New Southern Utah Luxury Resort Pushes the Boundaries of Adventure Travel — Are You Ready for the Cave Peak Stairway?

While Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have just completed the ultimate feat of adventure travel by whooshing off to the edge of space, the luxury hotel group Aman has introduced a more earthly, yet still exciting, adventure set in South Utah for the brave of heart. It’s called the Cave Peak Stairway and its guaranteed to tickle your “explorer gene.” (See below for more on that gene.)

With this addition to the stable of challenging (and not-so-challenging) experiences offered at the luxury five-star/all-suite hotel, the Amangiri is poised to be “the ideal destination for those looking to push the boundaries of adventure travel and discover an ancient landscape.”

Activities across the 600 acres of high desert terrain include hiking, climbing and canyoning across the Colorado Plateau, with its undeniably dramatic canyons, mesas, ridges and gorges. Guests can go as challenging as they like with guided hikes, graded by difficulty, that explore the geological wonders of the landscape. The challenge can be as strenuous as tackling the Via Ferrata  or “iron roads” in which fixed rungs and cables embedded into the rock face enable intrepid adventurers to traverse deep gorges and sheer canyons.

Horseback riding with treks of various levels of challenge is also on the menu of activities. Nearby Lake Powell presents the opportunity for kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, or exploring from the comfort of boat on tours of the lake.

The pièce de résistance is the latest addition to the Amangiri’s adventure package, billed as being “well-suited to thrill seekers.” From the challenging-in-itself Cave Peak Via Ferrata Trail, the Cave Peak Stairway climbs 120 steps rising some 400 feet from lift off. This vertical route of ascent leads to a summit view of the resort and surrounding desert terrain. An adrenaline-fueled adventure in the middle of a peaceful desert retreat.

Of course, in Aman Resorts luxury tradition the property includes a 25,000-square-foot spa with water pavilion, sauna, steam room, cold plunge and outdoor private pavilions. The perfect antidote to those aching muscles after the big climb.

Depending on time of year, rates at the Amangiri begin at $3,500 per night (currently $5,900) exclusive of taxes and fees, includes all meals.

(The explorer gene: A variant of the DRD4 gene known as DRD4-7R is said to be represented in 20 percent of the population. Studies have shown that the presence of 7R  makes people more likely to take risks, explore new places, ideas, food, relationships, drugs, or sexual opportunities; and generally embrace movement, change and adventure,” according to an article in Britain’s Bushgear newsletter.)