Things to do in Utah
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Park City Mountain Resort
We love the Town Lift-served hiking and mountain biking (day pass $20). Park City Mountain also operates a 3000ft-long alpine slide (per ride $10), where a wheeled sled flies down 550ft along a cement track, as well as a super-long zipline ride (2300ft long, 550ft vertical; $20). Kids not tired yet? Check out the adventure zone (admission $20) with its climbing wall, spiderweb climb, boulder climb and slide. Note that hours vary depending on the activity and the month.
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Dinosaur National Monument
In the meantime, the monument is still accessible, with a scaled-back, temporary visitor center. You can drive, hike, backpack and raft through the dramatic and starkly eroded canyons. Budding scientists can walk through seven different periods of geologic history, and see a few bones on the Fossil Discovery Hike. The monument straddles the Utah-Colorado state line. The Utah portion of the park is about 15 miles east of Vernal via Hwys 40 and 149.
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Salt Lake Roasting Company
The Salt Lake Roasting Company has been roasting its own beans since 1981, and the coffee is premium java - strong, aromatic and flavourful. Food-wise, take your pick from the range of salads, sandwiches and pastries to accompany your coffee as you relax in this airy, open, two-storey space.
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Western Spirit Cycling Adventures
- Moab, USA
- Activities › Tour
Canyonlands White Rim, Utah and nationwide multiday tours.
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Red River Adventures
- Moab, USA
- Activities › Rafting
Rentals and tours.
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Antelope Island State Park
White-sand beaches, birds and buffalo are what attract people to the pretty, 15-mile-long Antelope Island State Park. That’s right, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake is home to a 600-strong herd of American bison, or buffalo. The November roundup, for veterinary examination, is a thrilling wildlife spectacle. And then there are the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that descend on the park to feast on tiny brine shrimp along the Great Salt Lake’s shore en route to distant lands during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. The island is a year-round home to burrowing owls and raptors as well as namesake antelope, bighorn sheep…
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The Narrows
If there's one hike that's made Zion famous, it's this 26km/16mi waltz down the Virgin River, through the thousand-foot sheer gorge known as the Narrows. Overnight camping promises the best experience, though you can hike from the top in one very strenuous, long day. (You can also day hike the Narrows from the bottom, the only approach that doesn't require a permit.) This is the easiest and busiest of the backcountry hikes, and is unforgettable.
Plan on getting wet: about 50% of the hike is in the river. The trip takes 12 hours; split it into two days, spending the night at one of the designated campsites. This hike is possible between June and October, and may close…
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Bryce Amphitheater
Bryce 'Canyon' is actually a horseshoe-shaped amphitheater eroded from the cliffs, where hoodoos stand like platoons of soldiers or melting sandcastles, all painted endless shades of coral and magenta, ochre and white, and set against a deep-green pine forest. A shaft of sunlight suddenly breaking through clouds can transform the scene from grand to breathtaking. For the best views, head to Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration or Bryce Points.
You can walk the rim above Bryce Amphitheater for awesome views, but the best way to experience the canyons and weirdly eroding hoodoos is to hike below the rim. Descents and ascents can be long and sometimes steep, and the altitude makes…
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Starvation State Park
No one is quite sure who did the stealing, but either trappers in the area stashed some winter stores in the mountains, or Native Americans did, and then the other group took the food. Advance planners starved when they found no tasty treats buried under the snow, or so the story goes. In all likelihood bears were to blame for the theft and the name of Starvation State Park. Subsequent homesteaders tried to make a go of it here on the Strawberry River, but with a short growing season and frozen ground they had no better luck fending off hunger. Today the park contains a 3500-acre reservoir as well as plenty of picnickers. The 60-site campground (campsites $16; open June…
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University of Utah
The university contains two interesting museums and an arboretum. The fine Utah Museum of Natural History features gems and stones, dinosaur bones, a butterfly collection and more. The new, architecturally-intriguing Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a broad permanent collection and hosts changing exhibits in the Great Hall.
For a dose of fresh air, the Arboretum spreads beyond campus to the Red Butte Garden which is full of walking trails, water features, plant collections and outdoor sculpture.
Self-guided trail brochures are available from the Museum of Natural History. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the campus was the Olympic Village, while the Rice-Eccles Stadium held…
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Virgin Trading Post
Fourteen miles west of Springdale, you can’t help but pass a Virgin. The town, named after the river (what else?), has an odd claim to fame – in 2000 the council passed a law requiring every resident to own a gun. Locals are fined $500 if they don’t. Kolob Terrace Rd takes off north from here to Lava Point in Zion National Park. The huge store at the Virgin Trading Post sells homemade fudge, ice cream and every Western knickknack known to the free world. But it’s the hard-to-miss Old West Village (admission $1) that’s the real reason to stop. Have your picture taken inside the ‘Virgin Jail’ or ‘Wild Ass Saloon’ before you feed the deer, donkey and llama in the…
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Jans
You’ll feel on top of the world in the peaks over Park City, where over 300 miles of trails crisscross the mountains. The visitor center has trail maps. One of the best for mountain biking is the 15-mile one-way Mid-Mountain Trail, which follows the topography at 8000ft, connecting Deer Valley to Olympic Park. You can also start at Park City Mountain, bike the steep Spiro Trail up to Mid-Mountain, then return on roads for a 22-mile loop. Rail Trail is an easy, near-town bike ride. Rent bikes at Jans. It has guided rides (about $120 for three hours) as well.
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
West of Brigham City, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge engulfs almost 74,000 acres of marshes on the northeastern shores of the Great Salt Lake. The best time for bird-watchers is during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. Birds banded here have been recovered as far away as Siberia and Colombia. Cruising along the 12-mile, barely elevated touring road feels like you’re driving on water. You can hear the replicated migratory calls year round at the Wildlife Education Center. The center is just after the I-15 intersection; the driving tour is 16 miles west.
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Wildlife Education Center
West of town, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge engulfs almost 74,000 acres of marshes on the northeastern shores of the Great Salt Lake. The best time for bird-watchers is during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. Birds banded here have been recovered as far away as Siberia and Colombia. Cruising along the 12-mile, barely elevated touring road feels like you’re driving on water. You can hear the replicated migratory calls year round at the Wildlife Education Center. The center is just after the I-15 intersection; the driving tour is 16 miles west.
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Buffalo Bistro
- Utah, USA
- Restaurants › Other
Fifty miles from Bryce and 26 miles to Zion, Glendale is a historic little Mormon town founded in 1871. Today there’s an eclectic bistro to draw you in. Next door to the Historic Smith Hotel, Buffalo Bistro conjures up an Old West spirit with its breezy wooden porch and outdoor sizzling grill. Foodies come for the excellent wild boar and buffalo ribs. You might also try the rabbit and rattlesnake sausages, or vegetarian pastas. The gregarious owner-chef has a great sense of humor and sometimes hosts music and events, such as the Testicle Festival (Rocky Mountain oysters served), under the trees.
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Goblin Valley State Park
A Salvador Dali-esque melted-rock fantasy, a valley of giant stone mushrooms, an otherworldly alien landscape or the results of an acid trip the creator went on? No matter what you think the stadium-like valley of stunted hoodoos resembles, one thing’s for sure – the 3654-acre Goblin Valley State Park is just plain fun. A few trails lead down from the overlooks to the valley floor, but after that there’s no path to follow. You can climb down, around and even over the evocative ‘goblins’ (2ft- to 20ft-tall formations). Kids and photographers especially love it.
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Hole 'n the Rock
An unabashed tourist trap 12 miles south of Moab, Hole ’n the Rock is a 5000-sq-ft home-cum-cave carved into sandstone and decorated in knockout 1950s kitsch. What weren’t owners Albert and Gladys Christensen into? He was a barber, a painter, an amateur engineer and a taxidermist. She was a cook (the cave once housed a restaurant) and lapidary jeweler who lived in the blasted-out home until 1974. The hodgepodge of metal art, old signs, small petting zoo and stores make it worth the stop, but you have to tour the surprisingly light home to believe it.
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Bingham Canyon Copper Mine
Fourteen miles south of downtown Salt Lake City, you’ll find what’s reputedly the only construction on earth beside the Great Wall of China that’s visible from outer space. Six billion tons of rock have been removed from Bingham Canyon Copper Mine since 1906. It’s an environmental disaster – and whaddaya know, also a tourist attraction. The visitor center (open 8am to dusk April to October) includes a museum, film presentation and overlook. Take I-15 south to exit 301, then Hwy 48 west.
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Thanksgiving Point
Fifty-five acres of gardens, a petting farm, a golf course, a giant movie theater, dining and shopping: what doesn’t the Thanksgiving Point infotainment complex have? The on-site Museum of Ancient Life (adult/child $10/8) is the highest-tech and kid-friendliest dinosaur museum in the state. Little ones can dig for their own bones, dress up a dinosaur, play in a watery Silurian reef… Interactive exhibits teach about fossils found all over the world. Take exit 287 off I-15; Lehi is 28 miles south of downtown SLC.
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Golden Spike National Historic Site
On May 10, 1869, the westward Union Pacific Railroad and eastward Central Pacific Railroad met at Promontory Summit. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the face of the American West changed forever. Golden Spike National Historic Site, 32 miles northwest of Brigham City on Hwy 83, has an interesting museum and films, auto tours and several interpretive trails. Steam engine demonstrations take place June through August. Aside from Golden Spike National Historic Site, few people visit Utah’s desolate northwest corner.
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Canyon Rims Recreation Area
The BLM Canyon Rims Recreation Area to the east of Canyonlands National Park has two interesting overlooks, undeveloped hiking and backcountry driving. Turn west off Hwy 191 (32 miles south of Moab, 27 miles north of Monticello); a paved road leads 22 miles to Needles Overlook and a panorama of the park. Two-thirds of the way to the overlook, the gravel Anticline Overlook Rd stretches 16 miles north to a promontory with awesome views of the Colorado River.
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Les Madeleines Patisserie & Cafe
OMG! What was that? Crunchy, buttery, fluffy, caramelized. I've never had anything like it. And now I want another one. Yep, just another convert to the kouign amann pastry, originally from Brittany, and the house specialty at this stylish but cheerful bakery that's an easy stroll from the main library. The kougin amann is $5 (it's made in only a handful of US bakeries) but croissants and scones are more traditionally priced. Sandwiches available at lunch.
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Gorgoza Park
Lift-served snow tubing takes place at Park City Mountain's Gorgoza Park, 8 miles north of town, off I-80. Plunge down three beginner or four advanced lanes; for kids under 12 there's a miniature snowmobile track, and for littler ones the Fort Frost play area with carousel. The Park City Mountain Resort-wide shuttle will take you out there directly if you reserve.
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Bryce Canyon National Park
The Grand Staircase – a series of steplike uplifted rock layers stretching north from the Grand Canyon – dramatically culminates in the Pink Cliffs formation at Bryce Canyon National Park. These cliffs were deposited as sediment in a huge prehistoric lake some 50 to 60 million years ago, slowly lifted above sea level, then eroded into wondrous ranks of pinnacles and points, steeples and spires, cliffs and crevices, and oddly-shaped hoodoos.
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Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine
The view into this century-old mine is slightly unreal, with massive haulage trucks (some more than 12ft tall) looking no larger than toys as they wind up and down the world's largest factitious excavation. The 2.5-mile-wide and 0.75-mile-deep gash, which is still growing, is in the Oquirrh Mountains west of SLC. The pit is visible and there's a picture from Apollo 11 inside the museum to prove it.from space, Overall, it's a fascinating stop.
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