The Great Salt Lake is one of the first things you’ll want to see on your Utah vacation. You can float high on the water in the Great Salt Lake, due to its unusually high salt content, far saltier than seawater, In spite of its saltiness, the lake attracts a large variety of birds and waterfowl. In winter, fall, or spring the lake’s shallow, warm waters can cause frequent, heavy lake-effect snows. A visit to the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah is a great free thing to do in Utah and likely one of the best experiences you’ll have there.
Best Places to Visit Nearby UT
The Grand Canyon: The Grand Canyon is nothing less than breathtaking. The jewel in the National Park System, the Grand Canyon extends for 277 miles, ranging from 4 to 18 miles wide and is as much as a mile deep. The steep-sided gorge was cut by the Colorado River over 20 million years.
The best viewing is from the South Rim near the Grand Canyon Village, AZ, with its many observation points, a campground, and a visitor’s centre. Wildlife is also a normal sight with soaring hawks, eagles, vultures, and crows, as well as elk, rabbits, deer, lizards and many other creatures.
The ever-changing light and shadows reflect on the canyon’s cliffs and rock formations, constantly evolving colours, textures, and the visitor’s experience. Early morning is a good time to visit, the afternoon is nice, and sunset is a must-see.
Mesa Verde National Park, CO Located in Colorado near the Four Corners border, Mesa Verde National Park occupies over 80 square miles and features numerous cliff dwellings and artefacts of the ancient Pueblo people known as the Anasazi. The spectacular cliff dwellings were built in caves, under outcroppings in cliffs. They were constructed of carved stone blocks around 1200 AD. The translation for the Spanish term Mesa Verde is “green tableland”.
Take the hike and walk the grounds of the amazing cliff dwelling know as Cliff Palace, thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America, an impressive must-see experience.
Arches National Park Perhaps the most breathtaking of Utah’s many spectacular parks, Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 natural arches. Popular with hikers, campers, and mountain bikers, it is one of the places you’ll visit in Utah.
Salt Lake City Founded in 1847 by Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young Salt Lake City is still home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. Today Mormons still comprise over 50% of the population of 200,000 in the city proper and over one million in the metropolitan area. Capital of the State of Utah, SLC is the 122nd largest city in the USA.
As a centre for mining and a stop on the first transcontinental railroad, early prosperity to SLC. Today tourism centres around outdoor recreation and sightseeing, especially skiing in the winter months. SLC even hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Bryce Canyon National Park Not truly a canyon, but a spectacular geological formation sculpted by the forces of nature. Bryce Canyon National Park like many places in ruggedly beautiful Utah is a place that no description can do justice to. Named after a Mormon explorer Ebenezer Bryce offers views of three states with visibility that reaches up to 200 miles!
Canyonlands National Park: Canyonlands National Park contains a maze of Canyons carved by the Colorado River and other rivers which feed into it. A wonderland for outdoor activities, the park is home to world-famous white water rapids on the Colorado River, great mountain biking trails, great off-roading courses and other fun things to do on a Utah vacation.
Capitol Reef National Park – Given the status of National Monument by President Roosevelt in 1937, Capitol Reef National Park has some of the most stunning natural views in the world. Including a bulge in the earth 100 miles long (which is called Waterpocket Fold) the rare and unique geological formations here are truly scenic masterpieces. The campsite at Fruita has only 53 lots so book your stay here early. A great stop on a Utah road trip.
Zion National Park – One of the favourite Utah vacation spots, located in southwestern Utah, the 229 square miles spectacular Zion National Park features canyons, soaring towers, and monoliths, rock formations, and streams. Horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, nature walks, and camping are featured for the active nature lover’s vacation. Don’t miss it when you travel to Utah.
The varied topography is created by the convergence of the Great Basin, Mojave Desert, and Colorado Plateau at Zion (all great Utah vacation spots). The earliest human presence dates back 8,000 years ago. Permanent villages called pueblos date back 500 years. Today it is home to several of the top 10 things to do in Utah for the outdoorsy type.
Zion contains a diverse selection of wildlife, including mule deer, lizards, jackrabbits, cougars, coyotes, and foxes.
Things To Do: In Utah, that means outdoor adventure
Native American Tent Camping in Utah Ever wanted to experience life as a Native American (without the European setters)? In Utah, you can spend a weekend camping in Teepees designed by the same people who designed the Teepees in the film Dances With Wolves. Teepees are furnished comfortably yet authentically. Breakfast is complimentary and in the evening the staff will build a campfire for you to gather around. A great historical vacation activity in UT.
Rock Climbing at Capitol Reef National Park: One hundred miles long and averaging only four miles wide, Capitol Reef National Park follows the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic landform that was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks similar to the United States Capitol building. The reef is a local word that refers to any rocky barrier, thus its name. This area is prized for hiking and rock climbing in Utah style and beauty.
Lift-Serviced Mountain Biking: Lift-serviced access allows a doable downhill ride. Try Deer Valley, rated one of the 10 Best, Park City Mountain Resort, or the Canyons Resort. Trails run from 10 to 50 miles, and wind through mountains, historic towns, and abandoned rail lines.
Moab Mountain Biking Probably the most popular mountain bike trail in the world, Slickrock Trail is one of the first trails ever developed. Try October for the 24 hours of Moab event; a great time on a Utah road trip.
Fiesta Fun Family Center Amusement Park: A family-friendly amusement park offering an amusement park plus go-karts, mini-golf, bumper boats, an arcade, and a soft play area for kids under 10. Stop in the Back Porch Café for a tasty meal. Located in St. George it is a great spot on a family vacation in Utah.
Great Basin – The Great Basin is a 200,000 square mile desert that covers most of Nevada, half of Utah, and parts of California, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming. It contains mountain ranges and dried up salt lakes, including the famous Bonneville Salt Flats where automobile land speed records are set. Surprisingly, evidence of human habitation dates back 12,000 years.
Jacob Hamblin Home: Fronted by an immense green lawn, the two-story house was built in 1863 of adobe, sandstone, and ponderosa pine. It is one of the few remaining early pioneer homes in the West. In an early case of woman’s liberation, Hamblin acquiesced to his daughter’s demands for privacy (they had been sharing an area with the boys) and added a large bedroom, today referred to as the “girls’ dormitory.”
In 1847 Hamblin was one of the first Mormon pioneers to cross the Plains to Utah. He became known as a peacemaker who could settle disputes between Mormon pioneers and Native Americans, utilizing compromise and understanding rather than violence.
Rainbow Bridge National Monument: Located in southern Utah in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the Rainbow Bridge is the world’s largest natural bridge. Made of sandstone, it has a span of 275 feet, is 42 feet thick and 33 feet wide at the top, and is 290 feet high. Note the world’s tallest arch, Tushuk Tash in China is 1,200 feet long. Difficult to access, the choices are a two-hour boat ride on Lake Powell or by hiking several hours overland, it is an out of the way place to visit.
Golden Spike National Historic Site: With a golden spike driven into the last railroad tie plate, the nation’s first transcontinental railroad across the United States was complete. The Union and Central Pacific Railroads joined on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, where the event is now commemorated at the Golden Spike National Historic Site.
Brigham Young Winter Home: When Mormon Church leader Brigham Young suffered from arthritis in his later years, he built a winter house at St. George where southern Utah’s warm, dry and snowless winters eased his pain. Completed in 1871, the house is a prime example of how the well-to-do lived of the late 19th century.
Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum: The museum features displays of pioneer furniture, clothing, quilts, tools, guns, and art from the nineteenth century. It is FREE to visit. Provo, Utah.
Silver Reef Ghost Town: Established in 1876 Silver Reef grew from nothing to a town of 2,000 with the main street over a mile-long after the discovery of silver nearby. Remnants of some of the hotels, stores, saloons, banks, restaurants, hospitals, dance halls, newspaper offices, cemeteries, and mines may be seen today. Even a China town section. By the time the silver played out in 1891, about 25 million dollars worth of silver had been mined. The old Wells Fargo Express office is now an art gallery and museum. The old bank building is now a gift shop.
St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm Some 200 million years ago dinosaurs roamed Utah, evidenced by the well-preserved tracks at the Johnson Farm. Hundreds of fossils include not just dinosaurs but also fish, plants, and invertebrates. Rarer still are dinosaur swim tracks and the sitting impression of a large, meat-eater.
Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum: At the Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum, more than 300 species of wildlife (stuffed, of course, it’s a museum, not a zoo) from around the world are displayed in scenes from their native habitats. Waterfalls cascade from a two-story mountain and hidden speakers provide wildlife and nature sounds. The Rosenbruch also contains an art gallery. Located in St. George.
Tonaquint Nature Center: Surprisingly located in the city of St. George, Tonaquint Park puts the visitor in touch with ducks, insects, rabbits and foxes as well as the plant life along Santa Clara Creek.
Mystic Hot Springs Utah Camping Sites Come and enjoy a hot tub designed and built by Mother Earth, at Mystic Springs a campsite with your own natural hot springs and hot tubs. A great outdoor camping setting that is somewhere between Mars and the Wild West. With two large group pools and five small personal tubs, Mystic Hot Springs provides a unique vacation spot. A reason in and of itself to visit Utah.
Fly Fishing– Fly fishing is one of the many fun things to do in Utah. Hundreds of streams run down from the mountains, making fly fishing possible any time of the year. The Sevier, Beaver, Provo, Logan, Weber, and Green Rivers are popular. Rainbow and Brown trout are the best catches.
