Best Time to Visit Salt Lake City

From its legendary nearby mountain resorts and the singular natural attraction of the Great Salt Lake to some of the West’s most intriguing history, dining and culture, Salt Lake City, Utah offers year-round appeal.

Given the four-season climate and the sprawling events calendar, one might when exactly is the best time to visit Salt Lake City? Below, we detail the seasons, weather and activities throughout each season to give you the best insight for your trip.

Salt Lake City has an interesting climate. The big picture is set by its latitude, high elevation (4,330 feet), interior location and large-scale movements of air masses, but then you need to take into account more localized effects of surrounding mountains—the Wasatch Range and Oquirrh Mountains—and the presence of the Great Salt Lake, at anywhere from 950 square miles to 2,000-plus square miles the largest body of inland saltwater in the Western Hemisphere.

Geographers might classify Salt Lake City’s climatic situation as a continental semi-arid one with some elements of a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The general pattern is can offer cold and decently snowy winters, springs that are warm and often wet, hot and dry summers and falls that typically begin dry, sunny and pleasant before the southward-moving jet stream starts funneling the frontal precipitation that defines winter back into the region.

The presence of the Great Salt Lake, the high salt content of which keeps it from freezing over in the winter, helps moderate temperatures (and also sets the stage for lake-effect snows, especially in the Wasatch Range above the city). The lake’s influence, along with the fact that the Rocky Mountains often shield the Salt Lake Valley from the frigid Arctic air masses that invade the middle of the country during the cold season, make for winters that aren’t too severe compared to many parts of the American West. Although days that don’t rise above freezing are common in the coldest part of winter, January and February, plunges below 0 degrees Fahrenheit are rare.

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If you ask locals about when to visit Salt Lake City, more than a few will likely say springtime. Temperatures in the valley warm at a steady clip through the season, when the average daily highs climb from the low 50s in March to about 70 degrees in May. The skiing and snowboarding keep going strong up in the Wasatch heights into April and sometimes beyond.

That means you can combine winter-style recreation at the alpine resorts with shirt-sleeves activities, from walking tours and cycling to golf and al fresco dining, on the valley floor.

Spring also brings lovely blooms, not least the Yoshino cherry trees on Capitol Hill (which usually put on their gorgeous flowering show at the beginning of April) and the spectacular plantings of the Red Butte Garden & Arboretum on the University of Utah campus. The Red Butte Garden’s annual KaBLOOM. Bulbs & Blooms festival, which showcases the springtime floral explosion, is only one of the events in SLC you can enjoy this time of year. Others include a very respectable St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival (with spring’s outstanding birdwatching opportunities taking center stage) and the international celebration of the Living Traditions Festival. You can also catch some Minor League baseball action courtesy of the spring kickoff to the Salt Lake Bees season.

Bear in mind that accommodations downtown tend to be more booked up during the April session of the LDS Church’s biannual General Conference.

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The Summer weather in Salt Lake City can get quite hot, despite its high elevation. Average highs climb close to 90 degrees in July and August and sunny high-pressure cells often bring the mercury above 100. However, some lake-effect moderation does occur and—as across much of the interior West—evenings usually cool off nicely.

Monsoon moisture from the American Southwest sometimes infiltrates the region and heightens the chance of summer thunderstorms, more common up in the mountains. Temperatures in the Wasatch canyons are often 20 or more degrees cooler than the valley floor. If you’re hiking into the alpine zone, be mindful of the weather forecast and avoid exposed high country during lightning.

Salt Lake City has a bevy of indoor and air-conditioned attractions ideal for exploring on a hot summer’s day. Its eclectic mix of high-quality museums—including the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Clark Planetarium, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum and the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum, to name a few—are a case in point.

There are also numerous summer events in Salt Lake City, from Utah Pride and the Utah Asian Festival to the Uniting Communities Pow Wow and the state holiday of Pioneer Days (July 24). Fourth of July brings no shortage of fireworks displays.

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Fall is another strong contender for the best time to visit Salt Lake City. The second half of September well into October can bring truly gorgeous weather with lots of sunshine and warm, mild temperatures: which are ideal for hiking, mountain biking and other fresh-air activities in one of the country’s best places for outdoor recreation. Fall colors–courtesy of quaking aspens, bigtooth maples and other native hardwood trees and shrubs—only add to the appeal of getting out and about in the foothills and the high country this time of year.

After school starts especially, this is also usually a time of year with lower crowds and good deals on accommodations.

There are also many festivals on tap during the autumn stretch, including the FanX Salt Lake Pop Culture & Comic Convention, the Utah State Fair, Greek Fest and Oktoberfest up at Snowbird.

Speaking of Snowbird, the first major snowfalls of autumn usually allow area ski resorts to open for the season sometime in November, though late-October kickoffs aren’t unheard of depending on conditions. By November, it’s getting decidedly chillier, with an average high of about 50 degrees and lows in the low to mid-30s.

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Winter is a high season when it comes to tourism in the Salt Lake City area, given the internationally lauded powder of the Wasatch Range, widely touted as the “Greatest Snow on Earth” and falling in prodigious quantities in places such as Little Cottonwood Canyon. Skiers and snowboarders from around the world come to sample the exceptional downhill pleasures at resorts such as Alta, Snowbird and Park City.

Due to this there can be some increase in rates and crowds this time of year, though that’s mainly affecting the resorts themselves.

Despite all the snow up in the mountains, the Salt Lake Valley itself experiences winter weather that’s often comparatively mild. Temperatures in December, January and February frequently climb into the 40s or higher during the afternoon, though cold snaps can certainly bring much nippier conditions for stretches.

Unfortunately, inversions—when cold air near the ground surface underlies warmer air aloft, preventing the more typical mixing of atmospheric layers—are not uncommon in winter, especially when there’s snow on the ground and high-pressure brings clear skies. These inversions, which are enhanced by the surrounding mountains, can create poor air quality to Salt Lake City because pollutants are trapped in the “bowl” of the Salt Lake Valley. They may last anywhere from a day or two to a week or more.

Winter also brings some of the area’s most notable festivals, from holiday events such as Christkindlmarkt and the Festival of Trees to the downright iconic Sundance Film Festival in January.

All things considered, fall through spring is considered by most to be the best time to visit Salt Lake City, with winter being the main draw for any fans of snow sports. But summer, while hot, does offer great opportunities to get up into the mountains for hiking, mountain biking and backpacking.

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