Salt Lake City has been named the USA’s ‘Least Stressed City’ and it’s easy to see why. Surrounded by mountains, this lively city has a friendly and laid-back vibe with access to both urban and outdoor adventures that make it an ideal start to your holiday. Step back in time and discover the fascinating history of the Mormon pioneers who crossed the country to settle here in 1847 at downtown’s Temple Square, and visit the Natural History Museum of Utah with its world-class exhibitions or the Leonardo Science and Culture Museum.

 

Great food and shopping experiences can be found throughout the city as well as in the outlet shopping mall near Park City, so you can fuel up for your adventures with a choice of cuisine and a new set of gear! 

Stay two nights in Salt Lake City.

Head east out of the city and make a stop at Utah Olympic Park, built for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The nearly 400 acre venue houses one of only four sliding tracks in North America, six Nordic ski jumps, a 2002 Winter Games museum, and a multitude of adventure activities. You can book a guided tour of the park or sign up to an activity. 

Vernal is best known for Dinosaurland, the only place in the world where you can view and even touch over 1,500 dinosaur bones all in their original resting place. Exploring Dinosaur National Monument on foot will also allow you to view massive arches and rarely seen petroglyphs. Don’t miss the staggering ‘Wall of Bones’ while you’re there. The Field House museum is a hands-on experience where you can see palaeontologists working on newly discovered fossils. 

Enjoy a quiet hike on the ‘Sound of Silence’ trail, or scream and holler on a white-water rafting trip down the Green River. You will be surrounded by gorgeous scenery – huge red cliffs, beautiful forests, desert canyons and sparkling lakes and rivers wherever you are, and don’t forget to watch out for dinosaur tracks and rock art as you go.

Stay two nights in Vernal. 

Head through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - a boat and fisherman's paradise, with opportunities for hiking and wildlife watching. Killpecker Sand Dunes, just a few miles north of Rock Springs, are the largest in North America, and there are hiking trails and scenic drives through the area, and a ‘must-see’ is the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop Tour where you can see some of the largest wild horse herds in the world. You may also spot antelope, desert elk, deer, hawks and eagles, and at the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge you’re bound to see otter, eagles, elk, deer, sage grouse or moose. 

Stay one night in Rock Springs. 

You’ll see the Tetons, a jagged 40-mile stretch of the famed Rocky Mountains, long before you reach Jackson. Explore Grand Teton National Park by driving the 42-mile Scenic Loop and visit the Visitors Center for maps and details of park activities. Why not try a wildlife safari, scenic float trip or take the Aerial Tram to the top of the mountains? 

The town of Jackson features wooden sidewalks, elk antler arches and shops that range from the chic to the traditional. Toast the end of an epic day of adventure in true western style by saddling up at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar or enjoying live music at the world-famous Silver Dollar Bar.

Stay two nights in Jackson

Today’s drive will take you through the nation’s first national park, Yellowstone. Best known for the geysers, hot springs and mud pots that make it one of the most active geothermal areas on the planet, the awe-inspiring landscape covers 3,000 square miles with over 10,000 thermal features and hundreds of animal species. Popular sites include Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, Midway Geyser Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Lamar and Hayden Valleys and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with its inspirational view of Lower Falls. 

West Yellowstone makes a great base for discovering the park itself but also gives you the opportunity to see grizzly bears, wolves and raptors at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, learn more about the history of this western town and how an earthquake in 1959 changed the landscape of the area. There is also boating, horseback riding, a ropes course and zip line adventure, not to mention some unique shopping and dining experiences.

Stay three nights in West Yellowstone.

Travel through the forests of Eastern Idaho, making a stop at the thundering Upper and Lower Mesa Falls, and Yellowstone Bear World where you can take a drive through the park with free-roaming mountain goats, bison, moose, white tail deer and grizzly bears. In Idaho Falls, you’ll find nature flowing through the heart of the town. The Idaho Falls River Walk encompasses about 22 kilometres of riverbank with paths on both sides of the Snake River. Pedestrian bridges make it possible to walk a full loop and enjoy views of the river from all angles, as well as a variety of art installations as you go. The historic downtown has a range of unique shopping and dining experiences and a friendly local vibe. 

Stay one night in Idaho Falls

Continue south through Idaho to the ‘Gate City’ of Pocatello, where in early days, pioneers, settlers and gold miners passed through the on their way west. Still a popular destination and a lively town where visitors can soak up history while enjoying fun and quirky activities indoors and out. For something truly original stop at the Don Aslett Museum of Clean which is exactly what it says … all about cleanliness and surprisingly entertaining, with exhibits of vacuums, washers, brooms, trash cans and cluttered garages. Take a guided walking tour of Old Town Pocatello with its historic buildings, shops, art galleries and restaurants or visit Fort Hall Replica and learn about 19th-century explorers, trappers, fur traders, Native Americans, pioneers and gold seekers. 

Stay one night in Pocatello

On the shores of Bear Lake State Park, Garden City’s location at the end of the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway and on the shores makes it one of Northern Utah's best gateway towns. Bear Lake is often called the Caribbean of the Rockies for its intense turquoise blue water. Marvel at its unique colour which is due to the reflection of the limestone deposits suspended in the lake. Take to the water on a water-ski, kayak or paddleboard, swim or dive, or remain on dry land and stroll or cycle along the lake edge or relax on the sandy shores. Drive the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, visit Brigham City and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, or the Golden Spike National Historic Site with its two reconstructed early railroad engines and a fascinating museum detailing the meeting point where the two ends of the transcontinental railroad met up, and where they re-enact the putting in of the last spike of the railroad. Garden City is a perfect spot to end your Scenic Yellowstone Loop Adventure. 

Stay two nights in Garden City