A summer day in the mountains above Salt Lake City: the 2002 Olympic ski jumps and free museums at Utah Olympic Park, lunch and mining history on Park City's Main Street, a scenic chairlift ride at Deer Valley, and an evening soak inside the Homestead Crater in Midway, with the parking and booking details that make it run smoothly.
Time
10–12 hour day
Driving
About 2 hours of driving in total
Best time
Late June to mid-September
Updated
$4 USD
One-time purchase. You own your guide forever and can return for the latest update any time.
Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0. July 2013 photograph; resized and displayed with crop. Storefronts may have changed.
Suggested times, not bookings
Your day at a glance
8:30 amLeave Salt Lake City on I-80
9:15 amUtah Olympic Park
11:30 amMain Street and the Park City Museum
2:30 pmDeer Valley scenic chairlift
5:00 pmMidway and the Crater at Homestead
About 7:30 pmDrive back to Salt Lake City
Highlights
Worth the trip
Olympic ski jumps and a free 2002 Winter Games museum
A chairlift ride up Deer Valley with mountain views
A warm mineral soak inside a limestone dome in Midway
What’s in the guide
Detailed stop guidance, rules, practical pitfalls, a route map, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps links and weather alternatives. Read it online any time, or keep it offline in the Greg’s Guides app for iPhone and iPad. See an example guide →
Plan for the conditions
Expected seasonal weather
In summer, Park City at about 7,000 feet is usually several degrees cooler than Salt Lake City, with warm, dry, sunny days and cool evenings; the top of Deer Valley is cooler and windier still. Mornings are often clear, and from July into August afternoon thunderstorms can build quickly over the mountains, bringing lightning, gusty wind and short, heavy showers; lifts may pause while lightning is near. Salt Lake City itself is often hot in July and August. Late June and September tend to be the most settled, with chilly mornings by mid-September. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel date; check the NWS forecast.
Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.
A day on the Great Salt Lake's biggest island, under an hour from Salt Lake City: the causeway and visitor center, the salt flats of Bridger Bay, free-roaming bison along the East Side road, the 1848 Fielding Garr Ranch, and sunset from Buffalo Point, with the bug seasons, bison-safety rules and food gaps that catch first-timers.
8–10 hour day·About 3 hours of driving in total, including the island roads
Best: All year; best September to November
$4 USD
Wildflower & summit day
Salt Lake City → Albion Basin and Cecret Lake → Albion Meadow → Snowbird Tram to Hidden Peak → Mineral Basin → Temple Quarry
A summer day up Little Cottonwood Canyon from Salt Lake City: an early walk to Cecret Lake and the wildflower meadows of Albion Basin above Alta, the Snowbird Aerial Tram to the 11,000-foot top of Hidden Peak, an optional wildflower walk into Mineral Basin, and the granite quarry at the canyon mouth that supplied the Salt Lake Temple.
9–10 hour day·About 2–2½ hours of driving in total
Best: Mid-July to mid-August
$4 USD
Fall color drive & cave
Salt Lake City → Timpanogos Cave → Alpine Loop summit aspens → Sundance → Bridal Veil Falls
A fall day from Salt Lake City around Mount Timpanogos: a morning hike up to the ranger-led tour of Timpanogos Cave, the narrow Alpine Loop through gold aspen groves, lunch and a lift ride at Sundance, and Bridal Veil Falls on the way home down Provo Canyon.
9–10 hour day·About 3 hours of driving in total
Best: Mid-September to early October
$4 USD
National park weekend
Salt Lake City → Green River → Moab → Arches → Dead Horse Point → Canyonlands Island in the Sky → Salt Lake City
A two-night spring or fall weekend in Moab from Salt Lake City. Drive down on Friday with a river-history stop in Green River and catch the Windows in evening light. Saturday is Arches: Delicate Arch at first light, Landscape Arch before the heat, a long midday break and sunset at Dead Horse Point. Sunday is Canyonlands' Island in the Sky, from Mesa Arch early to Grand View Point, then the drive home.
2-night weekend·About 11–12 hours of driving in all: roughly 4 hours each way from Salt Lake City, plus 3–4 hours on park roads and between Moab and the parks