Photo: Miguel del Fuego · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Summer in Utah means heading up. While St. George and Moab bake at over 100 degrees, the Wasatch and the Uintas are green and cool, with wildflowers in Albion Basin, swimming holes in the canyons and hundreds of alpine lakes along the Mirror Lake Highway.
It is also the season of hometown celebrations: Lehi Round-Up in June, America's Freedom Festival in Provo and Steel Days in American Fork in July, and Pioneer Day across the state on July 24.
What to do
- Drive the Mirror Lake HighwaySR-150 climbs from Kamas to over 10,000 feet in the High Uintas, past dozens of lakes and trailheads. It is open only in summer and early fall.
- Hike to Albion Basin wildflowersAbove Alta, the meadows around Cecret Lake bloom from mid July into August.
- Spend a day at Bear LakeTurquoise water, sandy beaches on the Rendezvous side and a raspberry shake in Garden City.
- See a play in Cedar CityThe Utah Shakespeare Festival runs from June into October at the Southern Utah University campus.
- Hike TimpanogosThe summit hike above American Fork Canyon is the Wasatch's classic big day, best from mid July once snow melts.
Good to know
- Southern Utah regularly tops 100°F. Hike at dawn, carry far more water than you think, and skip exposed trails in the afternoon.
- Monsoon storms from July into September bring flash floods. Never enter a slot canyon when rain is in the forecast anywhere upstream.
- Afternoon lightning is common on high Wasatch and Uinta peaks. Be off summits by early afternoon.
- Fire restrictions are common by midsummer. Check the county and forest before building a campfire.