Skiing gets all the attention, but some of our favorite winter days in Salt Lake don't involve a lift at all. Here are the best things to do in Salt Lake City in winter, from soaking in a hot spring crater to riding a real Olympic bobsled track.
Winter weekends, planned for you. The SLC Weekender sends 60+ things to do in Salt Lake every Thursday. Free, and 7,500+ locals read it.
Soak in a hot spring
Homestead Crater (Midway)
About 45 minutes from Salt Lake. Soak (or even snorkel) in 90–96°F mineral water inside a 10,000-year-old limestone dome. Call ahead (435-654-1102) for current hours and booking, since the resort is mid-renovation.
Crystal Hot Springs (Honeyville)
About an hour north. Open year-round, with pools from 65°F up to 134°F at the source. It's lovely when it's snowing.
Fifth Water Hot Springs (Spanish Fork Canyon)
For the adventurous: about 1.5 hours away, with roughly 5 miles round trip of hiking, and closer to 8 when the winter road is closed. Bring traction, pay the parking fee and watch the weather.
Go ice skating
Gallivan Center (downtown): Salt Lake's outdoor rink usually opens in November. Last season it ran noon–10pm Sundays, 4–10pm Monday–Thursday and noon–midnight Friday–Saturday.
Utah Olympic Oval (Kearns): skate where Olympians raced. Public skate runs Monday 7–9pm, with skate rentals for $6. Call 801-968-6825 for other sessions.
Park City: the Resort Center rink at Park City Mountain and the Park City Ice Arena.
Live out your Olympic dreams
Utah Olympic Park (Park City)
The Eccles 2002 Olympics Museum and the Alf Engen Ski Museum are both free, and you can watch athletes train. For the real thrill, the bobsled experience is $225 ($249 on holidays) for under a minute of pure adrenaline. Riders must be 13+ and at least 100 lbs.
Go tubing
Soldier Hollow (Midway): 1,200-foot tubing lanes in 2-hour sessions, at the 2002 Olympic Nordic venue
Woodward Park City: tubing lanes plus an indoor action-sports hub for when the weather turns
Try Nordic skiing or snowshoeing
Mountain Dell in Parleys Canyon has 10 km of groomed trails for $10 a day (free under 18), and Solitude Nordic Center has about 20 km plus snowshoe paths. Our sledding and snowshoeing guide has more.
Catch a game
Winter is peak season for both of Salt Lake's big-league teams at the Delta Center: the Utah Jazz and the Utah Mammoth. The Mammoth host the NHL Winter Classic outdoors at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Dec 31. See our NYE guide for details.
Stay warm indoors
Climb: Momentum Millcreek day passes are $29 for adults, and there are more gyms around the valley.
Visit a museum: UMFA is free on the first Wednesday and third Saturday of each month.
Walk a winter garden: Red Butte Garden is half price December through February.
More ideas are in our indoor things to do guide.
A note on Sundance
The Sundance Film Festival moves to Boulder, Colorado for 2027 (Jan 21–31), so January will feel a little quieter around Park City this year.
More winter guides
Make this your best winter in Salt Lake. Get our weekend picks every Thursday.