles, we are prepared for people to start traveling again.

The CDC recommends wearing face masks in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

Social Distancing

We are able to accommodate social distancing whenever possible. What we mean by this is that it’s really difficult to have a true 6 foot separation on buses. However, we are providing extra room on our vehicles by blocking out some seats. This will help to make way for better social distancing while riding one of our buses.

In sum, our goal is to continue to do everything in our power to ensure safety while traveling with us. We believe that by taking these measures we can help people begin to feel comfortable when resuming regular travel again.

St. George Express Zion National Park 15

4 Things To Plan Before Your Trip To St. George

Posted by Salt Lake Express on February 19, 2020

St. George Express and Salt Lake Express make visiting St. George convenient and memorable. However, trips are not fun unless you know what is in store. There are four things you need to consider before planning your trip to St. George. These things include museums/history, activities, parks, and food.

The Museums & History of St. George

St. George has loads of history and museums to display the amazing artifacts from history. Just outside of St.George is The Jacob Hamlin house. Inside there are preserved artifacts from the 1800s. These artifacts depict what life was like from Jacob Hamlin who played a huge role in serving the American Indians and settling St. George. Another key player in the history of St. George is Brigham Young.

In St. George you can find the Brigham Young Winter home. Tours of the home show what life was like for him and his growing family in the 1870s as well as his participation in the community.

Another gem found in the heart of St.George is the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum which is packed with pictures and artifacts from the pioneers. They offer tours and have a fun scavenger hunt to participate in.

Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum is another fun place to visit. There you can find wildlife from every continent. You are free to walk around on your own or pick up an electronic wand and be taught by individual narration about the creatures that roam and have roamed our continents.

The Activities

If you are looking for an outside adventure, St. George does not disappoint. The winters in St.George are pretty mild but if you go to certain resorts the mountains are full of skiers and snowboarders.

The summers on the other hand are hot. But there is nothing better than spending a hot summer afternoon near the water. St. George is home to three perfect water locations. Whether you choose to go fishing, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding or boating you will enjoy yourself at Sand Hollow State Park, Gunlock State Park, and Quail Creek State Park.

If you like shooting come practice your aim at “The shooting experience”. Horseback riding or ATVing is a unique way to view some of the canyons and trails in St. George. All of these activities are loads of fun but nothing beats hiking through the canyons of the state and national parks.

The Parks

St.George is known for its red rocks and national and state parks. You can visit one park or go see a few. Each park has unique wildlife, vegetation and rock formations.

Chuckwalla Trail

At the head of the Chuckwalla Trail you can find people rock climbing or repelling down the rocks. As you head down the path you can see several caves in the rocks, as well as a variety of trees, flowers and wildlife.

At the end of the trail there is a mini arch. That looks over a beautiful view of the red rock land below.

Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon is a State Park that offers 12 unique trails just off of one road. Throughout the park there are several parking places, picnic areas and bathrooms. In the middle of the park, surrounded by red rock are one of a kind camping sites. It is also home to a diversity of plants and wildlife that are only found in this state park.

You can check out the Snow Canyon State Park Trail Map here.

In the middle of all this red rock however, is some white rock mountains. Due to its color one of the first trails at the top of Snow Canyon is called White rocks trail. It is a 4 mile trail that passes through red, white and black rock. A Quarter mile into the hike there is a fork in the path. If you take a right at this point you will come to the White rocks Amphitheater. This trail is a total of 1 mile that leads your to an amphitheater of natural sandstone and back.

Further down the road is the Lava Flow trail. This trail 2.5 miles of uneven surfaces due to the jumbled lava rock. There are also two lava tubes that are big enough to climb into.

Petrified Dunes is another fun hike. It is 1.2 miles long. There are some steep, uneven surfaces but a pretty moderate hike. This hike walks along Navajo sandstone outcrops and sand dunes that are petrified and frozen in time.

Snow Canyon is family friendly park. The shorter length hikes make it possible to enjoy more than one hike and see a variety of different views.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is open everyday of the year, however some facilities and services may be closed during certain parts of the year. A free shuttle is in operation March through late November. The shuttle starts at the Visitors Center and goes to the end of the park. There are 8-9 stops depending on the time of year and weather. Due to the weather and rock slides some trails may be closed as well. It is smart to have an idea of what trails you want to hike before you arrive to make the most of your time.

Here is the Zion National Park Shuttle and Trail Map.

Angels Landing

One of the most famous hikes in Zion is called Angels Landing. Although the view from this hike is breath taking, this hike is not for everyone. This hike is 5.4 miles with and elevation change of 1488 ft which means long drop offs. Since 2004, 10 people have died falling from the cliffs on this route. The path is often snowy and icy. It is not for young children of people with fear of heights.

The Upper Emerald Pools

The Upper Emerald Pools is another popular hike. It is a mile long hike across a sandy and rocky path. The hike ends at the Upper Emerald Pools at the base of a cliff. In the winter the pool is covered in snow and ice but is still beautiful. In the summer when the snow has melted the pool is an emerald green color with vegetation surrounding the pool.

The Temple of Sinawava

Temple of Sinawava is the last stop that the shuttles go to. It has a beautiful view along with bathrooms and water. This stop takes you to the trail head of Riverside Walk and The Narrows. The Riverside Walk is just what its name says. It is 2.2 miles of paved trail along side the river. It is wheelchair accessible and very easy but can get pretty cold in between the canyons. At the end of this trail is the start of The Narrows trail. This hike is one of a kind but pretty strenuous. It is an additional 7.2 miles and most of that is through water. However, there are boots and dry suits available at the visitor center for this hike.

The Food

Food is always an important part of a vacation. No matter what you are in the mood for, they have it in St.George. Some of the local favorites are as follows. The Painted Pony is a well loved fine dining restaurant that serves American Contemporary food. The Hawaiian Poke Bowl is another option. It has 5 stars on trip adviser and its seafood, Polynesian food and Hawaiian food does not disappoint. Red Fort Cuisine of India is another favorite. It is a traditional Indian food restaurant. Another cheaper, yet popular option is Irmita’s Casita which is a Mexican restaurant. They offer all types of options from authentic to Tex-Mex.

Whether you want to relax and enjoy the scenery with some good food or experience an action filled adventure, St. George is the place to visit. So when you plan your trip to St. George, remember that the Salt Lake Express and the St. George Express are here to help.

St. George Express Las Vegas LDS Temple Route

St. George Express Provides Routes to the Las Vegas LDS Temple

Posted by Salt Lake Express on November 13, 2019

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints announced last week that the St. George temple will be closed until 2022. It will be undergoing some major renovations over the next couple of years.

Regular temple attendance is important for devout Latter-day Saints. With this change, many members in southern Utah will be searching for a new temple to attend temporarily. So, which temple should you attend while the St. George temple is closed?

That’s a great question! Let’s walk through it together.

Take a Trip to the Las Vegas LDS Temple

As many of our readers know, we have over two dozen stops along the I-15 corridor. Several of those cities house Latter-day Saint temples. Two of the closest temples to St. George is the Cedar City LDS Temple and Las Vegas LDS Temple. Routes are provided on both the Salt Lake Express and St. George Express to Cedar City and Las Vegas. However, until now we have not added any stops that take patrons directly to the temple.

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints initially announced renovations to the St. George temple, Jacob Price immediately saw a need. As the owner here at the Salt Lake Express and St. George Express as well as a resident of St. George, Price wanted to help his community.

“We felt that many would benefit from having a simple solution to get to and from the temple,” Price said. “We believe that having a stop right in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Temple will allow many to continue to attend the temple without inconvenience.”

That’s why we have happily decided to add FOUR daily routes that will shuttle temple attendees directly to the Las Vegas temple.

Travel time between St. George and the Las Vegas temple will take less than 3 hours.

Shuttle Times Built Around Temple Schedule

We’ve also arranged for these new shuttle schedules to allow temple patrons to stay in the area for a few hours, a half day, and a full day, depending on how long they wish to extend their trip. Our shuttles will arrive at the Las Vegas temple at 6:40 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 3:55 p.m., and 8:25 p.m. Departures will be 10 minutes after each arrival, as per usual.

We love our dedicated travelers, and hope that these changes will be of great value to southern Utah communities!

For more information about the new routes, or more about us here at the Salt Lake Express, contact Kathy Pope at 208-317-8211 or at kathy.pope@saltlakeexpress.com. If you’re interested in booking a trip visit taketheexpress.com or call 208-656-8824.