Temple Square City/Region: Salt Lake City The four-hectare (10-acre) Temple Square complex includes the Mormon Temple, the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall. It is at the heart of Salt Lake City, in location and spiritual importance, and the symbolic epicenter of the Mormon religion or Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. Temple Square is the city's biggest attraction, particularly the majestic six-spired Temple, topped by a golden statue of the Angel Moroni, which forms a striking silhouette on the city's skyline.
The Temple was completed in 1893 after 40 years of heavy labor and the expenditure of millions of dollars. It is a holy place closed to the non-Mormon public. Confirmed believers may enter the Temple, but only for the most sacred of religious ceremonies, and non-Mormons can learn about temple activities at the visitor centers. The oval shape of the Tabernacle, topped by an impressive domed roof, is home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir whose weekly rehearsals and organ recitals are open to all free of charge, and illustrate the outstanding acoustic properties of the Tabernacle building. The Gothic-style Assembly Hall, constructed from granite left over from the Temple, is the venue for concerts and lectures. The two visitor centers, North and South, contain religious murals and paintings, exhibits and presentations about the Mormon faith, a film depicting the arrival of the first Mormon pioneers in Salt Lake City, and photographs of the Temple interior. Address: 15 East South Temple Phone Number: (801) 240 4872 or 240 2640 Website: www.go-utah.com/Temple-Square Transport: Bus numbers 3, 4, 5, 23 or 50 Hours: The North and South visitor centers are open daily from 9am to 9pm. Choir rehearsals in the Tabernacle are on Thursdays from 8pm, and choir broadcasts are on Sundays from 9.30am. Organ recitals take place from Monday to Saturday at 12pm, and Sunday at 2pm. The Temple is closed to non-Mormons Admission: Free
Utah State Capitol City/Region: Salt Lake City Modelled after the national Capitol building in Washington DC, the Utah State Capitol sits on a hill above the city, a prominent sight surrounded by acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. Memory Grove, to the east of the building, contains statues honoring Utah veterans, and the grounds are a favorite destination for joggers and walkers. The impressive granite structure of the Capitol building is crowned by a copper dome and fronted by columns, representing one of the greatest examples of the Renaissance Revival style in the nation. A colossal chandelier illuminates the interior walls that are covered with murals illustrating Utah's history. Several busts proclaim the state's prominent figures, including Brigham Young, leader of the Mormon pioneers who founded Salt Lake City. Marble staircases lead to the third floor where the Senate, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court of Utah are based. The state legislature meets in January and February and visitors are welcome to sit in the galleries overlooking their chamber. Visitors can choose to wander through the building alone or join a guided tour. Address: Capitol Hill, North State Street Phone Number: (801) 537 9156 Website: www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov Transport: Bus 23 from the city center Hours: Daily 6am to 8pm (June to August), 6am to 6pm (September to May). Guided tours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm Admission: Free
Pioneer Memorial Museum City/Region: Salt Lake City Devoted to objects connected with historical events, the Pioneer Memorial Museum is crammed with photographs, furniture, textiles, toys and a doll collection from the daily lives of the pioneers that have been painstakingly collected by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. All four storys are full of relics of Utah's history, including personal effects of Mormon leader Brigham Young. A short film is shown every half hour. Address: 300 North Main Street Phone Number: (801) 532 6479 Website: www.dupinternational.org Transport: Bus 23 from the city center Hours: Open Monday to Saturday 9am and 5pm year round; also open on Sunday 1pm to 5pm (June to August) Admission: Free, but donations are welcome
Great Salt Lake City/Region: Salt Lake City The huge shallow lake is the second saltiest body of water in the world after the Dead Sea and is several times saltier than the ocean and rich in minerals. Floating weightlessly in the water of the Salt Lake is one of the main attractions, and although this natural wonder is worth seeing, the facilities are somewhat limited. The Great Salt Lake State Marina has a beach at one end and boat launching ramps, but there are no boat rentals available. Great Salt Lake has been declared a World Heritage Bird Sanctuary due to the numbers of migrating birds that are attracted to the brine flies and brine shrimp that survive in the saline waters. Antelope Island is the largest of the lake's ten islands and can be reached either by boat or by a causeway, offering excellent picnicking, hiking and camping opportunities. The island also boasts a herd of about 600 American Bison, introduced in 1893, and other interesting animals such as coyotes, bobcats, deer and a small herd of elk. Early mornings along the shore of this vast expanse of water can be extremely beautiful. Phone Number: (801) 521 2822 (Salt Lake Visitor Information Center) or (888) 777 9771 (Davis Area Convention and Visitors Bureau) Hours: The marina is open year round and the beach is open daily from 8am to sunset Admission: Free admission to beaches; Antelope Island Park entrance fee $9 per vehicle or $6 for walk-ins or cyclists. Entrance fee to the Marina is $2
Dinosaur National Monument City/Region: Salt Lake City The Dinosaur National Monument straddles the border between Utah and Colorado. The reserve was created to preserve the layers of rock in which Jurassic Era dinosaur skeletons and bones were found embedded at a site in the Utah section of the Monument area. In 1909 an exposed sediment riverbed was discovered to contain layers of prehistoric plant and animal fossils. A quarry went into operation on the site, where full dinosaur skeletons as well as fossilised remains of sea creatures up to three times older than dinosaurs were excavated. A visitor center has been built over the quarry to protect the fossils, and forming one of the walls is the exposed rock layer containing over 2,000 dinosaur bones that has been enclosed as a permanent exhibit. (This is currently closed, but visitors can see fossils by hiking half a mile (1km) from the temporary visitor's center). Although the quarry is often the main reason for visiting the Dinosaur National Monument, the area also contains acres of some of the most beautifully rugged mountain scenery in the north, with colorful sandstone cliffs, deep river canyons and forests, along with a number of scenic hiking trails, unique wildlife and thrilling whitewater rafting on two of the Colorado River's fast-flowing tributaries. Phone Number: (970) 374 3000 Website: www.nps.gov/dino Transport: There is no public transport to the park Hours: Temporary visitor center open daily 8.30am to 5.30pm (summer) and until 4.30pm in winter. The park is open from sunrise to sunset Admission: $10 for a car, or $5 for an individual hiker or biker, valid for seven days. Fees are only collected at the Dinosaur Quarry area on the Utah side of the park from April to September
Bryce Canyon National Park City/Region: Southern National Parks The smallest of Utah's national parks, Bryce Canyon is really a series of amphitheaters carved from the surrounding cliffs by erosion. From the plateau at 8,000ft (2,438m) above sea level, layers of multicolored rock have been worn away exposing the Pink Cliffs and leaving fairytale sandstone formations in striking colors of red, white, yellow and rich orange. Its best-known features are the groups of top-heavy pinnacles of rock that have been left standing after millions of years of erosion, known as 'hoodoos'. A Paiute legend explains the silent columns of sandstone in terms of a legendary tribe who lived there in antiquity and were turned to stone by the powerful Coyote for their evil ways. Today views from the rim take in landscapes such as the 'Silent City' and 'Rainbow Point' where thousands of fiery-colored hoodoos stand watch over arches, mazes and oddly shaped spires. Bryce Canyon is also one of the most accessible parks with many trails leading down among the sandstone pinnacles, as well as an easy Rim Trail with many viewpoints. Phone Number: (435) 834 5322 Website: www.nps.gov/brca Transport: A free shuttle bus transports visitors from the car park to the visitor center and travels to all of the park's viewpoints from 9am to 7pm daily (26 May to 4 September) Hours: The visitor center is open daily 8am to 8pm (May to September); hours are shorter during the rest of the year. The park is open 24 hours a day, year round, with temporary road closures during and after snow storms Admission: An entrance fee of $25 (vehicles) or $12 (iwalk-ins, cyclists or bikers) is valid for seven days and includes free unlimited use of park shuttles in summer
Zion National Park City/Region: Southern National Parks In 1863 a Mormon settler named Isaac Behunin built his cabin in the canyon and called his abode Zion, feeling that he had at last reached the Promised Land. Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a sacred place of refuge. Today his sanctuary is recognized as a national park, protecting a spectacular landscape of carved canyons and towering rock walls, with cliff-hanging fern gardens and a great variety of animals, including the tiny Zion Snail. Sculpted by the Virgin River, Zion Canyon is the park's verdant centerpiece, a dramatic gorge between towering cliffs with the sounds of running water echoing off the walls. It can become very clogged in summer, but it is fairly easy to escape the crowds on many of the trails off the main route. The park encourages discovery, and visitors keen to explore will find a natural wealth of forests, waterfalls, huge stone sculptures and monuments, as well as numerous hiking trails, the most famous of which is through The Narrows where a hiker will wade, swim and hike between soaring pastel-colored rock walls barely 20ft (6m) across in places. One of the highlights is traveling the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive with viewpoints of many of the park's most famous rock formations, particularly the 'Great White Throne', a massive block of sandstone considered to be the symbol of Zion National Park. The charming hamlet of Springdale at the southern entrance is the gateway to the park. Phone Number: (435) 772 3256 Website: www.nps.gov/zion Transport: There is no public transport to the park. During summer months (April to October) no private vehicles may travel the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and access is by shuttle bus only. All other parts of the park are open to private vehicles. Parking is available at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, but to avoid congestion it is recommended that visitors leave their cars in Springdale and take the shuttle into the park. Buses are free and run from 5.30am to 11pm Hours: Park open daily, year round. Kolob Canyon Visitors Center daily 8am to 5pm; Zion Canyon Visitors Center daily 8am to 7pm. Zion Human History Museum daily 9am to 7pm. Hours are shorter in winter. All are closed Christmas Day Admission: $25 (vehicles), $12 (individuals). Entrance fees are valid for seven days
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