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tah is a sports and recreation dream. Throughout the year, the Salt Lake area offers myriad adventures to those |
waiting to be entertained, challenged, and even astonished. With unsurpassed wilderness, ski slopes, and water sports spread across four distinct seasons, the scope of recreation in Utah is, as the state’s new branding declares, “Life Elevated™.” Salt Lake has become a premier lifestyle mind trip from hiking to sailboarding in the summer to skiing and snowmobiling in the winter. There is something to satisfy every one of the Beehive State’s 18 million-plus yearly visitors, most of whom start with the capital city (visit travel.utah.gov for comprehensive and up-to-date information).
Winter Sports
The ‘steep and deep’ attracts national and international visitors from November through April to Utah’s top-ranked resorts. Salt Lake boasts seven ski resorts and four cross-country courses with an additional six resorts and five courses around the state. Skiers can enjoy Nordic, alpine, and jumps—all within an hour of Salt Lake International Airport. Reader surveys conducted by national magazines consistently rank the state’s ski areas among the best in the country.
The “Greatest Snow on Earth” motto on Utah license plates is confirmed by everyone who takes to the slopes. The Utah Ski Association (skiutah.com) notes 2005 again broke attendance records with over 4 million skier-days. Consistent annual snowfall of 500 inches (that’s over 40 feet!) of second-to-none powder with easy accessibility were major factors in securing the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Whatever your style or ability, Utah skiing has it all—from cultivated resort slopes to extreme helicopter or snowcat skiing in the backcountry. After a day on the slopes, skiers relax at après ski lodges, restaurants, clubs, or in one of the many local microbreweries.
Utah resorts also offer a great deal of diverse terrain for snowboarders. As the sport grows, so does new terrain. Park City Mountain Resort is again a top-ten venue; ranked number 5 by Ski Magazine and number one by Transworld Snowboard Magazine. The Eagle Superpipe (with new 22-foot walls) again hosted the World Superpipe Championships; King’s Crown Super Park, Jonesy’s Park, and Payday Park round out the venue. A new Superpipe was added for the 2004-05 season at Snowbird—375 feet long, 50 feet wide, with 18-foot walls—that now compliments their expanded terrain parks.
Beyond ski and board, snowshoeing has become a popular winter sport among Wasatch Front residents and visitors. Trails that provide hikers solitude in the summer offer a winter wonderland for the bold. Snowmobiling remains a traditional winter activity in Utah, where more than 800 miles of groomed snowmobile trails can be found.
In preparation for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, new athletic facilities were constructed that allowed the public to engage in nontraditional winter sports like ski jumping and bobsleigh/luge at the Utah Olympic Park. In addition, ice-skating is open to the public at two Olympic facilities—The Oquirrh Park Oval in Kearns, dubbed “the fastest ice on Earth,” and The Ice Sheet in Ogden—as well as at other facilities.
Many of the resorts are also now offering summer programs to compliment the winter fun!
Spring, Summer & Fall Sports
When temperatures rise, Salt Lake continues to be an outdoor haven. Utah offers an extensive menu of recreational opportunities to enjoy.
Over the last several years, on- and off-road cycling has presented opportunities for all abilities of bikers. Scenic rides in the alpine terrain along the Wasatch Front are as popular as rides in the red rock country of Utah’s Dixie—just hours from Salt Lake City by car or plane.
Hiking and backpacking treks allow nature lovers to fully experience Utah’s diverse landscape. Easy day hikes to clear mountain lakes are within a 30-minute drive of Salt Lake in the nearby Wasatch Mountains. For those wanting an overnight trip, true seclusion and a real walkabout, the High Uintas Wilderness Area is just a couple of hours drive from downtown and offers a plethora of intricate hikes into pristine wilderness areas, including King’s Peak, the highest point in Utah at 13,529 feet—don’t forget a jacket!
Golf is a major attraction for residents and during warmer months. In the Salt Lake Valley alone there are over 40 golf courses and an additional 30 less than one-hour’s drive from downtown. Course designs range from high-elevation roller coaster tracks along the Wasatch foothills, staid parkland courses more than a century old, stunning lake-side courses with incredible views of snow-capped mountains and even dazzling desert courses in Southern Utah, golf wise Utah has it all.
The quality of Salt Lake’s golf rivals the choicest public courses in the country and features country-club-like course conditions. For example, the Golf Club at Thanksgiving Point, a Johnny Miller signature designed course, ranked as one of the top 10 new courses in the country by Golf Digest in 1997, GolfWeek rates it as the #1 public course in the state, and one of fifteen “Hidden Gems” in the country by Links Magazine. For more information, Utah golf vacations, Tee Times, and “Stay & Play” golf packages, visit www.utahgolftrail.com.
Offshore enthusiasts enjoy water sports such as water skiing, sailboarding, wakeboarding, and river running. Utah ranks in the top ten in the nation in surface acres of boatable waters within its boundaries. The southern part of the state is world-renowned for its whitewater rafting on the Green, Colorado, and San Juan Rivers. Utah is also home to Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in North America.
More than 630 species of mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians make their homes in Utah’s diverse habitat and most species are protected by state law. Wildlife watching continues to grow in popularity alongside traditional hunting activities. Deer remain the most popular big game. Elk, antelope, pheasant, duck, goose, grouse, chukar partridge, mourning dove, wild turkey, and rabbit are also popular game species.
Applications for most special big game permits requiring a drawing are accepted each January. Applications to hunt bear are taken in February and for mountain lion and bobcat from October-November. Fishing, combination, small game or furbearer licenses purchased for 2006 will be valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. |
Hunting is allowed in most public areas of the state, excluding national parks, monuments, and state parks. Call the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for specific regulations at 801.538.4700 or visit www.wildlife.utah.gov.
Salt Lake’s cultural event season offers a year-round array of indoor/outdoor events such as First Night, Live Green, Living Traditions, Utah Arts Festival, Jazz & Blues Festival, the Days of ’47, Farmers’ Market, Oktoberfest, and numerous ethnic celebrations guarantee something for every taste and interest.
Spectator Sports
Cheering all the professional and amateur sports teams is impossible in Salt Lake—there are just too many for anyone to attend every game!
The first professional sports team in Utah, the NBA’s Utah Jazz, honored recently retired players (and future Hall-of-Famers) John Stockton and Karl Malone with retired jerseys and statues at the team’s home court, the Delta Center. In addition to the NBA’s fall-winter schedule, the Jazz host the “Rocky Mountain Revue,” a summer league that helps keep pro players’ skills keen. For details, call 801.325.2500 or visit www.nba.com/jazz.
The Delta Center is also Salt Lake City’s largest and most versatile entertainment facility, hosting sports, music concerts, the circus, and much more. Call 801.325.2000 or visit deltacenter.com. The 20,000-seat arena is now home to the new Arena Football League Utah Blaze, taking the field for their inaugural season in 2006 (utahblaze.com).
The Utah Grizzlies came to Utah in 1995. Affiliated with the American Hockey League since 2001, their 12 seasons have included eight playoff appearances and two Turner Cup wins. The Grizzlies skate at the state-of-the-art E–Center in West Valley City. Though “the Grizz” have been associated with some of the best teams in the NHL, they are currently independent. Call 801.988.8017 or visit utahgrizzlies.com.
The Salt Lake Stingers signed off as winners—they concluded the 2005 season win a nine-game winning streak and saw 15 former players in the major league playoffs. The Los Angeles Angel’s also called up Coach Dino Ebel to be their third base coach before the AAA baseball franchise was sold in late 2005 to Jazz owner Larry Miller. Renamed Salt Lake Bees, this Pacific Coast League powerhouse will take up where the Stingers left off. The Bees home hive is Franklin-Covey Field, a 15,500-seat stadium about 2 miles from the heart of the city. For tickets call 801.485.3800 or visit slbees.com.
Soccer, the world’s most popular sport, continues to make news in Utah. Real Salt Lake (pronounced ree-AL, Spanish for ‘royal’) kicked off its inaugural season in April, 2005. Major League Soccer is the highest level of the sport in the United States, and Real will play at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium until their $145 million Sandy stadium is completed in 2008. Tickets are available by visiting www.realsaltlake.com or calling 866.9Soccer.
Three amateur soccer teams have made their mark in Utah: The Utah Blitzz of the United Soccer League won the league’s D3 National Championship in 2001 and Western Conference Championship in 2002 and 2003. They finished their 2005 season at 6-4, just ahead of Ogden’s Utah Wolverines at 5-4. The Utah Spiders formed in 1999 and joined the Women’s Premier Soccer League in 2000. Their 2005 season ended in July with a 7-5-2 record.
Collegiate sports remain as popular as ever. The “Big Five”—Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah State University, and Weber State University—play for die-hard Salt Lake fans and alumni almost year-round. Football and basketball are the most popular, but intercollegiate and intra-mural teams in baseball, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, and numerous others keep the fans cheering.
Parks, Monuments and History
Within the borders of Utah there are seven national forests, seven national monuments, five national parks, two national recreation areas, and many national historic sites, all within an easy one-day drive of Salt Lake. The parks take in Arches National Park, home to the largest concentration of natural stone arches in the world, including famed Utah icon Delicate Arch; Bryce Canyon National Park with thousands of delicately-carved spires rising in brilliant colors; Canyonlands National
Park with a vertical view thousands of feet down to the Green and Colorado Rivers or up to red rock cliffs; Capitol Reef National Park with splashes of color in an inviting wilderness of sandstone formations and cliffs; Zion National Park (one of the nation’s oldest), with a quiet grandeur carved over millennia by the Virgin River.
The Golden Spike National Historic Site is Utah’s most famous piece of ground, just two hours from the Airport; and This Is The Place Heritage Park on Salt Lake’s east side is the perfect place to step back in time and see how Utah’s first American settlers lived.
The 41 state parks such as Anasazi, Antelope Island, Bear Lake, and Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn, weave a trail of beauty and intrigue throughout the state, while state historic sites, county and city parks and recreation centers combine education, recreation, and entertainment for the entire family.
Accommodations in and near the parks and visitor sites are abundant, but early reservations are recommended. Campers can choose from nearly 500 public and private campgrounds throughout the state for camping, hiking, backpacking, and general sightseeing.
More tourism information is available at the Utah Office of Tourism (800.200.1160 or www.utah.travel). |
