My husband and I were attending Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City and we decided to add two days to the back end to do some exploring.

Although some of the most photographed spots in Salt Lake City were close by, we didn’t want to waste our time looking at “buildings”.  We headed for the hills and we found a great lookout over the city with a hint of the Wasatch Range in the distance.

SLC is unique in that inversion occurs during the winter months where a dense layer of cold air and pollutants get trapped under a layer of warm air. This can cause issues for people with asthma or lung problems. Within hours of arriving I had a deep chest cough. This did not ruin my trip but was definitely an irritant so being armed with this knowledge before you visit is a must.

If you look really close in the photo below, you will be able to see the outline of the Utah State Capitol building.

On our drive back down to the city, we made a quick stop at the State Capitol building to snap a photo, but of course had to get the buffalo in the photo to add some colour and interest. (I am not American, after all)

We then turned the car towards Park City and the drive became increasingly more beautiful the closer we got.

We explored the town of Park City and we loved the colourful ‘Old West’ vibe. They were setting up for Sundance Festival, so it was a hive of activity. My husband loved spotting an original Banksy hidden off Main Street.

So many little shops and great spots for lunch, that we will have to make a return visit. We didn’t stay long as we were headed for Moab and didn’t know what the weather might be like driving through the mountains after dark.

We got up early the next morning to head to the Arches National Park. We stayed local so it was only a 5 minute drive from the town of Moab to the park.

There were so many awe inspiring moments, that I decided to write a second blog post dedicated to our day at the Arches National Park.