The Perfect Weekend in Salt Lake City Itinerary (3 days)

Start the Day at Eva’s Bakery

Kick off your weekend with breakfast at Eva’s Bakery, a cute French-inspired café downtown. Their pastries are amazing and their avocado toast is solid too. 

Explore Temple Square

After breakfast, take a 5-minute stroll to Temple Square, the iconic Salt Lake City landmark. The architecture is stunning, and it’s cool to learn about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which plays a huge role in the city’s culture. Did you know that Utah has one of the highest concentrations of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in the world? They make up about 60% of the state’s population!

The main attraction here is the Salt Lake Temple, a stunning building that’s been under renovation since 2019 (and still ongoing as of March 2025). You might not see it in all its glory due to scaffolding, but the grounds are still gorgeous! You can also check out the free Church History Museum for exhibits on Latter-day Saint history and rotating art. 

Afternoon (Pick Your City Adventure!)

Depending on what you’re into, choose one of these fun spots:

Utah State Capitol: A 15-minute walk or 5-minute drive uphill from Temple Square, this 1916 beauty is free to visit. Take a self-guided tour to see the marble rotunda, gold-leaf murals, and killer views of the city and the Wasatch Range from the steps. Check their website for guided tour times.

Visiting Salt Lake City in the spring? You can find amazing cherry blossoms here! 

Natural History Museum of Utah: Kathryn visited this museum during a conference party and it blew my mind! It’s a 10-minute drive from downtown and the dinosaur exhibit is unreal, so plan for 2-3 hours here. The admission fee varies by age, but you can purchase tickets online in advance. 

Maven District: A fun area full of locally-owned shops (with over 85% run by women!). Pop into Normal Ice Cream, known for their soft serve with wild flavors that are almost too pretty to eat. You can also swing by Passion Flour for vegan French pastries and plant-based croissants. 

Red Butte Garden or Gilgal Sculpture Garden: Red Butte is a 100-acre botanical garden with trails, blooms, and $16 entry for adults. Gilgal is smaller, weirder and free, with sculptures like a sphinx sporting Joseph Smith’s face. 

Street Art Walk: Salt Lake City has some awesome murals if you love checking out local art. Wander the Granary District (600 S to 900 S) to see some of the best in the area! 

Lunch at Caputo’s

If you love sandwiches, you need to go to Caputo’s Market & Deli. Their meats and cheeses are delicious (think prosciutto and provolone on crusty bread), and everything on the menu is ridiculously good.

Try a Dirty Soda

It’s no secret that Utah is obsessed with dirty soda (soda mixed with cream, syrups, or fruit). I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually crazy good. And we aren’t even big soda drinkers! Thirst is our go-to and we loved trying their unique flavors like “Yer Killin’ Me Smalls” or “Dr. McCreamy.” But Swig and FiiZ are solid options too!

Sunset Hike at Ensign Peak

Finish off the day’s adventuring with a sunset hike up Ensign Peak. It’s a short but sweet 1-mile round-trip hike with a steady 400-foot climb that rewards you with insane sunset views over the city. Bring water, a jacket, and a headlamp if you’re out past dusk.

Dinner at Red Iguana

You have to eat at Red Iguana while spending a weekend in Salt Lake City. This is hands down the best Mexican food in the city, famous for its moles, like the smoky mole negro or tangy mole amarillo. You can even try a sampler of mole flavors, to help you decide which to get.

Portions are huge and it’s always packed, so call ahead for a reservation or expect to wait. 

Coffee at Three Pines

Kick off your second day in Salt Lake City at Three Pines. This little coffee shop makes an amazing oat milk latte. It’s a great grab-and-go spot before heading into the mountains.

Afternoon (Pick Your Mountain Adventure!)

Time to hit the trails! Pick one (or more) of these and pack a picnic lunch! Each of these adventures are all within 30 minutes-1.5 hours of downtown:

Stewart Falls + Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

Drive 45 minutes to Sundance for a 3.5-mile hike to a 200-foot waterfall. The trail is shaded and gorgeous, especially in fall. Extend your day with the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, a 20-mile winding road through aspens and peaks of the Wasatch Range.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument is also close by, with awesome limestone caves you can tour. It’s only open from May to September, so book tickets online in advance ($12 entry, and it’s a 3-mile hike to get there).

Alpine Lake Hikes

Prefer to check out a nearby alpine lake? There are a handful that make for a perfect addition to your weekend in Salt Lake City itinerary!

Note: None of these hikes are dog friendly. So you’ll have to leave your pups behind for this one.

Lake Blanche, a 6.4 mile hike with 2,700 ft elevation gain is tough but iconic. When you get to the top, the view of Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak behind it is amazing. There are a couple more lakes nearby you can walk around too. This trail’s super popular, so we’d start early to grab a parking spot. 

The Cecret Lake Trail is an easy 1.8-mile hike with only 465 ft of elevation gain that is great for families, leading to a pretty alpine lake (with wildflowers galore!) in the Albion Basin of Little Cottonwood Canyon near Alta Ski Area. 

Not far from Albion Basin in the Little Cottonwood Canyon is Red Pine Lake, another great trail to check out. Plus, you can see Gloria Falls along the way. It’s 2.2 miles to the falls, and an additional 5.5 to Red Pine Lake with 2,100 ft of elevation gain. 

Fifth Water Hot Springs

Make the 45-minute drive to Diamond Fork Canyon to check out Fifth Water Hot Springs, a 4.5-mile round-trip hike that leads to natural hot pools perfect for soaking. Go at sunrise to dodge crowds. Also, note the road often closes in winter/spring (November-May), making it a 7.5 mile round trip hike.

Grandeur Peak

Hiking up Grandeur Peak wrecked us, but the views are unreal. We did the West Face from Church Fork, which was steep and relentless, at 5.6-miles with 2,300 ft elevation gain. 

The East Face is slightly kinder, but does have a fee to hike, plus specific leash rules for dogs depending on the day. Either way, the 360-degree summit views are worth it!

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails Plus membership? Use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails Plus on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.

Breakfast at Cupla Coffee

For the last day of your long weekend in Salt Lake City, grab coffee and breakfast at Cupla Coffee.

This spot is run by twin sisters, and their coffee is amazing. Plus, their toasts are solid fuel for a day of exploring!

Explore Antelope Island State Park

Next up, head to Antelope Island State Park. This place is wild, literally. You’ll probably see bison roaming around, and the views are stunning.

The drive is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Salt Lake City and it costs $15 per vehicle to enter. If you’re up for a hike, Frary Peak is the best one in the park. And it’s the island’s highest point! The hike is 7.1 miles with 2,300 ft elevation gain.

The best place to stay for this weekend in Salt Lake City itinerary is downtown! Not only will you be in walking distance to many of the coffee shops and restaurants we recommend, but you’ll also be central to many of the nature activities!

Hotels in Downtown SLC

• Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek: Kathryn stayed here during a conference and it was clean, spacious, and walkable to so many great spots downtown!
• Kimpton Hotel Monaco: This hotel is central and pet-friendly, with a cool vibe. Rooms are comfy, and it’s only steps from Temple Square. 
• Little America Hotel: This hotel has big rooms, is affordable, and has a convenient downtown location.

Airbnbs

• Cottage on Capitol Hill (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom): This is a private studio located in a historic home built in 1896 that is just one block away from Temple Square. 
• Historic Avenues Cottage (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom): This cottage is located in the Avenues neighborhood with local restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance. 

Camping

• Salt Lake City KOA: This is the closest campground to downtown SLC (14 blocks away) with RV sites, cabins, and tent spots. 
• Flight Park State Recreation Area: We have stayed here multiple times and not only is it affordable ($15/night), but the views are amazing and you can watch paragliders! But be warned, it can be VERY windy.
• Antelope Island State Park Campground: This state park has three campgrounds, some with partial hook ups. And it’s only about 1 hour north of SLC.
• For our ultimate list of the best campsites in Utah, visit our sister site Stoked to Camp!