Summertime in Utah!

Summer in Utah is one of my favorite times and places! There are so many outside things to do and see! It does get hot and dry, but I grew up with it so it didn't bother me too much! We explored a lot during the summer months with all the things to do. We don't live in Utah anymore, but it's fun reminiscing about our favorite summer activities! We will have to make a summer trip back to Utah to enjoy all of these things! 

We loved driving to PARK CITY during the summertime in Utah! The canyon is beautiful to take a drive through. We love the outlets in Park City. They have the best Nike outlet store there. We usually go shopping and then stop for a smoothie or acai bowl at Java Cow Coffee and Ice Cream. They have really good smoothie bowls and ice cream to pick from! Main street is always a fun place to stop by as well. The little buildings are all so cute and is great to walk through. 

If you could only pick one thing to do in the summer I would suggest going to SUNDANCE! We drove up to Sundance one year in September for my birthday and loved it! It is way more fun when it's warmer outside though because it does get a little chilly. We rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain to take in the views of the valleys. They have a restaurant at the top too that has delicious nachos! They have picnic tables and little lounge chairs to take in the view too! At Sundance, they have little walkways, hikes, art shops and a few restaurants as well. 

You have to have ICE CREAM on a hot summer day! Lucky for you, Utah has some yummy ice cream spots! Our favorite go-to's are Handel's, Ab's Drive In, Aggie's Ice Cream, Leatherby's, Spilled Milk, and Artic Circle. I love both soft serve and hard scooped ice cream. You can't go wrong with any of these options! If you want to know my top five ice cream spots in Utah check out my blog here: 5 Top Ice Cream Shops in Utah!

My husband's and I's all time favorite thing to do during the summer is HIKING! We went almost every weekend when we lived in Utah! There are so many great hiking spots close where ever you are in Utah! Ensign Peak is the easiest on our list, but also the best views and we made so many memories there! The "Living Room Trail" is one my favorites too! They have made rock chairs at the top to sit and enjoy the views! Another favorite is the Suspension Bridge in Draper. You hike in a big loop that includes the suspension bridge. It is beautiful no matter where you hike in Utah! 

There are so many LAKES in Utah! You can go paddle boarding, kayaking, boating, and even play on the "beach" at some of the lakes. We went ski-doing at Bear Lake in Logan. That really was so beautiful there and so fun. Sand Hollow lake in St. George is another really cool little beach and lake area. Daybreak Lake is a fun spot to walk or kayak on out on the lake at too! There are tons of lakes in the mountains to go walk around and play in. 

If you like amusement parks then LAGOON is a good summer activity in Utah! I grew up going to Lagoon once in awhile. I don't love rides, but the atmosphere there is so fun! They have lots of yummy treats and some simpler rides that I don't mind riding! The swings are over a little lake so that one is super fun and Jet Star is my favorite! The sky ride gets you across the park super easily and gives you a great view of the park. Pioneer Village is an old time village of buildings from the 1800's. 

Our favorite go-to summer food is ACAI BOWLS and SMOOTHIES! Utah some super yummy spots for both of those items! My favorite Acai bowl spot is Everbowl. You can make your own bowl there and the flavors are so good! Roxberry has my favorite smoothies to pick from! They have Tropical Smoothie, Java Cow, Ivie Juice Bar and Protein Foundry which we have tried all of them! Each shop has something different and unique to their company. Any one of these are yummy and worth going to! My favorite Smoothies and Acai bowls in Utah can be found on my blog: Smoothies in Utah!

There is nothing better then a LEMONADE on a hot summer day! The all time best lemonade is at The Cheesecake Factory. If you dine in they put sugar on the rim of your cup and you can pick your flavor of lemonade. I love the raspberry lemonade and my husband loves the strawberry lemonades from there. Trader Joe's has awesome lemonades and so does WinCo the grocery store. Utah has a lot of fun summer drink spots that you can check out here: Favorite Summer Drinks in Utah!

We lived right by the Daybreak lake for a couple of years and fell in love with the WALKING PATHS in the area! A big part of our summers are spent going to parks or areas that have walking paths! Murray Park is a great park with tons of walking paths and spots to sit and soak up the sun. We liked walking the Legacy Parkway trail too! 

My family were obsessed with the SHAVED ICE shack by our house! Holkulia Shaved Ice is a big deal in Utah! They have little shaved ice trucks all over Utah. We probably went once a week for the first summer that they opened! They have tons of flavors to pick from and lots of add ins like ice cream, sour spray or sweet and condensed milk. It is a fun spot to stop for a cold treat! 

My husband is a BBQ fan and Utah has some good spots for it! They definitely don't compare to the south kind of BBQ, but for Utah it's pretty good! Summer is all about the BBQ. Bam Bam's and Five Star are our Utah BBQ spots! Bam Bam's brisket is so yummy and I love the sides at Five Star best! R&R BBQ was our most frequented spot for our favorite meats and sides though! You can't go wrong with any of those ones! 

Another great spot to road trip to in Utah is ST. GEORGE! It is about three and a half hours from Salt Lake and just beautiful! It does get very hot in the summer, but it is still my favorite summer trip. We go for the hiking, treats and the views. Snow Canyon is our favorite place to hike! We love the cookies at Sloth Cookies, breakfast at First-Watch and ice cream at Handel's. Our Favorite Things to do in St. GeorgeOur Favorite Things to do in St. George

FOUR-WHEELING is the thing to do in the desert lands in Utah! There are so many great spots to go riding! I grew up with going a few times, but now my family goes quite often! My husband and I rented a Side by Side in St. George and loved it! The scenery is so beautiful and even cooler when you get to ride through it.  

My husband and I love to go to the OUTLET MALLS in Utah especially during the summer months! There is nothing better then walking around in the beautiful summer sun, but also having air conditioning close by! We love the Farmington outlets, Traverse Mountain and the Outlets Park City. The deals are the best at the start of summer for the winter items and at the end of summer for the summer items!

I feel like you can't have a summer without getting some good ol' SANDWICHES! If you like to go out for a picnic, lunches at the park or just want a good cold meal sandwiches are the go-to! They are my favorite food so it is a must! Grove Market has the best sandwiches you will ever have. They come on a french loaf bread and have tons of toppings and just are iconic for Utah! We love Moochies for their cheesesteaks, but they are warm so any time of the year works for those! We like Jersey Mikes, Jimmy John's and Capriotti's for sandwiches too!  

MOAB is one of my favorite road trips we did in Utah! It is about three hours from Salt Lake City and is really cool drive. We went and hiked, hiked, and more hiking and we ate a little bit of the food in town! The Delicate Arch is a must see if you go! We loved Canyonlands for the Mesa Arch trail and sunrise. Dead Horse Point was beautiful and is another must see stopping points in Moab! We ate at the local diners and had ice cream, smoothies, and donuts all in one trip! It is a great place to go during the summer and really anytime of the year! 3 Day Trip in Moab, Utah. 3 Day Trip in Moab, Utah and Hikes in Moab, Utah 

If you can find a HAMMOCK in Utah, you have found the jackpot! My absolute favorite memories have been sitting in a hammock in the summer air. There is a spot in Daybreak that has a section of hammocks that we had found, but you do have to be with someone that lives on the island or you can't use them! In Moab there was a big hammock at the little cabins we stayed at and we just hung out forever on that thing! There are tons of trees in the mountain so it's a great set up for a hammock too! If you don't have a hammock but have a trampoline that is just as good to lay out on during the summer days and nights too! We use to sleep out on the tramp every summer! I love those memories! 

My husband and I went HORSE BACK RIDING one summer and had so much fun! We drove to Midway which was beautiful in and of itself. We were the only ones on the ride with our guide. We rode through the side of the mountain and had such beautiful views and it was just neat being able to be riding on a horse! It was one of my top things in Utah for sure!  

One of my favorite summer memories is finding the HAUGEN FLAG in Little Willow Canyon! There is a family in Utah that hangs an American Flag on the mountain every July and a Christmas star every December. It is actually really neat to see and not too hard to find! It is in a beautiful area where you can hike or just view it from below.

What are your favorite summertime activities in your state?