Special churches and temples
Monticello Utah Temple
This temple of the Mormon community is located in the city of Monticello. It was inaugurated in July 1998 and serves as a place of worship for the approximately 13,000 Mormons in and around the city. The church covers an area of around 1,045 m². In the next section, you will find a representation of the Mormon faith community.
Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City (also known as Salt Lake City Temple)
The Salt Lake Temple, also known as the Salt Lake City Temple, is the most famous and largest Mormon temple in the city of Salt Lake City. The temple was built from 1853 to 1893 in the Gothic Revival style. The Salt Lake Temple is the real attraction of Temple Square and with a height of 64 m towers above the surrounding sights. With a floor area of 23,500 m², it occupies a considerable part of the approximately 40,000 m² Temple Square. The Salt Lake Temple can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
| Contact | 50 West North Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 www.ldschurchtemples.com/saltlake/ |
St. George Utah Temple
The St. George Utah Temple in the city of St. George was opened in 1877. However, it was built from 1871 to 1893. It is the oldest still operating Mormon temple and the first Mormon temple in Utah. The temple is particularly impressive in sunshine and blue skies, because the richly decorated white stucco is particularly effective.
- Countryaah: Lists all towns and cities of Utah in alphabetical order. Also includes top 10 cities by population in Utah. Check medicinelearners for medical schools in Utah.
| Contact | 250 East 400 South St. George, Utah 84770 |
Conference Center in Salt Lake City
The Mormon Conference Center located in the city of Salt Lake City on Temple Square was built from 1997 to 2000. The meeting room is used for the semi-annual general conferences of the church. The huge conference room offers up to 21,000 seats. What is most impressive is the interior of the conference room, and the balconies, which seem to float despite their huge size, are particularly noteworthy.
| Contact | 60 West North Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 |
St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in the city of Salt Lake City was built in 1871, making it the oldest continuously used religious building in Utah. The cathedral is designed in the Gothic Revival style.
| Contact | 231 E 100 Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 |
Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City
The Cathedral of the Madeleine in the city of Salt Lake City is a Roman Catholic church from 1909. However, the construction of the church started in 1900. The style of the church is a mix of neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic influences. The magnificent interior of the church is worth seeing and the front of the church is a little reminiscent of Notre Dame.
| Contact | 331 East South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 |
The Mormons
The Mormon religious community, as it is commonly known, is actually called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Although the Mormons make up less than 2% of the total population in the United States, they represent the majority of the population in the state of Utah. There are historical reasons for this.
The religious community was founded in 1834 by Joseph Smith Jr. in New York State. Due to discrimination and persecution, members of the Church increasingly moved west to the then uninhabited areas and were able to establish themselves particularly in Utah.
In addition to the Bible, the Mormons continue to refer to other sources of faith. For example, the Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith translated after the angel Moroni appeared to him from gold plates using seer stones.
The Mormons are also known for polygamy (multiple marriage). However, this is not correct since, since 1890, multiple marriages have not found support from the Church or have even been prohibited, and are only practiced in small, conservative religious communities in the western United States, Mexico and Canada.
Big celebrations and events
Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day is an official state holiday in the state of Utah. Pioneer Day takes place annually on July 24 and commemorates the arrival of the first Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley. The holiday is celebrated differently throughout Utah, but by no means only celebrated by Mormons. For example, a parade, the “Days of ’47 Parade” takes place in Salt Lake City and is accompanied by fireworks in the evening.
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an independent film festival that has been taking place annually since 1978. It is the largest, most important, and best known of its kind in the United States. The Sundance Film Festival takes place in both Park City and Salt Lake City. The Sundance Film Festival has already helped some to make a breakthrough, such as Quentin Tarantino and Jim Jarmusch. From 1981, Robert Redford helped give the festival its glamor independent of Hollywood
| Contact | www.sundance.org/festival/ |
Utah Shakespearean Festival
The Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City is an annual festival by the great author. The festival is held during the summer and fall, and plays by Shakespeare are performed on the campus of Southern Utah University. The festival was first held in 1961 and today up to 150,000 visitors flock to the festival.
| Contact | www.bard.org/ |
Zoos, parks and amusement parks
Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City
The Hogle Zoo in the city of Salt Lake City was founded in 1931 and today covers an area of 170,000 m² which is home to around 800 animals from 250 species. The Hogle Zoo is the largest zoo in Utah and named after its founder James A. Hogle. The highlights of the zoo include the elephants that provided the first Asian elephant born in Utah.
| Contact | 2600 East Sunnyside Avenue Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 www.hoglezoo.org |
Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington
The Lagoon Amusement Park in the town of Farmington was opened in 1886. There are a total of 50 rides in the park, including 9 roller coasters. The most famous roller coasters are Colossus the Fire Dragon, this roller coaster has a double loop, and the roller coaster Wicked, which impresses with many elements such as a zero-G roll. The Wild Kingdom Train Zoo is also in the park. The Wild Kingdom Train Zoo with its only 40 animals is one of the rather small zoos.
| Contact | 375 Lagoon Drive Farmington, Utah 84025 www.lagoonpark.com |
The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy
The Living Planet Aquarium in the city of Sandy is home to around 1,250 animals from 267 species. The Living Planet Aquarium represents the underwater world of Utah, the oceans and South America. The Living Planet Aquarium makes an important contribution to the education and information about water protection.
| Contact | 725 East 10600 South Sandy, Utah 84094 www.thelivingplanet.com |
National parks
Arches National Park
The Arches National Park in eastern Utah covers an area of 310 km². The area has been a national park since 1971. The park has the largest number of natural stone arches worldwide, there are approximately 2,000. The imposing stone arches were created by erosion over time, but without the influence of water. The most famous arch formations in the park are certainly the Double-O-Arch (see picture on the right), the Delicate Arch, Double Arch, Skyline Arch, Landscape Arch, Partition Arch, Wall Arch. Other interesting rock formations are Babel Tower, Sheep Rock and the Balanced Skirt. The park can be crossed by car and short hikes lead to the most impressive rock formations. At the end of the street is the campsite of the park and this is where the approx. 10 km hiking trail through the Devils Garden, where most of the arches can be found. The wildlife in the park is quite limited due to the climatic conditions. Up to 1 million people visit the park every year.
| Contact | www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm |
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is located in southeastern Utah and was founded in 1964.
The national park covers an area of 1,366 km², making it the largest national park in Utah.
As the name suggests, best known for its canyons. Over time, the Colorado River and Green River left their mark on this area and dug deep canyons into the landscape.
The Canyonlands National Park can be roughly divided into 4 parts. These are: Island in the Sky, Needles, Maze and the rivers.
Spectacular rock formations such as needles, bridges, arches, monoliths and others can be found in the respective parts of the park.
In addition to the scenic highlights, the park also has numerous Anasazi legacies, such as petroglyphs.
This is most impressive to admire on the so-called Newspaper Rock. Due to the huge area of the park you can go hiking, cycling or rafting.
There are numerous hiking trails of different lengths and levels of difficulty available.
Canyonlands National Park also offers many easy camping options as well as some somewhat more luxurious campsites.
Up to 420,000 people visit the park every year and this is not surprising, because this wonderful landscape impressively conveys what it must have looked like in earlier times on this planet.
| Contact | www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm |
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwest Utah and covers an area of approximately 145 km². The national park is a protected area for the colorful canyon, which is located at an altitude of 2,500 m on the eastern edge of the Paunsangunt plateau.
Above all, the colored rock pyramids or rock pillars, the hoodoos should be protected. These hoodoos were shaped by the wind over time and sometimes represent a bizarre but incredibly beautiful picture.
Furthermore, the flora and fauna of the park is very worth seeing. The Bryce Canyon National Park can be driven by car on the so-called Scenic Drive (29 km) and can be viewed more closely at several viewpoints.
Those who prefer to lace their hiking boots can do so and get closer to nature on the many hiking trails. All in all, there are many different hiking trails available, which vary from short and easy to long and difficult routes.
It should be noted, however, that due to the altitude, the air is relatively “thin” and accordingly the hikes are more strenuous. There are also several campsites and a lodge in the park.
| Contact | www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm |
Capitol Reef National Park
The Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah is an approx. 979 km² national park and was founded in 1971. The park extends in principle around the earth fold known as Waterpocket Fold, which is 150 km long. The park got its name from the huge sandstone reef (length 105 m, height 300 m) with drawings in the rock from the 9th to 12th centuries. The park also contains monoliths, natural stone bridges and other rock formations such as The Castle, Chimney Rock and Twin Rocks. Popular activities in the park include hiking, biking, and climbing. The park offers its visitors a campsite with 71 places. The Capitol Reef National Park is visited by approximately 620,000 people annually.
| Contact | www.nps.gov/care/index.htm |
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in southwest Utah and covers an area of approximately 579 km². The national park was founded in 1919. The park is particularly interesting because of its most famous canyons, the Zion Canyon and the Kolob Canyon. The Zion Canyon canyon valley is 24 km long and 900 m deep and was created by the Virgin River. A fascinating animal world lives in the canyons. The most impressive animals are certainly the cougars, even if they are rarely spotted. The main scenic attractions are Angel’s Landing, a 1763 m high rock formation that offers excellent views of the Zion Canyon, the Kolob Arch, The Narrow, a bizarrely washed out rock canyon at the end of the Zion Canyon and the Table Mountain Checkerboard Mesa. There are several campsites in the park and a total of over 240 km of hiking trails. Zion National Park is very popular and is visited by approximately 2.6 million people annually.
| Contact | www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm |
Other natural beauties
Antelope Island State Park
Antelope Island State Park is a 115 km² nature reserve on the island of Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. The island is connected to the mainland by an accessible dam. A small exhibition on the natural history of the region is available to visitors in the visitor center in the park. There are also 2 campsites to enjoy the hiking trails and beaches for several days.
