Salt Lake City

A capital city with ski canyons twenty minutes from downtown

Photo: Garrett · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Brigham Young’s pioneers laid out Salt Lake City in 1847 on a grid of famously wide blocks centered on Temple Square, and the street addresses still count outward from there. Temple Square is mid-way through a years-long renovation; the Salt Lake Temple opens to the public for an open house in 2027 before it is rededicated, and the square’s Christmas lights return each December.

Beyond the old core, the city has grown into a young, outdoorsy metro with a real restaurant scene, two big universities, NBA and NHL teams at the Delta Center and the airport ten minutes from downtown. It will host the Winter Olympics again in 2034.

The Wasatch rises right behind the east bench. Big and Little Cottonwood canyons hold four ski resorts within about 45 minutes, and Millcreek, Emigration and City Creek canyons offer hiking minutes from neighborhoods.

See and do

Temple SquareThe historic heart of the city and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with gardens, the Tabernacle and the newly renovated temple.
Natural History Museum of UtahA striking building on the foothills above the University of Utah, with a dinosaur hall, Native American galleries and views across the valley.
Utah State CapitolA 1916 granite capitol on Capitol Hill with free tours and the best sunset view of downtown.
Red Butte GardenBotanical gardens and trails in the foothills, plus a summer outdoor concert series.
This Is the Place Heritage ParkA recreated pioneer village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, where Brigham Young first looked over the valley.
Liberty Park and Tracy AviaryThe city’s central park, with a lake, playgrounds and one of the oldest aviaries in the country.
Big and Little Cottonwood canyonsGranite canyons with Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude in winter and wildflower hikes in summer.

Eat and drink

Red IguanaA family-run Mexican restaurant near downtown famous for its many house moles; expect a line, or try its second location nearby.
Crown BurgersThe local chain credited with popularizing the pastrami burger, a charbroiled patty piled with hot pastrami.
Ruth’s DinerA diner in Emigration Canyon dating to 1930, known for its big biscuits and creekside patio.
Lion House rollsThe soft pull-apart rolls from the old Lion House kitchen are served again at the Garden Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square.

Through the year

Visitors and festival tents on Library Square beside the glass-fronted City Library — File photograph. Photo: B. Crosby · Used with permission for destination coverage · Visit Salt Lake

Arts at Library Square

The Utah Arts Festival brings art and performances to downtown Salt Lake. Check the organizer for dates of the next festival.

Utah Arts Festival →

Spectators with rainbow flags behind a parade barrier — File photograph. Photo: Austen Diamond Photography · Used with permission for destination coverage · Visit Salt Lake

Pride celebrations

Salt Lake’s Pride celebrations are another reason to plan a city visit. The organizer’s calendar has the current program.

Utah Pride information →

Utah Arts FestivalJune: four days of art, music and food at Library Square downtown.
Twilight Concert SeriesSummer into fall: touring bands at the Gallivan Center and Library Square.
Pioneer Day (Days of ’47)July 24: a state holiday with a big downtown parade, rodeo and fireworks.
Temple Square Christmas lightsLate November through New Year’s Day: free light displays around the square.

Day trips from Salt Lake City

Antelope Island State ParkAbout an hour north on the Great Salt Lake, with bison, beaches and sunsets.
Park CityAbout 40 minutes east up I-80.
Lehi and American ForkAbout 30 to 40 minutes south: Thanksgiving Point and American Fork Canyon.
OgdenAbout 45 minutes north: Historic 25th Street and Snowbasin.

Good to know

Addresses follow a grid from Temple Square: 400 South 200 East means four blocks south and two east of the temple.
TRAX light rail runs from the airport to downtown; ski buses run up the Cottonwood canyons in winter.
Canyon roads often require snow tires or chains in storms; check UDOT before driving up.
Liquor stores are state-run and close Sundays and holidays; plan ahead if you want wine with dinner at your rental.

Neighborhood: Sugar House

A southeast Salt Lake City neighborhood with the city's largest park, a creekside nature preserve, the S-Line streetcar, a 1928 branch library and Westminster University.

Sugar House takes its name from an adobe mill built in 1852 at what is now 1100 East and 2100 South to turn sugar beets into sugar. According to its National Register history, the mill produced molasses rather than the white sugar its builders wanted and was soon put to other uses. Parley's Creek powered a string of early mills, and by 1898 two streetcar lines connected Sugar House with downtown Salt Lake City; homes followed the tracks. The Sugar House Monument was put up on the plaza there in 1930.

East of the business district, Sugar House Park sits on the site of the Utah State Penitentiary, which held prisoners from 1855 until 1951. Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County turned the land over to the Sugar House Park Authority in 1957, and the park was developed over the following decade.

Sugar House is a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, not a city of its own. Parley's Trail continues west into South Salt Lake, which is a separate city.

Sugar House ParkAt 110.5 acres, the largest park in Salt Lake City, with a 1.39-mile interior loop road split between walkers inside and cars outside.
Hidden Hollow and The DrawA half-acre natural area on an uncovered stretch of Parley's Creek, restored by Hawthorne Elementary students in 1990. The Draw, an underpass and art installation by Patricia Johanson and Steve Gilbert, carries the path under 1300 East to Sugar House Park.
Parley's TrailAn 8-mile paved trail from the mouth of Parley's Canyon through Sugar House and South Salt Lake to the Jordan River. It runs along the west and south edges of Sugar House Park.
Fairmont Park and Fairmont Aquatic CenterA city park with a skate park, six pickleball courts, a fishing pond and a fenced off-leash area in the southeast corner. The county's aquatic center in the park has a 25-yard lap pool and a leisure pool with a two-story slide.
Sprague Branch LibraryAn English Tudor-style branch library at 2131 South 1100 East, opened in 1928 and reopened after its latest renovation in May 2021.
Westminster UniversityA private university, founded in 1875, whose campus is in Sugar House.
S-Line streetcarUTA route 720 runs between Fairmont Station in Sugar House and Central Pointe, where riders can transfer to TRAX.

What's changing

Salt Lake City says its Sugar House street and utility projects finished in November 2025. Separately, UTA is extending the S-Line about a quarter mile east from Fairmont Station to a new station near Highland Drive and Simpson Avenue; it expects construction to continue through 2027, with service after testing, and posts closures on its project page. In Sugar House Park, some pavilions are closed to reservations during construction of the new Highland High School and a softball field. On April 7, 2026, the City Council denied a rezone for a proposed hotel at 2111 South 1300 East, next to the park. (As of October 17, 2026.)