Since I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and spent the next 18 years of my life living in a small town less than 20 minutes away, you’d think by now I’d know Salt Lake pretty well. But as a local, sometimes it’s harder to get out and do the wonderful things nearby than it is to vacation elsewhere and I’ve been no exception. In an effort to check out new places this summer I did my best to go out and experience all the best free things Salt Lake has to offer.
1. Suicide Rock. Don’t let the name scare you away. According to legend a young native american girl threw herself from the rock after her brave died in order to follow him to the afterlife, but now it’s better known as the graffiti mecca of SLC. Sitting at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon, it’s only about a 5 minute walk down from a parking lot (or a much longer and more fun walk along the dog park trail) and a fairly easy scramble up the rocks that are smoothed from endless layers of paint.
From the top you can see a painted bulls eye that kids throw their empty paint cans at and though the surrounding area is a lush oasis of trails and greenery, the bordering freeways . You can’t really expect the naturalists to claim it and want to keep it pure when there is that much exhaust flying around.
You won’t regret spending your lunch break at the top of this formation, and if you can get there around sunset I promise you’ll meet the nicest delinquent kids around. Suicide Rock is where city meets nature and history meets the modern world. I’m so glad this place exists and I can believe it took me this long to take the time to go there.
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2. Great Salt Lake. Did you know that both the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake are fed by the Jordan River?
These are different Jordan rivers of course, but it’s still interesting, especially because both lakes are in the Top 5 saltiest bodies of water in the world and are by far two of the most famous. Both are salty because they are endorheic, meaning they have no outlet for the incoming rain and river water, leaving evaporation as water’s only method of escape. This leaves TONS of minerals and fancy things behind in concentrated doses, making it not only an awesome source for many mineral companies, but also a really unique place for humans to float.
For many people, visiting the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake seems like quite a trip, but in reality both are only a few miles from an international airport. It takes all of TEN minutes to get from the Salt Lake City International airport to the Great Salt Lake and only an hour to get from Amman to the Dead Sea. Sure you have to drive another hour to get to Antelope Island in Utah or to the fancy spas in Jordan but that isn’t far at all, especially when you think about how difficult it is to get to most other natural wonders of the world.
Did I mention it’s free? You don’t have to pay a dime to come float in the salty waters of these lakes and while the Dead Sea is empty of all marine life at the Great Salt Lake you’ll get to share your swim with the adorable tiny creatures known as brine shrimp (the only marine life able to survive in the lake).The water is never cold (solidly warm in the summer) and The Great Saltair has the perfect parking lot and gift shop for you to checkout.
You may even meet some bad ass motorcyclists from Belgium who’ll turn out to be sweethearts! My friend Julia and I squeezed in this trip a few weekends ago and though we were both so overbooked we almost didn’t say yes, we reminded ourselves adventures are always worth it so we made the plans for Sunday and drove out, swimming and floating in the salty lake that I hadn’t been in since I’d taken a few friends from Seattle over three years ago.
Yes it does smell less than good and yes you’ll be covered in salt afterwards, but it’s the perfect free adventure and it doesn’t get better than telling all the bored looking tourists you’re a local and you’re about to go float.
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3. Outdoor Concerts. Forget Austin, Seattle and New York, the real music scene is in SLC. Our weather in the summer is perfection and Salt Lake has made an art out of the outdoor concert. Lunchtime music at the capital, Gallery openings at Pioneer Square, fundraisers at the Gateway, in the summer you can’t walk 5 blocks without running into a musical event of some sort.
Every ski resort sets up a stage in the summer and routinely hosts free Octoberfests or concerts. Watching Willie Nelson’s son perform at Snowbasin was a highlight of my year and not all of these bands are local or low profile either. The Twilight Concert series used to be free but with such high profile bands like Kid Cudi, MGMT, Ludacris and the National choosing to attend this year the crowds have gotten out of control, forcing a $5 dollar cover to limit capacity.
There aren’t many things better than a great outdoor concert, climbing an awesome rock or FLOATING in salt water, and Salt Lake City knows how to make the most of all three (for free!).