When to Go

When to Go

One of the best reasons to vacation in the Wasatch is that a short drive from the valleys to the mountains will make you feel like you're getting two seasons in a single day. Winter is long in the mountains, but surprisingly short in the valleys. In March, when snow is still piling up at the ski resorts, you can golf, hike, bike, or fish in any of the Wasatch valleys or foothills. Hikers crowd the backcountry from June through Labor Day. Ski resorts buzz from December to early April. If you don't mind sometimes capricious weather, spring and fall are opportune seasons to visit. Rates drop and crowds are nonexistent. Spring is a good time for fishing, rafting on rivers swollen with snowmelt, birding, and wildlife-viewing. In fall, trees splash the mountainsides with golds and reds, the fish are spawning, and the angling is excellent.

Summer begins in the mountains in late June or early July. Fall begins in September, often with a week of unsettled weather around mid-month, followed by four to six gorgeous weeks of Indian summer -- frosty nights and warm days. Winter creeps in during November, and deep snows arrive in the mountains by December. Temperatures usually hover near freezing by day, thanks to the surprisingly warm mountain sun, dropping considerably overnight. Winter tapers off in March, though snow lingers into April on valley bottoms and into July on some mountain passes.