Things to do / Travel Guide
Keep up with the beat of northern Utah's best attractions - just around the bend you will find a host of surprises. Step off the beaten path to relax your road-weary limbs, visit one of the only man-made constructions viewable from outer space, take an 80-mile-per-hour bobsled ride, trace the roots of your family tree, or float like a boat near an ooltic sand beach; northern Utah has plenty of off-the-beaten-path attractions in store for you.
Healing Hot Springs in Northern Utah
Treat yourself to a satisfying and soothing soak in one northern Utah's marvelous mineral baths. Stick your toes in the toasty-warm Belmont Springs, just south of Plymouth; the naturally-heated, 90° pools are open year-round. Fed by a natural spring that flows out of fissured Paleozoic rocks, Crystal Hot Springs, located near Honeyville, offers several warm water pools (upwards of 100°) and is also open year-round.
Northern Utah's Weber Canyon
Travel north along I-84 through Weber Canyon near Uintah National Forest and you'll come across two of Utah's natural wonders: Devil's Slide and Devil's Gate. On the south side of the highway you will see two 40-foot-tall limestone reefs running like a slide about 20 feet apart like two parallel train tracks. Viewing stations allow you to pull off the road and contemplate this curious phenomenon. Also in the area is Devil's Gate - a horseshoe shaped gorge with dramatic, walls extending to a daunting height of over 13,000 feet above sea level.
Northern Utah's The Gateway Plaza
Salt Lake City's The Gateway Plaza is a grandiose affair with more than 95 shops and restaurants. Street entertainers enliven the winding, narrow streets of this European-style area. At the north end of The Gateway Plaza, be sure to stop off at the Olympic Legacy Plaza where the shooting, misty waters of the Olympic Snowflake Fountain dive and dance during a coordinated music program every 30 minutes. Just behind the fountain is a tribute to Olympic heroes - etched in stone are not the names of the medal-winning athletes, but rather those of the over 28,000 Olympic volunteers.
Genealogy in Northern Utah's Family Search Center
Are you intrigued by genealogy? While in northern Utah, take a climb up the old family tree and start hunting for clues about your family's background. Holding the world's largest collection of genealogical data and open to the public every day but Sunday, Mormons and non-Mormons alike make planned pilgrimages to research their personal pasts at Salt Lake City's Family History Library on North West Temple Street. The library's impressive collection of genealogical records includes more than 2.2 million rolls of microfilmed records, 742,000 microfiche, 300,000 books, and 4,500 periodicals from around the world - all meticulously preserved and organized. There is information from more than 110 countries and territories available, and the library's holdings are ever expanding. Literally hundreds of well-trained, professional staff and volunteers can help you get started on your search - and it's free!
The Family Search Center, housed inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on East South Temple, also offers a bank of computers at which you can run free genealogical searches through the Mormon Church's vast archive of records.
Northern Utah's Tracy Aviary
High on the list of must-sees, the seven-acre Tracy Aviary features 135 species of birds from all over the world. Located on South Street in Salt Lake City, Tracy Aviary also offers a special focus on native Utahn birds, and their free-flight show (birds fly without restriction) is always a big hit. Tracy Aviary is open daily, year-round.
A Mine of Mythic Proportions in Northern Utah
This is a not-to-be missed attraction, literally! Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine, near Copperton, is one of the only man-made constructions that can be seen from space. It is that big. With a depth of more than 4,000 feet, Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine is the largest open-pit mine on earth - nearly 6 billion tons of earth have been removed from the site since its construction in 1906. The mine has produced 17 million tons of copper ore, 23 million ounces of gold, and 190 million ounces of silver. You can view the mine from April-October from an outside observation area; be sure to stop off at the visitor center for information about the site's history.
Caves in Northern Utah
Take in the spectacular views of the American Fork Canyon high in the Wasatch Mountain Range and then take a turn underground into Timpanogos Cave National Monument to view some of northern Utah's most amazing stone formations. Spelunk amidst stalactites and stalagmites; this subterranean secret near Provo features an underground network linking three limestone caverns. The cave is open for regular tours in the spring, summer, and fall, and is closed from Columbus Day through the beginning of May.
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