Set between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, the City of the Saints is best known for its Mormon roots and some of the world’s greatest skiing, which attracts visitors from all corners of the world to book flights to Salt Lake City.
Both Mormon and gentile (non-Mormon) travellers off flights to Salt Lake City visit Temple Square, the spiritual centre of the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The ten-acre square has 15 points of interest, including the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle, and Assembly Hall. Mormons conduct tours through the square, focusing on Mormon history and life. When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is in town, you can attend a performance, preview (rehearsal), or taping.
The powdery snow of the Wasatch Mountains is known as "The Greatest Snow on Earth”. Having hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Salt Lake City offers winter-sports enthusiasts world-class facilities. In the summer, the mountains offer great hiking, ranging from easy walks to rock climbing the higher peaks.
But make no mistake, Salt Lake City has urban lifestyle offerings. In the performing arts the Utah Symphony and Opera and Ballet West are both nationally acclaimed. There are art galleries and museums to browse, the Utah Arts Festival draws a crowd, and the nightlife might surprise you.
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Late June and early July bring the beginning of summer with low humidity, highs in the mid-20s and sometimes 30s (Celsius), and nighttime temperatures ranging from the low single digits to ten degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms are common over the higher peaks. September marks the beginning of autumn. Winter starts in November and by December there’s deep snow. Temperatures stay near freezing during the day. March starts the transition to spring, though snow remains in the valley until April and in the mountain passes until July.
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Peak Season:
Summer brings the hikers, climbers, and golfers, and the hotels book up early from June through Labor Day (September).
The ski season runs from December to early April, and the busiest times to book flights to Salt Lake City are the Christmas and Presidents’ weeks.
Off Season:
If you don’t mind weather that might be warm or cool, wet or clear, spring and autumn are great times to visit the area. The rates for hotels and flights drop and crowds are rare.
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Salt Lake City International Airport (DFW)
Distance: five miles northwest
Drive time: ten mins
Many hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport. The Utah Transit Authority runs buses regularly between the airport and downtown as well as throughout the Salt Lake area, including the mountain resorts. Taxis are also available for transport to town, and major car-rental agencies have desks at the airport.
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Downtown can be easily explored on foot or using the public transportation system, which includes buses, TRAX light-rail, and paratransit services. The bus system also has a Free Fare Zone that covers downtown and Capitol Hill. Getting around the city is straightforward as the streets are laid out on a grid. If you’re hiring a car, make sure to check out the Downtown Token for parking discounts.
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- This Is the Place Heritage Park includes the museum town Old Deseret Village, a re-creation of a typical Utah community from the Mormons’ arrival in 1847 to the coming of the railroad in 1869. In summer, volunteers dress in period clothing and demonstrate what pioneer life was like. Brigham Young’s farm is also in the park. (The word “deseret” is from the Book of Mormon, and means “honeybee,” a symbol of the industrious Mormon pioneer.)
- Bird-watching is popular around the Great Salt Lake. Migratory shore birds stop here to dine on brine shrimp and brine flies. There are more than 250 species that you can spot at natural saltwater marshes, man-made freshwater marshes, and wetland refuges around the lake.
- The Family History Library is one of the world’s largest genealogical libraries that is open to both Mormons and non-Mormons. You might learn something new about your ancestry.
- Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, is home to antelope, deer, bobcats, coyotes, many varieties of birds and waterfowl, and a small herd of elk. The most famous residents of the island are the herd of 600 American Bison. There are 25 miles of back-country trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The visitor center is open year-round.
- Park City, home of the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival, is less than an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City.
- Utah is no longer dry. Salt Lake City has one of the most comprehensive wine stores in the US, its own microbreweries, and “private clubs” (a two-week membership is about $4) instead of bars.
- For up-to-the-minute information on what’s going on, check the Friday editions of the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News. For additional entertainment news and listings, pick up one of the city's free papers, including The Event and Salt Lake City Weekly.
- If you’re wondering why there’s so much Jell-O — the people of Salt Lake City consume more Jell-O than any other city in the United States. They lost the title for a short time to Des Moines, Iowa, but with help from the legislature and Bill Cosby, Jell-O is now Utah’s official state snack.
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