Uncovering Utah: A Travel Guide to Salt Lake, Bryce, Zion, and everything in between

Uncovering Utah: A Travel Guide to Salt Lake, Bryce, Zion, and everything in between

Let me set the stage: 6 States, a rental car, a 4-month old puppy and his parents drive from Colorado to California (ended in Tahoe) in the middle of winter. Whenever I go on trips, I research as much as I can. Referencing other blogs, yelp, trip advisor, etc to gather everything in one place and decide what’s worth seeing.

Below are some of my must-do’s and favorites from Salt Lake, Bryce, and Zion along with helpful tips to know before you go. Some of these items I didn’t get to (as you can see there is a ton) so let me know what you think if you visit! We will be back to do it all again soon.

Tips to Know Before you Go

  • If you plan on visiting the state parks, make sure you get a state park pass. The annual pass, America the Beautiful Pass, is only $70 and gets you into all of the parks (way better than a day pass for each)
  • For Zion, you will need a shuttle pass unless it is off season. You can buy a shuttle pass here
  • For those that ski/snowboard, check which mountains are near you in Salt Lake prior to going. With COVID, you will need to make a reservation for some. We have the IKON and went to snowbird, only a parking reservation was required
  • Download podcasts/music before the trip. Utah is a solid dead zone and the drives can be long at times. We listened to the Syndicate on Spotify. Some other good ones are Dr. Death and Crypto Queen also on Spotify
  • For winter months, make sure you have a 4Wheel drive vehicle and PACK WARM.

Uncovering Utah: A Travel Guide to Salt Lake, Bryce, Zion, and everything in between

Salt Lake City

Where to stay

We stayed in an amazing AirBnB that was dog friendly and 1mile south of downtown. We were right next to the freeway which was great for the mornings when we headed out to Snowbird for boarding. We were at the mountain with no traffic in 30minutes. The place had everything we needed and a fenced in front yard which was great for our pup, Spud.

What to do

Where to Eat

Where to Drink

  • Whiskey Street open-aired bar off Main Street (great for brunch or dinner). Old fashion fun bar
  • The Rest Speakeasy Make reservations and order the beer can chicken. It takes 40 or so minutes but it’s well worth the wait
  • White Horse a sister bar to Whiskey Street
  • Under Current: modern, trendy, and a tad bit pricey but worth it if you want a fancy drink
  • Bar X: It’s owned by Ty Burrell and known for the mixologists, usually a long wait

From Salt Lake City On the Way to Bryce

  • Mystic Hot Springs Book your “Soaking Pass” in advanced. When we went it was all to ourselves. You simply call the number, say you are there at the time of reservation, and walk up. There are paths that lead you to all the hot springs. This is about 2-3 hours south of SLC
  • Little Sahara Desert Vast sand dunes and a great photo opp. About 2 hours south from SLC
  • Pando Aspen Forest a forest of Aspen trees and known to be the largest living organism in the world. About 60 minutes from the Mystic Hot springs

Bryce

I would suggest staying in Zion as it is a bigger town. Bryce is about 1 Hour from Zion. If you are coming from SLC you will pass it on the way. We stopped here for a few hours and went on a gorgeous hike through the canyon then kept going driving to Zion. Download the app “All Trails” this has all the amazing hiking trails around the US with ratings & reviews.

What to do

  • Hoodos Hike (famous rock statue)
  • Inspiration Point (famous look out)
  • The Rim Trail (dogs are allowed around the rim of the canyon, make sure they are on leash)

Zion

Where to Stay

I am not one for hotels normally but I can’t recommend Springhill Marriott Suites Zion enough. They are dog friendly (with a pet fee), offer complimentary breakfast, have a great gym, and give you a list of recommended hikes. They even made a list of dog friendly hikes! It’s centrally located so we could walk to everything and the entire staff made us feel right at home. Wifi is REALLY tough to come by in Zion but the hotel had high speed and allowed us to work on the road with no issues.

What to do

  • Doggy Dude Ranch: Acres of fenced-in play areas 9-5pm $30 for daycare Drop off: 9 – 11 am, Pick up: 3 – 5 pm. We got Spud a bath for $25
  • Zion adventure Rentals call in advanced to book gear rentals. If you are planning on hiking the Narrows, this is your best bet
  • Grafton Ghost Town the most photographed ghost town in the American West
  • Hiking the list would be way to long for me to type out so I linked the best rated on all trails

Where to Eat/Drink

Utah has so much to offer. Some of these places feel as if it’s a completely different planet. If you are going during COVID like we did, make sure to call the restaurants prior to see if they open. You could do the trip in 3-5 days. I hope this helps! If you have any questions or comments make sure to drop them below so I can answer.