More than 700 acres of beautiful park and open space is designated for visitor use throughout the scenic city of Salt Lake City. Many gorgeous green spaces date back to the city's pioneer days, including parks overseen as public attractions and historic landmarks by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Parkgoers looking for a more rugged outdoor experience can enjoy the city's expansive network of open spaces and natural preserves, including the beautiful Ensign Peak Nature Park, which preserves a regional peak connected to the LDS Church's history. Others offer family-friendly attractions and museums, including Liberty Park, which is home to the Tracy Aviary and the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts.
Arcadia Heights Open Space
Arcadia Heights Open Space is part of the Arcadia Heights, Benchmark, and H-Rock Small Area Plan in Salt Lake City's new Arcadia Heights development, originally developed in 2006. The open space, which is located southeast of Lakeline Drive's connecting trailhead to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, offers one of the city's most spectacular sunset-viewing vantage spots, perfect for nature photography opportunities. A jogging and walking path is offered for visitors, along with public amenities such as drinking fountains. Nearby, the H-Rock Open Space preserves one of Salt Lake City's most notable landmarks as part of a conservation easement established by the city in 2017. Both adjoining open spaces offer great opportunities for parkgoers looking for backcountry wilderness experiences near the city.
1825 Lakeline Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, Phone: 801-535-7800, Map
Brigham Young Historic Park
Brigham Young Historic Park preserves the former residence of Salt Lake City founder Brigham Young, who served as territorial governor of Utah between 1850 and 1856. Today, Young's former estate has been converted into a beautiful public grassy park, located adjacent to the city's Temple Square, which showcases museums and religious buildings connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Park visitors can relax on benches and rest in the park's lush green landscaping, which is anchored by a rustic pioneer-style water wheel that spins along City Creek. Several statue memorials honor significant city historic figures. Each summer between June and August, parkgoers can enjoy an annual summer concert series Tuesday through Friday evenings. On select Wednesdays throughout the summer, a lecture series brings civic figures to speak on a variety of educational topics.
North Temple & State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103, Phone: 801-240-3323, Map
Canyon Rim Park
Canyon Rim Park is a charming 16-acre neighborhood recreation area in Millcreek City, open to the public daily between dawn and dusk. The spacious park offers a wide variety of sporting opportunities for visitors, including a community-use baseball field, volleyball nets, a horseshoe pit, and tennis and pickleball courts. A reservable picnic pavilion with barbecue grills can seat up to 175, perfect for picnic day trips or large special event gatherings. Other amenities include a safe all-ages children's playground and lovely scenic walking and jogging paths. Throughout the summer months, the park's amphitheater hosts community concerts and events, including the annual Venture Out summer festival.
Canyon Rim Park, 3100 S Grace St, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, Phone: 385-468-1800
Ensign Peak Nature Park
Ensign Peak Nature Park is anchored around the gorgeous Ensign Peak, which was named in 1847 by Brigham Young and has long served as a religious natural monument for the LDS Church. The park, which is located approximately a mile north of the Utah State Capitol, is a great choice for area nature hikers and bikers, connecting to the nearby Bonneville Shoreline Trail. At Sandhurst Drive, visitors can also connect to the adjacent Stansbury Shoreline Preserve. Parkgoers can pack picnic lunches and hike to the top of the peak, which showcases a small monument dedicated to its connection to LDS Church history. Well-behaved dogs are permitted on trails on leashes on all trails, making the park perfect for visitors looking to explore the great outdoors with four-legged friends.
Ensign Peak Nature Park, 1002 N Ensign Vista Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84103
Fairmont Park
Fairmont Park is a delightful open space park in Salt Lake City, anchored around a free community fishing pond that serves as a natural landscape to address regional flooding issues. The park is a great spot for anglers to catch trout throughout the year, offering ample bench seating and a newly-installed elevated boardwalk that can be accessed on foot or on bicycle. Many gorgeous new park features have been installed over the past decade, including an off-leash dog park area offering play space for both large and small breeds. A seasonal aquatic center is home to a swimming pool throughout the summer months, while a disc golf course, a skate park, soccer fields, and pickleball courts offer recreational opportunities on land. Other amenities include a day-use picnic pavilion that can be rented as part of birthday party packages.
Fairmont Park, 1040 E Sugarmont Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106, Phone: 801-972-7860
Gilgal Sculpture Garden
Gilgal Sculpture Garden is a charming city park showcasing the history of the LDS Church through beautiful sculptures and statues associated with the Mormon religion. The park was originally designed in the 1940s as a passion project of contractor and LDS Bishop Thomas Battersby Child, Jr., who constructed many of its statues in his backyard beginning in 1947. Today, the park is Utah's only designated visionary art environment, showcasing 12 original sculptures by Child representing significant themes and historical periods in Mormon history. More than 70 stones are also engraved with Mormon scripture passages and literary quotes. Since 2000, the park has been operated by the City of Salt Lake, open daily to visitors throughout the morning and afternoon hours.
Gilgal Sculpture Garden, 749 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84102, Phone: 801-972-7860
Herman Franks Park
Herman Franks Park is a lively 10-acre park celebrating two of Utah's most notable baseball legends, including its namesake, Herman L. Franks. Throughout the 20th century, the Salt Lake City native was a noted player, coach, and manager for teams such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Today, a plaque at the park honors Franks' life and career, including his involvement in Salt Lake City's community baseball scene. A second plaque honors local legend M.J. "Mickey" Scanlon, who went on to serve as a scout for the New York Yankees. Parkgoers can bring their four-legged friends to play at an off-leash dog area or make use of three baseball and softball diamonds throughout daylight hours. A children's playground is also offered, along with beautiful creekside views of Emigration Creek.
Herman Franks Park, 1371 700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, Phone: 801-972-7800
The International Peace Gardens
The International Peace Gardens are one of Salt Lake City's most famed attractions, originally conceived in 1939 as an addition to the city's beautiful Jordan Park. Today, the gardens are overseen by the Salt Lake Council of Women's Past Presidents Council, located along 11 scenic acres of the Jordan River in the city's downtown district. Since 1952, 28 national gardens at the park have honored the city's diverse populations, with separate sections landscaped to represent regional immigrants from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Landscaping honors the concepts of democracy, brotherly love, and world peace, serving as an ideal for all visitors to be inspired to improve community relations. Visitors can stroll through the lovely gardens each day during daylight hours between May and September.
1000 S 900 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84104, Phone: 801-938-5326, Map
Liberty Park
Liberty Park is one of the oldest public parks in the state of Utah, originally designated in 1882. Today, the spacious 100-acre park stretches throughout Salt Lake City's southeastern corridor, best known as the home of major landmarks such as the historic 19th-century Isaac Chase Mill, Utah's oldest still-standing commercial building. Parkgoers can enjoy a plethora of family-friendly attractions, including the Tracy Aviary, which showcases more than 135 species of rare, native, and exotic birds, or the beautiful exhibits of the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts. Beautiful Liberty Lake anchors the park, offering paddle boat rentals throughout the summer months. Other park amenities include a 1.5-mile multi-use trail, a seasonal swimming pool, and community tennis and volleyball courts.
Liberty Park, 600 East 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, Phone: 801-972-7800
Memory Grove Park
Memory Grove Park is one of Salt Lake City's most picturesque public parks, originally constructed following World War I to honor the region's fallen veterans. Today, the gorgeous park is home to several more war monuments along the banks of City Creek, along with a replica of Philadelphia's famed Liberty Bell. World War I soldiers are honored at the park's large circular pagoda, which features inscriptions of all names of the area's fallen men. A well-maintained Freedom Trail is open to joggers and cyclists, originating near Canyon Road and traversing deep into Memory Grove. Well-behaved pets are welcome to join their owners along the trail on leashes.
Memory Grove Park, 300 N Canyon Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84103, Phone: 801-972-7800
Parley’s Historic Nature Park
Parley’s Historic Nature Park is an expansive 68-acre public park on Salt Lake City's southern edge, serving as one of the city's most prominent natural and wildlife refuge areas. The gorgeous park offers excellent views of nearby Parley's Canyon, providing one of the best glimpses into the region's natural ecosystems. An historic nature trail loop stretches for two miles throughout the park, accessible via a trailhead at nearby Tanner Park. Parkgoers can bring their four-legged friends to the park with them and frolic at a spacious off-leash dog walking area. Historic landmarks showcased along the trail include pioneer-era artifacts such as a former wine cellar belonging to Dudler's Inn and portions of a 19th-century-era sandstone aqueduct.
Parley’s Historic Nature Park, 2667 Heritage Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, Phone: 801-972-7800
Sherwood Park
Sherwood Park is a spacious community recreation hub spanning 12 acres throughout Salt Lake City, offering open green spaces and a variety of structured sporting opportunities. The park is home to three community-use baseball fields, which feature electronic scoreboards and are available for rental by area baseball leagues. Softball and volleyball fields are also available for day use by visitors. Two children's playgrounds offer safe play experiences for young ones, including playground areas for older and younger children. Day-use picnic sites make for lovely lunch resting sites, while rental picnic pavilions offer public restrooms and can accommodate groups of up to 200.
Sherwood Park , 1400 400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84104, Phone: 801-972-7800
Stansbury Shoreline Preserve
Stansbury Shoreline Preserve is part of Salt Lake City's extensive open space and nature preserve system, located adjacent to the historic attractions of Ensign Peak Nature Park. The scenic natural area also joins with other area parks to create a beautiful urban ecosystem oasis, including Warm Springs Park, North Gateway Park, and Columbus Hillside Preserve. Parkgoers can observe native flora and fauna within preserved ecosystems, creating great opportunities for wildlife watching and nature photography. A trailhead at Victory Road offers an entrance into the park, while a connection to the nearby Bonneville Shoreline Trail provides nature hiking and biking opportunities. Visitors should note that the park's terrain is steep at many points and may be inaccessible for parkgoers with mobility concerns.
Stansbury Shoreline Preserve, 1000 Victory Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84103
Sugar House Park
Sugar House Park is one of Salt Lake City's largest urban parks, spanning 110 acres in the city neighborhood of the same name. The park preserves the former grounds of the state's first prison facility, Sugar House Prison, which was closed in 1951. Today, its grounds are home to a variety of family-friendly attractions, including a 4.5-acre scenic pond that showcases beautiful fountains and water features. Two children's playgrounds provide safe play experiences for kids of all ages, while baseball, softball, and basketball courts can be used by daily parkgoers or community leagues. More than three miles of multi-use trails provide exercise opportunities for joggers and cyclists, including a scenic park loop path. Other amenities include sledding hills, day-use picnic sites, and 10 reservable group pavilions.
Sugar House Park, 1400 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84106, Phone: 385-468-7275
Wasatch Hollow Preserve
Wasatch Hollow Preserve is a beautiful 11-acre natural open space in Salt Lake City, located along the banks of gorgeous Emigration Creek. The preserve, which was established by the Utah Open Lands nonprofit organization in conjunction with the LDS Church, retains its pioneer-era character and showcases a series of informational displays about the region's ecology and history. Historic sites within the park include the preserved site of arrival of a 148-member Mormon advance party in 1847. Lovely Hodgson's Spring creates a peaceful atmosphere throughout the park, which is also home to open meadow spaces, majestic trees, and a quaint pond with log bench seating.
Wasatch Hollow Preserve, 1631 E 1700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, Phone: 801-535-7800
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park was officially designated in 1847, immediately following the arrival of the Willard Richards Company to the Salt Lake Valley region. The park, which was Salt Lake City's first public park, received its current naming in 1865 and was landscaped by Norwegian immigrant Martin Christofferson. Today, 290 beautiful trees showcase 45 varieties of native and international tree species, with the majority sourced from ecosystems around the globe. Parkgoers can enjoy nature photography opportunities against the park's lush scenery, which includes plantings of Norway maple, Japanese cherry, Austrian pine, and English Hawthorne trees. A large grassy square has been used for public special events since the 19th century, including cattle drives, farmer's markets, and community festivals.
Washington Square Park, 451 State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, Phone: 801-972-7800
Westpointe Park
Westpointe Park is a charming community park in Salt Lake City, offering a wide variety of family-friendly day-use amenities for visitors of all ages. Four sporting fields are available for community and league use, including two soccer fields, a baseball field, and a softball field. A full basketball court, two tennis courts, and a sand volleyball court also provide recreational opportunities throughout daylight hours. Parkgoers can exercise on the park's multi-use jogging and walking path or bring their children to play at its safe, modern children's playground area. Other amenities include the spacious Westpointe Pavilion, which can be rented by special event groups of up to 100.
Westpointe Park , 1920 Colonel Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, Phone: 801-972-7800
