You Don't Have to Shovel Sunshine

This is a particular November morning in St. George I stepped outside with my favorite beverage and realized I never had to put on a coat. The morning is fresh and cool, but I'm not freezing. That is a huge benefit for living here: endless sunshine and wonderful weather. The desert gives us about 255 sunny days a year — counts that also credit partly cloudy skies put it nearer 300 — against a national average of 205.

The rest of the numbers are just as kind. We take roughly 10 inches of rain a year where most of the country takes 38, and about 2 inches of snow where most places make peace with 28. Winter highs sit in the upper 50s, so the trails at Snow Canyon and Sand Hollow stay walkable straight through January.

Which is why the local motto holds up: you don't have to shovel sunshine. Bring a chair, bring the kids, and find a patch of warm red sand. The sunshine's free.