Utah News

With the 2025 NBA draft quickly approaching let’s jump back and take a look at the last 10 years of Utah Jazz drafting.

Everything included:

Who Utah picked, Who was traded on draft night, college stats, Jazz stats, notable players drafted after them, Overall draft letter grade, where are they now.

2015

Players Selected:

Trey Lyles 12 overall- Lyles spent 2 seasons with Utah, averaged 16.8 minutes, 6 pts, 3 Reb. He participated in the Rising Stars Challenge in 2016. However, the thing that Jazz fans will remember him most is being in the trade with Denver that got us Donovan Mitchell.

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College Stats- Played at Kentucky, averaged 23 minutes, averaged 8.7 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.1 Ast.

Olivier Hanlan 42 overall (Played summer league, however, did not make final roster)

College Stats- Played 3 seasons at Boston College, and in his Junior season he played 32 games, averaged 19.4 Pts, 4.2 Ast, and 4.2 Reb.

Daniel Diez 54th overall (traded draft rights to Portland)

College Stats- NA

Notable Players drafted after- Devin Booker 13th overall, Terry Rozier 16th overall, Bobby Portis 22nd overall, Pat Connaughton 41st overall, Norman Powell 46th overall

Overall draft letter Grade C+: Trey Lyles was not a bad pick, it just so happens that the player drafted right after him became an NBA star. He was consistent and was important when Rudy went down in the 2016 season.

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Where are they now– Trey Lyles is currently playing for the Kings and is averaging 6.5 pts, 4.6 Reb, 1.2 assists- Has stayed very consistent. Oliver Hanlan is currently playing for Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi.

2016

Players Selected:

Taurean Prince 12 overall (immediately traded to Atlanta for George Hill)

Prince played in 3 seasons for Atlanta and averaged 11 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast.

In the trade with Atlanta, we got back George Hill, who was the starting PG and an important piece in Hayward’s last year with Utah.

College Stats- Played at Baylor, played all 4 years, his senior year he averaged 32 min, 16 Pts, 6 Reb, 2.2 Ast.

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Isaiah Whitehead 42 overall (traded draft rights to Brooklyn)

College Stats- Played 2 seasons at Seton Hall. In his sophomore season, he played 34 games, averaged 18.2 Pts, 5.1 Ast, and 3.6 Reb.

Joel Bolomboy 52 overall– The only player Utah drafted in 2016 that actually suited up for the team. Bolomboy, a Weber State standout, played 1 season with the Jazz. He played a total of 12 games and made an appearance in 2 playoff games as well. He then got sent to the SLC Stars, played 26 games, averaged 16.5 pts, and then moved to Milwaukee the next season.

College Stats- Won Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, in his senior year, he averaged 17.9 pts, 12.8 Reb.

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Marcus Paige 55 overall (did not make final roster)

College Stats- Played 4 seasons at UNC, and in his senior season he averaged 12.6 pts, 3.8 Ast, and 2.1 Reb.

Tyrone Wallace 60 overall (did not make final roster)

College Stats- Played 4 seasons at California Berkeley, and in his senior season he averaged 15.3 pts, 3.4 Ast, 5.2 Reb.

Notable Players drafted after– Pascal Siakam 27th overall, Dejounte Murray 29th overall, Ivica Zubac 32 overall, Malcolm Brogdon 36th overall

Overall draft letter Grade– D: We only kept 1 of the 5 people we drafted.

Where are they now– Bolomboy is currently playing in the Euro League for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS. In my opinion, Bolomboy was unlucky to come to a team already with loads of big men. Utah already had Rudy, Favors, Udoh, and Tony Bradley the next season.

2017

Players Selected:

Donovan Mitchell 13 overall (acquired via trade from Denver)- Utah’s franchise player for years, made an instant impact when he came in for the injured Rodney Hood. He played 5 years in Utah, averaged 24pts, 4 Reb, 4.7 Ast. Led the Jazz to playoff run after playoff run but could never get past that second round.

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College Stats- 2 seasons at Louisville, and in his sophomore season, he averaged 32 min, 15.6 pts, 5.1 reb, 2 Ast

Tyler Lydon 24 overall (traded draft rights to Denver)- Played 26 games in 2 years in Denver, never made an impact.

College Stats- 2 seasons at Syracuse, and in his sophomore season, he averaged 36 minutes, 13.2 pts, 8.6 Reb.

Tony Bradley (via trade from LA for Josh Hart who Utah selected at 30)- Spent 3 years in Utah but never really cracked the rotation until year 3 where he played 58 games. He averaged 4.4 pts, 4 Reb in his stint with the Jazz.

College Stats- 1 season at North Carolina 14.6 Min, 7.1 Pts, 5.1 Reb.

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Nigel William-Goss 55th overall– Spent only one year with Utah and played 10 total games.

College Stats- 2 seasons at the University of Washington, 1 season at Gonzaga. In his Junior year, he averaged 16.8 pts, 4.7 Ast, 6 Reb.

Notable Players drafted after– Kyle Kuzma 27th overall, Derrick White 29th overall, JOSH HART 30th overall (man could Utah have used Josh Hart during those playoff runs), Dillon Brooks 45th overall.

Overall draft letter Grade– A: Donovan became the face of the league and carried this team for years. Doesn’t matter what else happened on draft night Utah got a star.

Where are they now– Donovan Mitchell is currently in his 3rd season playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 26 points and 5 assists. The Cavaliers were the 1st seed in the East and won 64 games. Tony Bradley currently plays for the Indiana Pacers and is averaging 4.4 pts, and 3 reb. Nigel William-Goss currently plays for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the Euro League.

2018

Players Selected:

Grayson Allen 21 overall– Allen only spent one season with the Jazz and played a total of 38 games and averaged 11 min, 5.6 pts, 1 Ast. He was then traded to Memphis in the Mike Conley deal that made some noise in Milwaukee and is now a very important bench piece for the Phoenix Suns.

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College Stats- 4 seasons at Duke. In his Senior year, he averaged 15.5 pts, 3.3 Reb, 4.6 Ast.

Vincent Edwards 52 overall (never played and quickly traded to Houston)

College Stats- 4 seasons at Purdue. In his senior year, he averaged 14.6 pts, 7.4 Reb, 2.9 Ast.

Notable Players drafted after– Moritz Wagner 25th overall, Robert Williams 27th overall, Jalen Brunson 33, Mitchell Robinson 36th overall, Gary Trent Jr 37th overall.

Overall draft letter Grade– C: It’s average Quin never really gave Grayson Allen the chance to play so we don’t really know but I loved watching him.

Where are they now– Grayson Allen is on the Phoenix Suns where he has become a very important rotation piece. He’s now averaging 12.2 pts, and 2.6 Ast. He’s started a total of 81 games in his 2 seasons so far in Phoenix. Vincent Edwards is currently not on a team, but last played for Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League.

2019

Players Selected:

Darius Bazley 23 overall (Traded to OKC)

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College Stats- NA

Jarrell Brantley 50th overall (acquired via trade from Indiana)- Brantley spent a total of 3 seasons with the Jazz and played a total of 41 games in that time. He averaged 6.1 minutes, 2.7 pts, and 1.3 Reb, but could just never crack the rotation. He spent a lot of time with the SLC Stars and got to the G-League First Team and All-Rookie Team. He averaged 18.8 pts, 7.6 Reb, 3.7 Ast.

College Stats- 4 seasons at Charleston and in his senior year he averaged 19.4 pts, 8.4 Reb, 2.4 Ast.

Justin Wright-Foreman 53 overall- He only spent one season with Utah and only appeared in 4 games for the first team. He spent a lot of time with the SLC Stars and averaged 17.3 pts, 3.1 Reb, 2.6 Ast per game.

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College Stats- 4 years at Hofstra University. In his senior year he averaged 27.1 pts, 3.5 Reb, and 1.5 Ast.

Notable Players drafted after– Ty Jerome 24th overall, Jordan Poole 28th overall, Keldon Johnson 29th overall, Jalen McDaniels 52 overall.

Overall draft letter Grade– F: none of these players made an impact.

Where are they now– Darius Bazley currently plays for Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. However, he recently came back to the Jazz to play in the Summer League. Brantley currently plays for Nagasaki Velca of the B.League. Wright-Foreman currently plays for l-Rayyan of the Qatari Basketball League.

2020

Players Selected:

Udoka Azubuike 27th overall– Azubuike spent 3 seasons with the Jazz, with his 3rd season as his best, appearing in 36 games. He averaged 3.3 pts and 3 Reb per game with the Jazz. Never could crack the rotation and never made a real impact. He then signed a two-way contract with the Suns.

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College Stats- Spent 4 years at Kansas, and his senior year he played 32 games, averaged 13.7 pts, and 10.5 Reb.

Elijah Hughes 39th overall (acquired in trade from Pelicans)- Spent 2 seasons with the Jazz but never was able to really crack into the rotation. He averaged 2.3 pts in his time with Utah. He was traded to Portland and played 22 games there.

College Stats- Spent 3 seasons at Syracuse, played 32 games, averaged 36.7 minutes, 19 pts, 4.9 Reb, 3.4 Ast.

Saben Lee (traded to Detroit)

College Stats- 3 seasons at Vanderbilt. Played 3 seasons, and in his junior year, he played 32 games, 18.6 pts, and 4.2 Ast.

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Notable Players drafted after– Jaden McDaniels 28th overall, Desmond Bane 30th overall, Nick Richards 42 overall.

Overall draft letter Grade– D: None of them ever cracked the rotation and didn’t last long on the team. And Desmond Bane was right there!!!

Where are they now– Azubuike currently plays for Budućnost of the Prva A Liga and the ABA League. And Hughes plays for CB Breogán of the Liga ACB.

2021

Players Selected:

Santi Aldama 30th overall (traded rights to Memphis)- The Jazz would love Santi Aldama at the moment.

College Stats- Played 2 seasons at Maryland, and in his Sophomore year he averaged 35 min, 21.2 pts, 10.1 reb, 2.3 Ast.

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Jared Butler 40th overall (acquired via trade withthe Pelicans)- Butler only spent one season with the Jazz and played a total of 42 games. He averaged 3.8 pts, and 1 Reb. Had some good showings but was just never able to be a staple. However, he then signed with Washington and played 72 games for the Wizards.

College Stats- Played 3 seasons at Baylor, and in his Junior Year he averaged 16.7 pts, 5 Ast, 2.3 Reb.

Notable Players drafted after– Herbert Jones 35th overall, Luka Garza 52 overall

Overall draft letter Grade– D: Never really made an impact, but if the Jazz kept Santi Aldama, it could be a different story.

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Where are they now– Jared Butler currently plays for the 76ers, where he is a rotation guard. He’s averaging 9 pts, 1.8 Reb, and 3.7 Ast.

2022

Players Selected:

Utah did not make any selections in 2022, however, ended up with 2 players from the draft from the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades.

Ochai Agbaji 14th overall (acquired via trade from Cleveland)- OH MY Ochai, Utah didn’t draft in 2022 but acquired Ochai, who was 14th overall in the Donovan Mitchell trade. He spent 2 seasons with the Jazz and averaged 6.7 pts, 2 reb, 1 Ast.

College Stats- Played 4 seasons at Kansas and in his Senior year he averaged 19.7 pts, 5.2 reb and won Final Four most outstanding player.

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Walker Kessler 22 overall (acquired via trade) drafted by Memphis, traded to Minnesota, traded again to Utah for Rudy Gobert, and thank goodness. Walker Kessler Ranger has been amazing for the Jazz and will be looking at a bigger contract soon. In his 3 seasons so far, he is averaging 9.4 pts, 8 reb, 2.4 BLK.

College Stats- Played at both North Carolina and Auburn and in his Sophomore year he averaged 11.4 pts, 8.1 Reb, and 4.6 BLK per game.

Notable Players drafted after– Honestly, not much

Overall draft letter Grade– NA

Where are they now- Walker is the Jazz’s starting center and, at times, the team’s best player. A high prospect that multiple other teams have asked Utah about. Ochai is currently playing for the Toronto Raptors and is averaging 10.4 pts, 3.8 Reb, and 1.5 Ast.

2023

Players Selected:

Taylor Hendricks 9th overall- Didn’t crack the rotation until late his rookie year, but showed great improvement towards the end of the season. He won the starting job the following year but then broke his leg three games in. He is ready to come back this next season and pick up where he left off. In his rookie season, he averaged 7.3 pts, 5 Reb, 0.8 BLK.

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College Stats- In his one season at UCF, he averaged 34.7 min, 15.1 pts, and 7.0 Reb.

Keyonte George 16th overall– In his 2 seasons so far, Keyonte has been an on-again, off-again point guard. From being the starting point guard to becoming an off-the-bench guard. He has averaged 14.8 pts, 5 Ast, and 3 Reb in those 2 seasons. But still hasn’t shown enough to be the guy. However, he still shows promise and is definitely not a miss of a pick.

College Stats- In his one season at Baylor he averaged 28.7 minutes, 15.3 pts, 4.2 Reb, 2.8 Ast.

Brice Sensabaugh 28th overall- In his 2 seasons with the Jazz, he has played a total of 103 games. A player who has been very promising and has shown significant growth between his two seasons. However, he has had trouble at times cracking Will Hardy’s rotation, sometimes going multiple games without minutes this past season. He has averaged 9.8 pts, 3 Reb, and 1.6 STL a game.

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College Stats- Only played one season at Ohio State. He averaged 24.5 minutes, 16.3 pts, 5.4 Reb, 1.2 Ast a game.

Notable Players drafted after– Dereck Lively 12 overall, Jamie Jaquez 18th overall

Overall draft letter Grade- B+: Great draft from Utah. Really, all three of those picks are showing promise or can be looked at as parts of the future.

Where are they now? All are still with the team and are all part of the rebuilding process.

2024

Players Selected:

Cody Williams 10 overall- A high prospect that just didn’t turn out how Utah wanted. He only played 50 games this season and averaged 4.6 pts 2 Reb, and 1.2 Ast. However, you can’t judge everything in one season, but you definitely should expect more from your top 10 pick. There were times in the season when he was just unplayable. But his defense is good, his shot is improving, I will be excited to see what he does this season because there is nowhere else but UP! Prove us wrong, Cody.

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College Stats- In his one season at Colorado, he averaged 28.4 min, 11.9 pts, 3.0 Reb, 1.6 Ast.

Isaiah Collier 29 overall- One of the better picks Utah has made in the past 10 years. This man is able to do it all. A player who was at one point top 5 projected but fell down the boards due to injuries. Luckily, Utah did not listen because this man is the PG of the future. He beat out Keyonte for the starting spot, and I am extremely excited to see what he does this upcoming season. Last year he played 71 games, averaging 8.7 pts, 6.3 Ast, and 3.5 Reb.

College Stats- In his one season with USC he averaged 29.8 min, 16.3 pts, 4.3 Ast, 2.9 Reb.

Kyle Filipowski 32 overall- Another absolute job. Flip showed amazing development throughout his rookie season. For a second-round pick all you want to see is his potential, and man, Flip showed that. Someone I believe could be a strong bench piece for Utah on a championship run, all I see is the future. In his rookie season, he played 72 games, averaged 9.6 pts, 6.2 reb, 2 Ast a game.

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College Stats- Spent 2 seasons at Duke and in his Sophomore season he averaged 31.4 min, 16.4 Pts, 8.3 Reb, 2.8 Ast.

Notable Players drafted after– Matas Buzelis 11th overall, Jared McCain 16th overall, Dalton Knecht 17th overall, Bronny James (JK)

Overall draft letter Grade- B-: This draft would absolutely be an A if we selected better at 10. Our later picks are amazing, A+ magnificent, but that 10th overall really hurts.

Where are they now? All are still with the team and are all part of the rebuilding process.

2025 ?

And that leads us to now, let’s see what Utah does on draft day 2025!

The NBA draft is always about luck, from where you’re seated in the draft to who the team selects, you never know how that player will end up. No matter how much scouting, reporting, or how much you think you know the player, it’s always a gamble. But that’s why, for fans, it’s a chance to change the team’s future. So get excited, Jazz fans, because the time is near!

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Let me know who Utah should select in this loaded 2025 NBA draft.

More from slcdunk.com:

With just under three weeks until the 2025 NHL Draft, the Utah Mammoth got an up-close view — and extended conversations — with some of the prospects they could potentially pick.

This year’s NHL Scouting Combine took place in Buffalo, New York, and included 57 forwards, 27 defensemen and five goaltenders from North America and Europe. The event spanned from June 2-7, during which the athletes underwent physical and medical exams, interviews with organizations and fitness testing.

The combine also allows teams to get to know the players outside of the game – extra time and dinners can be requested.

The Mammoth’s stroke of luck in May’s NHL Draft Lottery saw them advance 10 spots and secure the fourth overall pick. Accordingly, general manager Bill Armstrong and his staff had a group of top-tier prospects to assess at the combine.

Here are three Mammoth storylines to come out of Buffalo.

Who did the Utah Mammoth take to dinner?

While taking a prospect out to dinner does not automatically mean a team is going to draft them, it does show a heightened level of interest in the product. Tij Iginla, for one, ate with the Mammoth during the 2024 NHL Combine (as did several players) and was subsequently selected sixth overall by the organization at that year’s draft.

So, the list of diners is not a tell on who exactly Utah wants to pick — there are, after all, three teams ahead of it who could change the draft board — but it does indicate who they’re looking further into.

Based on reports from the combine, the Mammoth had dinner with Michael Misa, James Hagens, Jake O’Brien, Brady Martin and Porter Martone. No other prospects were confirmed on that list as of Sunday.

Misa is expected to go shortly after defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who is the projected No. 1 pick. He might not be in Utah’s reach, but if he were left on the table, Armstrong would likely strike.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pound center was the captain of the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL this season and posted 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games.

“For me, I feel like I am ready to make that jump next year. That’s ultimately my goal to make the NHL next year,” Misa said to reporters. “I think gaining that center experience that I had this year definitely helped my game and just trying to become that more reliable 200-foot player, defensively as well.”

Hagens was the consensus No. 1 pick just a year ago; however, his stock has dropped a bit since then — meaning there’s a possibility Utah could have the choice to select him. And so, a steak meal was had. Hagens just played his freshman season of NCAA hockey at Boston College and had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games. He’s a dynamic center who stands at 5-foot-11, 176 pounds; undersized for the group of top-5 forwards in the draft.

“Teams have asked a bunch of different questions. I think I just love to make my case that I love to win,” Hagens said. “I want to be able to win a Stanley Cup with whatever team takes a chance on me. No matter where I go, I know I will bring my compete and always want to win.”

O’Brien, Martone and Martin feel more realistic for Utah. The NHL’s Central Scouting released its 2025 Draft Prospect Rankings and had O’Brien at No. 4 of all North American skaters, Martone at No. 6 and Martin at No. 11. Those are to be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but just used to give a sense of the Mammoth’s range.

O’Brien — who reportedly came in 12 pounds heavier than he was in-season — is a 17-year-old center who is 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. The Toronto native had 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 games with the Brantford Bulldogs this season in the OHL. O’Brien said his strengths are his hockey IQ and ability to pass the puck; he’d like to work on his first three steps and getting away from coverage. O’Brien seemed to enjoy the combine process.

“It’s just cool meeting the GMs and stuff. Just kind of having a relaxing conversation, getting to know them,” he said. “Just person to person — not really stressing out about the draft or anything. Having a good dinner and everything.”

Martone, on the other hand, could bring Utah the top-six size and scoring touch it needs in the next few years. But he is a right-wing, not a center. At 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Martone logged 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games as the captain of the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL.

Of all these prospects, it was Martin who drew the most noise from the Mammoth, though. So let’s give him a section to himself. Keep reading.

What is the noise around Brady Martin?

Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported Saturday that, “Word around the campfire is that Utah *really* likes Brady Martin. Wouldn’t be shocking to see him go at No. 4.”

Martin’s name has not been in the top 5 for a lot of the draft analysts’ mock orders, but it appears scouts have a different opinion of him and the impact he could make at the NHL level.

Martin measured in at 6 feet, 186 pounds at the combine, but plays bigger than his size. The center has a high-end shot paired with punishing physicality. Martin had 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 57 games as the assistant captain of the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. He was also assistant captain for Team Canada in the WJC-18 this year and had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in seven games.

The native told reporters he looks up to NHLers like Sam Bennett, Tom Wilson and Matthew Knies — all guys that have the edge and pure production skill that the Mammoth are missing in their top six.

“I’m a 200-foot forward, plays physical, competes hard every shift. And loves to win,” Martin said. “If you look at the teams in the finals now and the way they play — [Zach] Hyman’s obviously out — but I think the way he plays is the way I play…I go around and play physical every shift.”

Martin does not have a strict offseason schedule. It is somewhat unique for a modern-day prospect. Instead, he builds muscle on his family’s farms. They have 4,000 pigs, 60,000 chickens and 250 dairy cows, he said. There is a lot of work to go around.

“I just work on the farm. I obviously train a bit, but I haven’t gotten too much into hockey training — just kind of farm strong is what they call it, I guess,” Martin said. “I grew up and always had responsibilities and was disciplined. I think that helps coming through hockey, too.”

Martin said he met with 27 teams this week and “wasn’t expecting” teams in the top of the draft to request to have dinner with him; he dined with Utah, the Nashville Predators (pick No. 5), Philadelphia Flyers (pick No. 6) and Boston Bruins (pick No. 7).

“You think about that but at the same time, you don’t want to get expectations too high. You just want to wait for the draft and see what happens,” Martin said. “I wasn’t expecting it. But I think I proved myself quite a bit at the end of the season here so I’m hoping it goes well for me.”

It seems Armstrong is still open to listening to possible trade packages that include his No. 4 selection, but if he chooses to keep it, keep an eye on Martin.

Where was Caleb Desnoyers?

Caleb Desnoyers is another highly-touted center who could be an option for the Mammoth. The 18-year-old was at the Combine but did not participate in any of the testing — he is waiting for MRI results for injuries on both of his wrists, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. Desnoyers told Wheeler he has been playing through it since November.

The circumstances did not hinder Desnoyers’ performance, though. He had 84 points (35 goals, 49 assists) in 59 games with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. Desnoyers helped lead his team to the QMJHL championship in May and earned playoffs MVP with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 19 postseason matchups. All of that with two hurt wrists.

“Pretty much anything that you can imagine that you need your hands for hockey was affected by it,” Desnoyers said. “Lucky enough, I had good staff, good facilities and my therapist in Moncton is excellent. … Just did a lot of treatments, mentally get through it and give my 100% every night.”

When asked what his recovery plan is for the offseason, Desnoyers said he had not had time to think about it yet because his QMJHL season had just come to an end. Will he need surgery? Desnoyers said “we’ll see” when the results come back.

Moncton swiftly named Desnoyers captain for next season but he has not made a decision if he will return yet. That will be a discussion with the team that drafts him. Wheeler also reported that Boston College has shown interest in bringing Desnoyers over to NCAA hockey for at least a year.

Desnoyers’ injuries could leave some needed time for development, or they could not. It is yet to be seen. In the meantime, there are clear aspects Desnoyers is focusing on in his game.

“Physical strength is probably the main thing. Also, get some explosiveness on the ice. Be able to create some more separation with defenders,” Desnoyers said. “I’ll have a big summer and I’m looking forward to it.”

Desnoyers said he met with around 20 teams at the Combine. It was not confirmed whether he had extended conversation or dinner with the Utah Mammoth.

Goshen • The townsfolk of Jerusalem rest in the shade of pillars, dressed in woven cloth to protect against the harsh sun and the desert sand — both of which are plentiful on this windy afternoon.

Most are carrying a bag over one shoulder. Inside those bags are water bottles and eyeglasses and other 21st-century items they’re not supposed to be seen with.

Some 600 people have gathered in this southwestern Utah County back lot to be background extras in “The Chosen” — the popular TV series that for five seasons has depicted the life of Jesus Christ and the people around him in the Holy Land, in the first century A.D.

Season 5, which screened in movie theaters earlier this year and starts streaming on Prime on June 15, ended with Jesus being betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Romans.

The production came to Goshen for three weeks in May to shoot parts of Season 6, which is expected to be released sometime in 2026. The rest will be filmed at the production’s headquarters, in studios outside Dallas.

All eight episodes of Season 6 happen over 24 hours — showing Christ’s trial before Pilate, Peter’s denial of Jesus, Judas’ guilt over turning Jesus in to the authorities and, in the season finale, the crucifixion. The seventh and final season will cover Jesus’ resurrection and what happened next.

The 600 extras are fans of the show who paid their own way to get to Utah, coming from far and near to be part of a TV series that moves them like no other.

Fans “just want to be a part of it,” said B.J. Forman, the production’s art department coordinator. “They want to help it thrive, and let us tell the story.”

Forman said he has attended fan events — including one called ChosenCon — and “every conversation starts with ‘Thank you’ … for bringing this world to the rest of the world.”

Carl Phillips came from Delta Junction, Alaska, a couple of hours southeast of Fairbanks, where he recently retired as a civil service electrician. He is soon to start another job, and taking part in “The Chosen” was an opportunity for “a little bit of a break” between gigs.

“The Chosen,” said Phillips, a Southern Baptist, is worthwhile because “I just believe that they’ve stayed very close to what the Scripture teaches, the message it’s conveying.”

Orem resident Debbie Eyre said she and a friend have been extras three times. “It’s worth the sweat, because it’s a gift to be here,” she said. “It’s a blessing.”

“It’s so real,” said Eyre, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She credited Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator, director and main writer, for managing “to make the people of that time real, so we can relate to them. It brings the savior into your life more than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

Eyre said the show has changed her life — a sentiment Jenkins said he has heard from fans around the world.

“There’s the Christ in the Bible,” Eyre said. “Here, he’s a real person. He’s playing with the children, he’s cracking jokes.”

Finding Jerusalem in Utah

On this morning of filming, Jesus — or rather, actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays him — is not in view. In the center of the massive Jerusalem set, the action is concentrated on a space outside the temple doors.

“Are you lost?” a man asks a small group of Jesus’ followers. The man, according to the script an assistant director is holding on a clipboard, is Zebadiah, one of the Pharisees, a group of Jewish leaders who felt threatened by Jesus’ growing popularity. In the scene, Zebadiah, played by Brad Culver, is explaining to a few of Jesus’ followers why he was arrested: “He was dangerous.”

Around the massive set, most of the extras can’t hear what’s happening. A few mill about in the background, as instructed. The rest sit and wait, a common activity on film sets as crews set cameras and lighting in place for the next shot.

In the center of it all is Jenkins, a tall man in a maroon “The Chosen” T-shirt, who has directed every episode of the series. He runs the scene a couple of times, without stopping. When he’s satisfied, he says, “Cut” — and there’s a smattering of applause from the crew.

Then it’s on to the next shot, and the assistant directors start corralling the extras into place for a large crowd scene.

The 600 background extras provide their own costumes and hand props, Forman said. The production has written a handbook that “gives them the parameters” of the costumes, he said, and “90% of the time, they follow it.”

Once the extras are in place, there’s an announcement: It’s time for lunch. The extras are told to remember where they were sitting, and come back to that spot after they eat.

The extras start walking up the slight incline out of the Jerusalem set. With their desert gear, the scene looks like something out of “The Ten Commandments,” when the Israelites reach the other side of the Red Sea. That is, if Moses had a row of portable toilets and a catering crew waiting for his people.

Getting the look right

During the meal break, Forman shows some visitors around the set. He acknowledges that the set — built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make videos depicting scenes from the Bible and the Book of Mormon — is made to be impressive.

“We keep coming back here because it’s such a beautiful Jerusalem space,” Forman said. “It’s got the scale; it’s got the scope.”

It’s also versatile. “A lot of times, we’re using spaces multiple times,” Forman said. “There was actually a day [during this shoot] where one area played as two different scenes, and we had lunch to switch it over. … It was a construction site, so there were lots and lots of cedar poles made into scaffolding. … And a couple of hours later, it was a marketplace.”

In addition to coordinating the work of the art department, Forman has a particular assignment on the set. “I’m the only Jew on the crew,” he said. Because of that, he’s the crew member who writes anything in Hebrew seen in the show. If a character has to write in Hebrew on camera, Forman coaches the actor in drawing the letters so they look authentic.

“All those years of Hebrew school paid off,” he said.

One of the challenges of making “The Chosen,” Forman said, is dealing with the audience’s ideas of how a biblical story should look.

“There are some things you do to make it family-friendly,” Forman said. “We have to make sure that everybody can still watch it.” That’s a contrast to one of the most watched recent movie depictions of Jesus’ life and death: Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” which was noteworthy for its R-rated bloodshed.

Also, Forman said, “there are some things that you have to do because it’s expected.” The creative team is up against more than a century of film versions of Jesus’ story and two millennia of artwork.

As one example of how the show deals with those expectations, Forman cites the Season 5 depiction of the Last Supper, when Jesus shares bread and wine with his apostles — and tells them they are his body and blood.

“Everybody associates that with da Vinci’s painting, with them sitting 13 across at a table for 26,” Forman said. Early in the season, he said, “we had a banquet that was set up at a similar three-sided table, so we gave the audience that vocabulary. They didn’t realize that we gave it to them early. … The actual Last Supper [scene] was more close-in, like a group of friends.”

Jenkins also cites the Last Supper scene as an example of how he has approached the entire story.

“It wasn’t just a painting of people sitting around eating bread,” Jenkins said. “It was an opportunity for close friends and brothers to be together in the last moments, before Jesus would be arrested.”

Jesus between the verses

As the extras trickle back to work after lunch, Jenkins is inside the temple part of the Goshen set with a couple of his actors, rehearsing a scene to be shot later on a flight of stairs.

A couple of the actors are dressed as Pharisees. The actor at the bottom of the stairs is Luke Dimyan, who was introduced at the end of Season 2 as Judas Iscariot, the apostle who ultimately betrays Jesus to the Romans.

From a distance, it isn’t easy to see what scene Jenkins is leading the actors through. Then a sound — a small bag hitting the ground, with coins inside clinking — echoes off the walls, telling everyone paying attention that the actors are walking through the moment when Judas tries to give back the 30 pieces of silver he’s been paid.

“The moment of Judas returning the money is an iconic moment,” Jenkins said during a brief set break. “We take the scripture and expand upon what might have been said around those Bible verses.”

Many times when the story of Jesus is told, Jenkins said, “it goes from verse to verse, miracle to miracle, and there’s no in-between. There’s none of the human elements that we know would have happened, but they weren’t recorded.” That’s what Jenkins said he aimed to bring to “The Chosen.”

“We’re not only showing Judas betray Jesus,” Jenkins said. “We’re showing what it was like for Judas to have to look Jesus’ mother in the eye, for Jesus’ mother to see Judas after it happened. … What they must have been like, and what they must have talked about in between those Bible verses, shows you the intimacy that Jesus would have experienced with his friends, and even with his enemies.”

Few movie or TV depictions of Jesus’ story have achieved that kind of intimacy, Jenkins said, because they condense the plot within two or three hours. The one exception he could recall was Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth,” which ran more than six hours (or eight hours with commercials).

“When I saw it as a kid, it had a profound impact on me,” Jenkins said. “When I saw it again several years ago — obviously, some differences between what [Zeffirelli] did and what I’m doing — I was struck [that] there was a lot of those in-between moments as well. They did explore what it was like for the disciples to be joined by a tax collector [Matthew]. They did explore some of that cultural context that sometimes we miss in those shorter movies.”

In religious movies and religious art, Jenkins said, “Jesus is portrayed as very pious. Sometimes, in art, there’s a halo around his head, or he’s a stained-glass window, or he’s a statue. I always wanted to remind others, because I felt this myself, that Jesus is not a stained-glass window. He is not a statue. Yes, he is God, but he was also a man and experienced what we experienced.”

Depicting Jesus’ humanity, Jenkins said, “doesn’t detract from his divinity. I actually think it enhances it and makes it even more beautiful that we believe the creator of the universe actually walked among us.”

The post 3 players Utah Jazz must avoid in 2025 NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Jazz finished the 2024-25 season with a 17-65 record, the worst in the NBA. They were rewarded for their efforts by sliding in the NBA Draft lottery. Utah slipped four spots, walking away with the fifth overall pick while the Dallas Mavericks vaulted to the top selection. However, the Jazz are one of seven teams with two first round picks to use on June 25. Will Hardy’s team already has an All-Star talent in Lauri Markkanen, but most of the roster is still yet to be determined.

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Throughout the season, the Jazz handed the reigns over to their young players. Keyonte George enjoyed a career-high year as a scorer while Walker Kessler averaged a double-double across the 58 games he played in. Despite that, Utah was the worse defensive team in the league, giving up 121.2 points per game.

While there are some trade rumors circling around the Jazz, their star has said that he wants to stay in Utah. Markkanen signed a 5-year, $238 million extension last summer, committing to the team. With him under contract for the next four seasons, it is up to the front office and general manager Justin Zanik to build a Western Conference contender around him. For a team in one of the smallest markets in the league, the draft is a big part of that process.

Markkanen, George, and Kessler are the core of the team’s long term plans. With that in mind, here are three players that the Jazz should avoid with the 5th and 21st picks.

Oklahoma G Jeremiah Fears

In his first and only season in Oklahoma, Fears almost single-handedly carried the Sooners into the NCAA Tournament. The point guard led his team in scoring, assists, and steals while playing more than 30 minutes a game. That heavy a workload and responsibility forced the 18-year-old to grow up fast. He finished the season strong, but the UConn Huskies sent him home in teh first round of March Madness.

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Fears can straight up score the basketball, that much is apparent. He topped 20 points in 12 of his 31 games as a freshman, including 31 against #15 Missouri. Those efforts, combined with his draft combine performance, have teams like the Brooklyn Nets interested in him. However, he is not on the same level as the premier prospects in this year’s class. If the top four picks in the draft go as expected, the Jazz will have their pick of Khaman Maluach, Tre Johnson, and Kon Knueppel, along with Fears.

Looking at the team’s depth chart, Utah already has their backcourt of the future in George and Isaiah Collier. They also have veterans to hold down the rest of the guard minutes in Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson. With Markkanen staying for the long haul, the Jazz could hang on to all four this summer, leaving little opportunity for Fears to get real playing time.

Illinois G Kasparas Jakucionis

When examining this year’s draft class, Kasparas Jakucionis and Egor Demin are two of the hardest prospects to evaluate. Both players bring great size to the guard position and are offensive-minded players. Jakucionis led a balanced attack for Illinois that saw them get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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Jakucionis embraced his role as a playmaker throughout the year, notching a double-double in a first round win over Xavier. The 6-foot-6 point guard also scored 20 or more points in almost a third of his games. Offensively, he can bring a lot to whatever team selects him in the lottery. However, scouts point to his defense as a major weakness.

Illinois fans were upset when Jakucionis made the tough decision to declare for the NBA Draft. Some experts were surprised as well, believing he should have stayed in college for another year to work on his defensive skills. Jakucionis’ size and lack of strength make him a walking target in a Western Conference full of talented guards and wings. On a team with enough poor defenders already on the roster, the Jazz could decide that he is not worth the offensive upside.

Michigan F/C Danny Wolf

Danny Wolf transferred from Yale to Michigan last summer. After experts questioned if his numbers would translate from the Ivy League to the Big 10, Wolf silenced them emphatically. He led the Wolverines to a Big 10 championship and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournaments. His numbers remained the same across the board, but he played one of the more unique roles in the country as his team’s pseudo-point guard.

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Wolf had a unique path to the NBA Draft, but it worked out for the seven-footer. He is expected to be picked later in the first round. His skillset is unlike any player in his range, making him a perfect swing-for-the-fences pick for a team looking for upside. As a point-forward, Wolf will not have to change who he is when he starts playing in the NBA.

Similarly to Jakucionis, though, Wolf’s problem lies on the defensive end of the floor. He and Vladislav Goldin shared the front court at Michigan, but Wolf was routinely blown by on the perimeter. In an ideal world, the Jazz want a player who can play alongside every combination of Markkanen, Kessler, and Kyle Filipowski. If Wolf is not the center in those lineups, they could suffer severely. He simply is too much of a liability on defense for Utah to ignore when deciding where to go with the 21st pick.

Related: Utah Jazz’s perfect outcome for No. 5 pick in 2025 NBA Draft

Related: Bill Simmons brainstorms Paul George for Lauri Markkanen 76ers-Jazz trade

According to Bill Connelly of ESPN, who authors the site’s SP+ metrics, the Big 12 has an average of 61.8% returning production in 2025, which is the highest among all FBS conferences.

So how does Utah stack up, specifically offensively?

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At first glance, Utah’s 75% returning production percentage given by SP+ seems too high. After all, the Utes are losing starting quarterback Cam Rising, virtually all of their running back room, including thousand-yard rusher Micah Bernard, and a sizable chunk of their receiver room, including Dorian Singer (53 receptions for 702 yards and one touchdown in 2024) and Zacharyus Williams (10 receptions for 101 yards).

The only group coming back in whole is the offensive line, which returns all five starters, including possible NFL draft picks Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu at the tackles.

But ESPN’s model takes into account the production of incoming transfers, and with pretty much every transfer to Utah this offseason having FBS experience, that goes into the calculation.

“The production of incoming transfers is mashed into both the numerator and denominator of the returning production formula — so if you lose your starting quarterback but bring in someone else’s from the portal, your returning yardage is probably somewhere around 50%. The production of transfers from schools below the FBS level get half-credit,” Connelly writes.

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With a 75% returning production rate on offense, the Utes are No. 11 in the country.

Here’s how they stack up amongst the Big 12.

Here’s a position-by-position look at what production returns for Utah, both from last year’s team and through the transfer portal, and which production from last year is leaving.

Quarterback

Production returning in 2025

• Isaac Wilson, sophomore. 2024 stats: 127 for 225 for 1,510 yards, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions passing; 47 yards rushing

New additions with past production

Devon Dampier, New Mexico, junior. 2024 stats: 2,768 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions passing (57.9% completion rate); 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing on 155 carries.

Nate Johnson, Vanderbilt, redshirt junior. 2024 stats: 1 for 3 for 12 yards passing; 114 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Production leaving in 2025

• Cam Rising, senior. 2024 stats: 34 for 66 for 555 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions

• Brandon Rose, sophomore. 2024 stats: 19 for 26 for 157 yards, two interceptions, two touchdowns passing; 66 yards rushing

• Luke Bottari, senior. 2024 stats: 19 for 30 for 171 yards, one touchdown; nine carries for 34 yards rushing

Offensive line

Production returning in 2025

• Jaren Kump, senior. 2024 stats: 773 snaps, 67.2 PFF grade

• Caleb Lomu, redshirt sophomore. 2024 stats: 772 snaps, 75.6 PFF grade

• Spencer Fano, junior. 2024 stats: 770 snaps, 92.5 PFF grade

• Tanoa Togiai, senior. 2024 stats: 649 snaps, 79 PFF grade

• Michael Mokofisi, senior. 2024 stats: 405 snaps, 63.9 PFF grade

• Solatoa Moea’i, junior. 2024 stats: 276 snaps, 52.4 PFF

Production leaving in 2025

• Falcon Kaumatule, senior. 2024 stats: 161 snaps, 70.9 PFF grade

Running backs

New additions with past production

Wayshawn Parker, Washington State, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 137 carries for 735 yards and four touchdowns; 11 receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown.

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NaQuari Rogers, New Mexico, RB, senior. 2024 stats: 74 carries for 382 yards and five touchdowns; three receptions for 14 yards and one touchdown.

Devin Green, UNLV, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 29 carries for 123 yards and one touchdown.

Production leaving in 2025

• Micah Bernard, RB, senior. 2024 stats: 1,009 yards and four touchdowns on 197 carries; 30 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns

• Mike Mitchell, RB, redshirt freshman. 2024 stats: Seven carries for 158 yards and one touchdown, one reception for five yards

• Dijon Stanley, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 12 games, 66 rushing yards, 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns

• Jaylon Glover, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: Three games, 12 carries for 60 yards

• Charlie Vincent, RB, senior. 2024 stats: 14 carries for 44 yards, two receptions for nine yards

Wide receivers

Production returning in 2025

• Daidren Zipperer, redshirt sophomore. 2024 stats: Eight receptions for 122 yards

• Luca Caldarella, senior. 2024 stats: Two receptions for 26 yards

New additions with past production

• Justin Stevenson, Wyoming, sophomore. 2024 stats: 17 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

Production leaving in 2025

• Dorian Singer, senior. 2024 stats: 53 receptions for 702 yards and one touchdown

• Zacharyus Williams, sophomore. 2024 stats: 10 receptions for 101 yards

• Mycah Pittman, senior. 2024 stats: Eight games, six receptions for 50 yards

• Munir McClain, senior. 2024 stats: Three receptions for 20 yards

• Money Parks, senior. 2024 stats: 21 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns

Tight ends

Production returning in 2025

• Dallen Bentley, senior. 2024 stats: Two receptions for 15 yards

New additions with past production

Otto Tia, Utah State, junior. 2024 stats: 44 receptions for 434 yards and seven touchdowns.

Production leaving in 2025

• Brant Kuithe, senior. 2024 stats: 35 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns

• Carsen Ryan, junior. 2024 stats: 10 receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown

• Caleb Lohner, senior. 2024 stats: Four receptions for 54 yards and four touchdowns

• Miki Suguturaga, senior. 2024 stats: One reception for three yards

• Landen King, senior. 2024 stats: Three receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown

Timothy Lee and other Natural History Museum of Utah staff closely watched as the race for Utah’s NHL team name unfolded — with a vested interest in one particular candidate.

Their hopes for the Mammoth then strengthened as the field narrowed to the final three at the start of this year.

“Once that happened and we saw that momentum, we were all crossing our fingers and hoping that Mammoth would be chosen,” said Lee, the museum’s director of exhibits.

Mammoth made sense, given the species’ long ties to Utah. And not only is there a massive adult Columbian mammoth replica on display at the museum, but Lee was hard at work preparing for the museum’s newest exhibit, “Mysteries of the Ice Ages.”

It’s an exhibit that features mammoths, among other things. The museum’s marketing team had even started placing tiny mammoth figurines throughout the building as a clue for visitors to guess what the facility’s next exhibit would be, months before the final announcement was made.

So when the hockey club’s announcement came down last month, museum staff were elated.

“We are hopeful that we can make connections and share stories of natural history, Utah’s amazing geologic history, and showcase science and what makes Utah so amazing,” he told KSL.com on Friday, standing a few feet from a display explaining the differences between mammoths and modern-day elephants.

“It’s going to be a global brand, so we’re really excited about the opportunity,” Lee added.

“Mysteries of the Ice Ages,” which opens to visitors on the third floor on Saturday, offers plenty of information about mammoths. It also provides many relevant ties beyond the state’s new prehistoric mascot.

It’s a traveling exhibit with over 120 items on loan from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada. It features fossils and replicas of the animals that roamed the earth as far back as 80,000 years ago, such as muskoxen, caribou, wolves, cave bears and mastodon, the mammoth’s prehistoric cousin. There are also displays and artifacts from Neanderthals and early humans, explaining how they adapted to the cold.

A handful of interactive options also demonstrate how the last ice age formed and ultimately shaped geography across the world, which is especially relevant in Utah. Earth, Lee explained, is still technically in an ice age because of the ice that exists on its two poles, and the exhibit explores the potential impacts as those recede.

It ends with climate solutions and hope for the future, tying into another exhibit that the Natural History Museum of Utah opened in 2023. Having ties to exhibits on other floors of the building — like “Past Worlds” and “A Climate of Hope” — is ultimately why Lee booked this new exhibit two years ago, long before Utah even had an NHL team.

However, hosting a traveling exhibit from another country hasn’t come without some unexpected challenges. A few of the artifacts, including some taxidermy animals and ancient tools made of ivory, have yet to arrive. Those are expected to be installed in the coming weeks as the museum clears international regulations.

The exhibit will remain at the museum through Jan. 4, 2026, before another traveling exhibit takes its place. That gives Utahns plenty of time to learn more about the state’s newest mascot, as well as other aspects of the ice age that make Utah what it is today.

That’s ultimately what museum curators hope visitors will take away from the new exhibit. They believe that it could provide a new perspective on how the cold made the state into what it is now.

“The cold is so much of our culture today that we have something to protect,” Lee said. “I hope they leave with an enjoyment of everything that Utah has to offer: an understanding that ice and cold shaped Utah.”

Editor’s Note: “My Happy Place,” a CNN Original Series following celebrities on deeply personal journeys, airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. CNN also tapped correspondents to share their happy places. Bill Weir feels a world away in Buckskin Gulch in Utah.

At first glance, the desert landscape of Southern Utah seems like a sweeping, sun-baked canvas — wide open and endless. But tucked deep within its sandstone folds are narrow slivers of magic: slot canyons, sculpted over millennia by wind and rushing water.

They draw hikers from around the world, eager to wander their labyrinthine paths and stand in awe beneath towering walls sometimes just feet apart. But as alluring as they are, these canyons demand more than admiration. They require preparation and a healthy respect for nature’s power.

“Slot canyons are fun and easy … until they’re not,” says Jim Clery, owner and guide at Utah Canyon Outdoors in Escalante, Utah. “You have to know when to say no.”

A different kind of hiking

Slot canyon hiking blends beauty, problem-solving and risk.

“It’s not just walking,” says Lura Snow, deputy operations manager for Wildland Trekking in Utah. “There’s often scrambling, navigating tight squeezes, standing water — and an otherworldly quality of light that feels like you’ve stepped into a secret place.”

Before any of that begins, there’s often a stretch of open desert hiking to reach the canyon itself. Exposed to sun and heat, these approaches can be deceivingly difficult.

“You’re not just hopping out of the car and into the canyon,” Clery notes. “Some routes require miles of walking through dry washes or sandy trails before you even get to the slot. It’s part of the journey.”

For many, slot canyons evoke a sense of awe and curiosity. “There’s a real sense of discovery,” says Clery. “Every turn reveals something new.”

Orientation and options in Buckskin Gulch

About an hour’s drive east of Kanab, Utah, Buckskin Gulch — believed by many to be the longest and deepest slot canyon in the US, and possibly the world — draws hikers with its immense scale and towering canyon walls. Stretching for approximately 16 miles through a twisting corridor of sandstone, its walls can reach heights of 300 feet while narrowing to shoulder-width in places.

There are a few ways to hike Buckskin Gulch, depending on how far you want to go. The most popular starting point is the Wire Pass Trailhead, which offers the quickest access to the narrows. From here, you have two main options.

For those up for an overnight
You can hike all the way through Buckskin Gulch to the White House Trailhead — a roughly 21-mile point-to-point trek. This route starts at Wire Pass Trailhead and travels the length of Buckskin Gulch, approximately 16 miles, before reaching its confluence with Paria Canyon.

While camping is not allowed inside Buckskin Gulch, you can set up camp once you reach Paria Canyon, where dispersed backcountry camping is allowed with a valid overnight permit. Because the trail begins and ends at two different locations, arrange a shuttle in advance to return to the starting point.

For a shorter, more accessible option
Many hikers choose an out-and-back route starting at the Wire Pass Trailhead. The trail follows a wash for about 1.7 miles before entering Buckskin Gulch, where towering walls and deepening narrows stretch for miles.

Just inside Buckskin, you’ll find petroglyphs etched into the rock — look low on the right as you enter. Most hikers continue a short way into Buckskin before turning around, making this route a rewarding and flexible way to experience the canyon’s scale and beauty without committing to the full 21-mile trek.

Recreation.gov advises Buckskin Gulch hikers to check weather conditions and river flow before setting out. Leave your itinerary with a reliable contact who will know who to call if your group doesn’t return on time.

If Buckskin feels intimidating, there are other places to begin.

Beginner-friendly alternatives

The Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Gulch loop near Escalante, Utah, in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of the most popular beginner-friendly options. This three-mile route winds through sculpted sandstone, with playful climbs, squeezes and narrow passages — but no technical gear required.

Peek-A-Boo greets you with smooth, swirling walls and natural steps, while Spooky Gulch challenges you with tight corridors where backpacks — and sometimes bodies — need to shimmy sideways to get through. The trickiest obstacle is a 12-foot climb to enter Peek-A-Boo, but solid handholds and good footing make it manageable. Because it’s a loop, you can explore both canyons without backtracking.

For those who want to ease into slot canyon hiking — or simply leave the logistics to someone else — guided trips offer an excellent alternative. Companies like Utah Canyon Outdoors and Wildland Trekking provide safety, gear, route knowledge and local insights, making it easier to focus on the experience without the stress of navigating on your own.

Flash floods and fatal mistakes

Slot canyons are carved by water — and can be flooded by it in an instant. “People hear ‘flash flood’ and think giant walls of water,” says Snow. “But even a relatively small amount can be deadly.”

The danger? Many hikers only check the weather at the trailhead. But flash floods can be triggered by storms miles away. Buckskin Gulch, for example, drains from the Paunsaugunt Plateau near Bryce Canyon over 100 miles away, meaning a storm there can send water cascading through the canyon long after skies clear near the entrance.

“Check the weather for the entire drainage,” says Snow. “Not just where you’re standing.”

Flash floods have caused fatalities in recent years, including two hikers who died in Buckskin Gulch in 2023.

Even experienced hikers can be caught off guard by storms miles away.

“You might have blue skies above you,” says Snow, “but if it’s raining 50 miles away, that water can still come barreling through.”

Not just water: Other hazards and surprises

Slot canyons may feel still and silent, but they’re full of surprises. Their shady, sheltered walls offer refuge for desert wildlife — from rattlesnakes and insects to the occasional tarantula.

“Slot canyons are shady places, so wildlife takes refuge there,” Snow explains. She once joked about tarantulas “raining from the sky,” but it’s usually just a spider dropping from a ledge — startling, not dangerous. (Tarantulas aren’t considered dangerous to humans; their bite is mild and rarely causes more than minor irritation.) While rare, these encounters are reminders to stay alert and tread thoughtfully.

Then there’s the terrain: narrow passages, slick rock and puddles that can be deeper than expected, sometimes even requiring a swim. Water hazards and the occasional patch of quicksand are also possible, especially after storms.

Trekking poles help with balance and testing depth, and sturdy shoes — and a sense of humor — go a long way. “Some people turn around at the first puddle,” Snow says. “But if this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance? Get in the puddle.”

Clery adds that most injuries come from people hopping off short ledges. “Even a two-foot jump can lead to a twisted ankle. If you’re wedged in a narrow canyon with a busted leg, getting out becomes a whole new problem.”

When to go — and when to turn back

Spring and late fall are generally the safest times to visit. Summer monsoon season (late July through September) can bring flash floods, especially in places like Buckskin. Even in dry months, storms can build quickly.

“Start early,” says Clery. “In summer, we’re on the trail by 6:30 a.m.. That gives us time to get in and out before the heat and storms hit.”

And if the weather — or your gut — says something feels off? “Be flexible,” he says. “Have a Plan B. Nature gets the final word.”

Planning, permits and prep

A little homework goes a long way. Try to narrow down what kind of experience you’re after — short and scenic, longer and challenging, guided or solo.

Check with local Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices, visitor centers, outdoor shops or guide services for advice and current conditions. And grab a paper map — cell service can be unreliable, and batteries die.

Permits are required for both day hikes and overnight trips in the Buckskin and Paria Canyon area, and both are available through Recreation.gov. A $6 day-use permit covers hikes like the popular Wire Pass route, while overnight trips into Paria Canyon require a separate permit, limited to 20 people per day. Spots can fill fast, so it’s smart to plan ahead.

Be sure to pack plenty of water — at least one liter per hour in summer — plus salty snacks, sun protection, a basic first-aid kit and blister care.

“Desert hiking is slow, and you need to prepare for extra time,” Clery says. “We measure canyons in hours, not miles.”

Leave no trace

The rise in slot canyon popularity has brought an uptick in damage, from graffiti on petroglyphs to improperly buried waste.

“People have carved their names over 8,000-year-old rock art,” Snow says. “It’s ignorance, not malice, but it’s heartbreaking.”

Snow urges hikers to carry wag bags for human waste, use Kula cloths (reusable antimicrobial pee cloths), and pack out everything — especially toilet paper and your own poop. “Nothing breaks down here,” she says. “It’s the desert. It’ll be here forever.”

Your decisions can have unintended consequences long after you leave.

Even camping comes with a lasting impact. A single off-road vehicle can create a new track others will follow, slowly turning wild land into a road.

Clery’s advice? Stick to established sites. Stay on durable surfaces. And if you really love a place, pick up someone else’s trash on your way out.

Because in the end, exploring slot canyons isn’t just about seeing something beautiful — it’s about being part of something bigger.

It’s about traveling with intention, moving with care, and respecting the delicate power of these hidden places.

But wherever you go, says Clery, “Don’t expect to just show up and be spoon-fed a view. Slot canyons are immersive. They’re humbling. They make you pay attention — and in return, they give you something unforgettable.”

While past winter wasn’t a banner year for snow in Utah overall, some ski areas put up solid, even impressive totals for the season.

And while the state’s 15 resorts closed earlier this spring, three places in North America — all in the West — remain open for at least another week. Utah resorts are now gearing up for summer activities like mountain biking and hiking.

Preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association released in May showed that the 2024-25 season marked the second-highest visitation on record at U.S. ski areas, with a total of 61.5 million skier visits, a 1.7% increase over the previous season. A skier visit is counted each time a person uses a lift ticket or pass at a ski area.

Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain states accounted for nearly 43% of all skier days nationwide during the 2024-25 season, which turned out to be nearly the biggest year ever. The data was preliminary because some areas are still open.

Several resorts were close to if not above their average annual snowfall.

As usual, the resorts in Little and Big Cottonwood canyons picked up the most snow among Utah resorts during the past season. (Snow totals are per Ski Utah.)

Snowbird led the way with 542 inches, one of two resorts in the state to exceed 500 inches this year.

“It has been one heck of a season filled with powdery bliss, slush season frenzy and plenty of shredding to go around. The stoke was high, sometimes the vis was low, but it just meant we were getting dumped on. Where else would you want to be?” reads Snowbird’s season-ending posting.

Neighboring Alta Ski Area in Little Cottonwood Canyon checked in just behind Snowbird with 538 inches.

The long game

In Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton Resort had 578 inches, while Solitude ended with 420 inches. With an early opening last November, Solitude totaled 183 days of operation, the most in the state.

“We’ve melted out! We promised to keep you skiing and riding as long and possible — and we did! We kept our lifts spinning deep into May, but Mother Nature has decided it’s time to end the #LongestSeasonInUtah,” according to the resort.

On the Wasatch Back, Park City Mountain ended the season with 306 inches, while Deer Valley closed with 265 inches.

Despite a down snow year — 169 inches total — Brian Head in southern Utah managed to pull off the longest season in its 60-year history with 181 ski days.

“Thanks to our dedicated team, an early opening in November and strategic investments in snowmaking, we’ve delivered our longest season yet — all while keeping skiing affordable for everyone,“ Amber Palmer, Brian Head marketing manager, said in a press release.

More Utah ski resort totals

Here are totals for the other ski areas in the state, per Ski Utah.

Beaver Mountain — 242 inches

Cherry Peak — 186 inches

Eagle Point — 190 inches

Nordic Valley — 90 inches

Powder Mountain — 253 inches

Snowbasin — 276 inches

Sundance — 213 inches

Woodward Park City — 160 inches

Even though Utah resorts are closed for the year, some lifts are still spinning at Mammoth Mountain in California, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Timberline Lodge in Oregon, per OnTheSnow.