Black Rock Desert the basin, is a rugged land serrated by hundreds of mountain ranges, dried by wind and sun, with spectacular skies and scenic landscapes. The average annual precipitation "(years 1971-2000)" at Gerlach, Nevada (extreme south-west of the desert) is . The region is notable for its paleogeologic features, as an area of 19th-century Emigrant Trails to California, as a venue for rocketry, and as an alternative to the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah, for setting land speed records (Mach 1.02 in 1997). It is also the location for the annual Burning Man event. The Black Rock Desert is part of
Miss Utah USA in four out of five pageants between 2005 and 2009. Britt Boyse, the Executive Director of Casting Crowns Productions, is currently the director for Miss Utah USA and Miss Utah Teen USA along with Miss Arizona USA and Miss Arizona Teen USA. Three Miss Utah USAs are former Miss Utah Teen USAs who competed at Miss Teen USA. All three placed at Miss USA, which eclipsed their Teen performances. They are also very similar to the Miss North Carolina USA titleholders who also placed at Miss USA rather than Miss Teen USA. Age at the time of the Miss USA