Salt Lake City is a beautiful city situated in the Wasatch Mountains in the northern portion of Utah. It’s named for … you guessed it… the giant Great Salt Lake, which is the largest salt lake in the northern hemisphere and the 8th largest lake in the world! This is a beautiful city to visit and is a great jumping-off point for your adventures through the rest of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and even Montana. The scenery in and around the city is absolutely jaw-dropping and you won’t regret spending a day of your trip here.
We flew into Salt Lake City before our Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip back in 2020. Flying into SLC was sooo much cheaper than any of the airports near the national parks and renting a car was very affordable. It also made our trip that much easier! The weather in September was magnificent and we loved seeing the foliage begin to turn in this portion of Utah. So, how did we spend a day in Salt Lake City?
Grab your Google Notes and start writing… let’s talk about the best one day Salt Lake City Itinerary!
Table of Contents
Why spend one day in SLC?
Flying into a major city just to spend one day? What’s the point…?! If you’re like us, you may be choosing Salt Lake City as your “hub” when traveling out west to the national parks or surrounding areas. This is a great option, because SO MANY national parks and sites are within a day’s drive (or less) from SLC. We wanted to see the city without feeling like we were taking away time from what we really came to do: hike, explore, see animals. We had about 24 hours in Salt Lake City on the day we arrived. I think we got a good feel for the city and were able to see the “major” sites we wanted to see.
It’s often cheaper to fly into a major airport like Salt Lake versus the smaller airports surrounding the national parks like Jackson Hole and Glacier National Park. The drive to the parks is *kinda* long (it took us about 6 hours to get to Grand Teton) but it’s very scenic and so, so worth it.
With that being said, if you fly into Salt Lake early in the morning or late at night and stay 1 night in a hotel, you can explore the city before taking off on your next adventure. I highly recommend going this route because we LOVED SLC! We aren’t “city” people so seeing it in one day was the perfect amount of time for us.
How to get to SLC
Salt Lake City has an international airport that services many airlines and major cities. We were able to get a flight with one stop from Raleigh, NC. Flying from NYC, Chicago, DC, or Atlanta will most likely get you a direct flight!
For my west coast friends, it’s a day’s drive from many major cities.
Salt Lake is:
- 8 hours from Denver
- 5 hours from Boise
- 6 hours from Las Vegas
- 11 hours from San Francisco
Park City, UT is a short 40 minutes away and you’re about 5 hours from the “big 5” national parks in the southwest portion of Utah.
Getting around Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is a relatively small city and easy to navigate around.
My recommendation? Rent a car! If Salt Lake City is just a stop before the rest of your trip, driving a car around the beautiful state of Utah and surrounding states is absolutely the way to go.
Don’t want to rent a car? No worries! You can always use a ride sharing service, like Uber or Lyft, or use the public transportation! The Utah Transit Authority provides trains, buses, and light-rails that are available from the airport all the way to Ogden, UT.
TRAX is their light-rail system that services access throughout downtown. The buses will get you around downtown to any light-rail line as well as from the airport and to the greater Salt Lake City areas. Visiting during ski season? The bus can take you to Park City and many other ski areas in near SLC.
What to pack
The weather in Utah is absolutely glorious. You experience all 4 seasons in the most magical way. Fall and spring are very mild with low humidity and temperatures in the 50s-60s. Winter is a true winter with an average of 54 inches of snow per year.However, the summer does get rather hot, with highs in the low 90s!
The best time to visit Utah for a one day visit is late spring or early fall. You’ll be very comfortable walking around the city with the mild temperature!
Here’s a short list of things not to forget for a quick visit to Salt Lake City:
- A pullover – the weather can get chilly at night!
- Rain jacket – just always bring one… it always rains when you don’t have it, ha!
- Comfortable shoes – SLC is VERY walkable. Avoid the taxis and just use your own 2 feet!
- A cute hat – protect that face from the sun, my friend!
Headed out on a national park or hiking trip after leaving Salt Lake? Be sure to subscribe to my email list to get my hiking packing list. You’ll never forget what ya need again!
What to do with one day in Salt Lake City
You’d be surprised what you can see in a day here! Salt Lake City is perfectly located in the Wasatch mountains so hiking is only a few minutes away. The city itself is relatively small and walkable so you can check a BUNCH of things off your list.
Go for a hike
If you’ve been around this blog for any amount of time, you know we are big on hiking. Even though 1 day might not seem like a lot, there’s SO many great hikes within 20-30 minutes outside of Salt Lake. We chose to check out Cottonwood Canyon–the weather was absolutely gorgeous and there was no shortage of beautiful trails to choose from.
We hiked for about 2 miles but it took wayyyy longer than you would think because every 20 feet or so we were stopping to take pictures of the scenery. Michael was climbing up literally every steep embankment he could find to “get a good view.” Spoiler alert: the views were good no matter where you stood.
Other recommended hiking areas:
- Ensign Peak – short & sweet
- Living Room Trailhead – aptly named because the rocks form “couches!”
Explore the University of Utah
We (read: my husband) has a weird thing for exploring college campuses wherever we go. I don’t mind because it’s usually interesting and beautiful! If you, like us, like to wander around random college campuses you won’t be disappointed by U of Utah!
Check out Temple Square
The church of the Latter Day Saints’ (LDS) is very important in Salt Lake! Take an hour or so to explore Temple Square where you can see the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the Salt Lake temple, and the Assembly Hall (pictured below). Unless you are part of the LDS church, you cannot enter inside but the architecture and surrounding area is still beautiful! Oftentimes, there are church members strolling around outside to answer any questions you may have or provide a brief history.
Visit the Pioneer Log House
In the 1800s, many settlers of this area lived in log cabins. The Pioneer Log Cabin was the home of William Henry Deuel around 1847. This home is one of only two remaining original log cabins in this area.
Stroll Around Capitol Hill
To see all the governmental action, head over to Capitol Hill. Here, you’ll find the Utah State Capitol Building as well as other important structures. You can take a tour of the capitol, but if you’re strapped for time you can just stroll around the gorgeous grounds.
After that, pop into the Pioneer Memorial Museum which shares Utah’s pioneer history. Keep exploring to spot Council Hall, used as the City Hall until the 1860s, and the White Memorial Chapel. This chapel was built by the LDS in 1883. However, the chapel that currently stands there now is a recreation built for its 200 year anniversary.
Eat & Drink
Salt Lake City has a decent food scene for its small size! Even though you’ll be busy running around during your one day in SLC, don’t let that keep you from eating some great food. Here’s what I recommend:
Breakfast:
- Ruth’s Diner
- Penny Ann’s Cafe
Lunch:
- Spitz
- Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
Dinner:
- Red Iguana for yummy Mexican
- Squatter’s for beer & bar food
- HSL for something a bit more upscale
Drink:
- Epic Brewing Company
- Red Rock Brewing
- Purgatory Bar
- Bar-X
Little did we know, we booked what is apparently the most haunted hotel in SLC. I woke up several times because I was freaking myself out, haha, but we didn’t see or hear anything potentially paranormal… however, if you are a ghost hunter or lover I recommend staying at the Peery Hotel! Aside from being *maybe* haunted, it was recently updated, comfortable, and clean. Can’t ask for much more than that!
Whether you’re heading to Utah to ski or explore some of the national parks, you definitely need to spend a day exploring Salt Lake City. This city is charming, full of history, and just the right size to see a ton in one day. There is so much to do and learn around SLC and I know for sure you’ll love your day here!
Til the next adventure!
Ashley
What did we miss in Salt Lake City that we need to see next time?
I feel like you missed the SL of SLC?! We LOVED antelope island. Some of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever witnessed!
HAHA! We debated going to the lake, but we chose hiking instead! We almost went when we drove back to fly home, but a good breakfast won out
Thanks for this! We’ll be flying into SLC before heading to other parks and this is helpful!!
YES! SLC is the perfect starting point!! So excited to see your adventures!