Hot Air Ballooning Over Utah

Bluff Balloon Festival | Sonja Doctorian

Experience the thrill of taking flight over Utah's breathtaking landscapes, from Bluff's red rock mesas to Eden's lush mountain meadows.

For almost 250 years, hot air ballooning has provided humanity with a birds-eye view of the Earth below. Utah, with its varied microclimates and exquisite mountains, canyons and deserts, has become a year-round destination for aeronauts and escapists looking to view the world from a higher plain or perspective.

Numerous balloon festivals, paired with food, music and other cultural entertainment, dot the calendars throughout the Beehive State, drawing people of all ages and adventure levels.

The appeal of ballooning dates back to the Montgolfier brothers floating over Versailles in the 18th Century. Anyone who has looked up at an eagle in flight has wondered, “Why can’t I?” Children running in playgrounds skip a little higher, hoping the breeze beneath them will carry them away like in so many bedtime tales.

Hot air ballooning feeds our wonder and excites our senses. The cool air tingles our skin as it’s funnelled into the envelope. The sounds of the burner heating the pocket cause the folds to fill and rise. Even the wafts of propane, a spruce or microbiotic crust tickle our noses as we climb and descend, rubbing our fingers along the smooth, yet sturdy edge of the wicker gondola.

As the sun rises over the peaks and mesas throughout Utah, cool, arid breezes whip around the nylon panels of dozens of balloons eager to take flight. Utah is your destination for exploration and wonder. No experience required, just the desire to lift off and see this unique landscape from a different perspective.

A pilot and crew watch and wait as a purring fan forces air into a balloon, which billows and expands on a mild winter morning in Southern Utah.

Photo: Sonja Doctorian

Weightless air still requires a strong and steady set of hands as a balloon takes shape.

Photo: Sonja Doctorian

Veteran pilots warn first-time riders to cover their ears as they light the loud burner, which heats the air and raises the envelope before they climb in.

Photo: Sonja Doctorian

Unmoored venturers float as the wind carries them through the Valley of the Gods, occasionally meeting the chasers and caravans that follow along the road.

Photo: Sonja Doctorian

Visitors below can follow these aeronautical leviathans as they trace the outline of a Southern Utah mesa in the background.

Photo: Sonja Doctorian

Over a thousand yards of silk-like ripstop nylon contrast against the colors and textures found along Bluff’s expansive, rough-hewn terrain.

Gravity pulls like gossamer threads against the wicker and steel frame gondolas that take flight over a heavenly Eden in Northern Utah.

Serendipitous winds carry spontaneous fliers over the recreation areas surrounding Kanab, a base camp for adventure.

At this annual autumnal festival, a riot of color dots Ogden Valley before winter reclaims the premier alpine resorts to their monochrome state.

Photo: Matt Morgan

Over 40 aerostats awaken as pilots and crews prepare to rise and lift off at Kanab’s weekend-long soaring and sonorous event held each February.

Photo: Olivier Barthez

These balloons don’t require ballast as they whet their wicker and smoothly rise again from Panguitch Lake.

Photo: Sandra Salvas

Soaring through science. A mechanical fan blows cold air to inflate the patchwork envelope before a large burner heats the air, causing the balloon, basket and crew to rise.

Photo: Sandra Salvas

From sunset lightings to sunrise liftoffs, balloon festivals throughout Utah offer wanderers and adventurers sights and sounds, tastes and touches rarely accessible to the general public.

Photo: Sandra Salvas

Dozens of hot air balloons converge near Bryce and Zion National Parks at festivals each summer and fall, providing aeronautical adventurers another view of Utah’s unique landscape.

Photo: Sandra Salvas

After experienced pilots and crews return from soaring over Southern Utah, guests of all ages can enjoy tethered rides at St. George’s premier ballooning event held each February.

Photo: Rosie Serago

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Hot Air Ballooning

Experience the magic of hot air balloon festivals and rides in Utah.

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About the Author – Paula Colman

Paula Colman is not a professional skier, mountain biker, sommelier or chef, but spends her time pursuing these and whatever else pops up along the way with an inordinate amount of enthusiasm and humor. As a recovering attorney and practicing parent, who has lived in seven states across all four time zones, she landed in Utah over a decade ago and decided that she could study for the bar or learn to ski…hmmm. She now shares her stories about outdoor adventures and entertainments throughout Utah as a regular contributor for Visit Utah, Ski Utah, ApresSkiUtah.com and others and on Instagram at @harpo_utah.