Utah
From its expanses of iconic desert playgrounds to its towering Wasatch Range, Utah is home to every type of outdoor adventure you can imagine. Locals and visitors alike are spoiled with convenient access to world-class winter and summer time activities and lodging.
Top Spots in and near Utah
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Salt Lake City, Utah
Photograph Guardsman Pass & The Alpine Loop
5.0Since this is a loop you can start at either end, but this is the way we did it. Start driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Enjoy the views and take in the impressive peaks on either side of the road. See the changes in vegetation as you gain elevation in the canyon. As you near the top and pass Sol...Read more -
Huntsville, Utah
Hike the Skull Creek Trail of Causey Reservoir
4.8 mi / 400 ft gainTo get to the trailhead from Ogden, Utah, take 12th street east up canyon and around Pine View Reservoir. When you get to Huntsville, turn right and continue to head east up the canyon. IN 8 miles you will come to a sign for Causey Road. Turn right here and follow the road to the dam. Turn right ...Read more -
Salt Lake City, Utah
Snowshoe Lake Blanche
5.05.6 miLake Blanche is an extremely popular hike along the Wasatch Range in Utah. During the summer and fall months the lake, wildlife, flowers, and Sundial Peak as a backdrop offer spectacular views.Lake Blanche is one of the most beautiful and scenic lakes in Utah and turns into a winter wonderland on...Read more -
Tooele County, Utah
Stansbury Island Trail
2.88.87 mi / 2585 ft gainRarely will you ever see another person at the underrated Stansbury Island, the second largest island within the Great Salt Lake in Utah - even though a dirt causeway connects it to land, it is still considered an island. The lack of crowds make this a good place to hike, take photos, and enjoy t...Read more -
Bountiful, Utah
Trail Run to Elephant Rock
4.47 mi / 1025 ft gainMueller Park is a beautiful, quaint canyon, with some sweeping up canyon views throughout the ascent. The trail is a fun, family friendly single track from the bridge all the way to the rock. You will pass a bald strip (pipeline) that runs North to South which marks about halfway to the rock. At ...Read more -
Salt Lake City, Utah
Hike Mt. Aire
4.54 mi / 2000 ft gainMount Aire, standing around 8600 ft, certainly isn't the most inspiring peak in or around Salt Lake City, but to me it serves as a quick summit to catch the sunset when I'm short on time.Getting There:Start by heading up Mill Creek Canyon Rd. After passing the ranger booth, drive about 5.5 miles ...Read more -
Nephi, Utah
Burraston Ponds
3.0Pulling into Mona Reservoir and Burraston Ponds you will see some trees to hang up a hammock and have a relaxing afternoon and evening. The bonus is that there's an awesome Mona Rope Swing, which makes this a great place to cool off during summer. Make sure to look up at night because the milky ...Read more -
Moab, Utah
Night Photography at Corona Arch
5.03 miFirst and foremost: Don't attempt to climb the arch at night. It's potentially unsafe and the BLM has banned roped activities meaning that you would have to go ropeless. Save this activity for the daytime or avoid it altogether. This is a quick 1.5 mile one-way hike to the arch. The trail is well...Read more -
Kamas, Utah
Backpack to Island Lake
5.06 mi / 1000 ft gainYou begin at the Crystal Lake trailhead off of the Mirror Lake Highway. On the way to Island Lake you pass several other lakes including, Crystal Lake and Long Lake. The hike is not too hard but there are several switchbacks at the end to get you up above the ridge where the lake is located. It ...Read more -
Kanab, Utah
Hike to the Nautilus
4.30.5 miLike the submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jules Verne called it "A Masterpiece Containing Masterpieces." The Nautilus, what some say is shaped like a corkscrew or a sea shell, is a white sandstone formation with multiple colors, shapes and textures. This makes it a great place ...Read more -
Monroe, Utah
Soak at Mystic Hot Springs in Monroe
4.5The Mystic Hot Springs are truly a hidden gem in Utah. I convinced my boyfriend, after spending the weekend camping in Bryce National Park and mountain biking Thunder Mountain, that we needed to stop and soak on our way home to Park City. It really wasn’t that hard to convince him. I had already ...Read more -
Kanab, Utah
Hike WIllis Creek Slot Canyon
4.7Willis Creek Slot Canyon begins at the Willis Creek Trailhead, located in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The trail is very easy to find and follow. It begins winding through junipers for several hundred feet before dropping gradually into a wash, at which point it meets up with Will...Read more -
Davis County, Utah
Hike the Buffalo Point Trail on Antelope Island
4.01 mi / 300 ft gainAntelope Island State Park is a gem within the Utah State Park system. With over 28,000 acres, it is the biggest island located in the Great Salt Lake...the largest salt water lake in the Western hemisphere. It is incredibly scenic, with beautiful shoreline and beaches, grassy plains, mountaino...Read more -
Salt Lake City, Utah
Hike the Mineral Fork Trail
4.09.3 mi / 3500 ft gainThe trailhead begins along Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, with a relatively small parking lot at the trailhead. Starting early in the day is advised, as on nice summer days it will fill up quickly. The trail has a steady ascent for the first 2 miles starting around 6700' through aspen forests and cr...Read more -
Richmond, Utah
Backpack to White Pine Lake, Logan
4.57.6 mi / 1344 ft gainYou will start from the Tony Grove Lake parking lot and start hiking northeast on the White Pine Lake trailhead. The trail is roughly 3.8 miles to the lake through beautiful Quaking Aspens and Pines. The first 2.5 miles are fairly easy with a slight incline. You will then reach the top of a ridge...Read more -
Orderville, Utah
Hike through the Red Caves (Sand Wash)
5.0They don't require any technical gear unless you would like to do two short rappels near the beginning of Lower Red Cave and one short rappel into the Upper Red Cave. We didn't take a rope and were fine although the canyons are usually filled with water and have some difficult obstacles to overco...Read more