What is the “Best?” It’s a subjective term after all. But we know it when we see it. Each year, we create an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink list to tickle your intellect, fill your belly, spark your imagination and inspire ideas for exploring the place where you live. We reflect on the talk of the town—newsmakers and civic upheavals—that inspired both cheers and jeers. We pile it all together into an always-incomplete list dubbed Best of the Beehive. Here we present our top picks for making the most of Utah’s wild, wonderful outdoors.
Best of the Beehive Outdoors (It’s What We Do)
Best place for ghost stories
(with a side of bats)
Lava Tubes in Snow Canyon,
St. George
Shimmy into the below-ground caves in Snow Canyon and you’ll not only escape the heat, you’ll be able to tell your friends tales of Bloody Mary, The Big Toe and The Hitchhiker in perfect darkness even in the middle of the afternoon. A bat may even flap around you just for good measure. Bring a headlamp to climb in and out. 1002 Snow Canyon Dr., Ivins stateparks.utah.gov
Best biggest mural in Utah
Astra Tower
In May 2025, the Astra Tower, a stylish new apartment development in SLC (aren’t they all so ‘stylish’?), unveiled what its developers are touting as the largest mural in Utah. The 14,000-sf, still-to-be-named original commission adorns the luxury apartment building’s west side. Salt Lake City-based muralists Joseph Toney (who is also a member of the Protect Our Winters Creative Alliance) and internationally acclaimed muralist and Salt Lake City native, Miles Toland collaborated on the massive project.
89 E. 200 South, SLC astraslc.com
Best mountain peak named Ben (but not named after a guy named Ben)
Ben Lomond
This towering, pyramid-shaped peak in North Ogden is the inspiration for Paramount Pictures’ logo (the founder grew up near Ogden and is said to have drawn it up on a napkin). But saying the mountain’s name correctly is a litmus test. If you call it “Mount Ben Lomond,” “Ben Lomond Mountain,” or “Ben Lomond Peak,” you’re clearly not an Ogdenite. Long ago, a Scottish-born settler named the peak after a mountain she left behind in the old country, and “ben” is a Scottish
prefix that means “mount.”
Best place to drink straight from a tree
Stump Spring, North Ogden, Utah
A 1930s burger joint thought it might be fun to drag a giant cottonwood stump to the front of its store. Using nearby well water, a craftsman was hired to fashion a drinking fountain running through it with a sign that read “Good water, isn’t it? Try our hamburgers.” The restaurant ultimately failed, but the life-giving stump remained and became a residential treasure. So when it began rotting away in the 1990s, Boy Scouts raised funds to recreate the stump and revive Stump Spring.
2641 N. 400 East, North Ogden
Best ski resort for non-skiers
Snowbird
With 2,500 acres of skiable terrain, deep powder and challenging slopes reign supreme at Snowbird Ski Resort. But the resort offers plenty of consolation prizes if you’re not into skiing. The Cliff Spa’s heated decks, rooftop pool and menu of majestic treatments welcome weary travellers of the ski and sans-ski variety. Plus, with the Aerial Tram to the Mountain Coaster and a bevy of hiking/biking trails all summer…who needs skis anyway? 9385 Snowbird Center Dr., Snowbird snowbird.com
Best place to roll in natural bling
Glitter Mountain
Ok, Ok, it’s just over the border from St. George, so it’s technically in Arizona—but Southern Utahns and spring breakers swarm this old gypsum-covered roadside attraction. Dotted with tiny crystals that create a glittering blanket across the ruddy reddish mounds, folks can snag some bling or simply take in the sparkle when the sun hits just right. Feller Stone of Veyo, Utah holds the mining claim and sells the selenite as “Utah Ice,” but we’re guessing they make the bulk of their profits from letting you and yours play at mining. So, by all means, snap those postable pics, bring some hammers and take home shiny momentos–but plan to pay a (small) fee for the privilege.
1 Glitter Mountain Road, Littlefield, Ariz. fellerstone.com/glitter-mountain
Best way to see a sandbagger win a race
Ogden Marathon
If you’ve ever run a race, you know that guy. Amidst a sea of techy-stretchy running gear, muscle tape and energy chews, here comes Mr “I-couldn’t-give-a-damn.” He’s wearing jean cutoffs, tube socks and the free T-shirt he scored from the credit union. But when that starting gun fires at the heart of the Wasatch, range, he shoots off like a pistol, and you think, “Pace yourself, new guy.” You inch along the South Fork of the Ogden River, no new guy. You circumnavigate Pineview Reservoir, still no sign of him. You stop for a few heaves yourself as you descend Ogden Canyon and enter Historic 25th Street. That’s when you see him casually strutting with his medal…and you realize: he’s not a newbie, he’s a sandbagger—and he’s just bagged first place.
(Annually in May), ogdenmarathon.com
Best place to indulge your Star Wars obsession
OutpostX
Tatooine meets Black Rock City at this off-the-grid sanctuary. Thirty minutes west of Cedar City, OutpostX is a 100-acre desert playa with private ‘caves’, a Star Wars-style Cantina, sand cruisers and spa areas. You can even rent a wardrobe and cosplay as one of OutpostX’s 20 fictional inhabitants—our favorite is “Sonic Grandma,” the oldest known person in the galaxy with skills as a disc jockey. outpost-x.com
Best spot to meet bird nerds. (You know you are.)
Eccles Wildlife Education Center at Farmington Bay
Over 12 million birds, representing over 330 species, are year-round or migratory inhabitants of Great Salt Lake-adjacent habitats. Whether you’re a bona fide birder or just bought your first set of binoculars, a visit to Farmington Bay’s Eccles Wildlife Education Center will undoubtedly put a dent in your life-list. The center also hosts free wildlife-viewing and photography events, along with monthly Birding with Buddies trail walks with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ biologists and bird-ID experts. wildlife.utah.gov
There’s more to love in the Beehive State!
Eat & Drink
Jocularity
Weird Utah
Shopping
2025 Wasatch Faults (and Faves)
Find all of this year’s Best of the Beehive coverage, and more “Bests” from past issues. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.
