Kelly Olson Creative

Well now that we’ve settled back into our routine, I am itching to dream up another trip somewhere. A throwback post to Utah will have to cut it for now, until we can escape on another adventure.

Dill and I and our good friend Kyle drove through Utah briefly a number of years ago on a road trip, so we knew we had to come back and spend some more time surrounded by those mountains. We still wanted winter weather around Christmas time and some slopes for skiing/snowboarding, so Utah it was.

We captured a few pictures, but it actually felt nice to put the camera away for a bit. So we didn’t end up taking as many photos as we normally would. But we packed in lots of fun. Here is our trip at a glance:

• Cathedral of the Madeleine-  This is a stunning cathedral right in downtown Salt Lake City. We made it for Christmas Day mass, which was amazing. Just peek inside or catch a mass if you can.
• Temple Square- Historic Temple Square, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is downtown SLC, too. This is a must stop. The grounds are a peaceful little escape. Bonus, it is beautifully lit with Christmas lights around the holidays!
• Coffee Shops-One of our favorite things to do whenever we are traveling is to find the best coffee shops. It is our little sliver of home- how we usually spend our Saturdays here in Madison. Our favorites in Salt Lake were Blue Copper, Three Pines, and La Barba.
• Hot Springs-  We knew we wanted to find some natural hot springs while out west. We actually had quite a few options within driving distance and ended up going to Saratoga Hot Springs. This wasn’t too far from where we were staying, an easy hike in, and a quiet little spot on a cold day. Some other options were Fifth Water (was our first choice, but wasn’t as accessible with SLC’s recent snowfall), Meadow Hot Springs, and the Homestead Crater,
• City Creek Center-  No trip is complete without a little retail therapy. This indoor-outdoor mall was right downtown with a bunch of restaurants and stores. Made for an easy little evening activity.
• Epic Brewing–  Welcome to the world’s ittiest-bittiest tap-less tap room. Utah has some interesting bar/restaurant laws, so it was a little adventure going to this brewery.  It had a cute little bar, yummy lunch, and great beer. Perfect post hike hangs.
• Pizza Nono-Might take the cake as my favorite spot we went to on this trip. We were in desperate need of pizza one night and ended up here.  Small space, great wood fired pizza, and the best live music (seriously, we drank beer and ate pizza over candlelight while a jazz trio played all night).
• Skiing/Snowboarding-  Our top activity in Utah.  We were so excited to get up into the mountains, especially after a Christmas Eve snowfall.  There are endless options right near SLC, but we landed on Brighton.  (They had a nice mix of runs, rental gear, and great reviews) We ended up taking the UTA Ski Bus up the mountain, which was perfect-especially for the way back when we passed out.  The resort was beyond packed while we were there, but it was a perfect bluebird day. Overall, I didn’t do too hot on the slopes, but I am definitely getting better. Dill on the other hand is a rockstar and gets the hang of it so easily. My body was sore, but my heart was full.  Perfect day spent in the mountains.
• Park City-  Last stop on our list was Park City.  This ski town nestled in the heart of the snowy mountains is somewhere I’d love to go back to.  Streets lined with shops and restaurants, ski runs that drop you off right on main street, and the best views. I didn’t totally know what to expect here, but it was great.  I’d love to come back and stay a bit longer. It’s chic (for real, we literally bumped into Lisa Kudrow on the street) and beautiful and totally my jam of balancing adventure and relaxation. Glad we spent a day here.

Utah didn’t disappoint.

Where to next?

Kelly