Excursions
For a Half Day
Great Salt Lake: No visit to the region is complete without a glimpse of the Great Salt Lake (tel: (801) 250 1898) that gave this city its name. Several times saltier than the ocean, with a salinity as high as 27% at times, it is the largest lake west of the Mississippi River. In the late 19th century, it was lined with fashionable resorts. Today, only the shabby Salt Air Palace gives testimony to its former glory days. Floating in the lake and picnicking are popular activities. The Great Salt Lake is open to the public daily 0800-dusk and admission is free. The lake is located 27km (17 miles) west of Salt Lake City and is reached from exit 104 on I-80.
Park City: Utah’s largest ski area, headquarters of the US Ski Team, is just 51km (32 miles) east of Salt Lake City via I-80. It was a former silver mining boomtown in the late 19th century and the historic buildings of the central Downtown area are a delightful contrast to the modern condos of the ski area. Locals in period costume give walking tours in the summer. The art galleries along Park Avenue and Main Street are also good for browsing. Summer and winter recreational activities are plentiful. The Park City Visitor Information Center, 750 Kearnes Boulevard (tel: (435) 658 4541; website: www.parkcityinfo.com), is open daily 0900-1800.
For a Whole Day
Dinosaur National Monument: Covering 842 square kilometres (325 square miles) in Utah and Colorado, the Dinosaur National Monument (tel: (435) 789 2115; website: www.nps.gov/dino) contains the largest quarry of bones from the Jurassic Period ever found. A Visitor Centre (open daily 0800-1630) has been built over the quarry, where the fossilised dinosaur skeletons can be seen in situ. The dinosaur fossils lie on the Utah side of the park, east of Vernal and north of Jensen, about 296km (185 miles) from Salt Lake City via Highway 40.
The main visitor centre is open daily 0800-1800 (summer) and Monday-Friday 0800-1630 (winter). The park itself is open from sunrise to sunset and entrance is US$10 per vehicle. The area is also popular for whitewater rafting on the Green and Yampa rivers, while the Colorado side has miles of hiking trails and scenic canyons.
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Excursions