Day Trippin' › Utah › From Salt Lake City › Best mountains and viewpoints
Our picks for the best mountains and viewpoints within 3 hours of Salt Lake City: 14 places, 6 under an hour away, 5 between 1 and 2 hours and 3 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 84101.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Corner Canyon, 26 min south of Salt Lake City.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0
#1 · National park · 35 min southeast
A ranger-led tour through colorful caves high on a cliff in American Fork Canyon, reached by a steep paved trail.
Heads-up: Tour tickets sell out, buy ahead on Recreation.gov. The trail climbs about 1,000 feet in 1.5 miles one way. No pets on the cave trail. Cashless.
Photo: Asibasm, CC BY-SA 4.0
#2 · Viewpoint · 1 hr 24 min west
A huge, flat white salt plain near Wendover where you can walk out on the crust and watch mirages; famous for land speed racing.
Heads-up: About 2 hours west of Salt Lake on I-80. The paved access road ends at a parking area. No driving on wet or flooded salt, towing costs a lot. No camping on the salt. Pet rules not posted. Rinse your…
Photo: Staplegunther (talk)David Jolley, CC BY-SA 3.0
#3 · Swimming · 2 hr 4 min southeast
A large reservoir near Duchesne (formerly Starvation State Park) with a sandy swim beach, warm summer water and big desert views.
Heads-up: Summer water is in the low 70s. No dogs on the beaches or swimming areas; leashed dogs OK in camping areas. Quiet compared to Wasatch Front parks.
Photo: A. E. Crane, U.S. Department of Transportation, Public domain
#4 · Scenic drive · 2 hr 50 min east
A drive on US-191 from Vernal up the Uinta Mountains to Flaming Gorge, with signs explaining the tilted rock layers along the way.
Heads-up: Steep grades and switchbacks. Stop at the geology signs and interpretive sites, and at Red Canyon.
Photo: Helen854 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#5 · Bike trail · 26 min south
A big trail network in the Draper foothills with flowy mountain-bike trails, hiking paths and views of the valley.
Heads-up: Dogs on leash only on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and trails below it; no dogs in the watershed above. Some trails are downhill bike-only (like Rush and Jacob's Ladder). Only Class 1 e-bikes.…
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0
#6 · Historic site · 56 min southwest
An overlook into one of the world's biggest open-pit copper mines, with giant haul trucks and exhibits about mining.
Heads-up: Buy timed tickets online; cash not accepted and walk-ups can be turned away when full. Park in the lot and ride a shuttle to the overlook. Fully ADA accessible; call ahead for ADA reservations.
Photo: Glennfcowan, CC BY 3.0
#7 · Scenic drive · 1 hr 26 min east
A high road from Kamas over Bald Mountain Pass into the Uinta Mountains, past dozens of lakes, waterfalls and viewpoints.
Heads-up: Driving through is free, but you need a pass to park at sites (fee tubes, ranger offices or online). Interagency passes accepted. Bring layers, it's over 10,000 ft.
Photo: Hermann Luyken, CC0
#8 · Scenic drive · 1 hr 31 min north
A 41-mile drive on US-89 from Logan to Garden City through limestone cliffs along the Logan River, with trailheads and picnic spots.
Heads-up: Red maples low and gold aspens high in fall. Tops out at Bear Lake Summit, with an overlook of the turquoise lake.
Photo: Matthew.kowal, CC BY-SA 4.0
#9 · Viewpoint · 1 hr 59 min northwest
A famous earthwork made of black basalt rock that coils out into the pink-tinged north arm of Great Salt Lake.
Heads-up: About 15.5 miles of gravel road past the Golden Spike visitor center; the last miles are rough, high clearance helps. Follow the small signs, not phone maps. No restrooms or cell service. Visibility…
Photo: RhetoricallySpeaking, CC BY-SA 4.0
#10 · Viewpoint · 52 min north
A vast wetland west of Brigham City with a 12-mile auto tour route, huge flocks of birds and a visitor center.
Heads-up: The regular auto tour was rerouted from April to mid-September 2026. Visitor center open Tuesday-Saturday. Pets on leash. Bring binoculars and bug spray.
Photo: Paytonpingree, CC BY-SA 4.0
#11 · Scenic drive · 47 min southeast
A narrow, winding mountain road (SR-92) around Mount Timpanogos, linking American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon, gorgeous with fall colors.
Heads-up: Closed to cars in winter. Not recommended for vehicles over 30 feet. Weekend fall-color traffic is heavy.
Photo: A. E. Crane, U.S. Department of Transportation, Public domain
#12 · Trail · 1 hr 27 min north
A switchbacking climb to wind-carved arches and small caves in limestone cliffs above the Logan River, with views of the China Wall.
Heads-up: About 3.5 miles round trip with about 1,000 ft of climbing. Little shade, bring extra water. Parking fills on summer weekends. Dogs allowed.
Photo: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0
#13 · Viewpoint · 2 hr 41 min south
A colorful yellow and orange hill beside Highway 89 made famous by an old song, with a small resort and roadside stop.
Heads-up: The resort offers river floats in warm months.
#14 · Theme park · 44 min south
Provo's water park (formerly Seven Peaks), with 16 slides including drop slides and a half-pipe tube ride, a big wave pool, a lazy river and kids' areas.
Heads-up: Formerly called Seven Peaks Provo. A virtual-reality slide (VRSlide) was added for 2026; riders must be 42 inches or taller.
Our top picks are Timpanogos Cave National Monument (35 min), Bonneville Salt Flats (1 hr 24 min), Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation (2 hr 4 min), Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway (2 hr 50 min) and Corner Canyon (26 min). The page lists 14 places in all.
14: 6 under an hour away, 5 between 1 and 2 hours and 3 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 84101.
Corner Canyon, about 26 min south of Salt Lake City.
9 need no pass or fee, including Big Rock Candy Mountain, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Logan Canyon Scenic Byway. Fees change, so check each place.
6 of the 14 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.