When we’re talking about spring breakdestinations, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach might immediately come to mind. But consider…Ogden, Utah. Skiers and riders hoping to ski spring break are wise to save what many Utahns call the best, Ogden Valley’s resorts, for last. It’s spring break—Ogden style.
It starts with Nordic Valley’s killer ticket deal and continues with end-of-season shenanigans like pond skimming at Nordic, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. It’s spring break, baby!
Powder Mountain’s No Joke Tele Race (coming April 5, 2025) has free-heelers racing on the Turn ’n’ Burn banked slalom course. Photo courtesy of Powder Mountain.
Nordic Valley
Only a few miles outside of Ogden in stunning Eden, Nordic Valley has a budget- and family-friendly reputation.
They’ve earned it with ages 12 and under riding free all ski season and having the “World’s Best Spring Break.” Running March 1 until the resort closes, every lift ticket comes with a $10 credit and the option to add a $30 rental and a $50 beginner lesson.
Crocket Lift at Nordic Valley. Photo courtesy of Nordic Valley.
Tickets start at $19 and rise as the mountain becomes more crowded. “At the window, you can anticipate seeing prices between $69 and $99, but you can save a bunch by going online and reserving ahead of time,” said Katie Gubler, resort operations manager.
The credit is good only on the ticket date but can be used for food, shopping or even a ticket for a later date. Like many other resorts in spring, look for the dates they host pond skimming, where skiers wear costumes and attempt to skim across a makeshift pond. Nordic Valley will also hold the Denim Dual Slalom, a competition to find the fastest competitor dressed in denim, and the Duct Tape Derby, a cardboard-and-duct-tape sled race.
“With our lower elevation, you’ll see warmer temperatures in the spring, so you’ll see a lot of people skiing in T-shirts,” Gubler said. “It’s a really good time.”
As long as you’re in the neighborhood, visit Snowbasin and Powder Mountain for more fun on the mountain.
Snowbasin will host pond skimming and the Handle Tow Showdown rail jam, where amateurs and professionals compete with their best tricks on a rail.
Costumes are encouraged at the Annual Pond Skim at Snowbasin Resort (coming April 20, 2025). Photo courtesy of Snowbasin.
If you’re not the competitive type, you can still enjoy live music. “It’s free, and it’s just to create a real fun vibe at the mountain toward the end of the season,” said Davy Ratchford, Snowbasin general manager.
Also at Snowbasin, if you buy a 2025–26 season pass, the last month of skiing this season will be included.
On March 29, Powder Mountain hosts Turn ’n’ Burn, a series of snowboard-only races. Skiers can join the resort’s No Joke Tele Race on April 5, where all races will be telemark-only. Skiing after 4 p.m. will only be $19.
“What you’ll find is a really uncrowded, just super-fun experience,” said Tim LeRoy, Powder Mountain Resort spokesperson. “It’s just kind of more of a party atmosphere in the spring.”
Spring is coming quickly, and soon you’ll want to be out of the house to take advantage of the warmer weather with family. Here are four spring activities in Utah to add to your calendar now.
Walk under the Utah State Capitol cherry blossoms
Tourists descend on Japan’s blooming parks, gardens and walkways during sakura (cherry blossom) season — a tradition shared by Utah State Capitol visitors every spring. After WWII, Japan gifted the Capitol with Kwanzan cherry trees. As the trees reached the end of their lives, they were replaced during restoration with hundreds of Yoshino cherry trees along the Capitol’s 0.7-mile Memorial Walkway. Today, the walkway is a popular destination for graduation and engagement photos, picnics and leisurely strolls with your kids, Grandma and the labradoodle under stunning flowering trees.
Spring is known as the season of renewal and rebirth, and that includes farm animals. Many local farms and venues host “baby animal days” for guests to meet newly arrived chicks, calves, piglets and more.
A few recommendations:
American West Heritage Center, April 2–5 and 10–12 4025 S. Hwy 89-91, Wellsville More information
This is the Place Heritage Park, April 19 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., SLC More information
Hee Haw Farms (Spring Fling events, including baby animals, starts April 12) 150 S. 2000 West, N. Country Blvd., Pleasant Grove More information
Be one of the first in line at Lagoon
Kids growing up in and around Davis County anxiously await Lagoon’s opening day each year. See what the hype is about with the family this year on thrill rides like Primordial, Cannibal and Wicked. For kids under 54 inches in height, the park offers plenty of smaller, slower rides. If rides are not your thing, there are still the park’s live performances, relics from Utah’s early days in Pioneer village and beer/Bavarian pretzels at the Biergarten restaurants.
Lagoon opens on March 29 375 N. Lagoon Drive, Farmington lagoonpark.com
Stop to smell the flowers
More than 900,000 flowers, including tulips, daffodils, poppies and more, will brighten up your family’s day at Thanksgiving Point’s Ashton Gardens during the Tulip Festival. Along with the stunning blooms, the festival promises live entertainment, classes, garden tours and more.
Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival, April 9–May 17 3900 N. Garden Drive, Lehi More information
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Come March 14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse—or blood moon—will be visible to stargaze in Southern Utah. While it might be a bit too chilly to camp out under the stars in Northern Utah, the southern end of the state will be starting to look mighty inviting. March–April is also the time to get great views of Mars, Venus and Jupiter. The spectacular Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks the evening of April 21, and Southern Utah has no shortage of ways to take in the celestial show.
View the most spectacular astronomical events of the season from Lake Powell. Photo courtesy Aramark Destinations.
Viewing deck on the water—Lake Powell
Lake Powell was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963. The lake’s shore is the red rock spires of what was once Glen Canyon and all those nooks and undulations add up to 2,000 miles of shoreline, which is more than the combined states on the Pacific Coast. It is best explored on the water, and, come nighttime, the deck of a rented houseboat becomes a viewing deck for thousands of stars, shining back from their reflections in the water all around. The Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas, situated lakeside with two locations at Wahweap and Bullfrog, can get you started on your houseboat stargazing adventures with rentals (and even grocery delivery!).
Walk among the stars—Bryce Canyon
On clear, nights, the Milky Way spills out across the sky, visible above Bryce Canyon National Park. The International Dark Sky Association named Bryce an official Dark Sky Park in 2019, and it boasts a yearly Astronomy Festival, packed with programming, every summer. Year-round, Bryce also hosts Dark Ranger Telescope Tours, a nighttime trek through the sky with a powerful telescope, guided by “astronomers, dark sky advocates and astronomy entertainers.” One of the quintessential places to stay (in a tipi, if you like) is Ruby’s Inn Campground and RV Park—which also hosts events during the Astronomy Festival.
The annual Astronomy Festival returns to Bryce National Park June 25–28, 2025. Photo courtesy Annual Astronomy Festival.
Under the Dome
Camp out under the dome! Not to be confused with the “Capitol Dome,” the 180 million-year-old magnificent mound of Navajo sandstone in Capitol Reef National Park (which isn’t even a true dome, by the way). Resorts, campgrounds and hotels have started capitalizing on Southern Utah’s brilliant stargazing reputation by allowing visitors to stay in retro-futuristic, transparent geodesic domes, in full view of the night sky, from the comfort of a luxury mattress. For a dome close to Capitol Reef, there are skylight domes at the modern-art-infused Skyview Hotel in Torrey. Outside of Canyonlands National Park, is the homey, rustic-chic Canyonlands Domes in Monticello. Finally, putting the “glam” in glamping with its high-concept interiors, is Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon in Cannonville.
Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon in Cannonville, with proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park, offers modern-chic glamping domes to spend an evening under the stars (inside). Photo courtesy of Clear Sky Resorts.
For Epic pass holders, the temptation of Whistler is hard to resist
With some of the world’s greatest ski resorts right here in the Wasatch Range, Utahns can be forgiven for a lack of curiosity about skiing elsewhere. Why would we think about other resorts? But let’s not pretend that we don’t have a wandering eye from time to time. Be honest, you’ve said the word, maybe over beers at the Corner Store after a day on Park City side, leaning in, whispering across the table: “Whistler.” Just saying it feels like you’re cheating, right?
Nevertheless, you find yourself dreaming of Canadian ridgelines, poutine and ice-cold Molsons. And this is OK. Go ahead and leave that Snowbird season pass dangling on the key peg, grab your Epic pass and slip away to Vancouver for a rendezvous with the mighty mountains of British Columbia. After landing in Vancouver, it’s only a two-hour drive on the Sea-to-Sky Highway (see below) into the Fitzsimmons Range, where you’ll quickly be sitting in front of a roaring fire in your pied-à-terre in one of Whistler’s two base villages, a trail map spread out before you.
Whistler is really Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort, and all the space between its two massive, namesake peaks. All told, it’s the largest ski area in North America (sorry, Park City). From the lowest base area at the resort, Creekside Village, the ascent to the top is dramatic: A gondola and lift take you from 2,140 feet above sea level to Whistler Mountain’s 7,156-foot summit. (Blackcomb Peak’s summit is even higher, nearly 8,000 feet, but isn’t served by a lift.)
From Whistler Mountain’s summit, you’ll have the entirety of the Fitzsimmons Range laid out at your feet. Most of what you’re looking at is Garibaldi Provincial Park, a wilderness area unsullied by the development and luxury cabins that increasingly junk up alpine scenery in the United States. Where you go from here is up to you, but, with 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls and three glaciers to explore, there’s no shortage of options.
Don’t worry, Utah never needs to know.
GETTING THERE: Ride the Sea-To-Sky Highway
Whistler Blackcomb is about a two-hour drive north from Vancouver. While renting a car is an option, take a shuttle: You’ll want to sightsee along the well-named Sea-to-Sky Highway. Whistler Connection offers airport transfers to stops in both Creekside and Whistler villages, meet-and-greet services, and more. Make like James Bond and book a helicopter. This will have you in Whistler in a mere 30 minutes (with some detours for the scenery) but, ouch, it’s about $4,500 (one-way). However you get to Whistler, it’s easy to get around here. Go old school and utilize the area’s reliable cab services. Bonus: The local drivers are a colorful lot who speak the Queen’s English with a thick Canadian brogue. Nice one, eh?
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is part of Whistler’s Cultural Connector trail. Photo courtesy of Tourism Whistler, Mike Crane.
GET YOUR ART AND ARCHITECTURE ON
Apart from the quad-burning ski days that are the center of this visit, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss the Audain Art Museum. Home of a fascinating collection of First Nation artworks, as well as contemporary works by Canadian artists, the 56,000-square-foot building designed by architect John Patkau is itself a work of art. The Audain is a must-see along Whistler’s Cultural Connector, a scenic path that links six of the ski village’s major cultural institutions. On your stroll, also stop into the Maury Young Arts Centre, the home of Arts Whistler, a gallery and hub of local artistic and cultural activity. Check the center’s calendar before you visit to find activities for all ages. The Whistler Museum gives a funky, fun rundown of the timeline from Whistler’s start as a tiny fishing village to its Olympic glory days. Also along the Cultural Connector, you’ll find two notable works of public art—Susan Point’s bronze sculpture, A Timeless Circle, and James Stewart’s Jeri, a compelling figure study of a Brazilian Capoeira fighter ready to spring into action.
BRING IT HOME
Amid the usual resort suspects—gear and T-shirt shops—are some one-off gems, literally in the case of Keir Fine Jewellery. The boutique jewelry store specializes in inspired settings for Canadian diamonds and other stones. If you do find yourself with a hankering for gear, pop into the Whistler Blackcomb Outlet Store in the main village; it requires digging through its racks but finding a deal on something Gortex is part of the fun. Plaza Galleries is that ski town gallery that offers an eclectically curated selection of work by international artists that you won’t find in Utah.
PLAY
Most of your time will surely be spent exploring the vast resort you came to Canada to ski, and there is a lot to explore. Break it down into smaller chunks by joining one of the free mountain tours given daily on each of the two peaks. The colorful volunteers who lead the tours are Whistler lifers who will ensure that you see the best each mountain offers. For a break from downhill skiing, book a self-guided snowshoeing or cross-country ski excursion with Cross Country Connection. Or join a guided zip line, snowmobile or snowshoe tour with The Adventure Group. Finally, ditch the gear and the cold completely and book (in advance) an afternoon or evening at Scandinave Spa. This place is no joke—very hot and very cold pools sit in a beautiful garden dotted with cozy chill-out rooms where you can catch your breath.
Scandinave Spa is a wonderful respite from winter temperatures. Photo courtesy of Scandinave Spa.
EAT & DRINK
Let’s talk waffles—gorgeously decorated with blueberries and frothy whipped cream—served next to a steaming cup of coffee. On a gondola ride, “Have you had the waffles?” is the answer to our question, “Where should we eat?” So, make sure at least one of your ski days includes a mid-morning or mid-afternoon break at Crystal Hut on Blackcomb’s Crystal Ridge.
Crystal Hut’s famous buttermilk waffles are a must for an on-mountain ski break. Photo courtesy of whistlerblackcomb.com.
The après scene at Whistler truly is a scene. Garibaldi Lift Company Bar & Grill is the big show with the see-and-be-seen crowd. For a quieter wind down, try Bar Oso, a tapas joint with an interesting and extensive wine list of Spanish varietals. Wherever you après, try a Bloody Caesar, a Canadian variant on the Bloody Mary made with Clamato juice. The bartenders around Whistler attempt to outdo each other with both classic and ridiculously adorned Bloody Caesars. For the former, stop into Dusty’s Bar & BBQ in Creekside Village. For the latter, clomp those ski boots into Merlin’s Bar & Grill and, with a straight face, ask for “The Jester.” Chances are you won’t be able to keep that straight face: The Jester comes garnished with chicken wings, onion rings, cured bacon and beef jerky.
Rimrock Cafe. Photo by Darby Magill.
The premier dining destination in the Whistler area is Rimrock Café. Here the servers are lifer ski bums who are not only hospitality pros but also offer great beta on tomorrow’s ski plans. For something more casual, try Creekbread Pizza, a convivial wood-fired pizza joint near Creekside Village. Craft beer lovers who like hipster menus will love Hunter Gather. Take in the views over lunch at Christine’s on Blackcomb, a beautifully designed nouvelle cuisine restaurant in the Rendezvous Lodge perched high on Blackcomb Peak.
REST UP
Whistler is a sprawling ski area with many options for places to stay, including a wide-ranging selection of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and a solid lineup of full-service hotels. As you consider the options, know that where you stay is a big factor in determining the kind of trip you’ll have. Creekside Village, which links to the Creekside Gondola, is a quiet(ish) residential community, with a smaller selection of restaurants and bars than Whistler Village.
Whistler Village has easy access to both the Blackcomb Excalibur and Whistler Village gondolas and is the heart of the resort’s activity and action. There’s a well-run bus system between and around both areas. In Creekside Village, Nita Lake Lodge is perched on the shore of (frozen) Nita Lake. A scenic boutique hotel, it’s a getaway from your getaway, designed in “mountain modern” chic style (yes, there are stag heads on the wall). Whistler Village’s counterpart to Nita Lake is Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Looming over the village like something out of a Disney fairy tale, it’s basically a castle, with turndown service.
The Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside has rooms with views of the gondola lines. Listel Hotel Whistler is a business-class property with a groovy modern lobby. It’s also home to the Bearfoot Bistro, which has an Ice Room experience, where you can drink ice cold vodka (or whatever) out of, yep, tumblers made of ice. The Blackcomb Lodge has that rough-hewn log vibe and offers reasonably priced rooms right in the center of Whistler Village.
Après ski in the Whistler village at dusk. Photo courtesy Adobe Stock.
Tired of sweating it out in the gym? Time to learn to skate ski. After relocating to Utah from the Upper Midwest flatlands to Utah in my mid-20s, I let my classic-style cross-country skis gather dust for about a decade while I rode chairlifts and searched for face shots. But then one February, during an unusually extended period of high pressure, I got an invite to attend the Bryce Canyon Winter Festival, a weekend of mostly free activities held on the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park. There I took my first skate-skiing lesson and was hooked. While classic cross-country skiing is similar to going for a stroll along a flat sidewalk, skate skiing is as exhilarating as going for a trail run. Skate-skiing’s simultaneous upper-and lower-body workout checks both the cardiovascular- and muscle-building boxes while torching a whopping 600 to 800 calories per hour. And because most of Utah’s state-skiing tracks are in super-scenic wooded or rolling hills locations, the experience is much more mentally rejuvenating than spending an hour indoors in the stuffy gym.
The only downside: learning proper skate skiing techniques takes time and practice. I had, misguidedly, tried to figure it out on my own before my first lesson at Bryce Canyon. But each time I went, I’d shuffle along awkwardly, bathed in sweat, trying to move my arms and legs in the effortless rhythm I’d see other skiers on the track demonstrate seemingly effortlessly while they passed me on the track, greeting me with an always cheerful, “good morning!”
Taking a lesson, especially for beginners, affirmed Don DeBlieux, a PSIA Level 3 Nordic instructor with 30-plus years of experience and who teaches at White Pine Touring Nordic Center in Park City, will “save you a lot of frustration and you won’t develop movement patterns that are inefficient and hard to break,” he says. “And I’m not just saying this to get more business. I’d much rather have a blank canvas than someone who tried to figure it out on their own.”
Learning proper skate-skiing techniques takes time and practice. Lessons can help lower the learning curve. Photo by Sports Photos/Adobe stock
Learn the Proper Skate-Skiing Techniques
Start in a basic athletic body position: Feet shoulder width apart, slight bend in your knees, hips are directly over your feet.
Next, lift your left leg and center your body weight over your right leg. Focus on maintaining a straight line from your armpit down to your toes. Now return back to your basic athletic position. Repeat by raising your right leg and balancing on your left, maintaining that straight line.
While there are several factors in mastering a skate-skiing’s V-shaped stance, solid technique boils down to getting comfortable with balancing on one leg. “Make sure you commit completely to one ski before pushing off onto the other ski,” DeBlieux says. “And keep that head up and eyes down the trail, you don’t have to keep an eye on your skis, if they fall off you will know.”
There are boatloads of drills new skate skiers can do to get accustomed to balancing on one ski, but one of the simplest, DeBlieux says, is this: when on a slight downhill, attempt to hold a glide on one ski a bit farther with each stride. “When we coach kids, we do contests to see who can go the farthest on one ski,” he says. “Hopping on one ski is also a good one. Some skiers practice by always standing on one leg when they brush their teeth.”
For what it’s worth, mastering one-leg balance is beneficial to classic skiing techniques, too. “[In classic skiing] the ski is moving down the track and we want to be over it and moving with it,” she says. “The most efficient classic skiers are moving from leg to leg just like we do when we walk and run.”
Where the pros are
Avoid the inevitable frustration of trying to learn how to skate-ski on your own by taking a lesson or clinic from one of the following Nordic schools or learn-to organizations.
This group offers an eight-week skate-skiing series for beginners/never-evers starting January 8. Each lesson in the series is held at a different location around Park City, based on weather and conditions.
ON offers skate and classic ski lessons at North Fork Park in Ogden. Classic and skate-skiing group lessons for beginners are offered on Saturdays; private lessons are available with reservations seven days a week.
Skate and classic group and private lessons, equipment rentals and track passes are taught on 20K of groomed trails adjacent to Solitude Mountain Resort. The Center also hosts a four-session women’s beginner skate-skiing clinic that includes equipment rental and a track pass.
There’s nothing quite like speeding down a snowy hill in a tube, and Utah has many spots that supply the tubes, hills and the lifts to do it. So, bundle up and head for the hills.
Helmets are not usually required, but it could be a good idea to protect developing brains. Prices and information listed here are subject to change. Go to park websites for up-to-date information.
Gateway Parks 2300 E. Powerhouse Rd., Spanish Fork 1110 E. Eaglewood Dr., North Salt Lake
These locations, in Spanish Fork and North Salt Lake, are accessible without driving an hour through a canyon. Both feature three tubing lanes and a terrain park. A conveyer takes tubers back up the hill. $30 on weekdays, $35 on Saturday and Sunday (at both parks), kids 3 and under are free (parents, please exercise judgement)
Plan a day for tubing on your ski trip to Brian Head. The experience is located at the resort’s Giant Steps Base. Booking in advance is recommended, since tube enthusiasts flock to the hill. $25 per person for 1.5 hours, kids 4 and older only
Enjoy skiing or snowboarding, a burger at The Peak Grill and, of course, tubing with the family. A conveyer will bring you back up after sailing down the hill. $59 for a family of four, $36 for 2 people, $20 for one person, $15 for ages 3–11. No children under 3.
Eastern Utah gets in on the fun. This hill is shared by skiers, snowboarders and tubers, so bring the whole crew. A tow rope pulls you up the hill. Campgrounds are available to make a weekend of it. $10 per person, $25 for a family of four including an adult ($5 per additional person)
Do all the skiing you planned to do at Nordic Valley, and then take the kids tubing. Wasatch Parc boasts bobsled-like banked turns, two lanes and a tow rope to get back up. $33 for two hours, $60 for four hours. Must be 42-inches or taller.
Soldier Hollow’s Toyota Tubing Hill offers 1,200-foot lanes, the longest in the state. A conveyer brings you back up the hill. Top off your day trip to Midway by seeing the Ice Castles. Prices change depending on date and time. No children under 3.
We asked some local professional and amateur photographers, “What inspires them during the darkest, coldest part of the year?” And, “When you think of winter in Utah, what does that look like to you?” We asked for photographs of memorable adventures, travel, family, food, fashion, community or, even, abstract representations of Utah winter photography.
What we received was an eclectic array of these artists’ views from behind the lens.
“I’m an architectural and nature photographer living in Ivins, Utah. Winter in the corner of the Mojave Desert, for me, means enjoying areas that are too hot to visit most of the year. It rarely snows, so that is of course a worthwhile event. More often it rains, and when it does it’s a real thrill to visit places usually bone dry, to smell the plants, to see waterfalls and water pockets.
Winter is also a chance for me to venture farther out, into the more inhospitable parts of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts to pursue personal projects of photographing remote dunes, or abstract architecture.” —Adam Elliot
“Starry skies, sagebrush and endless red rock trails pulled me to the West 15 years ago. After earning accolades in journalism, I picked up a camera to enrich my storytelling, blending image and word to craft evocative narratives. The transition felt inevitable.
This photo was created for a Ski Utah campaign to highlight off-mountain family activities. This image taken at the Midway Ice Castles, which Salt Lake magazine chose, is interesting. It showcases a feeling of awe. It is what drew me to Utah. It is imbued with the season if we step out of our cozy homespaces and into the winter. The hope is that it inspires folks to get out into the snow globe and enjoy the season.” —Austen Diamond
Adam Finkle has been a working professional photographer for over 30 years. A recurring subject in his work is the Great Salt Lake and its surrounding area in Utah. The western dessert, The Great Basin and its terminal bodies of water are a unique landscape giving rise to interesting interplays between earth, water and sky that keep bringing him back.
“Shadows & Salt” was created in March 2020 at Antelope Island on a very windy day that kept the bugs away but almost blew the tripod over.
“On stormy days I often leave the house with a camera bag in tow because I love how a storm can transform the landscape into something much more magical and mysterious. This image of a Barbados Black Belly Ram was captured in Heber in December 2022.
I had driven by this pasture quite a bit and always noticed this tough fella proudly holding court with his harem of sheep. I was always captivated by his stoic pride, beautiful coat, crazy eyes and impressive horns. This image almost feels more like a painting. The out-of-focus flakes between my lens and the ram add to that feeling, almost like spattered paint. The snow piling up on his coat and horns gives him a stalwart presence. To me he is a symbol of strength, patience, perseverance and maybe a little stubbornness, too.”—Kevin Taylor
“Photography has allowed me to reflect on both somber and joyful moments in my life: old photos of loved ones who have passed and new ones filled with cherished memories of family and friends. This passion for capturing moments fuels my work.
This image was captured during my first visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, using my ‘new-to-me’ 1970s Yashica Mat-124G medium format film camera with Kodak Gold film. The reds, greens and whites came alive on that sunny November day in 2023, just after Thanksgiving with my parents, my boyfriend and our two dogs. The moment embodies the spirit of discovery and gratitude, preserved forever on film.”—Rylee Marron
Spruces. Photo by Chelsea Rushton.
Spruces by Chelsea Rushton
“There is a quiet magic to Utah winter—one that calls to me in ways I can’t fully explain but feel deeply in my bones. Winters are an open invitation to play, to make lasting memories with good friends, and find a sense of freedom that only snowy winter brings.
This photo captures that feeling: When our mountains are covered in fresh snow waiting to be explored. Our Wasatch winter landscape, with its vast, snow-covered peaks and tranquil valleys, is an inspiration and a refuge—a place where I find wonder, and a reminder there is warmth in the beauty and people that surround us.”—Chelsea Rushton
“Though I dread being chilly all winter and feel like my feet are cold from October to April, I love the quiet of winter—the fresh beauty of this place covered in white, the incomparable stillness of falling snow. For me, winter is very much about contrasts—the warmth and comfort inside a moving car versus the biting cold outside, the darkness of winter mornings versus the intense shine off the snow on a sunny day, the landscape transformed from summer’s vibrant colors to winter’s subdued tones. The contrast happens internally, too. It’s a natural time for reflection and reset, possibility and planning. This theme resonates with me, as I try to convey a sense of hope and renewal through my work. What a gift to live in a place with variety in the seasons. And plus, I look real good in sweaters.”—Justin Hackworth
Soul Nebula by Lane Hammons
Soul Nebula. Photo by Lane Hammons.
“Astrophotography lets me capture the grandeur of the cosmos, connecting the infinite universe to our earthly existence. Using a dedicated astronomy camera with a 250mm telescope on an automated equatorial mount, I take hundreds of photos over multiple nights, stacking them to create a single image. Exposure times range from 30 seconds to five minutes. After stacking, I use various software to unveil the hidden beauty of our Utah skies. Each photo reveals intricate details and breathtaking expanses of the universe, inspiring awe and curiosity.”—Lane Hammons
A new addition to Willard Bay State Park will elevate any winter visit to Northern Utah. While the reservoir itself already attracts visitors to the area, even when the weather turns nippy and the sky to icy gray, there is now a place for a warm and relaxing reprieve—a sauna—that makes the perfect ending to the perfect winter day.
Wildlife on the Water
Willard Bay is a freshwater reservoir quartered off from the Great Salt Lake. Boating and fishing are popular year-round, but nature and wildlife viewing in Willard Bay peaks in the cold months.
Anglers braving the chilly waters of the reservoir have been known to catch channel catfish and yellow perch. They can also take a non-motorized boat out onto Willow Peak Pond, which is stocked with bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass. Boat rentals are available at nearby Club Rec. They also offer ATV rentals to sight-see around the park.
February is the best time to spot Bald Eagles in the wild at Willard Bay. In winter, bald eagles descend from frigid Alaska to Utah and often nest in Willard Bay State Park. By February, hundreds of eagles are typically in the state, and they stay until March.
To spot nesting eagles at Willard Bay, top viewing spots include the mile-long hike on the Linda C. Higley Nature Trail and the hike near Pelican Beach. Be sureto bring binoculars and a camera.
The Sauna
The Sauna at Willard Bay State Park overlooks the Wasatch Range. Photo courtesy State Park Saunas.
The new softwood structure stands close to the shores of Willard Bay, facing the water and sweeping views of the Wasatch Range. The Willard Bay Saunais modeled after the ancient Finnish tradition.
In that tradition, there is a bit of a ritual to the sauna: Shower in advance (there is an outdoor shower on site if needed); strip down and enter the sauna, typically heated between 150–175° Fahrenheit; breathe deep and stay as long as you are comfortable; when you need a break, cool down with a dip in the snow or water…then repeat.
After booking a session in the sauna online, visitors can access the sauna via a keyless entry system. On a practical note, be sure to drink plenty of water and bring a towel.
After-Sauna Tradition
Keeping with tradition, after the sauna it is customary to lounge and enjoy a sausage, along with beer. The Willard Bay Sauna has both a dressing room and lounge on-site. Afterward, continue the custom at Maddox Ranch Housein nearby Perry. Sit in the classic log cabin’s dining room and order up a classic burger, famous fried chicken or steak and potatoes with all the “fixins.” Don’t forget to try the house-brewed birch root beer—a fine, American-style alternative, we feel, to the Finnish sauna tradition of beating oneself with a birch tree frond (called a Viht), but why not both?
Willard Bay Family Events
Big events at Willard Bay State Park include the family-favorite annual holiday light display, Fantasy at the Bay Light Show, as well as the New Year’s Day Hike on the Linda C. Higley Nature Trail and the upcoming annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year will be the first that the annual egg hunt is held at the relatively new Willard Peak Pond area. Willard Bay State Park Manager Benjamin Meraz says, “It’s a big-time event. Last year, we hid over 10,000 eggs,” and hundreds of children hunted for them. For more information, visit willardbay.utah.gov.
Though I’ve never had the pleasure of going on a hut-to-hut ski vacation, I am wistful about doing so all the same. I imagine days filled with skiing run after run of pristine powder snow followed by nights in a snug yurt, sitting next to a glowing wood stove while sipping a hot buttered rum and recounting the day’s adventures with my ski buddies. Hut systems are prolific in Europe, where they are known as “refugees,” and in Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Washington State. A few backcountry huts exist here in Utah, but most are not meant to be used for a consecutive multiday hut trip. However, thanks to Shaun Raskin Deutschlander, founder and lead guide for the Park City-based, Inspired Summit Adventures, the same dreamy guided backcountry skiing experience you can get in Europe or other Western states is now available in Utah.
In December 2024 Deutschlander announced the opening of guided tours between the first two yurts of a planned five-yurt network, dubbed the Western Uinta Hut System, offering unprecedented recreational access to 100,000 acres of rugged backcountry terrain in the Uinta Mountains. When all five huts of the system are in place, connecting routes will span 96.17 miles of developed trails, ideal for travel by backcountry skiers, snowmobilers, hikers, mountain bikers and UTV enthusiasts. For the 2024-25 winter season, Inspired Summit is offering guided, multiday backcountry skiing trips using the hut system’s two existing yurts—trips that, as of mid-December, were already booked out into March 2025 (despite the less-than-stellar start of the winter season). In early December 2024, I got to go with Deutschlander to preview Inspired Summit’s cozy Smith and Morehouse yurt. Here’s what I learned.
“When I started Inspired Summit over a decade ago, I only dreamed that one day I would be in a position to work with the Forest Service and the outdoor community in such a profound way,” Deutschlander says. “Most people who visit the Uintas don’t go beyond the overcrowded roadside destinations like Trial Lake and Lilly Lake. This [hut system] is an opportunity for outdoors lovers to get away from the crowds, and for me, to create a legacy focused on my values of sustainability and leave no trace.”
Deutschlander set the first phase of that dream into motion when she purchased the Castle Peak Yurt from Park City’s White Pine Touring in 2021. “It had been well-loved over its many years and so we replaced it with a new yurt and also added a guide hut and wood-burning sauna,” she says. In Fall 2024, the system’s second hut, the Smith and Morehouse yurt, was constructed near the banks of the Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, 11 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation away from the Castle Peak yurt.
Inspired Summit’s winter 2024-25 hut-to-hut trips begin at the Castle Peak Yurt where skiers get to spend their first couple of days venturing out on guided, high-elevation tours and taking advantage of the sauna. The second half of the experience follows the long descent to the Smith and Morehouse yurt (gear is moved via porter service) and another day (or more) of exploring that corner of the Uintas. Each yurt sleeps between six and 10 adults, which made me wonder if separate groups are booked in the yurts at the same time. “Nope,” said Cindi Grant, Inspired Summit’s director of operations.” Every trip we book is private and customized to each group.”
On the day I got to tour the Smith and Morehouse yurt with Deutschlander, we met in Weber Canyon just outside of Oakley. The road to the Smith and Morehouse reservoir is not maintained in the winter, and so she had brought along snowmobiles for us to ride into the yurt. As we rounded a corner and approached the north end of the reservoir, Deutschlander stopped so we could take in the magical view. A series of rounded mountain peaks, typical of the Uintas, stood like quiet sentinels over the frozen lake where a group of skaters played hockey on the icy surface. “The Uintas are one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America, and were sculpted by glaciers that carved out all the lakes people are aware of,” Deutschlander explained, “and created really fun and nuanced skiing terrain.”
We hopped back on the snowmobiles and continued along the lake to the yurt. Fun fact: yurts originated thousands of years ago in the Central Asian Steppes where nomadic cultures, like the Mongols and Turks, used them as portable homes. Original yurts were covered with animal skins; a durable canvas/plastic hybrid covers most modern yurts, that functions in the same way as the traditional ones: to keep heat in and wind and snow out. The Smith and Morehouse yurt sits atop a large deck that extends well beyond the shelter’s footprint, offering an ideal outdoor space for catching some rays on a sunny day. A breezeway is also attached to the yurt, a smart addition, I thought, to both avoid snow blowing in the door and give visitors a protected place to stash their skis or bikes outside the yurt. An ADA-compliant ramp, wide door opening and adjustable tables provide wheelchair access in the summer when it’s possible to drive to the yurt.
A table set with soup bowls, stainless steel wine glasses and a huge charcuterie board greeted us as we entered the yurt. Grant gave us a warm “hello” from the kitchen area where she was kneading dough for pizzas to bake inside a pizza oven affixed on top of the wood-burning stove. Inspired Summit’s yurt catering menus include items like burritos, French toast or oatmeal for breakfast; a sandwich bar and snacks for in-the-field lunches; and pizzas and soup, Mexican night, curry or pasta for dinners. Every menu is adjustable with respect to food allergies or dietary choices, too. “Shaun went to culinary school, and so food is a big deal for us,” Grant says. “Much of the food we serve is organic and sourced from high-end grocers like Whole Foods.”
And, of course, what would a ski trip be without après? In addition to the fabulous charcuterie spread we enjoyed during my visit, the post-tour snack menu Inspired Summit offers guests includes a chips and salsa bar, Mediterranean-style nuts and olives and two beers per person.
“The two beers are included, but we have a big a la carte menu with wine and cocktails, too, and people are welcome to bring their own alcohol that we can transport up to either of the yurts,” Grant says.
Deutschlander’s goal is to complete the remaining three Western Uinta Hut System yurts by 2027. Locations she’s eyeing for the additional yurts include just outside of Samak near the Slate Creek mountain biking trail system, and at Big Elk Lake and Ramona Lake. When completed, each yurt in the system will be situated within six to eight miles along established trails from the next one, providing a way for everyone from seasoned outdoor recreationists to families with small children to have a truly adventurous and nature-immersive experience.
“My goal is to get the yurts as close to trails as possible but still far enough away so as not to interfere with other people’s exploration of these incredible mountains,” Deutschlander says.
Most New Year’s Eve events have their big moment hours after bedtime. It hardly seems fair. Luckily, Utah has plenty of “Noon Year’s Eve” and early celebrations so you can include the kids.
If none of our picks do it for you, check to see what your local library has planned.
Noon Year’s Eve at the Leo
Spend the morning exploring The Leonardo, Utah’s science and technology museum. Start with a science experiment, and then make a noisemaker, crown and wild pair of glasses to ring in the new year. The event starts at 11 a.m., confetti drops at 12 p.m. sharp. The museum hosts its New Year’s Eve Gala for 21+ later that evening.
Included with general admission ($16 adults, $10 ages 3–15) Free for members and children under 3
The Leonardo 209 E 500 South, Salt Lake City theleonardo.org
Big Boom Bash at Millcreek Common
The bash at Millcreek’s community gathering spot offers two ways to party. Bring the family at 6 p.m. for a DJ and dance party, arcade, food and fun before an 8 p.m. countdown and fireworks, or go at 9 p.m. for many of the same activities, adult beverages and fireworks at midnight. All ages are welcome at both events.
6–8 p.m., $5 per person 9 p.m.–12:30 a.m., $25 per person
Leading up to a 9 p.m. countdown with fireworks, the kids can bounce on inflatables, and the whole family can enjoy laser tag, a hypnotist, acrobats and a silent disco (music comes through headphones). The party starts at 7 p.m. Another countdown will be held at midnight.
Solitude’s New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks
It’s a tradition you and the family must see at least once. Starting at 3 p.m., Solitude will host an alphorn concert, the Soli Parks Steel Showdown, a magic show and a lasagna dinner before staff ski down the mountain carrying torches and fireworks blast from 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Note: Other resorts host torchlight parades on New Year’s Eve and throughout the ski season. Check with your favorite resort to see when they may be hosting an event.
Luminaria Premium at Thanksgiving Point
Walk a mile through Thanksgiving Point’s Ashton Gardens for Luminaria, stunning holiday lights set to music. It’s a sight to see throughout the holidays, but the lights get brighter on New Year’s Eve with fireworks shows at 6 and 8 p.m. You need to schedule your ticket time, so plan accordingly.
Prices vary based on age, children 3 and under are free
