Staff Picks: Escape the Heat

June 23, 2017

Whether you’ve lived in Utah your whole life or just a couple of weeks—by now you’ve figured out that we spend as much time as possible outside. Cold we can deal with, but when the temperatures start creeping into the triple digits we become creatures of the shade. Thankfully it’s easy to escape the valley’s heat. Take a drive up the mountains, a dip into a local pool or gather a bunch of friends to scout out the best air conditioned museum. Here’s our picks for beating the heat this summer.

Jessica Patterson, Sales Associate

I take a hike up Adams Canyon where the trail stays in the shade, follows a river and ends with a big payoff—a huge and very cool waterfall. The hike is approximately 5 miles and begins in Layton, with parking area and a clearly marked trailhead. It’s dog friendly, too.

Ashley Szanter, Associate Editor

When it gets deliriously hot outside, I always like to enjoy some air conditioning with my entertainment. Mystery Escape Room at the Gateway lets you go on an adventure with a group of friends (or strangers!) while you try to solve clues in order to escape before your one hour time limit expires. Right now, there are several themed rooms to choose from, including Treasure Island, The Wild Bunch and Alice in Wonderland. The Gateway Mall, 130 S Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. 385-322-CLUE (2583)

Jessica Ohlen, Marketing Director

The Alta Canyon Sports Center is my favorite pool and spot to cool off in Utah, it has nice grass where you can picnic and relax. A big plus: It’s not overly crowded which is a big plus!

Glen Warchol, Managing Editor

Before air conditioning, folks had a simple way to beat the heat: Gather pals under a shady tree, fill a cooler up with brewskis, play (very slowly) dominoes and talk about nothin’.

Ingredients:

Dominoes. Mexican Train, Chicken Foot (for kids and beginners) or Double-Six are all available from Game Night, 2148 S. 900 East, Sugar House, 801-467-2400.

2 cases Czech Pilsener from Bohemian Brewery. This is one time that Utah’s 4.0 beer makes sense. It’s not about the buzz—the brew is a cooling and rehydration fluid. Harmons Grocery.

2 coolers full of ice. If you’re an equipment freak, go Yeti. But a styrofoam cheepie does just fine.

1 Shade Tree. If you live in an apartment, Liberty Park has a few to spare.

1 gaggle of friends

Andrea Peterson, Digital Media Manager

The easiest thing to do when the valley heats up is head up Parley’s Canyon to Park City. Because even though it’s hot—we all still want to be outside. There is hiking, there is biking and of course there is great shopping and dining on main street. But my recommendation is all about live music serenading. Local and touring bands will be hitting up Saturday afternoons and evenings at both the Canyon Village Stage or Park City Base Area. And starting July 1, grab a bottle wine and a picnic basket and wander a little further up the canyon to enjoy the Utah Symphony’s Deer Valley Music Festival.

Ashley Baker, Contributing Writer

My favorite way to cool off during the summer is to fly fish the Provo River with my husband. But, as a mom of two, I usually try to do something a little more kid friendly, like have a picnic at Pelican Bay on Utah Lake. It’s nice because a slight breeze comes off of the lake — and we love to look for wild critters while we walk along the pier.