Long Weekend in Salt Lake City

Hello and happy Thursday! We have officially made it to spring!!

Anything you are looking forward to this weekend? It looks like it is going to be on the colder and rainier side here in Michigan, but all is well with warmer and sunnier days ahead.

It’s been a quick work week given that we were out of town last weekend for a long weekend in the Salt Lake City area. My parents had rented a house for a couple of weeks and invited us out to join for a few days. It was a great opportunity for some end-of-winter adventuring!

Friday morning I woke up, did some shortened aspects of my usual morning routine, and made one of my out-of-town go-to breakfasts. I was definitely taking a break from my current low-oxalate diet because that would be a ridiculous hassle to try to do while traveling.

Coconut yogurt with homemade nut + seed granola that I brought from home, topped with peanut butter, maple syrup, and frozen (thawed) strawberries + blueberries. Also some herbal chai rooibos tea that I’ve been into lately!

We spent our first full day heading up to Solitude to go skiing. The snow was good, and the day alternated between thick clouds and random interludes of sun. I mentioned in my February recap post that I hadn’t skied in an unusually long time for me, so it felt so good to be back at it!

For lunches while out and about each day, I packed simple things for me and Alec to take with us — peanut butter cacao bars, energy bites, Jonesbars, pistachios, beef sticks, carrots + celery, etc.

After a solid day on the mountains, we watched a nail-biting Michigan Basketball win over Maryland while eating dinner. I love all the fun and excitement of college basketball this time of year!

For dinner at the house, we had beef tenderloin, along with sides of asparagus, baked potato, and some arugula with olive oil + lemon.

The next morning we (my dad, Alec, and I) headed out for an early start to make our way to Zion National Park (about a 4-hour drive from the Vrbo). I had never been to any of Utah’s national parks so was excited to see all the beauty!

One of the main highlights for me was the initial drive once we got into the park. Stunning and eye-popping scenery everywhere you looked! It was also the perfect time for the drive with the way the sun was shining and hitting the canyon.

As we continued on our scenic drive, Alec and I got out to do the Canyon Overlook Trail (a somewhat steep half mile out-and-back). While it was decently crowded on the trail, the views and scenery on the hike were absolutely epic!

Getting close to the top, where you get an amazing view of the main canyon.

View from the top of the hike.

Next we hit up the Emerald Pools Trail, followed by a short riverside walk that would take you to the gateway of The Narrows, one of the most scenic sections of the park.

All in all, it was a stunning day, jam-packed with the most beautiful scenery!

Zion has become the second-most-visited national park in recent years (behind Great Smoky), so it was getting pretty crowded as the day went on. BUT, I think there were only around 5,000 visitors there that day, and in the summer they have been averaging more like 10,000 a day! It was a helpful first experience to better know how to navigate avoiding crowds in the future. I would also like to go back to explore more of the off-the-beaten-path adventures.

As we were leaving, we got takeout at the Wild Thyme Cafe in Springdale. It was a wonderfully scenic spot with a beautiful outdoor seating area!

Sadly we missed seeing Michigan play live in the Big 10 Tournament Final, given our Zion priorities that day. We listened to it on the car ride home and I somewhat watched it from Alec’s phone. So exciting to have another victory that day!

The next morning we headed out for day 2 of skiing at Snowbird. Snowbird has been my family’s go-to skiing location for a while, so I have been there many times and know the mountain quite well.

We were pleasantly surprised to have a sunnier day of skiing than we were expecting!

After another full day of adventuring, we headed back to the Vrbo where we quickly switched gears to head to Sundance for dinner. I absolutely loved the vibe of the resort and would love to stay there for a night or two in the future!!

The dinner was also great. I had a beef filet with sautéed asparagus and mushrooms, along with a sparking lime mocktail.

The next morning I headed out for a quick jog in the area surrounding the Vrbo. It was a snowy and blustery morning. We were going to head out on a short hike on our way to the airport, but ended up canceling those plans given the weather.

On the way to the airport, Alec and I picked up takeout for lunch at Aubergine Kitchen. This turned out to be so, so good! I hope they continue to expand and add more locations beyond the SLC area!

I like how they focus on using quality ingredients (rather than fixating on calories), and have plenty of flavorful options on the menu, all of which are clearly labeled with major allergens and dietary constraints.

And that’s a wrap on our SLC long weekend! Michigan plays tonight at 10pm Eastern *sigh* (too late for me to stay up to watch!), but hopefully they pull out the win and make it on to the next round! Have a great rest of your day!