The Ultimate Road Trip Through Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is a unique city in northern Utah that has a lot to offer. With the surrounding mountains being a short drive from the city, the Great Salt Lake and many restaurants, shops and breweries, there is tons to do in Salt Lake City. Therefore, we have created a guide for the ultimate road trip through Salt Lake City.

This road trip is designed as if you are entering the area from the East. But the trip can easily be done in the other direction if you plan to come from the west or different cardinal direction. This ultimate road trip through Salt Lake City offers wide variety of activities from hiking, soaking in hot springs, brewery tours, and more.

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Fifth Water Hot Springs:

First stop on the road trip through Salt Lake City is Fifth water hot springs. This moderate hike is a popular destination just outside the city in Springville, UT. This hike offers an epic place to soak in emerald blue hot springs with a stunning mossy waterfall at the end.

The best time to visit Fifth Water Hot Springs is in the fall because of the multi-colors of foliage. For a more in-depth guide for the Fifth Water Hot Springs Hike, we cover all the details in this guide.

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Powerhouse Overlook:

Powerhouse Overlook is an epic hike near Salt Lake City that reminds us of Hawaii. We saw pictures online, but we were blown away with the spectacular views from above. Pictures just don’t do Powerhouse Overlook justice. The drive to the trailhead is steep, but well worth it! 

The hike is 2.9 miles up an ATV trail. The hike is a climb, but through a beautiful forest. It is especially beautiful during fall with the leaves changing. 

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Homestead Crater:

Homestead Crater is a unique destination along the road trip through Salt Lake City. It is located in Midway, UT. The crater is a geothermal spring heated from the earth’s interior 2 miles below. The crater heats to about 90-96 degrees, which is the perfect temperature to enjoy a soak in the water or you can go swimming, scuba diving or snorkeling! 

We were a little spooked by the dark atmosphere, so we just decided to enjoy the view and snap a few pictures. But if you have more guts than us, it is known to be a cool experience to enjoy the warm waters while scuba diving or snorkeling! 

Note: You do need a reservation for swimming/soaking, scuba diving or snorkeling. You can find more details to make a Reservation.

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Hike Mt. Olympus:

Mt. Olympus is an epic hike in the mountains right outside Salt Lake City. The hike is 6.3 miles with 4,133 feet in elevation gain. This hike is not for beginners as it contains a class 3 scramble and a serious climb up to the summit. Once you make it to the top you are offered stunning views over the city and Wasatch Valley.

This trail can be done all year round, but the best time to climb Mt. Olympus is late summer-fall.

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Moss Ledge Falls

Moss Ledge Falls are hidden up between canyon walls along Big Cottonwood Pass! The hike is actually a short .4 mile roundtrip hike with 308 feet of elevation gain.

The trail is not well marked, but you meander up the river, crossing it a handful of times. We went in October, so the waterfall wasn’t flowing super fast, so the trail was relatively easy to hike up. But be careful if the river is flowing much stronger in spring/early summer!

Here are directions to the Moss Ledge Falls trailhead because it can be tricky to find.

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Hike Lake Blanche:

After you check out Moss Ledge Waterfall, travel down Big Cottonwood Pass to Lake Blanche Trailhead. It is about an 8 minute drive down to the trailhead. Lake Blanche is a beautiful 6.9 mile hike with 2,706 feet in elevation gain.

The hike is a challenge, but the views from the top will be well worth it! If you desire more time admiring the beautiful, people can overnight backpack up to Lake Blanche.

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Brewery Tour:

If you like beer, then a brewery tour around Salt Lake City is the perfect activity on this road trip through Salt Lake City. But this isn’t just a self-imposed brewery tour, Salt Lake City has a unique app called Connect Pass.

There are 3 different pass types you can choose from: 1 day, 3 day or 90 day pass.The cost ranges from $20-$40 depending on the length of the pass you choose.

With the purchase of the pass, you get a value of $5 to use toward the purchase of a beer at 14 different breweries around the city. Many beers costs around $5, but if you are looking for a specialty beer, there might be an additional cost. For example, if the beer costs $7, all you will need to do is show your pass and pay the additional $2.

Now it’s time to grab some brews and get to exploring this Salt Lake City Brewery Tour.

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Antelope Island:

The entrance to Antelope Island State Park is about an hour Northwest of the city. There is a beautiful scenic drive through the park where you can stop at many hikes or viewpoints along the way. We suggest getting out of the car to stretch your legs and going for a hike to get even better views of the park!

We hiked Buffalo Point Trail which was a mile hike roundtrip that gave spectacular panoramic views! But beware as the mosquito were horrendous and I hear they are also bad at other parts of the year. 

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Spiral Jetty:

Spiral Jetty is about 2 hours north of the city, but during the summer months it can be well worth it! This is the spot you not only find the unique artwork for the spiral jetty by Robert Smithson from 1970, but where you will find the pink water of the Great Salt Lake. 

The water level was low when we went on our this Salt Lake City road trip and it was very windy, so we just had foam blowing everywhere on the shoreline. But despite the wind, it was actually pretty cool!

Definitely check to see if the pink water is actually there depending on the time of year you visit!

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Takeaway | The Ultimate Road Trip Through Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City has so many great attractions and such a diverse amount of activities. If you aren’t much of a city person, then there is tons to do within a hours drive from the city. Or if you enjoy the city, you can easily spend multiple days exploring the ins and outs of the city. We hope you enjoy this ultimate road trip through Salt Lake City.

If you are looking for more things to do in Utah, head to the south for a Utah road trip. Or if you are more into exploring cities, head to San Francisco for an ultimate road trip.

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