Last Updated on July 28, 2026 by Erin Donahue

If you’re planning a trip to Salt Lake City and only have three days to explore, you’re in for a treat! Utah is one of, if not the most beautiful, states in the US. In my opinion, the best part of a Salt Lake City 3-day itinerary is leaving the city. I’ve been traveling to Utah almost every year since 2021, and Sony invited me to Kando the year they hosted it at Snowbird.

Every time I fly into Utah, I use Salt Lake City as my base camp for unforgettable day trips because most of Utah’s beauty lies beyond the city limits. Before we hit the open road, let’s talk about Salt Lake City itself. After all, you’ve got to know your starting line before you can appreciate the journey.

Salt Lake City at a Glance

Salt Lake City serves as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the host city of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the gateway to some of Utah’s most beautiful landscapes: the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Great Salt Lake’s pink waters, and the ski country around Park City. For a 3-day itinerary, I’d spend one day getting a feel for downtown and the other two venturing out.

Best Time to Visit Salt Lake City

I’ve only visited Salt Lake City in spring and summer, so that’s what I can speak to firsthand. Spring is the rainy season, and it ushers in the Yoshino cherry blossoms at the Utah State Capitol (more on that below), plus the mirrored ground at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where water sits atop the salt crust and reflects the sky like glass. Summer is when things dry out, and since a lot of Utah is desert-like, that means a dry heat.

Downtown Salt Lake City

I’ve been to Salt Lake City many times over the years, but when I finally stayed in downtown SLC, I have to say it just wasn’t it. To be frank, there’s not much to do. There’s the Museum of Natural History, which is rather impressive, but it’s on the outskirts of the city. Then there’s the Utah State Capitol building on the other side of the city. It was only here that I felt the city was rather “normal.”

SLC Cherry Blossoms

When I was in Salt Lake City during the spring, I got to see their Yoshino cherry blossoms at peak. If you’ve been following my page for a while, you’ll know I’m a big cherry blossom chaser in New York City, and I share photo guides and tips on it. Just like the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C and NYC, which Japan gifted to the US as a sign of friendship, Japan also gifted cherry blossoms to Utah following WWII. That said, these weren’t the first ones at the Capitol; the first went in on Arbor Day in 1931. Unlike the cities on the East Coast, the gifts from Japan here were Kwanzan cherry blossoms instead of Yoshino. The cherry trees were there until 1999 and then replaced by Yoshino cherry trees after a tornado damaged the Kwanzan trees.

Culture Shock

Downtown Salt Lake City was not my vibe whatsoever. It was an immense culture shock to me in more ways than one. It’s not a secret that Utah has the largest Mormon population. Almost 70% of the state’s total population identifies as Mormon. When I was at the Capitol building, I overheard a teenage girl with her friends as they were passing by say that any negative feelings she felt, she would internalize rather than feel them so that she could “give it to God.” This was sad to hear because I’m strongly against religious indoctrination during a young person’s formative years.

Not only that, the homeless population was more than I expected, and it was pretty obvious that most cases were related to drug use. I’m aware this is a very sensitive subject and requires a lot of nuance. Whenever I see cases of extreme homelessness, it always makes me question the (lack of) resources provided by the city and state governance. That said, walking around, I stayed on heightened alert for my safety at times. As someone who lives in New York City, that’s saying something.

Surprisingly Amazing Food!

During my Salt Lake City 3-day itinerary, I learned there’s a large Latino population; reportedly one in six is of Latino descent. I tried to ask which group populated the area the most, but couldn’t get a definitive answer. I’m completely generalizing, but I have a sneaking suspicion that their sazon is why all the food I ate was delicious in a majority-white town.

These are the restaurants I recommend and make a stop at whenever I’m back in Salt Lake City.

• Eva’s Bakery: Popular for a reason – delicious boulangerie and bistro.
• Gourmandise: Probably my favorite menu in all of Salt Lake City, with delicious entrees and artisan pastries and desserts.
• Capo Gelateria Italiana: Small-batch real gelato! They make everything with natural ingredients, nothing artificial. It connects to Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana, a Neapolitan-style pizza spot, but I found the tomato sauce quite watery.
• Carson Kitchen: reimagined comfort food with elevated dining. The Tempura Green Beans really hit the spot as an appetizer, and the Beets & Grains were healthy and filling.

Where to stay in Downtown Salt Lake City

I’ve stayed at a couple of different hotels in downtown Salt Lake City over the years. Two are worth mentioning.

Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek

Conveniently located near Temple Square and Salt Palace Convention Center, the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek is a standard modern hotel perfect for business, leisure, or event hosting.

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City

A boutique property also in the heart of downtown. If you want something with more personality than a standard business hotel, Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is a 4-star boutique hotel located in a historic 1924 former bank building. I’m an IHG Premier Credit Card holder, and the hotel upgraded me to a suite during my stay.

Getting around Salt Lake City

TRAX light rail covers downtown well, but you’ll want a rental car for at least one day to reach the Salt Flats, Pink Lake, or Park City, none of which are accessible by public transit.

TRAX Public Transportation

Getting around downtown SLC is relatively easy, and I like that there’s accessible public transportation from the airport. While it costs $2.50 on the TRAX to and from the airport, no one comes to check. If you do need to buy tickets, you can do so on the Transit app.

For a Salt Lake City 3-day itinerary, I recommend staying within the TRAX Free Fare Zone, which means you don’t have to pay for a ticket when riding the rail. I hopped on and off when I could, but since it’s central and a lot of the locations I was heading to for the views were on the outskirts, I still had to do a lot of walking. Getting steps in while on a trip is a great form of exercise, but I can see this becoming a big hassle if you live there.

Salt Lake City is walkable in the downtown area, but for a city of 200,000, it seems everyone is driving instead, and there are six lanes of traffic, which I think is overkill for a city’s infrastructure. It’s ironic that cities like Las Vegas, LA, and New York City need, and should have, that many lanes, but SLC, which has a much smaller population in comparison, is the one that actually has them. It’s been pointed out to me that the reason the streets are so wide goes back to early LDS settlers, who didn’t want to back up their horses and instead wanted to turn their carriages around easily. While that might’ve made sense then, now it’s a journey to cross the street!

Driving

While public transportation is convenient within the city, the best part of a Salt Lake City 3-day itinerary is leaving it. That means renting a car is a must. After a couple of days downtown, venture out and see the beautiful natural wonders in the SLC vicinity. Rental cars in Salt Lake City can get expensive, but if you reserve far enough in advance, you can usually find one for $50 to $65 a day.

Turo Peer-to-peer Car Rental

During one of my visits, my plans almost hit a snag when a partnership with a car company fell through at the eleventh hour, almost leaving me stranded in the city. Luckily, this setback turned into an opportunity to try something new. I decided to test out Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental-sharing service app. Essentially Airbnb for cars. The process was smooth. After my Turo host approved my reservation, they gave me the location details to pick up the car, with the keys waiting inside. Just like with a regular rental, take inventory of any scratches, dings, gas level, and mileage before driving off.

If you’re considering Turo, any car rental protection from your travel credit card is typically not valid with this service. You’ll likely need to purchase Turo’s insurance, which can add to the cost. For my one-day rental, it came to $88, which I split with my friend. Despite the added insurance cost, having a car opened up a world of possibilities for exploring Utah’s incredible landscapes.

Traditional Car Rental Still Wins

On my most recent trip back to visit the Spiral Jetty, I had to decide between Turo again or a traditional rental car. What settled it was the 200-mile limit on Turo, after which you pay per mile. I was driving more than 200 miles round trip to Spiral Jetty, so I went with a regular rental instead, since it comes with unlimited mileage. Also, my travel credit card’s insurance actually covered me, which isn’t the case with Turo. I waited too long to book, though, and ended up paying $90 for a rental from the airport. Once I was back from Spiral Jetty, I returned the car at the airport and took TRAX back to my hotel instead of holding onto it for the full 24 hours. Downtown parking is expensive enough that it wasn’t worth paying to keep the car parked overnight.

Bonneville Salt Flats

My favorite place to visit in Utah is the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, one of the most unique features of Utah. This is what is most associated with Salt Lake City, but it’s about a 90-minute drive away. As mentioned earlier, if you want to go here, renting a car is a must. The salt flats are an expanse of hard, white salt crust stretching over 30,000 acres on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin. Lake Bonneville once covered one-third of Utah and reached depths of nearly 1000 feet in the region where the Salt Flats now lie. There are two main sections: the Salt Flats Rest Area near milepost 10, and further up on the road is the famous Bonneville Speedway, where amateur racers go to break land speed records.

It’s a beautiful place for photography. My favorite time to go is sunset during the rainy season, when the salt flats become a giant mirror. No need to go to Bolivia! For some reason, I thought the wet salt would have been softer, but it was more akin to walking on sharp pebbles. I scraped my foot when I was playing around barefoot during a photoshoot. I recommend bringing a pair of waterproof shoes/boots/sandals, or something you’re willing to throw out after. Also, bring a towel that you’re ok with getting dirty.

Pink Lake at Stansbury Island, Spiral Jetty + Railway Causeway

While everyone knows about the Salt Flats, far fewer people know about the Pink Lake, even locals. I’ve now been to all three access points, so I can tell you what each one is actually like. There are three spots to see the Pink Lake. Stansbury Island is the closest, on the way to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Spiral Jetty sits about a two-hour drive north of Great Salt Lake, and Railway Causeway is in the area, but still 90 minutes away from Spiral Jetty. The roads to any of them start paved, then turn to gravel for the last stretch. You don’t need a 4WD car; just drive slow.

After first visiting the Stansbury Island section in 2024, I went back to catch Spiral Jetty and Railway Causeway on a solo trip, and the day did not go as planned. It started out sunny and calm. However, Utah was in the middle of some of its worst wildfires in state history at the time. I don’t know if that played a part, but by the time I got to Spiral Jetty, the wind turned strong and eerie. Strong enough that the pink lake had visible waves. I fought my drone through it long enough to get the shot, and right as I was feeling good about it, something bit me on the foot. I saw it was an ant of some sort (my initial thought was a fire ant), but after doing some research, it was most likely a Harvester ant.

Knowing the bite wasn’t poisonous, I drove on to Railway Causeway anyway. That’s the shot I actually wanted: the train tracks dividing the pink and blue water. Unfortunately, the wind had other plans. It never let up enough to fly, so I had to abandon that shot entirely. At least I got Spiral Jetty first.

Park City

If your 3-day Salt Lake City itinerary allows for it, head to Park City. The town has a lively and colorful past and reminds me of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. Prospectors founded the town in the late 1860s and mined silver here until the early 1970s. It then became a world-class mountain resort town and venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. I have to say, Park City was way more of a vibe. Park City has its own lifestyle, and the people there are fashionable, even casually.

While I was in Park City, I did horse meditation with Park City Horse Experience. I’m a low-key horse girl, and I loved being in the presence of horses again! The meditation focuses on the fact that horses, and animals in general, are sentient beings. Afterward, I had dinner at the beautiful Empire Canyon Lodge in the vast Deer Valley Resort. I only had a day in Park City, so I’ll have to go back and spend some more time there exploring.

Bryce Canyon

If you have more than three days, or want to turn this into a longer Utah trip, Bryce Canyon is worth the drive from Salt Lake City. It’s far enough that it deserves its own itinerary rather than a rushed day trip tacked onto this one.

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FAQ About a 3-Day Trip in Salt Lake City

What is Salt Lake City known for?
Salt Lake City is known as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the host city of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the gateway to natural landmarks like the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake’s pink waters.

How many days do you need in Salt Lake City?
Three days is enough to get a feel for downtown and fit in at least one major day trip.

What is the best time to visit Salt Lake City?
Spring is rainy season, which gets you cherry blossoms at the Utah State Capitol and the mirrored ground at Bonneville Salt Flats. Summer is drier, with the dry heat typical of Utah’s desert climate.

How do you get around Salt Lake City?
TRAX light rail covers downtown, but you’ll need a rental car to reach the Bonneville Salt Flats, Pink Lake and beyond.