Cheap flights to Salt Lake City from HK$4,110

Set between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, the City of the Saints is best known for its Mormon roots and some of the world’s greatest skiing, which attracts visitors from all corners of the world to book flights to Salt Lake City.

Both Mormon and gentile (non-Mormon) travellers off flights to Salt Lake City visit Temple Square, the spiritual centre of the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The ten-acre square has 15 points of interest, including the Salt Lake Temple, Tabernacle, and Assembly Hall. Mormons conduct tours through the square, focusing on Mormon history and life. When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is in town, you can attend a performance, preview (rehearsal), or taping.

The powdery snow of the Wasatch Mountains is known as “The Greatest Snow on Earth”. Having hosted the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Salt Lake City offers winter-sports enthusiasts world-class facilities. In the summer, the mountains offer great hiking, ranging from easy walks to rock climbing the higher peaks.

But make no mistake, Salt Lake City has urban lifestyle offerings. In the performing arts the Utah Symphony and Opera and Ballet West are both nationally acclaimed. There are art galleries and museums to browse, the Utah Arts Festival draws a crowd, and the nightlife might surprise you.

Salt Lake City climate

Late June and early July bring the beginning of summer with low humidity, highs in the mid-20s and sometimes 30s (Celsius), and nighttime temperatures ranging from the low single digits to ten degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms are common over the higher peaks. September marks the beginning of autumn. Winter starts in November and by December there’s deep snow. Temperatures stay near freezing during the day. March starts the transition to spring, though snow remains in the valley until April and in the mountain passes until July.

Getting around Salt Lake City

Downtown Salt Lake City is easy to get around by public transport or on foot. The city has buses, light-rail and paratransit services. Streets are laid out in a grid, so you won’t have trouble with directions. To save some money with parking, look into the Downtown Token for discounts. 

What is good to know if travelling to Salt Lake City?

• This Is the Place Heritage Park includes the museum town Old Deseret Village, a re-creation of a typical Utah community from the Mormons’ arrival in 1847 to the coming of the railroad in 1869. In summer, volunteers dress in period clothing and demonstrate what pioneer life was like. Brigham Young’s farm is also in the park. (The word “deseret” is from the Book of Mormon, and means “honeybee,” a symbol of the industrious Mormon pioneer.)
• Bird-watching is popular around the Great Salt Lake. Migratory shore birds stop here to dine on brine shrimp and brine flies. There are more than 250 species that you can spot at natural saltwater marshes, man-made freshwater marshes, and wetland refuges around the lake.
• The Family History Library is one of the world’s largest genealogical libraries that is open to both Mormons and non-Mormons. You might learn something new about your ancestry. 
• Antelope Island, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, is home to antelope, deer, bobcats, coyotes, many varieties of birds and waterfowl, and a small herd of elk. The most famous residents of the island are the herd of  American Bison. There are 40km (25 miles) of back-country trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The visitor centre is open year-round.
• Park City, home of the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival, is less than an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City.
• For up-to-the-minute information on what’s going on, check the Friday editions of the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News. For additional entertainment news and listings, pick up one of the city’s free papers, including The Event and Salt Lake City Weekly.
• If you’re wondering why there’s so much jelly (or Jell-O) – the people of Salt Lake City consume more of the wobbly stuff than any other city in the United States. They lost the title for a short time to Des Moines, Iowa, but with help from the legislature and Bill Cosby, Jell-O is now Utah’s official state snack.