Public land
Bonneville Salt Flats
A white salt crust west of Salt Lake City, left by ancient Lake Bonneville and known for land-speed racing.
Utah's top 50 attractions
National and state parks, tribal land, ski mountains, museums, theaters and landmarks across the state.
An editorial pick for statewide recognition and variety, not a ranking by attendance or quality. Each page links the official sources it is based on; check them for current hours, tickets and closures.
Salt Lake County
Religious and historic site
Temple Square
The downtown square of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, home of the Salt Lake Temple.
Civic landmark
Utah State Capitol
The working seat of state government above downtown, with public art, memorials and guided tours.
Museum
Natural History Museum of Utah
Dinosaurs, geology, plants and people of the region at the University of Utah's museum above the valley.
Botanical garden
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum
Themed gardens and natural areas in the foothills by the University of Utah, plus a summer concert series.
Zoo
Utah's Hogle Zoo
Salt Lake City's zoo, with animals from around the world and a focus on conservation.
State park
This Is The Place Heritage Park
A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, where Brigham Young first saw the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Aquarium
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Penguins, ocean and river life at an aquarium in Draper, with daily programs and add-on encounters.
Ski resort
Snowbird
Big, steep and snowy, Snowbird climbs 3,000 vertical feet from a concrete base village to Hidden Peak, with a 125-passenger tram, the open bowl of Mineral Basin and one of the longest seasons in the West.
Ski resort
Alta Ski Area
A skiers-only mountain at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon with deep, dry snow, steep chutes and a ticket office that still feels like 1970. Snowboards are not allowed.
Aviary
Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park
A bird park with habitats and education programs inside Salt Lake City's Liberty Park.
Utah County
National monument
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Three linked limestone caves high on the wall of American Fork Canyon, reached by a steep paved trail. Ranger-led tours only, and some of the best helictites anywhere.
Museums and gardens
Thanksgiving Point
A Lehi campus of gardens and museums: Ashton Gardens, the Museum of Ancient Life, Butterfly Biosphere and more.
Ski resort
Sundance Mountain Resort
The resort Robert Redford built on the east face of Mount Timpanogos: a small, wooded, artsy mountain with steep runs, quiet lodges and some of the best food in any Utah ski base.
Northern Utah
National historical park
Golden Spike National Historical Park
Where the first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. Working replicas of the two original steam locomotives meet nose to nose on the same spot.
State park
Antelope Island State Park
The largest island in the Great Salt Lake, with free-roaming bison, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, salty beaches and huge sunsets. Reached by a seven-mile causeway.
State park
Bear Lake State Park
The “Caribbean of the Rockies,” a turquoise lake straddling the Utah–Idaho border. Beaches, boating and raspberry shakes in Garden City.
Amusement park
Lagoon Amusement Park
A Farmington amusement park with its century-old wooden Roller Coaster, newer thrill rides and Pioneer Village.
Museum
Hill Aerospace Museum
Military aircraft from several eras, indoors and out, beside Hill Air Force Base.
Land art
Spiral Jetty
Robert Smithson's 1970 earthwork of basalt rock coiling into Great Salt Lake, cared for by Dia Art Foundation.
Summit & Wasatch
State park
Wasatch Mountain State Park
A year-round playground of trails, golf courses and fall color above the Heber Valley.
Olympic venue
Utah Olympic Park
The 2002 Winter Games venue in Park City, with a sliding track, ski jumps and museums, still used for training.
Ski resort
Park City Mountain
The largest single ski resort in the United States, with two base areas, more than 300 runs and a lift that leaves from Park City’s historic Main Street.
Ski resort
Deer Valley Resort
Deer Valley is Utah’s polished, skiers-only resort, famous for grooming, service and food, and now more than double its old size after a huge expansion toward the Jordanelle Reservoir.
Central Utah
National park
Capitol Reef National Park
A hundred-mile wrinkle in the Earth’s crust, with pioneer orchards in its heart. The quietest of the Mighty 5, and the one where you can eat a slice of pie between hikes.
State park
Fremont Indian State Park and Museum
One of the largest collections of Fremont rock art in Utah, along I-70 in Clear Creek Canyon. A museum and trails make it an easy stop.
Southern Utah
National park
Zion National Park
Utah’s oldest national park is a slot of sky above a green river, with sandstone walls rising 2,000 feet on either side. Hike into the Narrows, climb to Angels Landing or just ride the shuttle and look up.
National park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Not a canyon at all but a series of natural amphitheaters carved into the edge of a high plateau, packed with thousands of orange and white hoodoos. Walk the rim at sunrise, then hike down among the spires.
National recreation area
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell)
Lake Powell’s red-rock shoreline winds through nearly 200 miles of flooded canyons. Houseboats, kayaks and side canyons make it one of the great boating destinations in the West.
National monument
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The canyons of the Escalante River, with sandstone narrows, waterfalls and some of the wildest country in the Lower 48. The monument was cut to a small fraction of its size in July 2026, but the surrounding public land is still open to explore.
National monument
Cedar Breaks National Monument
A 2,000-foot-deep amphitheater of orange and purple rock at more than 10,000 feet, ringed by meadows and bristlecone pines. Think of it as Bryce’s cooler, quieter sibling.
State park
Snow Canyon State Park
Red and white Navajo Sandstone, black lava flows and sand dunes, just minutes from St. George. Great hiking and biking almost year-round.
State park
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
A field of coral-colored sand dunes that shift with the wind, tucked in a mountain valley near Kanab. Sandboard, ride or just roll down the slopes.
State park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Colorful sandstone chimneys and spires found nowhere else, named by a 1948 National Geographic expedition after the famous color film. A quiet base near Bryce.
Scenic drive
Scenic Byway 12
An All-American Road through red-rock country, Escalante, Boulder and over Boulder Mountain.
Theater
Tuacahn Center for the Arts
An outdoor amphitheater set against red cliffs in Ivins, with musicals and concerts.
State park museum
Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
Wagons, historic buildings and a replica blast furnace telling Cedar City's pioneer and iron-making history.
Eastern Utah
National park
Arches National Park
More than 2,000 natural stone arches in a compact park just outside Moab, including Delicate Arch, the one on Utah’s license plates. Big views, short walks and easy access from town.
National park
Canyonlands National Park
Utah’s largest national park, where the Green and Colorado rivers have cut a maze of canyons into the desert. Island in the Sky offers big views from the rim; the Needles and the Maze reward people who go further.
Tribal park
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
The Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte on Navajo Nation land, run by Navajo Parks and Recreation.
National monument
Bears Ears National Monument
Twin buttes sacred to the region’s tribes, above canyons holding thousands of Ancestral Puebloan sites. The monument was cut by about 90 percent in July 2026; visit with care and respect wherever you go.
National monument
Dinosaur National Monument
A wall of about 1,500 dinosaur bones still in the rock, plus wild river canyons on the Green and Yampa. One of the best places in the world to see dinosaur fossils where they were found.
National monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Three huge natural bridges in a remote canyon on Cedar Mesa, linked by a nine-mile loop road. Utah’s first national monument and the world’s first International Dark Sky Park.
National monument
Hovenweep National Monument
Stone towers built by Ancestral Puebloans more than 700 years ago, perched on canyon rims along the Utah–Colorado line. Remote, quiet and remarkable.
State park
Dead Horse Point State Park
A narrow mesa-top overlook 2,000 feet above a gooseneck of the Colorado River. One of the most photographed views in the Southwest, minutes from Canyonlands.
State park
Goblin Valley State Park
A valley filled with thousands of mushroom-shaped hoodoos, called goblins, that you can wander among freely. A playground for kids and adults alike.
State park
Goosenecks State Park
A cliff-top viewpoint over the San Juan River, which loops back on itself in deep entrenched meanders 1,000 feet below. Small park, very big view.
National recreation area
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Red cliffs around Flaming Gorge Reservoir, with boating, fishing and the Green River below the dam.
State park museum
Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum
A Vernal state park museum on the Uinta Basin's geology and dinosaurs, with an outdoor dinosaur garden.