Adventure on Land
Hiking
Lace up those sneakers and get ready to tread lightly! Whether you want panoramic desert views or peaceful mountain trails, these parks offer miles of scenic wandering for every pace.
Snow Canyon
- Easy: Jenny’s Canyon Trail (0.5 miles round-trip)
- Medium: Petrified Dunes Trail (1.2 miles round-trip)
- Hard: Cinder Cone Trail (1.5 miles round-trip)
Antelope Island
- Easy: Ladyfinger Point Trail (0.4 miles round-trip)
- Medium: Buffalo Point Trail (1 mile round-trip)
- Hard: Frary Peak Trail (6.2 miles round-trip)
Wasatch Mountain
- Easy: Huber Grove Trail (1 mile round-trip)
- Medium: Spring Pond Loop (3 miles round-trip)
- Hard: Mid-Mountain Loop (3.5 miles round-trip)
Mountain Biking
Trail systems are routinely maintained to offer safe, thrilling rides for both casual pedaling and technical mountain biking.
- Dead Horse Point: Home to the Intrepid Trail System, a flowing singletrack network specifically designed for beginner and intermediate riders. The rolling slickrock and dirt loops run parallel to canyon edges, providing unmatched scenic stops.
- Wasatch Mountain: Features the popular Dutch Hollow trail complex, boasting flowy singletrack and technical climb routes. Riders can also practice maneuvers on the dedicated skills track at the Pine Canyon Bike Park.
- Antelope Island: Offers open-country dirt paths alongside miles of wide, paved roads. Road cyclists and gravel riders can pedal the island coastline while spotting native wildlife on the hillsides.
Golf
State-managed golf facilities combine manicured fairways with dramatic natural backdrops. Course layouts feature full clubhouse amenities, driving ranges and pro shops set against mountain canyons.
Wasatch Mountain
Soldier Hollow
Palisade
Green River
Disc Golf
Disc golfers can play structured courses designed around natural topography, sagebrush hazards and riverbanks. Courses are open to all skill levels, requiring only standard day-use entry fees to play.
- Green River: Features a shaded 18-hole disc golf course laid out beneath towering cottonwood trees. The fairways follow the riverbank, providing a grassy and scenic playing field.
- Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation: Provides an 18-hole course that utilizes natural sagebrush terrain and elevation shifts. Players throw across open high-desert landscapes with views of the reservoir.
- Yuba: Features a desert disc golf course set along sandy lake shores. Natural shrubs and terrain contours act as fun obstacles for every hole.
Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Riding
Whether you’re riding the salmon-colored landscape of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park or cruising along snow-packed trails of Wasatch Mountain State Park, we want you to ride safely and protect your riding privilege.
As a reminder, the growth of any OHV sport requires rider responsibility. Do your part by properly registering machines, learning and obeying OHV safety laws and rules, and sharing trails with fellow user groups including equestrians, hikers, mountain bikers, skiers and snowshoers.
Visit the Division of Outdoor Recreation for more information on off-highway vehicle riding:
Archery Ranges
Select parks provide ranges for archers to practice target shooting in natural outdoor settings.
- Wasatch Mountain: Features a dedicated walk-through 3D archery range set along a scenic forest trail, allowing archers to practice shooting at life-sized animal targets in natural alpine surroundings.
- Rockport: Features an outdoor walking archery course along the Lakeview Trail. Shooters follow a walking path to aim at 3D targets placed at realistic field angles.
- Antelope Island: Offers a stationary target range with distances spanning from 20 to 100 yards. It also includes a multi-station walk-through 3D target course set in the desert hills.
Fishing
Lakes and reservoirs across the state provide diverse fishing environments, from high-mountain trout waters to warm desert impoundments. Anglers must possess a valid Utah fishing license (ages 12 and older) and follow state bag limits.
Visitor Requirement: Valid Utah fishing licenses are required for all anglers ages 12 and older.
- Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation: Renowned as a top fishery for big walleye, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch. Anglers can fish from boats or the shoreline to catch rainbow and brown trout.
- Deer Creek: Features a scenic reservoir stocked with smallmouth bass, walleye, and rainbow trout. The park offers boat launches and shoreline access against the backdrop of Mount Timpanogos.
- Quail Creek: Enjoys mild southern temperatures that keep water conditions open for year-round fishing. Anglers target largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and bluegill in its clear, warm waters.
Visit the Division of Wildlife for more information on fishing:
Equestrian Trails
Horseback riders can explore miles of designated equestrian trails across varied terrain. Participating parks provide staging areas equipped with horse trailer parking, hitching posts and water access.
- Antelope Island: Provides miles of wide equestrian trails traversing historic range country. Riders can utilize dedicated horse trailer staging and corrals located at White Rock Bay.
- Snow Canyon: Features designated horse trails winding past red sandstone cliffs and desert foliage. The soft sand paths offer a unique high-desert riding experience for horse owners.
- Wasatch Mountain: Connects to high-alpine trail corridors through cool oak groves and evergreen forests. Park staging areas give riders easy entry to backcountry mountain loops.
Wildlife Viewing
Protected state lands safeguard critical habitats, allowing visitors to view native Western wildlife in their natural settings. To keep both animals and visitors safe, park regulations require maintaining a respectful distance from all wildlife at all times.
- Antelope Island: Home to a free-ranging herd of hundreds of American bison that roam the grasslands. Visitors frequently spot mule deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep feeding along the hillsides.
- Snow Canyon: Serves as a protected sanctuary for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise. Visitors walking park trails in the spring and fall often catch glimpses of these ancient reptiles moving through the sagebrush.
- Willard Bay: Encompasses freshwater wetlands along the Great Salt Lake that attract over 200 species of birds. It is a premier location for birdwatchers looking to spot nesting waterfowl and wintering bald eagles.
Visit the Division of Wildlife for more information on wildlife:
Camping and Unique Lodging
Overnight guests can experience distinct environments up close, with accommodations catering to every style of camper. Options range from full-hookup RV sites to secluded tent pads and cozy canvas yurts. Reserving your campsite in advance is highly recommended during peak seasons
- Fremont Indian: Features unique lodging options where you can sleep in a traditional canvas teepee, an authentic pit house or a rustic cabin.
- East Canyon: Provides memorable overnight stays inside covered wagons and secluded, fully furnished yurts tucked in the mountains.
- Echo State Park: Features modern, lakeside tiny homes equipped with fresh amenities for a boutique camping experience.
- Dead Horse Point: Sits high on the canyon rim with popular luxury yurts that put you steps away from breathtaking morning overlooks.
Geocaching
Geocaching offers an interactive, low-impact treasure hunt for visitors exploring park lands. Caches are safely hidden near established trails, requiring participants to use handheld GPS units or smartphone apps to track down hidden containers.
- Willard Bay: Features hidden caches along accessible wetland paths and dike trails. Cachers can search for containers while enjoying views of the bay and local birdlife.
- Goblin Valley: Offers a multi-cache challenge series hidden along public walking routes. Geocachers follow GPS coordinates to find hidden containers tucked among the sandstone formations.
- Utah Lake: Contains shoreline geocaches located along paved walking corridors and park day-use areas. It is an ideal spot for beginners looking for easily accessible GPS targets.
Climbing and Canyoneering
Climbers can test their skills on established sport, traditional, and bouldering routes across unique geological formations. Safety helmets are strongly recommended, and climbing on wet sandstone is strictly prohibited to prevent rock damage.
- Snow Canyon: Offers a wide collection of sport and traditional climbing routes on grippy Navajo sandstone. Climbers can tackle vertical canyon walls surrounded by scenic red rock geology.
- Goblin Valley: Contains dedicated low-impact bouldering areas within the sandstone mazes. Climbers can maneuver through natural stone labyrinths and practice technical boulder problems close to the ground.
