Best things to do in Salt Lake City, including free and rainy-day options

Pick by how much time you have and whether you have a car. Downtown sights need no vehicle; canyons and the lake do.

Temple Square is the historic centre of the city and the headquarters of the LDS church. Parts of the block have been under renovation, so check what is open before you plan a visit; the grounds and visitor areas are free. Two blocks away, the Utah State Capitol sits on a hill with a free self-guided tour and a view down State Street to the mountains. Walk down through Memory Grove Park to City Creek Canyon for an easy trail that starts within the city.

The Natural History Museum of Utah, up by the University of Utah, is the strongest indoor stop: dinosaur fossils, Great Salt Lake ecology and Native American history. Allow two to three hours. Nearby, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Red Butte Garden are smaller options; Red Butte charges admission and is best in spring and early summer.

For mountains, Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon are the closest. In summer the trailheads at Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird lead to lakes and ridgelines; in winter the same canyons are ski resorts. Check avalanche forecasts and road conditions, and note that Little Cottonwood Canyon often requires traction devices or chains in winter. Antelope Island, out in the Great Salt Lake, is a half-day drive with bison, pronghorn and shoreline views; the lake itself smells of salt and can be shallow and muddy at the edges.

Park City, about 40 minutes east, is a former mining town with a walkable Main Street, ski resorts and summer trails. Provo, south along the interstate, is a separate base for Utah Lake and the Provo River. Both work as day trips if you have a car.

Downtown sightseeing is cheap: the capitol, Temple Square grounds and City Creek are free. The main paid stops are the Natural History Museum of Utah, Red Butte Garden, Clark Planetarium shows and ski lift passes. Antelope Island charges per vehicle. Budget for a rental car or rideshares if you want the canyons, since transit does not reach the trailheads.

Altitude is the thing most visitors underestimate. The city sits around 1,300 m and the resorts go far higher, so plan a light first day, drink water and skip alcohol if you feel a headache coming on. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms in the mountains; be off exposed ridges by early afternoon. Winter driving in Little Cottonwood Canyon can require chains or four-wheel drive, and the road closes for avalanche control.