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Sprawling mountains and desert canyons in the distance and the immediate greenery of a golf course, and ancient lava rock – those are just some of the natural beauty elements you get to experience when you step outside of Black Desert Resort in Ivans, Utah, just outside of St. George, Utah.
Spring 2025 is an exciting time for the property and its guests. Luxury suites still have that new-home smell and inaugural partnership events are being calendared, including the LPGA Black Desert championship, which brought ladies professional golf back to Utah for the first time in 61 years. The resort currently has hundreds of rooms open, and plans are in the works for a total of 800 rooms by September.
Modern Architecture and Interiors
Modern design with a mid-century modern flare, the navy blue hues of the Black Desert Resort lobby interiors are coupled with orange pops of color and unique and elegant lighting fixtures. Natural light is abundant with rows of floor to ceiling windows throughout the property. The resort is cleverly crafted and designed to blend in and complement its natural surroundings. Additional functionality is seen with glass windows that open entirely in certain resort hallways, allowing for natural breezes and sunlight on cooler desert days. Pieces of lava are strategically placed throughout the resort, along with architectural elements that play on natural lighting and illumination of certain areas, including stairways.
The suites are equipped with fully functioning micro-kitchens and eating utensils, along with excellent workspaces, spacious double showers, and amenities. To bring the whole family, consider staying at the Cove part of the resort, where each room has a queen bed and twin bunk beds. In the Cove, families can also enjoy yard games and pre-arrival grocery services.
Spa Opening Soon + Waterpark in Planning Stages
Later this year, Black Desert Resort’s 15,000 square foot indoor/outdoor spa will open, including a scenic yoga area also known as the “lava garden” that overlooks beautiful desert landscaping. Additional future phases of development include a resort shopping center that will host luxury retail brands, a waterpark, and pickleball courts.
LPGA
The Black Desert Resort Championship will likely return to southern Utah for a second year in 2026. During the 2025 tournament, patrons enjoyed access to several cabanas and skyboxes with premium lunch and snacks, including some of the most refreshing fresh-squeezed lemonade. Every hole except holes 4-7 allowed for foot traffic and excellent close-up viewing of talented LPGA golfers owning their sport. The atmosphere is calm, well-dressed, peaceful, and inviting – and it’s so fun to watch the ladies win on the golf course. In addition to the LPGA tournament, the resort also hosted its inaugural PGA tournament in October 2024 with another one slated for later this year.
Schedule a Tee Time
The Tom Weiskopf Golf Course is special. Not just because the greenway is lined in black lava rocks and scenic mountainous hills and burnt orange and creamy white Navajo sandstone canyons and cliffs overlooking the greater Zion, but because it was masterfully designed by the late Tom Weiskopf and his design partner Phil Smith. A legendary golfer and course architect (of more than 70 courses throughout his career), Black Desert is Weiskopf’s final design which he completed shortly before passing away in 2022.
Described as a championship-level course that even beginners can enjoy, if you start the day early, you’ll face against the sun at the first hole with a short iron distance requirement of about 450 or less with two bunkers located at the left of the green. You’ll then move through the course heading west, while enjoying the beautiful mountain backdrops and sweeping panoramic views. At the end of the course, an extra 19th hole, located near the swimming pool, also makes the course extra unique, offering a chance to settle a potential tiebreaker or as some joke to “win your money back.”
A Golf Academy is also onsite with options for private lessons or small group lessons – everything from 75-minute clinics to two-hour golf camps, 3.5-hour specialty golf schools, or 6.5-hour performance golf schools.
Fine Dining at Basalt
The resort’s steakhouse, Basalt, is named after the volcanic rock that lines Black Desert. A distinctive savory menu offers options for a variety of steak cuts, fresh seafood flown in each day, and other Southern Utah staples. One favorite – the Heritage Wagyu features a 12-ounce Zabuton which is a cross between a Japanese and an American Wagyu, sourced directly in Bryce Canyon, Utah.
A notable appetizer, “Funeral Potatoes”, are culturally significant to Utah – as they are served not only at most funerals, but also at other life celebratory events, including graduations and parties. Basalt has a unique take on the creamy and cheesy potato dish, offering it in fried bite size pieces on top of a delish and earthy green herb sauce and topped with Bachelor Button Edible flowers that are locally sourced.
For sides, everything from creamed corn, broccolini, and tallow fries to foraged mushrooms is offered. And while all the sides look tasty, Basalt truly does the macaroni and cheese right with three cheeses: smoked gouda, gruyere, and smoked white cheddar topped with just the right amount of a crunchy breadcrumb. Another unique dish, “potato butter” is like mashed potatoes, but for a sweet, creamy, and savory treat, Chef makes it with exactly one-half butter and one-half potatoes.
The resort’s unique take on crème brulee is hard to decline. Grapefruit and an orange on the side, this salty and crispy treat with a sweet blend of vanilla bean specs in the custard showcases how the resort pastry chef’s talent for integrating a variety of textures and flavors into her creations. Additional Basalt dessert options currently include S’mores and Key Lime Pie.
Casual Dining at 20th Hole
Playing off of the resort’s 19th hole-theme, this casual restaurant features everything from chicken wings, fish and chips, chicken tenders, and a short rib grilled cheese – along with milkshakes and spiked milkshakes. One of the most unique and popular menu items is a side of salt and vinegar fries, which taste like salt and vinegar chips, but in a fresh french fry form. The service and atmosphere at 20th Hole is exceptional and a great way to wind down after a long day of adventure, whether on the golf course or the hiking trail.
Breakfast at Latitude
The best way to start the day in Southern Utah is with breakfast at Latitude. The Southwest Power Bowl is a personal favorite dish that’s offered on weekdays. Two eggs of your choice, black beans, roasted corn, sweet potato, pasilla chile, avocado, and pepper jack blend together for a hearty, savory, and protein-packed meal.
On weekends, the resort offers a different brunch menu for breakfast, with options ranging from signature Bananas Foster French toast to a build-your-own omelet that comes with a side of potatoes, your toast of choice and fresh jellies and fresh whipped butter.
Latitude has great lattes. The warm vanilla latte is served with a smoky flavor that makes for a delightful first morning sip accompanied by some of the most breathtaking views from the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows that overlook the golf course and canyons.
E-Bike Snow Canyon
To reach my favorite attraction – a Black Desert Resort shuttle service will gladly take you to Rampage Rental and Repair to rent an e-bike. The shop is less than a mile from the resort. Once you receive your bike reservation you can take off and hit the trail directly that’ll lead you to – and through – Snow Canyon State Park. It’s the most serene experience of peacefulness and quiet with the occasional hello to another biker or a hiker passing by. The e-bikes are challenging at first, if you are not used to them, but with a little practice by the end of your two-hour session, you’ll likely feel like a pro. Speeds on the bikes can go up to 28 miles per hour. Settings on the bike allow for flexibility and for you to speed up and down based on your own comfort level.
Biking through the rolling canyon is breathtaking and the trail near Rampage Rental is about three miles long with nonstop massive views of towering sandstone cliffs, rolling petrified sandstone dunes, and ancient lava rock beds. It’s said to have less foot traffic than nearby Zion Park, and it truly does show! The tranquility and peacefulness of this bike ride is truly unmatched and a must try. Families also bike with their babies and small children through attachments and add-ons to the bikes.
After you are finished biking, walk over to the nearby sister property of Black Desert Resort – Red Mountain Resort and request a complimentary shuttle transit back to the hotel.
Additional Nearby Attractions
A great home base to explore other parts of Utah and Nevada, Black Desert Resort is less than one hour from Zion National Park, which hosts hundreds of trails. Bryce Canyon National Park in Southwestern Utah and the Grand Canyon in Nevada are also both within less than 2.5 hours driving distance.
Transportation
Flying into the St. George airport is low key and calm. The airport is smaller with only three gates and also offers direct flights from Dallas-Fort Worth. I recommend the later in the evening flight from DFW to St. George for some beautiful stargazing from the plane – if skies are clear enough.
From the airport, St. George Shuttle can be used to schedule a ride to and from your hotel, along with National Park destinations throughout your stay. The transit service also goes to-and-from the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and to Salt Lake City.
Overall
For a long weekend away, Black Desert Resort is the perfect mix of relaxation, sunshine, outdoors, and a chance to get some fitness in while breathing fresh air. Its rolling landscapes are uniquely unmatched, and the resort is built perfectly around the natural landscape with nature and luxury in mind. This destination is perfect for someone who would like to be outdoors during the day but wants to enjoy a resort experience in the evening. Just getting started, and set to be a top U.S. golf destination, the resort plans to continue expansion for up to the next 10 years.
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Cover photo courtesy Black Dessert Resort
Britni Rachal is a full-time marketer and a former television news producer with a life-long passion for written and visual storytelling. In her free time, she enjoys live country music, tennis, fitness, all things travel, and trying new restaurants with friends and family. In addition to journalism, she also has a love for shoes and coffee. Britni is a fifth generation Texan and a proud LSU Tiger. She currently lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
