Best Day Trips from Salt Lake City Under Two Hours

Salt Lake City, Utah, is a fantastic place to spend time in, but with an extended stay, you can explore the best day trips from Salt Lake City. 

We’ve been to Salt Lake City a few times. Most recently, we spent a full month there as a base for adventures in the region.

Whether you’re in Salt Lake City already or planning a trip with the Utah capital as your base, use this guide before you hit the road on day trips in the area. I’ll include all of the trips we took in addition to a few more at the end we’d like to tick off next time.

I’ll keep things under about two hours, too. You want time at your destination, not a full day in the car.

Midvale

Distance: 12 miles
Drive Time: 15 minutes

You’re still in Salt Lake City County in Midvale, as it’s essentially a suburb of Salt Lake City. I wanted to highlight this one for Bohemian Brewery, a nod to the brewing traditions of the Czech Republic and Bavaria.

You can transport yourself there without beer, too. Their giant pretzels are a good place to start. 

Hidden Falls 

Distance: 21 miles
Drive Time: 30 minutes

Add this easy drive to trips to Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon or as a standalone adventure for an impressive waterfall with little hiking required. If you’re here in the spring after what seemed like a year of winter, the falls will be most impressive.

There’s a small parking lot here for about a dozen cars, but we parked along the side of the road because of standing water in the lot. You’ll walk beyond the sign and across the road until you see a sign for Hidden Falls. 

That’s it. You’re there. You can see the falls between the trees. If you’re feeling brave, navigate the rocks to the other side for a much better view.

I imagine this is much easier in the hotter months when there’s less snowmelt causing water to rush down into the watershed.

As this is a watershed area, leave the pups at home.

Snowbird

Distance: 28 miles
Drive Time: 35 minutes

We’ve never been skiing in the ski resort towns around Salt Lake City, but if you’re looking for day trips from Salt Lake City in winter, this is a great option.

Actually, if you’re looking for skiing in the spring, Snowbird Ski Resort remains a great option. It boasts the longest ski season in the area.

Most of the ski towns around Salt Lake City during our own visit were packed with visitors taking advantage of a lingering winter.

If you’re visiting in the summer, the adventures don’t stop after the snow melts. Ride Snowbird’s Aerial Tram for expansive views or feel an adrenaline rush on an alpine slide. Hike the easy Observation Point Trail to an overlook of the valley below.

This is a year-round destination. 

Thanksgiving Point 

Distance: 30 miles
Drive Time: 30 minutes

This is one of the best places to visit near Salt Lake City in the spring.

There’s enough in this adventure wonderland in Lehi to keep you busy for a full day. We were there for the annual Tulip Festival at Ashton Gardens. If you time things right, it’s a fantastic way to usher in spring. 

That all said, it can be hard to time things right in Salt Lake City. Spring was VERY delayed during our visit, but we were able to watch and wait on bloom reports. 

If your timing’s all off, Thanksgiving Point is still a great option, especially if you’re looking for ideas for family trips. 

You can visit the Museum of Natural Curiosity, one of the state’s best children’s museums, or the Mountain America Museum of Natural Life, a natural history museum.

Park City 

Distance: 33 miles
Drive Time: 40 minutes

Park City is known for being the home of Utah Olympic Park, a winter park built for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

You can visit the museums on site — the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games Museum and the Alf Engen Ski Museum — for free. 

If you’re feeling spendy, there are quite a few activities to book no matter the season. The most exciting is probably the bobsled track. While you won’t actually be steering the thing on your bobsled run, it’s still a pretty aggressive thing to sign up for.

We didn’t do this on our visit to the park, but it was more the cost than anything else. It was also the screaming, maybe?

Once you’re done there, stroll Park City’s Main Street. If you’re here in the winter, this is one of Utah’s premier ski destinations. You know what to do.

I’m talking about hanging out at the cabin by the fire, by the way. I don’t do winter sports.  

Provo

Distance: 47 miles
Drive Time: 50 minutes

Provo has a much different vibe than Salt Lake City. It has a much higher Mormon population, so the atmosphere is more toned down. 

Provo is known as the home of Brigham Young University, a private Mormon institution, so don’t expect to brewery-hop.

Despite all that, the drive to Provo Canyon is worth the trip.

Once you’re done hanging around campus and wrapping your head around the school’s rules around beards, booze, and bisexuals, take a 15-minute drive to Bridal Veil Falls.

We were on the cusp of the reopening of the viewpoint parking lot, so we pulled off onto the side of the road. With more time, you can hike an easy trail to check out these impressive falls from below.

Just don’t climb onto avalanche snow once you’re there, please. 

READ MORE: Utah’s spoiled when it comes to canyons. Learn more in my guide to Canyonlands National Park.

For dinner, head to Bombay House, one of the best Indian restaurants we’ve ever tried. I’m about a quarter paneer at this point, so that’s saying a lot. 

Ogden

Distance: 40 miles
Drive Time: 40 minutes

This scenic mountain town was apparently the first settlement in Utah. You can walk along Historic 25th Street and imagine the Prohibition-era speakeasies along the way.

Better yet, pop into Roosters Brewing while you’re there to think on that some more.

Fun fact: Roosters Brewing operates as a restaurant first and a brewery second. That means that you have to order food with your beer (or spiked root beer if you’re me), which doesn’t feel as hard when you see they have cheese curds. It’s just one of those fun Utah liquor law quirks.

In the winter — and well into the spring if you’re having the conditions we were — Ogden is the gateway to winter sports at nearby Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. 

When it’s not ski season, the town’s claim to fame is quirky George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park, a place that’s part paleontology lab, part fossil museum, and part sculpture garden. Those sculptures come in the form of oversized dinosaurs along a series of paved trails.

Yes, it’s a great place to go if you’re traveling with kids. As I proved with Brian, it should still be on your list if you’re a big kid, too.

If you’re hungry for a nosh, Wimpy and Fritz is a fun eatery that serves up some of Utah’s best tacos. Honestly, they were just as good as what we’d eat in San Diego, and yes, I’ve even A LOT of tacos.

Brighton

Distance: 31 miles
Drive Time: 40 minutes

Brighton is known for the Brighton ski resort, but you’re not here for all of that…unless you are, in which case I’m sure you’ll have a great time. You’re here for one of the best hikes in the state, which just so happens to start at the Brighton Resort.

You’ll hike to three different alpine lakes on one trail: Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Catherine.

It’s about 4.4 miles roundtrip and rated as moderate on AllTrails. I’ll allow that. You’re climbing about 1,200 feet of elevation over that length, so it’s not some cakewalk. 

Fun fact: Brighton sits at about 8,700 feet of elevation to start. If you’re not used to altitude hiking, this shouldn’t be the very first thing you do in Utah. Take your time, bring along more water than you think you’ll need, and be cool. It’s not a race.

Antelope Island State Park 

Distance: 44 miles
Drive Time: 55 minutes

Explore the largest island in the Great Salt Lake at Antelope Island State Park. We had read quite a bit about the beaches being a draw here, but honestly, it was pretty stinky. We had to share the water with brine shrimp, which wasn’t super cute.

If you visit in the summer months when you’d expect to want to hang out at the beach, you have to contend with biting gnats, too.

We doused ourselves in insect spray so didn’t really have an issue with it, but it’s not super pleasant.

There are various hikes in the area if you want to get some stops. The Buffalo Point Trail offers lots of photo ops in just one mile. This is also one of the only Salt Lake City day trips with decent guided tours available. Take advantage if that sounds easier.

READ MORE: Love an epic hike? Check out my guide to the Narrows in Zion National Park.

Heber City

Distance: 45 miles
Drive Time: 45 minutes

We visited Heber City to check out the Heber Valley Railroad, but it’s also a great base for adventures into Jordanelle State Park and the cheese farm I’ll get into in a second.

If you’re ready to ride the rails, they have a few different options for you to book. 

One of those involves dancing saloon girls, so do with that what you will.

The state park sits on the Jordanelle Reservoir, so it’s a popular area for boating. If you’re not a boat person, there are several scenic hikes that take you around the perimeter. If you are a boat person, can we hang out? 

Heber Valley Artisan Cheese

Distance: 45 miles
Drive Time: 45 minutes

This was my favorite day trip from Salt Lake City. Heber Valley Artisan Cheese in Midway was at the very top of my list before we even arrived in Salt Lake City.

I’m a big fan of cheese in all forms. I like it soft. I like it hard. I like it creamy, spreadable, and in giant wheel form. Do with all of that information what you will.

When I saw that they were having a special farm event during our stay involving all of the springtime animal babies, I knew what I had to do.

There were baby goats and miniature horses and pink piglets.

When I was done with all of that, there was a delicious grilled sandwich at their cafe followed by a scoop of lemon custard. 

Oh, I wasn’t done, yet. After sampling more than my fair share of tiny cubes of their aged cheddar, I had to buy several bags of my own for my night cheese snacking.

They have other events throughout the year if you’re not into baby farm animals or just want to eat cheese. If we had been here for longer, I would have investigated their mozzarella class. 

Note: This one may show up as Heber Valley Milk & Artisan Cheese on your maps.

Utah Lake State Park

Distance: 46 miles
Drive Time: 40 minutes

We had some unseasonably warm spring days during our long-term stay in Utah, so decided to head down to Utah Lake for an afternoon. I wore my suit there, but there wasn’t any swimming happening. There were quite a few dead fish happening, though.

Come in the summertime for swimming and boating, but fishing is available whenever the weather’s right. We saw carp jumping out of the water like they just wanted to become that evening’s dinner.

Homestead Crater

Distance: 47 miles
Drive Time: 50 minutes

We fit this one in after our cheese adventures in Midway, but whether you want to go for a swim after eating your weight in cheese is really up to you. 

The Homestead Crater in Midway is a natural geothermal hot spring with water that’s consistently around 90-96 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was formed over 10,000 years ago when years of snowmelt interacted with limestone deposited to form this volcano-shaped wonder. 

I haven’t been to Mexico’s cenotes yet, but this was pretty fun with no passport needed. Book tickets online for swimming or diving ahead of your visit. If you’re not certified to dive but want to see down below, you can rent snorkeling gear on-site.

Arrive about 10 minutes ahead of your appointment to change into your suit or just come ready to soak. There are lockers available but they’re not huge, so it’s best to travel light. Life vests are required as there’s no lifeguard on duty.

Fielding Garr Ranch

Distance: 52 miles
Drive Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

The historic Fielding Garr Ranch in Syracuse is an easy stop to add if you’re already visiting Antelope Island State Park. You’ll just need to travel south to get back to Salt Lake City.

This was the first permanent residence on Antelope Island, with the first log cabin built back in 1848 by Field Garr. Garr was sent by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) to start a cattle operation here. 

Today, you can take guided tours of the ranch or try to lasso some ponies. (They weren’t real ponies, but I still didn’t know what I was doing.) 

Golden Spike National Historical Park 

Distance: 88 miles
Drive Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Golden Spike National Historical Park in Corinne commemorates the completion of the transcontinental railroad, joining the United States together for the first time.

We brought our pup along to teach her a thing or two, but she was freaked out by the steam coming out of the engines on site.

If you’re not with a dog, there’s a modest museum and theater inside the visitor center to give you more of an overview of the history of this place. 

Once you’re done, drive the auto tours to learn more about the work that went into making this site happen. The East Auto Tour was the only one open during our visit, but you can travel the West Auto Tour if you’re here in the summertime. 

Get out of your car at stops along the way like the final cut site and the Chinese Arch. For an easy hike, the Big Fill Loop Trail is about a mile and a half round-trip along the same route workers drilled, cut, and blasted rock away during the construction of the railroad. 

The Tree of Utah

Distance: 95 miles
Drive Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

This odd piece of art in the middle of the Great Salt Lake Desert is a quick stop on your way to the Bonneville Salt Flats. You can pull off on the shoulder or drive in a little closer depending on the conditions in the mud around the sculpture. 

The full name of this one is Metaphor: The Tree of Utah, but you’ll also see it go by the Tree of Life. It was created by Swedish artist Karl Momen with rocks and materials native to Utah. 

There’s been talk of a visitor’s center at some point here, but for now, it’s surrounded by a fence to keep vandals away.

Bonneville Salt Flats 

Distance: 111 miles
Drive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

See the remains of an ancient lake and the site of world land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. I have a full review of our own day trip to the salt flats for you if you’d like to check it out before you decide to hit the road.

Note: This one sits on the border of the Utah and Nevada border, so if you want some casino action, you don’t have to go far.

Visits to the salt flats will look very different in the summer and early fall vs. any other time of year. We were there in the spring, so we weren’t able to drive on them. That’s one of the main draws of this place.

Spiral Jetty

Distance: 103 miles
Drive Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

You can add this wonder in Corinne onto a trip to the Golden Spike, but I wanted to separate the two because it’s out of the way of anything. It’s also along some dirt and gravel and what felt like an assault by rumble strips for a good half hour. 

You’ll likely have to watch for cattle on the road, including baby cows with death wishes if you’re here in the springtime.

Once you’re there, though, this is a pretty special place. Take in a view from above to really understand the size of this thing. Walk down the rocky area to get up close and personal. 

You can follow the spiral or walk all the way out to the Great Salt Lake from here. It took us about 10 minutes from edge to shore.

More Day Trips from Salt Lake City

We spent a full month in Salt Lake City and still didn’t make it to each day trip that was on our list. Some places we wanted to travel to weren’t feasible in the spring following a winter with record-breaking snowfalls.

Here are a few Salt Lake City day trips that are on our list for future Utah trips:

• Timpanogos Cave National Monument (35 miles/40 minutes): This network of caves in American Fork looks cool, but Utah cave tours weren’t operating yet.
• Rancho Luna Lobos (40 miles/40 minutes): Meet the pups at this family-run dog sledding tour operator and rescue dog organization in Peoa.
• Mirror Lake Scenic Byway (45 miles/45 minutes): If you love a scenic drive, this one is 42 miles of scenery as you drive into the Uinta Mountains.
• Sundance (50 miles/55 minutes): The Sundance Film Festival at Sundance Mountain Resort is definitely on my list as a bucket list activity.
• Eden (51 miles/55 minutes): This ski resort town is an easy add-on if you’re already traveling to Ogden. Powder Mountain is the big draw here.
• Brigham City (60 miles/55 minutes): The main draw here is the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, an oasis for all kinds of birdlife and other critters.
• Crystal Hot Springs (69 miles/55 minutes): We picked the Homestead Crater for our hot spring-like activity, but this one in Honeville looks nice, too.
• Little Sahara Recreation Area (109 miles/1 hour 45 minutes): Book ATV rides along moving sand dunes in this popular Salt Lake City adventure spot in Nephi.
• Fishlake National Forest (115 miles/1 hour 45 minutes): Fishlake is a popular destination for hikers and anglers as the largest natural mountain lake in the state.
• Bear Lake State Park (122 miles/2 hours 15 minutes): This is pushing it, as this is just to the edge. You’ll likely be traveling over the Idaho border for this one.
• Lava Hot Springs (149 miles/2 hours 5 minutes): We just ran out of time to get to much in Idaho this trip, but the mountain views here alone look pretty epic.

National Parks From Salt Lake City

Utah’s national parks make for excellent weekends away from Salt Lake City.

Capitol Reef National Park is the closest national park to Salt Lake City with just over three hours of drive time. You can get to Arches in Moab, Canyonlands, and Bryce Canyon, the state’s smallest park, in under four hours.

If you’re here for Zion, the busiest Utah park, expect to spend about five hours on the road. Hiking the Narrows is worth it, but it’s more suitable for weekend trips from Salt Lake City.

Goblin Valley State Park and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve are unique options that won’t be as busy as the national parks.

The best Utah day trips start in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City is one of our favorite cities in the United States without all of the day trip possibilities, but the potential for adventures that start here makes it even better.

If you’re lucky enough to be here for longer, weekend road trips from Salt Lake City can get pretty epic, too. You saw my list of places we want to visit on return trips to Salt Lake City. I know we’ll be back!

Love national park road trips? Check out these guides:

• A Hiking Guide to Death Valley National Park
• How to Plan a Trip to Grand Teton National Park
• A Guide to Impressive Petrified Forest
• A Detailed Itinerary to Incredible Yellowstone
• Accommodations Guide for Yellowstone Overnights

Interested in more adventures nearby? Check out the posts below:

• Top Things to Do in Charming Colorado Springs
• A Complete Guide to the Florissant Fossil Beds
• How to Drive From Jackson Hole to Yellowstone
• Driving the ET Highway: What’s That Really Like?
• Fun Things to Do in Breckenridge, Colorado

Want to see more?