The Living Room Trail is one of SLC's most popular hike. At only 2 miles round-trip, this overlook provides one of the best views looking down to the city. There are several routes to reach The Living Room, which is home to several rock "lazy boys" and "couches". If you hike up here on a Friday night or during the day on the weekends, The Living Room can get really crowded. I've been up there when 40-50 people are all trying to see the sun set, or just relax and drink a beer. The Living Room sits behind the Natural History Museum along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST). This is a popular hike to bring along dogs, kids, and the whole family and it can be done in under 2 hours.
Mountain Dell Recreation Area is a cross country (xc) skiing area and sledding area in the Winter, and converts to a golf course in Summer. During Winter, Mountain Dell is maintained by TUNA.
Look no further. I've created this list for those wanting to take the kids out for a hike, but aren't ready for an all day adventure. These 3 hikes range from 15 minutes to 2 hours, and can be safely hiked year round. No matter how long or short your hike, be prepared with at least one bottle of water per person, a small snack, and sun protection. For more tips when hiking with kids, read more of this post. Grab your hikin' boots, and let's hit the trails!
Cross country skiing in the Uintas is one of my favorite winter activities! I've been cross country (XC) skiing since 2008 when I lived in Montana. My favorite place to ski was Lone Mountain Ranch, but when we moved to Utah, no resort compared to that. So, I had to find new places to ski, and of course, I wanted to bring Charlie along. Yes, Utah has some small xc ski resorts like White Pine Touring, but you can't bring dogs to those places. Round Valley is a nice dog-friendly option but gets boring after awhile. The past few years I've been dying to get out and xc ski in the Uintas but didn't have a good car to get there in winter. I was afraid my little Sonata would get stuck, and I didn't want to deal with it.
The Top 10 Hikes in American Fork Canyon (called AF Canyon by locals) are located near Lehi, Utah and home to the Timpanogos Cave National Monument and Alpine Scenic Loop Road. In summer, you can drive over the entire scenic loop road, however in Winter it is closed for a bulk of the road. You can still enter via the East entrance at AF Canyon or via the South entrance in Provo Canyon just past Sundance Resort. AF Canyon is home to several outdoor activities - biking, camping, swimming, backpacking, dirt biking, snowmobiles, and of course my favorite, hiking!
The Pine Hollow Overlook is in American Fork Canyon, and provides an amazing view of the North side of the Timpanogos basin.
Flat Top Mountain (10,620 ft) is the highest peak in the Oquirrh Mountains (pronounced like "oaker") in Utah, which lies to the southwest of Salt Lake City. Most of the Oquirrhs are private property and mining land for the Rio Tinto Kennecott Mine, however the two areas you are allowed to hike are in Butterfield Canyon, and the Flat Top Mountain trail (update: 2019 land access below). Flat Top Mountain has a prominence of 5,370 ft, making it Utah's 6th highest prominent peak.