Any visitor to Canyonlands or Arches National Parks in the summertime has likely been captivated by the sight of snow-capped Mount Tukuhnikivatz in the La Sal Mountains. Even in the heat of the desert, snow can be seen on the highest peaks of the La Sals until July. Legend has it that Silvestre Valez de Escalante, a Spanish missionary and explorer, gave the mountains their name during his 1776 expedition through Utah. He called them the Sierra La Sal, or "Salt Mountains”, because he found it so remarkable that they were still snow-covered so late in the year.
