Utah is well-known for its incredible natural beauty—from the soaring Wasatch Mountains and the haunting arroyos of Zion and Canyonlands National Parks to the adventure sports Mecca of Moab. And what better way to enjoy all that the state has to offer than celebrating it with a hundreds of other, like-minded folks. These are our picks for the best outdoor festivals in Utah.
The Classic Rock and Ride Festival at Brian Head Resort combines live music with beer and trail riding on the resort’s miles of dedicated single track. Shuttles transport riders to and from the festival from the trails. Guideded rides and skilled clinics are available. Vendors like Vibram will be onsite with gear demos and sales.
Each year, Utah State University Extension and Utah Water Watch team up to host the Bear River Celebration and Free Fishing Day in Logan. Participants can learn about the wildlife that make their homes in the watershed, test their fishing skills and practice with experts from the Division of Wildlife Resources, and even learn how to tie their own flies.
You don’t have to be Scottish to put on a kilt and toss a caber—but it may help. Celebrate all things Scots at the Utah Scottish Festival and Highland Games in Salt Lake City. There will be live music—including piping—dancing, and of course, the feats of strength they call “Highland games,” such weight for distance, hammer and the aforementioned caber toss. Folks like the Scottish Pie Shop, Welsh Baker , and Blues Street BBQ, will be in attendance!
Every June, the clear, dark skies over Bryce Canyon National Park draw hundreds of stargazers to the Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival. More than 50 telescopes will be made available by local astronomical societies, and Astronomy Rangers are on hand to answer questions and offer guidance. Celebrated astronomers often deliver keynote speeches.
On the surface, West Fest, West Valley City’s annual community celebration, looks like a typical summer festival: Food, fireworks, a carnival, etc. But West Fest also offer plenty of entertainment and participatory events, like 5K and 10K runs, a skate competition, and even a Dutch oven cookoff. Intermountain Healthcare and PostNet help to make West Fest awesome.
The Heber Fly Fishing Festival is an annual event that celebrates the art and sport of fly fishing—in particular in the Heber Valley. The festival offers casting and fly tying clinics, a fly-fishing derby, education and gear demos for anglers of all skill levels. Representatives Allen Fly Fishing, Streem Outdoors, and RIO are always on hand.
In July of each year, Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood Canyons—in Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest—explode with wildflowers. So, the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation hosts the Wasatch Wildflower Festival that includes guided walks, strolls and hikes. The festival was founded by Alta Community Enrichment and operates as a partnership among several area organizations and businesses, including Alta Ski Area, Solitude Mountain Resort, and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort .
A Vaction Races production, the annual Grand Circle Trailfest allow trail runners to explore gorgeous courses in Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks over a three-day period. Runners hit the trail in the morning, explore all the parks have to offer in the afternoon, and then chill in the evenings with bonfires, live bands, yoga clinics, films and more.
Every spring and fall for more than a decade, the MECCA Mountain Bike Club sets aside three days to celebrate the sport. The fall Mountain Bike Festival typically takes place in September. There you can hit the singletrack to ride and then socialize with other enthusiasts.
Although the state’s largest birding festival—the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival—takes place in May, Utah birders need not be left out in the cold for a whole year, because the St. George Winter Bird Festival also rolls around every year. Several field trips and seminars take place during the festival, including owl identification and an “owl prowl,” as well as biking and birding tours. St. George Inn & Suites, Red Cliffs Mall, and Milne Jewelry help to make the festival possible.
