Off-Season Trip to SLC and Surrounding

[Lauren]

Looking for some advice, ideas and creative thoughts while I'm planning a trip in June to SLC.

Background: I have a wedding to go to in Park City towards the end of June. The original plan was to mountain bike with the husband for a few days before, go to the wedding and fly home. Unfortunately, due to the new circumstances, he's not going to be able to come along. So...I'm flying solo with a group of family members that don't bike (queue sad trombone sound effect).

I'm looking for this to be 5-9 day trip, with a mandatory date of being in Park City on June 23rd/24th. I'm playing with ideas of flying into or out of a different city. Maybe driving to Bryce and/or Zion and flying out of Las Vegas. Or similarly, heading north to the Tetons. These ideas seem way too ambitious if I stick to a 5 day trip. So of course, sticking around SLC is an option as well.

Then of course there's biking, which I can't really get my mind off of...any trail systems in the area that are well traveled with decent cell service, so if something were to happen it'd be easy to get help while solo? Any group rides recommended? ... I'd need to rent a bike somewhere, which complicates things a bit, but I can definitely work out details. I'm also open to downhill riding...but once again, not too keen on doing that solo.

For those in the area, what are "must do"/"must see" things for the summertime? Hikes recommended (I may be able to get a family member or two interested in a moderate hike)? Think it's worth the road trip so one of our National Parks for that short of a time frame? Which would you recommend? Any events/festivals/etc going on around the date of the 23rd that might be worth checking out?

Any other ideas are greatly appreciated...just looking to get my brain going in some direction, cause right now it all looks good.

PS - I had no idea where to put this...Hiking/Camping? Biking?...finally figured Chez Ziggy might be an okay place for it;
as it falls into the "chat about whatever is on your mind".

 

[Posaune]

I am not local to SLC or environs but I will give you my experience and you can do what you want with it.

We have taken several trips through the area, though we base our operations out of Las Vegas since we have a local direct flight. We fly in, rent a car, and hit the road.

At first we went to the big name places like Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion Canyon. While driving through we kept seeing interesting things that we wanted to explore but didn't have time, so we added them to our list. Since then we have been back more times to take in the less well known places, and they have been fantastic! An example of one such place that we'd never heard of was Valley of Fire State Park just north of Las Vegas. We had just visited Bryce and Zion Canyons and were amazed by what we had seen. On our way back to Vegas we noticed that there was this state park off the freeway about 15 miles and since we had extra time that day we took a detour to see it. It blew our minds! It was almost as amazing as the national parks we had just visited. On our next visit we made more time for Valley of Fire and were not disappointed.

My suggestion is to rent a car and explore. Head for the big destinations, they're big and famous for a reason, but leave time to poke around as you go. Don't try to do everything; you can't because there is just too much.

 

[tromano]

Avoid southern Utah in late June it’s generally too hot to be enjoyable for outdoor activities.

Park city is a much better MTB destination than a ski destination IMO. There are many hundreds of miles of trails to ride. Rent a bike in town and go. Cel service is good in PC generally and the trails are relatively well traveled.

As for hikes, there are hundreds of really cool hikes day tripable from the wasatch front. I Need to put together a check list for myself for this summer and I can share that. Keep in mind that moderate hikes here still are still lots of climbing.

 

[Lauren]

Avoid southern Utah in late June it’s generally too hot to be enjoyable for outdoor activities.

Hadn't really thought about that aspect...thanks for throwing it out there.

As for hikes, there are hundreds of really cool hikes day tripable from the wasatch front. I Need to put together a check list for myself for this summer and I can share that. Keep in mind that moderate hikes here still are still lots of climbing.

That would be awesome if you shared your checklist, or if you threw in a few that you've done before that you really enjoyed. I knew throwing out the term "moderate hikes" would bring in mixed opinions of what moderate is, and figured I can look them up and determine if it's something doable for whomever I'm with (or flying solo).

Great to hear that Park City's trails are well traveled, and cell coverage is generally good...makes me less nervous about heading out solo.

 

[Lauren]

Park city is a much better MTB destination than a ski destination IMO.

After looking a bit more into it, just found a website with trail maps..http://mountaintrails.org/parkcity-trails/
Wow. Holy trail systems. Did not expect quite that much right around town.

 

[tromano]

I used to carry the mountain trails paper map. But I really like Trailforks for an app based trail map for mountain biking.

For hiking I think AllTrails has the best coverage / app.

BCC / LCC Hikes from Easy to harder. BCC is easier to get to since you can drive right over guardsman. Late June is the start of peak season for wildflowers.
Albion Basin
Donut Falls
Circle All Peak
Granduer Peak
Clayton Peak
Lake Blanche
Whitepine Lake

Unita Mountains - Mirrorlake Highway. Well worth a drive.
Ibantik Lake
Bald Mountain

 

[jmills115]

We hiked at Alta a lot last summer-fall. Parking at the lot outside the Albion grill. @tromano is correct that AllTrails is reliable and recommend you download your planned route. Alta will be 15 degrees cooler than Salt Lake and a bit less than PC. Some easier hikes with a couple not so much.
From the Albion grill which is 8600’.
Cecret Lake-An easier 4.5 miles with 1000’ gain which we would do in under 2 hours. A shuttle drop will cut this in half so it can get crowded with families and younger kids
Sugarloaf Peak-About 7 miles RT taking you up to 11k’ we would RT in about 4.5 hours. Having a helicopter fly below us was a highlight.
Devils Castle-Same route to Cecret Lake then it gets tough up to 10,800’. 5.5 hour RT since we would hand out up top for awhile. Bigger elevation gains in a short distance. Cutbacks, loose rock, and rock scrambling at the end to get up top. Loose footing coming down has put mrsjmills and myself on our bottoms more than once.
Germania Pass-6.5 mile RT in about 4 hours up to 10,400’ where you can go up either the Albion Basin side or under the Collins lift with Albion side being easier
My Baldy-around 7 mile RT in 4.5 hours up to 11k. Is difficult the last couple hundred feet.
Sunset Peak or Lake Catherine-3.7 miles RT up to 10,600’ that we would do after work often getting up and back in a little over 2 hours. You can choose rh peak or the lake about 45 minutes in and another 15-20 you will be on the peak or at the lake.

A little snow on October 8. I wasn’t as prepared as normal and was cold while mrsjmills wanted to stop every 10 steps for a picture

Devils Castle-

20 minutes in with the Castle a few hours away

 

[Emmett]

Hadn't really thought about that aspect...thanks for throwing it out there.

I wouldn't rule out all southern Utah in June for activities. Bryce Canyon sits at 8,000 plus feet. No off road biking in the park but just outside are some pretty cool trails. Brian Head resort isn't too far down the road and it sits at 9,000 feet with superb biking trails in the area. Even hot Moab sits below the La Sal mountains which top out at 12,000 feet and contain lots of hiking and biking trails.

 

[Lauren]

I've decided to narrow my decisions down. And by that I mean, I counted my vacation days, and there's just not enough (but, I suppose there never really is enough). As much as I want to explore southern Utah...it's going to take too much time for this trip. I'm going to stick with the Park City area, do a couple days mountain biking there, and venture into BCC for a hike or two depending on the time I have.

For mountain biking, looking at a day on the Flying Dog Loop and a day riding around PC and DV. Any specific recommendations are more than welcome! I'm digging through All-Trails hiking recommendations now, and looking at everything on tromano's list...I want to do them all!

 

[SBrown]

When in Park City, spend some time at the Olympic Training Park! The museum and pool aerialists are awesome. Then go to that lobster roll place and, as a New Englander, tell us what you think.

 

[Lauren]

When in Park City, spend some time at the Olympic Training Park! The museum and pool aerialists are awesome. Then go to that lobster roll place and, as a New Englander, tell us what you think.

Good to know that the Olympic Park is worth a visit, it keeps popping up on things to do in the area, and I was curious.

As for the lobster rolls...I'm a tough critic considering I don't like my lobster rolls with mayo. But if they are truly the best, they'll serve them without mayo and let the lobster do the talking. Stand by for the report in June...

 

[Bad Bob]

Depending on your crew Midway can be worth a little time, it is about 1/2 hour east of PC down US 40; right near Heber. If you have never been, it is worth going for the views if nothing else.
Homestead is a nice resort but they have some of the most unusual hotsprings I have ever seen, it is like going inside of a beehive for shape. 5 very nice and different public golf courses.
Wasatch State Park is accessed from there. There is an old swiss farm there that has been restored interesting to see; it is also the access point to a lot of mountain bike trails or quad trails for the less energetic (lots of quad rental places there too).
The Olympic Training Center in PC is well worth hitting too. The bobsled ride is spendy but lots of fun.