Things to do in northern Utah
 

My husband and I are flying into Salt Lake City in mid-May and plan to spend a couple of weeks exploring northern Utah and parts of Nevada and Wyoming.

We've already been to all of the national parks in southern Utah and plan to spend a few days at Great Basin NP in Nevada.

We've checked the guidebooks but are looking for recommendations on must-see places and fun outdoors activities -- hiking, rafting, off-roading, etc. -- from people who have been there. What would you do with two weeks?

Thanks!

I would go north to G.Tetons and Yellowstone.Also visit the great museum in Cody.Paul

I enjoyed fossil butte national monument, and watch out for antelope crossing the road!

i haven't done it myself but my friends tried mining for opal in northern nevada however that is the nw side.

grand teton and yellowstone are pretty close, 6 hours or so and to be so close and not go, but i am dedicating my whole vacation to that area, a quick trip might not do it justice...

i think i would stay north and not go all the way down to great basin however if you are hikers wheeler's peak is tempting..

Golden Spike NHS
http://www.nps.gov/gosp/

Flaming Gorge NRA
http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/flaming_gorge.htm

Wasatch Wilderness Area, drive Utah SR-150 to Evanston WY.

Dinosaur NM
http://www.nps.gov/dino/

Hi Chartsell,

Since you don't say you have already visited the Tetons and Yellowstone, I would recommend those parks too.

You could spend a couple days in Park City, my town. There is lots to see and do - hiking, biking, Utah Olympic Park, hot air ballooning, art galleries, spas, and fabulous restaurants.

Too bad you are coming a little early for all the summer activities, the outdoor concerts start in June and the wildflowers bloom from mid-July to Aug. The hiking in the Wasatch Mtns. is incredible with views that cannot be beat. The Unita Mtn. just east of Park City are even more spectacular. Remember these areas for a future, summer trip!

You could maybe do

Park City 2 nts
Bear Lake 1 nt (on the way to Jackson)
Tetons & Yellostone Parks 8 nts
Great Basin 3 nts

Just one of many possibilities.

Like RedRock suggested, the Golden Spike Natl Monument is a major historical site. You could see it on the drive to Great Basin.

Happy planning!

Does the parks in Southern Utah include Arches, Canyonlands & Capitol Reef? If not, then I'd add those to Dinosaur National Monument.

Utahtea

I live in Utah so I will try to give you some of my favorites. Don't miss the Lehman Cave tours at Great Basin National Park. We stay at nearby Ely when we don't camp. Wendover, Nevada also has great hotel rates Sun-Thurs. There are so many place to visit in Utah besides the national parks. Park City or Snowbird/Alta are resort areas outside of Salt Lake City with hiking & other activites. East of Park City is Kamas and the beautiful Mirror Lake Road. There are lots of hiking opportunities on this road and you can end up in Evanston, Wyoming. South of Salt Lake City is American Fork Canyon with Timpanogas Cave and on the other end of the Alpine Loop is the Sundance resort. From there you can go around Deer Creek Resevoir to Heber City and go on the Heber Railroad. Midway is just west Of Heber City & a nice place to stay. North of Salt Lake is Logan and from there you can go to Bear Lake which has many places to stay. You can continue on to Jackson Wyoming from here. Down south, around Richfield is Fish Lake and Capital Reef National Park (one of my favorites). Bicknell & Torrey are good places to stay around here. We've had some great hikes in Capital Reef. Moab is a great place for rafting and bicycling. On the way to Moab from Capitol Reef stop at Goblin State Park. With two weeks pick a few different areas to base yourselves. You'll find lots to do and see.

I didn't pay attention and missed the middle of May comment so some of my reccommendations are for summer (still snow bound)--Mirror Lake and Alpine Loop but this is a great time to see Capital Reef and Moab if you haven't been to these areas. Jackson and Yellowstone can still be cold but enjoyable. We like staying in Island Park, Idaho outside of West yellowstone. Your hiking will be limited to lower elevations in the northern parts of Utah and Wyoming. The weather lately has been unpredictible--hot then cold so pack accordingly. If you want to stay in Park City check online for condo specials.

Hi, everybody, and thanks for all the replies.

To clear a few things up: We've been to Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone national parks (which is why we're going to Great Basin -- we couldn't get to it the first couple of times around).

We're looking for good hikes or off-roading in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains (and hoping snow won't be a huge problem; we couldn't go later in the summer because of work).

We also were thinking of Dinosaur NM, Flaming Gorge, Park City, Logan. Are the Ruby Mountains, Antelope Island or Bear River Wildlife Refuge worth the time?

Thanks again!

We were very disappointed in the middle of july last summer when we tried to hike in Great Basin; the trails were still closed due to the heavy snow pack. You might want to check before you go. You can find my full report with more info by clicking on my name and scrolling down.

Sorry, make mid july of 05, not 06(sure wish we could edit our posts!)

Hi Chartsell,

Hiking and off-roading in the mountains will just be a chancy thing that early. Although we have only had about 40% of our normal snowfall this year, the higher elevations (above 7,500 ft.) just had over 15 inches of new snow this weekend.

You may be able to go at lower elevations. Be sure to check with local forest and ranger stations before heading out. You don't want to get stuck in the snow and mud. Search and Rescue just hates that.

Have fun!

Great museum in Ogden.

Golden Spike - near there is the Thiokol plant with a great exhibit of rockets including a shuttle booster - the solid fuel type since thiokol products have been the basis of modern solid fuel since 1946 when a young engineer at JPL first used it.