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Things to do guide

The best things to do in Salt Lake City

Updated 7 October 2026 · 14 things to do

Pictured: Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City

Few cities have a backdrop like this one. Salt Lake City sits on the floor of a broad valley with the Wasatch Mountains rising like a wall behind it, snow-capped for half the year and close enough to touch. On the other side lies the Great Salt Lake, vast, shallow and saltier than the sea. The city in between is tidy, friendly and laid out on streets wide enough to turn a wagon team.

It was founded in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, and their Temple Square is still its centrepiece. But most visitors come for what lies just beyond: some of the best skiing in North America is half an hour from downtown, and in summer the same canyons fill with wildflowers and walkers. It is a city break with a mountain range attached.

Don't miss

  1. 1Temple Square
  2. 2Utah State Capitol
  3. 3Natural History Museum of Utah
  4. 4The Cottonwood Canyons
  5. 5Antelope Island State Park

The big sights

The story of the city, within a few blocks of the centre.

  1. Temple Square

    Landmark

    Temple Square in Salt Lake City
    Photo: Chris06, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The spiritual home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the heart of the city. The granite Salt Lake Temple, with its six spires, took the pioneers forty years to build. Beside it stands the domed Tabernacle, famous for its choir and for acoustics so sharp you can hear a pin dropped at the far end.

    The temple has been undergoing a long renovation, so expect some building work. The gardens and the other buildings around the square welcome visitors of any faith or none.

    Tip: The Tabernacle Choir is world famous. Check whether a rehearsal or organ recital is open to the public during your stay.

  2. Utah State Capitol

    Landmark

    The south front of the Utah State Capitol
    Photo: GyozaDumpling, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A grand, domed building of pale granite on a hill above downtown. Inside, the rotunda is all marble columns and murals of Utah's history; outside, the terraces give one of the best views in the city, straight down State Street with the Wasatch Mountains running along one side. In spring, the cherry trees around the grounds are covered in blossom.

  3. This Is the Place Heritage Park

    Museum

    This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City
    Photo: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0

    At the mouth of Emigration Canyon, a monument marks the spot where the pioneer leader Brigham Young is said to have looked over the valley and declared that this was the right place. Next to it is a living-history village of original and reconstructed pioneer buildings, with costumed staff, craft demonstrations and a small train. It is a good one for families.

  4. Ensign Peak

    Nature

    Salt Lake City at night seen from Ensign Peak
    Photo: D BREW, CC BY-SA 3.0

    A short, steep walk from a residential street behind the Capitol brings you to a rocky knoll with the whole valley at your feet: the city grid, the lake glinting to the west and the mountains all around. It takes well under an hour there and back, and it is the classic spot for sunset. Early pioneers climbed it to plan their new city.

Museums and gardens

  1. Natural History Museum of Utah

    Museum

    The Natural History Museum of Utah building
    Photo: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Up in the foothills by the university, in a striking building clad in bands of copper that echo the rock strata of the state. Utah is one of the richest dinosaur-hunting grounds on earth, and the fossil hall here is superb, with a whole wall of horned-dinosaur skulls. Other galleries cover the Great Salt Lake, the land and its native peoples.

    Children love it, and so do adults who never grew out of dinosaurs.

  2. Red Butte Garden

    Nature

    Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City
    Photo: Daderot, CC0

    Next door to the museum, this botanical garden climbs the hillside in a series of themed gardens, with rose terraces, a fragrance garden, ponds and miles of walking trails into the natural canyon behind. In summer its outdoor amphitheatre hosts a popular series of evening concerts, with the valley spread out below the stage.

  3. Liberty Park

    Nature

    The pond at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City
    Photo: Pollardjosephd, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The city's favourite park, a big green rectangle south-east of downtown with a pond, old trees and a shaded path around the edge that is always busy with joggers. It is where locals come to picnic and play at weekends. The nearby 9th and 9th neighbourhood is a pleasant cluster of independent cafés, restaurants and shops for afterwards.

Into the mountains

The Wasatch range starts where the suburbs stop.

  1. The Cottonwood Canyons

    Nature

    Two deep canyons cut into the mountains south-east of the city. Little Cottonwood holds Alta and Snowbird; Big Cottonwood holds Brighton and Solitude. Between them they catch enormous quantities of dry, light powder, the stuff Utah puts on its number plates as the greatest snow on earth.

    In summer the snow gives way to wildflower meadows and alpine lakes, and Snowbird's tram carries walkers up to a high ridge. Either way, it is astonishing how close it all is.

    Tip: Alta is for skiers only: snowboards are not allowed. The canyon roads can be slow or restricted on heavy snow days.

  2. Park City

    Day trip

    Looking down Main Street in Park City, Utah
    Photo: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 4.0

    An old silver-mining town turned ski resort, over the mountains to the east. Its sloping Main Street is lined with Victorian-era buildings that now hold restaurants, bars and galleries, and lifts rise straight from the edge of town. It is well known as the home of the Sundance Film Festival each winter.

    It makes a fine day out in any season, and is an easy drive from the city.

  3. Utah Olympic Park

    Activity

    Utah Olympic Park near Park City
    Photo: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002, and the ski jumps and bobsleigh track near Park City are still in use for training. Visitors can tour the venues, look round the museums of skiing and the Games, and watch athletes practise. There are also adventure activities on site for anyone who wants a small taste of the adrenaline.

The lake and the desert

  1. Antelope Island State Park

    Nature

    A bison on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake
    Photo: Hermann Luyken, CC0

    The best place to experience the Great Salt Lake. The largest island in the lake is reached by a long causeway north of the city, and feels a world away: tawny hills, empty beaches and huge skies. A herd of bison roams free, along with pronghorn antelope and mule deer.

    Wade in from the beach and you will bob like a cork in the salty water. Stay for sunset, when lake and sky turn the same shade of pink.

    Tip: Biting insects can be a nuisance in late spring. Check conditions before you go and bring repellent.

  2. Bonneville Salt Flats

    Day trip

    The white expanse of the Bonneville Salt Flats
    Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0

    A long, straight drive west on the interstate brings you to one of the strangest landscapes in America: a dead-flat plain of blinding white salt stretching to the mountains on the horizon. It is the bed of an ancient lake, and it is famous as the place where land speed records have been set. Photographers adore it.

    Tip: Bring sunglasses. The glare off the salt is fierce.

Eat and drink

  1. Fry sauce and Utah comfort food

    Food

    Utah has a few culinary quirks worth seeking out. Fry sauce, a pink blend of ketchup and mayonnaise, comes with chips in every burger joint in the state. The pastrami burger is a local speciality, and funeral potatoes, a cheesy potato bake, are a beloved comfort dish. Wash it down with something from the city's thriving craft breweries.

  2. Downtown Farmers Market

    Market

    On summer and early autumn Saturdays, Pioneer Park fills with stalls selling Utah peaches, cherries, honey, bread, cheese and hot food, along with a large arts and crafts market. It is a sociable, good-natured way to spend a morning and to see the city at its most relaxed. Go early and graze your way round.

Where to stay in Salt Lake City

Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in Salt Lake City →

Getting around

Downtown is compact and easy to walk, and the TRAX light rail connects it with the airport, the university and the south of the valley. For the canyons, Antelope Island, Park City and the salt flats you will want a hire car, though ski buses do run up the Cottonwood Canyons in winter.

When to go

It depends what you are after. The ski season generally runs from late autumn into spring, with the deepest snow in midwinter. Summers are hot, dry and sunny in the valley and pleasantly cooler in the mountains, and autumn brings fine colour to the canyons.

Questions about visiting Salt Lake City

What is Salt Lake City best known for?
Temple Square and its Mormon heritage, the Great Salt Lake, the 2002 Winter Olympics and the ski resorts of the Wasatch Mountains, which are unusually close to the city.
Is Salt Lake City worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you like the outdoors. The city itself is pleasant and easy to explore in a day or two, and it is one of the best bases anywhere for combining a city stay with skiing or mountain walking.
What is there to do in Salt Lake City with kids?
The dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum of Utah, the pioneer village at This Is the Place Heritage Park, bison-spotting on Antelope Island and, in winter, skiing in the nearby canyons.
How far are the ski resorts from Salt Lake City?
Very close. The resorts in the Cottonwood Canyons, such as Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude, are a short drive from the south-east of the city in normal conditions, and Park City is an easy drive to the east.
Do you need a car in Salt Lake City?
Not for downtown, where you can walk and use the light rail. You will want one for the canyons, Antelope Island and other trips beyond the city.

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