SALT LAKE CITY AND ITS SKI RESORTS
Best Time to Visit Utah
Salt Lake City - the capital of Utah, the host city of the 2002 Winter Games and the world-wide headquarters of the Mormons Church - is the political and cultural center of the state.
Salt Lake City is by far Utah's most populous city – 1 million people – and has wide cultural offers, a splendid downtown (the Mormon Temple Square) and top world class skiing resorts a couple of miles away.
See also:
Utah State
Utah State Map
WHAT TO VISIT IN SALT LAKE CITY
Salt Lake City downtown is particularly attractive and the city offers a peaceful and very pleasant ambiance. The Temple Square is the cultural and spiritual heart of the city (it houses the Mormon Church and the Mormon Tabernacle), but all of the blocks around it are particularly enjoyable and include several top references:
- the Salt Palace
- the Delta Center
- the ZCMI Center
- the Crossroads Plaza
- the Family History Library
- the Beehive House
- the State Capitol
All of this area offers not only historic sites but also plenty of restaurants and cultural options: ballet, opera, art galleries, concerts, music and ethnic festivals (First Night on New Years Eve, Summertime Downtown Farmers' Market, Bluegrass Festival, Blues Festival, the Greek Festival in September, Twilight Concert Series, Festival of Trees before Christmas...).
The Wasatch Mountains region, north of Salt Lake City, provides magnificent recreational opportunities: there are seven large ski resorts within 45 minutes of Salt Lake City downtown, including Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude and Alta resorts. This region also offers excellent hiking and mountain biking opportunites (particularly in the Summer, Spring and Autumn).
BEST TIME TO VISIT SALT LAKE CITY AND ITS SKIING RESORTS
If you want to enjoy winter resorts, the best time to go is obviously during the skiing season: from mid-November to early May.
If you aren't interested in ski, there isn't exactly a best time to go to Salt Lake, but Spring (March to May) and Autumn (September to November) offer the most agreeable weather conditions.
If you want to bet in low hotel rates, weekends are a good option. You will find lots of excellent deals.
WHEN NOT TO GO TO SALT LAKE CITY
Winter has cold temperatures and plenty of snow. If you aren't interested in skiing, you may want to avoid the winter. See the table below, for details on weather.
Salt Lake City Weather Table
HOTELS, FLIGHTS AND TOURS UTAH
Salt Lake City downtown offers a wide range of accommodation, though most of it is geared toward the business visitor. You will find discount and cheap hotels, but the best deals in this range are in weekends.
Salt Lake City International Airport is the great air-hub in the region and is located just four miles west of downtown.
