Outdoor Adventures and Unique Experiences in Salt Lake City
In Salt Lake City, Utah, you can experience the best of both worlds when you go from mountain trails to stadium seats in under an hour. With towering mountains as your backdrop, this city offers a perfect blend of breathtaking scenery and thrilling adventures.
Highlights
A unique feature of Salt Lake City is how close in proximity everything is. In the span of a day, you can enjoy coffee downtown, head out on an afternoon hike, enjoy an evening show and end the day with cocktails and dancing. Spend the next afternoon discovering fossils and learning about local wildlife at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Salt Lake City boasts 35 acres of gardens and outdoor space at Temple Square. There’s also a shopping centre with a creek flowing through it.
With trailheads mere minutes from city centre hotels, the best hiking trails begin where downtown ends. With trails ranging from scenic to strenuous, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the views while you refuel. For a family-friendly outing, combine a visit to the zoo with your hike–yes, they are that close together.
The fun doesn’t end when the sun sets. Elevate your evening at one of Salt Lake City’s picturesque rooftop bars. The newly opened Van Ryder is the ideal spot to watch the sunset with spectacular views of Salt Lake. Then, head over to Grid City to sample a pint of a local beer with the best brewpub food, including an award-winning vegan burger.
Salt Lake City’s nightlife is ready to keep you entertained into the wee hours. Stay out late at one of the city’s neighbourhood pubs. Shoot a game of pool at Poplar or enjoy an absinthe-based cocktail at Under Current Bar. The Depot is a great spot to catch an act with its variety of touring bands.
Unforgettable Adventures
Skate where the Olympians did at the Utah Olympic Oval. This 5-acre venue is not only home to Utah’s only 400-metre speed skating oval and two international-sized ice sheets, but it also features a state-of-the-art running track.
Explore the city on two wheels with Salt Lake Bike Tours. Their experienced guides will tour you around town, highlighting the area’s historic character and buildings while sharing insider tales only a local would know.
Looking to escape the city for a day? Check out a day tour from Southwest Adventure Tours. Options include the Bonneville Salt Flats, Antelope Island, Zion National Park and a Hardware Ranch Tour.
Rest, Relax and Recharge
As you discover all that Salt Lake City has to offer, your accommodations should be just as unforgettable. Book a bed, breakfast and brew at dog-friendly Evo Hotel. Located at Campus Salt Lake, their amenities are unmatched and include a skatepark, a bouldering project, a coffee shop and a rooftop bar.
For a refined stay, Asher Adams Hotel boasts four signature restaurants, a vintage photobooth and a vinyl lounge. Located in the heart of downtown, this elegant hotel was inspired by Salt Lake City’s iconic structure, The Union Pacific Depot.
A Taste of Italy in Utah
Inspired by the Molise region of Italy, Caffé Molise brings fresh Italian cuisine to Salt Lake City. With their focus on regional specialties and local ingredients you’ll find dishes including house-made pasta and ciabatta bread panini sandwiches. Whether you’re headed to the theatre, a concert or a sporting event, enjoy dinner first in the stunning dining room or outside on their garden patio.
Salt Lake City’s gridded downtown means you’ll never get lost as you head from your hotel to the hills and back again, which you’ll do over and over as you explore all this vibrant city has to offer.
This article was sponsored by Visit Salt Lake City
Pack your sense of adventure—you’ve found the place where the Wasatch mountain peaks frame city streets. Sure, Salt Lake’s famed for our winter powder (four legendary ski resorts just 30 minutes from downtown), but that’s just one season’s story. Summer brings families hiking through wildflower meadows before cooling off at a Jazz game or the Gateway fountains. Autumn paints our mountain canyons in gold, perfect for morning strolls that end at local coffee shops. Spring? That’s when you might spot baby bison on Antelope Island before heading to the Eccles Theater for a Broadway show.
