A Non-Mountain Lover’s Utah Vacation Guide

If you thought this was going to be an in-depth Utah vacation guide to help you plan a fabulous Utah vacation, let me stop you right there. While yes, there are a few fantastic Utah vacation recommendations, this is more for the non-mountain lovers out there. I don’t have all the good-good on hiking, biking, skiing, or anything like that. I apologize. If you want that, do check out these things to do in Salt Lake City.

And, if you’re still with me…

A Non-Mountain Lover’s Utah Vacation Guide

Staying high up in the mountains was a bit, well, hard for me to get used to. I think had I stayed in Salt Lake City or Park Cities my body wouldn’t have been in quite a shock. But with that being said, the views were gorgeous and boy was it peaceful.

We came on the trip a few days after the rest of the family. From what we were told, we missed out on lots of mountain biking and hiking trails. I can’t say I’m too bummed about that, but if you’re into that sort of thing, go to Utah!

Transportation from SLC to Mountains

Getting up to the two VRBO cabins was a BREEZE AND A HALF, thanks to the best Lyft driver there ever was. We got in around 3am, so we were super skeptical about how we’d make it 45 minutes up a mountain in one piece, but our boy David did that and then some. He gave us a history lesson (without boring us) during the trip. Everything from the dinosaurs to Sundance to people he’s met during his 40+ years in Utah. You could tell he loved where he lived- and what he did. If you are heading to the SLC area anytime soon and not renting a car, give him a call (I’ll send you his business card!). You won’t regret it.

White Water Rafting

Our family partook in a level 2 (am I saying that right? idk) rafting experience down the Weber River with Utah Outdoor Adventures. I don’t know too much about the setting it up side (kudos to my mom for doing it for us), but it seemed pretty darn easy to schedule. We arrived about an hour before we took off down the river and sprayed ourselves down with sunscreen, debated on what clothes to wear on the river- and of course took pictures. You probably won’t have to deal with this, but part of our hour was spent introducing Austin to the family.

During the “rules” part of the prep, I may or may not have told Austin it was going to be a shit show watching our rafts… but little to my knowledge, our level of river was nothing to be worried about. The rules (to me) where just a scare tactic to not be dumb (which we were). The staff was extremely knowledgeable- and our guide was 10/10 the best person to ride with (I suck and forgot his name.. I’ll update it when it comes to me!).

The whole ride down the river lasted a few hours. We hit a few choppy (fun) spots- but for the most part it was a casual ride. Thank goodness it was casual, because half of my boat was scared to death of the whole experience. By the end of the trip, I think just about everyone had loosened up.

If you are looking for a fun activity, that isn’t too labor intensive, this is for you. And I can’t recommend enough the crew we booked with (again, high give mom!). Speaking of high gives to my mom, check her graceful fall back after “riding the bull” on our raft.

Utah Olympic Park

If you have a need for speed, and potentially dying, then have I got an activity for you! But if that’s not your thing, there’s still stuff for you to do while your friends go have the time of their life.

We went bobsledding at Utah Olympic Park. It was easily one of the most exhilarating 60 second experiences of my life. Their website describes it as: “the thrill of a lifetime in a bobsled on the 2002 Olympic Sliding Track with the Summer Bobsled Experience. The Track was home to bobsled, skeleton and luge events during the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games. For the summer season, the bobsleds are modified to roll on the track’s concrete surface. One of our professional pilots takes up to three passengers per bobsled. Expect to reach speeds up to 60 mph, all in less than a minute.” Except by 60mph, we were told we were in the 70s… but I digress. And, not to brag, but our sled had the 2nd fastest time of the day. I’ll take my silver medal anytime now…

If that sounds a little out of your comfort zone, Utah Olympic Park also offers zip lining, tours and other low-key activities. Entry to the park itself is free and the activities cost extra.

Where to Eat in Utah

I was only there for a few days, and we went the make meals at home route most of the trip (can you say money saver?!), but I do have two recs to share!

We went to the bar/restaurant called The Thirsty Squirrel one evening for dinner. It’s located in the Solitude Village. It was clearly a local spot during the off season- and I couldn’t have loved that more! Every appetizer we ordered was fantastic, but my favorite would have to be the turkey chili nachos. We tried drinks that were local to Utah- and the seasonal favorite, a blackberry whiskey lemonade.

We also discovered a local Mexican spot, El Chubasco, on our way to the Olympic Village. Their salsa bar absolutely killed it. Our family is big into chips and salsa, so you know it’s good when we all give it 2 thumbs up. From burritos to quesadillas (yes, that was my order, don’t hate), we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Again, the atmosphere made the dining experience that much better.

What to Pack for Summer Trip

The weather was definitely warm during the day- but it got chilly in the evenings. Well, it was also chilly in the mornings, but you could probably assume that. We did a terrible job at packing for the cooler temps. Learn from my mistakes and overpack. I would suggest a sweatshirt or jacket to wear for sitting outside in the morning or evening time while you enjoy a coffee or beer. But during the day, get ready to sweat your little butts off. It’s a resort area, so casual comfort will get you by your entire trip. You can go up a little on the dressy scale, but you’re not trying to impress anyone. If you feel like rocking workout clothes the entire time, that’s cool as long as you are doing dinners at casual places (or at home). It’s an active mountainous area, they don’t expect you in a full face of makeup and your highest heels.

For rafting, we went the route of swim shoes and I have no regrets. I also opted for a one piece under my life jacket, while Austin did swim trunks. If you burn easy, a swim shirt, fishing shirt, etc, isn’t a terrible idea. Cheap sunglasses are a must. You wouldn’t want to drop your pretty Quays overboard.

For Olympic Park, we went for athletic wear. But who am I kidding, I love any excuse to wear workout pants and a cute tank top. Be sure you all have closed toed shoes! That’s crucial if you want to do any activities.

Tips to Beat Altitude Sickness

I went to my followers and asked if they had “any remedies you’ve discovered to throw in my back pocket for next time?” The answers I received mainly had to do with drinking water and getting rest. I also found this article to be helpful, and this one, too!