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Day Trippin' › Utah › From Park City

Day trips from Park City

From Park City, Jordanelle's beaches, the Heber Valley Railroad and Homestead Crater's swim-in hot spring are all within about 20 minutes, and Salt Lake City's museums and zoo about half an hour. The best day trips from Park City, by drive time.

89 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.

10 day trips from Park City

  1. Temple Square 35 min west
  2. Lagoon 48 min northwest
  3. Timpanogos Cave National Monument 1 hr southwest
  4. Snowbasin Summer 1 hr 2 min northwest
  5. Antelope Island State Park 1 hr 29 min northwest
  6. Golden Spike National Historical Park 1 hr 48 min northwest
  7. Bonneville Salt Flats 1 hr 52 min west
  8. Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway 2 hr 25 min east
  9. Bear Lake State Park, Utah 2 hr 34 min north
  10. Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Exhibit Hall 2 hr 49 min east

Within an hour from Park City 32 spots

Historic site · 35 min west

Temple Square

The heart of downtown Salt Lake City, with gardens, historic buildings and a new visitors' center about the Salt Lake Temple and Utah's pioneer history.

  • 1-2 hrs · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Free

Theme park · 48 min northwest

Lagoon

Utah's big family amusement park in Farmington, with roller coasters, kiddie rides, a Pioneer Village and the Lagoon-A-Beach water park.

  • Full day · Easy
  • Late March to fall (weekends in spring, daily from Memorial Day weekend; check calendar)
  • Admission

National park · 1 hr southwest

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

A ranger-led tour through colorful caves high on a cliff in American Fork Canyon, reached by a steep paved trail.

  • Half day · Hard
  • Mid-May to fall
  • Cave tour ticket; entrance free

Swimming · 30 min south

Deer Creek State Park

A reservoir below Mount Timpanogos with beaches, boat and kayak rentals and good wind for sailing and paddleboarding.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Summer (park open year-round)
  • Utah State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)

Zoo · 31 min northwest

Utah's Hogle Zoo

A large zoo at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, with elephants, a polar bear and grizzlies at Rocky Shores, lions on the African Savanna and the Zoofari Express train.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Admission

Family fun · 50 min southwest

Thanksgiving Point

A big campus in Lehi with five venues: the Museum of Ancient Life (dinosaurs), the Museum of Natural Curiosity, Farm Country, the Butterfly Biosphere and Ashton Gardens.

  • Full day · Easy
  • Year-round (gardens best spring to fall)
  • Admission (per venue or Explorer Pass)

Bike trail · 36 min northwest

Bonneville Shoreline Trail (Salt Lake)

A long foothill trail along the old Lake Bonneville shoreline above the city, popular for mountain biking, running and views.

  • 1-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
  • Spring to fall (year-round in dry spells)
  • Free

Waterfall · 38 min south

Bridal Veil Falls (Provo Canyon)

A tall, two-step waterfall beside the paved Provo River Parkway in Provo Canyon, an easy stop for all ages.

  • 1 hr · Easy
  • Year-round (trail can close in early spring for avalanches or snowmelt)
  • Free

See all 32 on the map

1 to 2 hours from Park City 24 spots

State park · 1 hr 29 min northwest

Antelope Island State Park

A big island in Great Salt Lake reached by a causeway, with free-roaming bison, pronghorn, salty beaches, sunsets and trails.

  • Full day · Easy to moderate
  • Year-round
  • Utah State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)

Historic site · 1 hr 48 min northwest

Golden Spike National Historical Park

The place where the first transcontinental railroad was joined in 1869, with replica steam engines Jupiter and No. 119, a visitor center and auto tours on the old grade.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Year-round (steam engines run daily May 1 to mid-October)
  • National park entrance fee (per vehicle)

Viewpoint · 1 hr 52 min west

Bonneville Salt Flats

A huge, flat white salt plain near Wendover where you can walk out on the crust and watch mirages; famous for land speed racing.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Summer and fall (dry salt); flooded and closed to driving in winter and when wet
  • Free

Family fun · 1 hr 2 min northwest

Snowbasin Summer

A ski resort in Ogden Valley with summer gondola rides to Needles Lodge, hiking, mountain biking and live music.

  • Half day · Easy to moderate
  • Summer (gondola weekends from late June, check)
  • Admission (gondola ticket); trails free

Swimming · 1 hr 38 min southeast

Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation

A large reservoir near Duchesne (formerly Starvation State Park) with a sandy swim beach, warm summer water and big desert views.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Summer (park open year-round)
  • Utah State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)

Zoo · 1 hr 44 min north

Zootah at Willow Park

A small, low-cost zoo in a Logan city park (formerly Willow Park Zoo) with many birds and other native and exotic animals.

  • 1-2 hrs · Easy
  • Spring to fall (usually closed January and February; hours vary, check)
  • Admission (low cost)

Town · 1 hr 46 min north

Logan

A college town in Cache Valley with a historic downtown, Aggie Ice Cream at Utah State University and easy access to Logan Canyon.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Free

Bike trail · 1 hr 8 min northwest

Ogden River Parkway

A paved trail along the Ogden River from the mouth of Ogden Canyon by the Dinosaur Park to where it meets the Weber River.

  • 1-2 hrs · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Free

See all 24 on the map

2 to 3 hours from Park City 26 spots

Swimming · 2 hr 34 min north

Bear Lake State Park, Utah

A huge turquoise lake on the Utah-Idaho line with sandy beaches at Rendezvous Beach and a marina at Garden City.

  • Full day · Easy
  • Summer (park open year-round)
  • Utah State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)

Museum · 2 hr 49 min east

Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Exhibit Hall

A building that encloses a rock wall with about 1,500 dinosaur bones still in place, near Jensen.

  • 2-3 hrs · Easy
  • Year-round
  • National park entrance fee

Scenic drive · 2 hr 25 min east

Flaming Gorge-Uintas Scenic Byway

A drive on US-191 from Vernal up the Uinta Mountains to Flaming Gorge, with signs explaining the tilted rock layers along the way.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Year-round (snow in winter)
  • Free

Town · 2 hr 25 min east

Vernal

The hub of Utah's "Dinosaurland," with Dinah the pink dinosaur and other statues around town, places to eat and fuel up, and roads out to the Uintas and Flaming Gorge.

  • 2-3 hrs · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Free

Viewpoint · 2 hr 59 min east

Fantasy Canyon

A tiny area of strange, twisted sandstone shapes in the desert south of Vernal, with a short loop trail.

  • Half day · Easy
  • Spring and fall (dry roads)
  • Free

Trail · 2 hr 47 min east

Fossil Discovery Trail

A desert trail between the Quarry Exhibit Hall and visitor center where you can see dinosaur bones in the rock.

  • 1-2 hrs · Moderate
  • Spring to fall
  • National park entrance fee

Museum · 2 hr 8 min southeast

Prehistoric Museum

A museum in Price with mounted dinosaur skeletons and Fremont culture artifacts.

  • 1-2 hrs · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Admission

Museum · 2 hr 14 min south

Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum

Utah's oldest government building, the first territorial capitol in Fillmore, now a museum with pioneer rooms, cabins and an old stone schoolhouse.

  • 1 hr · Easy
  • Year-round
  • Utah State Parks day-use fee

See all 26 on the map

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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 84060 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.