9 Best Sights in Northern Utah, Utah

Established in 1928 to conserve the Bear River habitat for migratory waterfowl and wildlife, this 80,000-acre U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge is just west of Brigham City. You can observe wildlife along a 12-mile driving route and 1½ miles of walking trails, with ducks, geese, pelicans, herons, swans, shore birds, and more than 200 other kinds of birds arriving in various seasons. The Wildlife Education Center contains interactive displays and observation decks.

This 1,500-foot-long, 15-foot-wide earthen creation that juts in a spiral out into Great Salt Lake was created by artist Robert Smithson in 1970 and is often photographed by passengers in planes flying overhead. The jetty, 16 miles from the Golden Spike site via a dirt road, was submerged for much of the subsequent 30 years, before the lake level fell precipitously in 2002 revealing the structure again. The snail shell–shape land art structure is considered one of the most remote sculptures in modern American art history, and it is Utah's state work of art.

Established in 1888 as a small agricultural school, USU now enrolls around 27,000 students and is an intellectual and technological leader in land, water, space, and life enhancement. The scenic, 400-acre campus is best toured by starting at the historic Old Main administration building east of downtown Logan—look for the bell tower. Inside the building you'll find the Museum of Anthropology, which contains an impressive collection of prehistoric and contemporary Native American artifacts and cultural works. The first Saturday of each month features family-friendly exploration of a specific country through its food, art, crafts, and music. Also worth a stop is the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, which is in a striking contemporary building a few blocks northeast of the campus Quad and contains a permanent collection as well as mounting rotating shows. You can also pick up a map here of sculptures and public art visible throughout the campus.

More than 10,000 objects from Box Elder County's 170-year history tell the story of the area's early settlement and Mormon cooperative periods. This well-designed, modern museum also includes a permanent collection of more than 300 works of art, with several rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

Housed in an imposing 1893 Queen Anne mansion with soaring turrets, this vibrant community arts center with a focus on diversity and inclusion presents a permanent collection of works by regional and national artists. There are also rotating shows exhibited throughout the building's public spaces and a sculpture garden with flowers and a stunning fountain. The center also offers a wide range of performing and visual arts classes and special events.

You can view the exteriors of nearly 100 military aircraft dating from the early years of flight to the present at this impressive 30-acre indoor-outdoor museum at the north end of Hill Air Force Base, about 7 miles south of downtown Ogden. There are also missiles, military vehicles, munitions, uniforms, and thousands of other artifacts.

It took Mormon settlers 27 years to build the tabernacle, which they completed in 1891. Today's tabernacle is a venue for concerts and lectures. You can also tour the building or search for information about your family history at the genealogical research facility.

This tranquil 11-acre urban oasis set along the Ogden River Parkway is operated by the University of Utah and contains a series of theme gardens—rose, Oriental, water conservation, edible, cottage—connected by a network of meandering paths, some of which flank the river. One garden has been designed for people with mobility challenges, and an arboretum features trees that are ideal for planting beneath powerlines, as they never exceed 25 feet in height. On warm days, the conifer garden is a fragrant spot offering plenty of shade. There are also attractive picnic areas and lawns that invite relaxing.