Salt Lake City ended up being everything I thought Denver would have been.
To be honest, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed my time in Utah.
What I found when I arrived in Salt Lake City was a bustling city nestled within a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. While there was an incredible amount of outdoor activities to choose from, there was also a fun downtown offering many great bars, restaurants and even a professional sporting team. Best of both worlds in my opinion! While I have taken a new interest in spending time in nature, I still like indulging in my city girl era a few times a week.
Prior to my stay in Utah, I knew next to nothing about this state outside of what I have seen on Sister Wives and that was not a very good introduction. I think that Utah gets a bad rap for many reasons, most of which are based on peoples misunderstandings of the state and the people that live there.
I would challenge you to step outside of your preconceived notions and actually experience it for what it is.
I decided to extend my time out west after visiting Denver and decided on SLC. I was in this state during the end of fall and the first part of winter and I do not think I could have chosen a better time of year to visit. During my first few weeks in Utah, the temperature averaged in the upper 40s lower 50s and by the time I was leaving it was upper 30s lower 40s in the city. While the city itself didn’t get much snow during my time there, up in the Big Cottonwood Canyon, the weekend before I left got an astonishing 37” of snow. This certainly blows the winters I experienced in Ohio out of the waters.
The apartment that I was staying in was conveniently located across the street from a TRAX light rail station. I was only a few stops away from being in the center of the business district, which was amazing because it was incredibly easy to get to all of the bars and restaurants downtown. Not to mention much more cost effective than Ubering or paying for parking.
There is a free fare section throughout the downtown area to encourage people to use their local transit and an adult monthly pass was $85. One of the cheaper monthly prices that I have seen all year. I was also able to utilize the TRAX to get me to and from the airport for my holiday travels and this was a huge bonus as I was able to save a bit of money and time by not having to park at the airport.
When discussing traffic within this city, there was also a noticeable difference between this city and my last. It would take your normal amount of time to get from point A to point B without any additional traffic outside of rush hour. This was a much-needed change of pace.
I was also pleasantly surprised when it came to the food and beverages that downtown SLC had to offer. One thing that I had heard from a few people in Denver prior to moving was how I would be so disappointed in how “dry” both the city and state were. I had not one issue finding a great bar or speakeasy, matter of fact, some of the bars that I visited in SLC were some of my favorites that I have been to this year. There was a wide variety of cuisine from more fancy upscale restaurants to more laid back casual options. Outside of SLC, this was a different story but we aren’t going to focus on that now!
Fun fact, Crumbl Cookie was founded in Logan, Utah.
In my experience, Utahans were all extremely friendly and very welcoming. I was able to connect with different people while I was out on my travels and the locals were all very happy to give me some of their favorite spots and recommendations in the state. I would often express how much I was enjoying myself to the locals, which they were happy to hear. They did however ask me to keep that information to myself as it seems not everyone is hip to Utah yet! They want to keep the wonders of their state a secret for as long as possible.
If you go, please don’t tell them I sent you!
Much like my time in Denver, I was able to spend some additional time in nature and explore even more national parks. During my time in Utah I was able to visit 4 out of their big 5 national parks. This had to be one of the highlights of my stay; I had no idea that the landscape within this state was so diverse and beautiful. Each park was more beautiful and interesting than the previous one.
If I had to give a favorite, I would have to say Zion National Park. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before and I would love to return someday to now hike to my bucket list hike at Angels Landing.
My time in Salt Lake City seemed to fly by, but I guess that is what they say happens when you are having fun!
Turns out the most unexpected of places often turn out to be some of the best stops along my journey.
I look forward to returning to Utah!