Filling a recreation vehicle, boat, four-wheel-drive SUV or ATV for a summer vacation could require a bank loan.

The news isn't any better if travelers plan to fly.

What with some airlines going bankrupt and others increasing prices regularly because of fuel costs coupled with delays at major airports, planes with questionable maintenance records and the general hassle and discomfort associated with flying, this option is more expensive and less appealing than in recent memory.

In tight times like these, travel and vacations often become one of the first places where families cut back.

But that does not mean that they must give up their vacation. They just might want to stay closer to home. Too often, we take our canyons, deserts, national parks and monuments and redrock scenery for granted. Same with our heritage attractions.

Here's an example.

Many years ago when my kids were young, we were remodeling our home and the original estimate tripled. Our vacation fund amounted to a few hundred dollars.

We packed the camping gear and traveled to Flaming Gorge for a week. We enjoyed that trip as much as many of our longer, more expensive adventures.

We rented rafts and floated the Green River one day. We visited Red Canyon. We found a good swimming beach, caught some fish, watched antelope, learned about geology, toured the dam, explored some smaller lakes in the Uintas and spent time relaxing around camp.

There are many such opportunities in Utah.

Spend a night at Lagoon's campground and enjoy one of the nation's oldest amusement parks. Go to nearby Cherry Hill for a weekend and swim, play mini-golf and try the water slides. Take the new Wasatch FrontRunner train from Salt Lake to Ogden and spend the night in a classic hotel while exploring museums and adventure attractions within walking distance of the depot.

Enjoy cool weather in the Heber Valley while soaking in hot springs at the Homestead or playing some golf. Visit a water-oriented state park campground such as East Canyon, Jordanelle, Deer Creek, Rockport or Willard Bay for the weekend.

Take the kids to new museums such as the Treehouse in Ogden, the dinosaur facility at Thanksgiving Point, the Utah Fieldhouse of Natural History in Vernal, the CEU Museum in Price or the American West Heritage Center near Logan.

Ski resorts offer amazingly low lodging rates in the summer and provide activities such as spas, swimming, mountain biking and outdoor music festivals.

Then there are the dozens of unusual festivals, large and small, held throughout Utah almost every summer weekend but especially around July 4 and 24. Why not learn about a small town while camped nearby?

While the high cost of travel might be discouraging longer trips this summer, turn that downer into an opportunity by taking advantage of Utah's many close-to-home attractions.

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* TOM WHARTON can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com. His phone number is 801-257-8909. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.