All of the athletic facilities constructed for the 2002 Winter Games remain in place and are open to the public including uncommon 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, rightly dubbed “the fastest ice on Earth,” since 18 Olympic and world records have been broken there and The Ice Sheet in Ogden—as well as at other facilities. Both facilities offer periodic lessons in hockey, speed skating and curling to interested adults and kids.
Most of the resorts also offer summer programs to compliment the winter fun!
Spring, Summer & Fall Sports
Even after the snow has melted, Salt Lake continues to be an outdoor haven. Utah offers an extensive menu of recreational opportunities to enjoy.
Prominent Tour De France rider Dale Zabriskie, a Utah native, trains for the tour in the mountains in and around Salt Lake City. Bicycling is easy in Utah because rides present themselves in almost any direction. 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 a few hours from Salt Lake City.
To experience Utah in its most natural state you probably have to hoof it, and the State’s countless hiking and backpacking treks allow nature lovers to fully experience the diverse landscape. Easy day hikes to clear mountain lakes and alpine meadows are within a 30-minute drive of Salt Lake in the nearby Wasatch Mountains. For those wanting true seclusion and a hard-core walkabout, the High Uintahs 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. But don’t forget a jacket, because even in August storms can bring snow at altitude.
For golfers Utah is a little slice of heaven. “Almost all the population of Utah has a choice of 25 golf course within a half-hour drive of their home,” says Joe Watts, executive director of the 30,000-member Utah Golf Association. And many of them are reasonably-priced government-owned courses. According to the National Golf Foundation Utah has more government-owned courses per capita than any other state. The result is that greens fees average perhaps half the cost of comparable courses in neighboring Nevada or Arizona. In the Salt Lake Valley alone there are over 40 golf courses with another 30 less an hour from downtown. Course designs range from links-style courses that would be at home in Scotland, to parkland courses now in their second century, to lake-side courses with picture-postcard views of snow-capped mountains, to sparkling desert courses. When it comes to golf, 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 at its founding. For more information, Utah golf vacations, Tee Times, and “Stay & Play” golf packages, visit www.utahgolftrail.com or www.slc-golf.com.
Utah’s deserts rival the deserts anywhere for splendor and yet the State ranks sixth in the United States for the surface area of ‘boatable’ water per capita. In fact Utah has more than 100 bodies of water considered boatable and hundreds more lakes and ponds that you’ll long to linger near. But it’s not the number of lakes, but the diversity. From houseboating on the one-of-a-kind Lake Powell to fishing emerald waters in alpine forests, to floating freely in the largest salt lake in North America, Utah lakes offer diversity like none other.
Offshore enthusiasts enjoy water sports such as water skiing, sailboarding, wakeboarding, and river running. The southern part of the state is world-renowned for its whitewater rafting on the Green, Colorado, and San Juan Rivers.
The State is home to more than 630 species of mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians and most species are protected by state law. Given the proximity to the outdoors, wildlife watching is popular. For instance, every spring brings an influx of hundreds of bald eagles to the shorelines of the Wasatch Front, within range of millions. Many Utahns also cherish
traditional hunting activities. Deer remain the most popular big game. Elk, antelope, pheasant, duck, goose, grouse, chukar partridge, wild turkey, 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 2007 are 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, Greekfest, Oktoberfest, and numerous ethnic celebrations guarantee something for every taste and interest.
Spectator Sports
For a state with so many outdoor diversions, it’s amazing anyone finds time for anything else. And yet Utah hosts a panoply of professional and collegiate sporting events year-round.
The first professional sports team in Utah, the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association, made another trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2007, its sixth in franchise history. And just like the other six times fans came out of the woodwork to support the team at the EnergySolutions Arena. Here’s hoping for a repeat performance next season! In addition to the NBA’s fall-winter schedule, the Jazz host the “Rocky Mountain Revue,” a summer rookie league that gives fans the chance to preview the league’s rising stars. For details, call 801.325.2500 or visit www.nba.com/jazz.
The 20,000-seat EnergySolutions Arena is also Salt Lake City’s most versatile entertainment facility, and has hosted everything from Olympic events, to rodeos to concerts from the likes of U2, The Eagles, and Josh Groban. The arena is also home to the high-flying, high-scoring Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League. The Blaze, in only its second season, made its first playoff run in 2007 (www.utahblaze.com).
The Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League have had only three losing seasons in 13 years and enjoyed eight playoff appearances and two Turner Cup wins. The Grizzlies skate at the state-of-the-art E–Center in West Valley City, another 2002 Winter Olympics venue. Call 801.988.8017 or visit www.utahgrizzlies.com.
The triple-A Salt Lake Bees, a Pacific Coast League powerhouse since 1915! play at Franklin-Covey Field, a 15,500-seat stadium that may feature the best mountain view in the minor leagues. The Bees have gone through countless iterations over the last 92 years but they’ve been competitive and sent players up to the ‘bigs’ in almost every season. For tickets call 801.485.3800 or visit www.slbees.com.
Real Salt Lake of the MLS (Major League Soccer) kicked off its inaugural season in April, 2005 and has consistently drawn some of the largest crowds in the league, evidence of the demand for the world’s favorite sport in Utah. Real will play at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium until their $145 million Sandy stadium is completed in summer 2008. Tickets are available by visiting www.realsaltlake.com or calling 866.9Soccer.
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University of Utah football
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Even with the increasing number of professional sports offerings in the State, 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 fans and alumni almost year-round. Football and basketball are the most popular, and all the State’s teams have sent players to the professional ranks. The University of Utah and BYU regularly play in bowl games and go deep into the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. The Big Five schools also field intercollegiate and/or intra-mural teams in baseball, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, and numerous others that keep the fans cheering.
Parks, Monuments and History
Utah has one of the highest percentages of federally-owned acreage in the lower 48 states and much of it is comprised of the seven national forests, seven national monuments, five national parks, two national recreation areas, and many national historic sites within the State’s borders.
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Mesa Arch at Canyonlands National Park
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Although widely different the National Parks each share four things in common. All of the parks are in the State’s southern half and within an easy drive of Salt Lake City. Each is located in desert-like settings, and all are almost unworldly in their beauty. Several have formations and geology unique in the world. Finally, water—precious in these parts—played a defining role in the formation of each of these national treasures.
- Arches National Park, home to the largest concentration of natural stone arches in the world, including the iconic Delicate Arch.
- Bryce Canyon National Park features thousands of delicately-carved spires rising in brilliant vermillion and yellows.
- Canyonlands National Park offers dizzying vertical views 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, canyons and cliffs.
- Zion National Park, with a quiet grandeur carved over millennia by the Virgin River.
The Golden Spike National Historic Site, celebrating the joining of the transcontinental railroad, is Utah’s most famous patch of ground and is just two hours north of the Airport. This Is The Place Heritage Park on Salt Lake City’s east side is the perfect place to step back in time and see how Utah’s early settlers built a life despite forbidding conditions.
The 41 state parks from Bear Lake on the north to Kodachrome on the south, weave a fantastic 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 individual or 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 sightseeing.
More tourism information is available at the Utah Office of Tourism (800.200.1160 or www.travel.utah.gov).