Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge Adventure
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Salt Lake City Walking Tour
Temple Square, Pioneer Park and the stories behind them, on foot, in three hours.
- 3 hours
- Hotel pickup included
- Instant online booking
Experience the unique and culturally diverse downtown of Salt Lake City, UT. From the “Mormon” Pioneers who settled the area to the influence of modern culture, the arts, 2002 Olympics, and the influx of people from all over the world, Salt Lake City has many sights and stories to experience firsthand. Join us for a 2.5-3-hour walking tour of the downtown area. As you walk the 3-mile loop through the downtown area you will hear the stories about the founders of this city and those whose influence are continuing to shape this metropolitan area today. Along with the unique stories you will experience the diverse and unique architecture found throughout the downtown area. This all combines to create the unique vibe that exists in Salt Lake City. Join us today. Your Adventure Awaits!
Your day, hour by hour
This tour runs 3 different schedules. Pick the one that matches your dates.
Morning Departure9:00 AM
9:00 AM
Depart from Visit Salt Lake
Delta Center and the Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Pioneer Park and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Historic Main Street and City Creek
Temple Square
11:30 AM
Return to Visit Salt Lake
Afternoon Departure (May 1 to October 1)1:00 PM
1:00 PM
Depart from Visit Salt Lake
Delta Center and the Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Pioneer Park and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Historic Main Street and City Creek
Temple Square
3:30 PM
Return to Visit Salt Lake
Evening Departure (May to October)6:00 PM
6:00 PM
Depart from Visit Salt Lake
Delta Center and the Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Pioneer Park and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Historic Main Street and City Creek
Temple Square
8:30 PM
Return to Visit Salt Lake
What the walk covers
Temple Square is where the grid starts and where the tour spends real time. Ten acres holding the Salt Lake Temple, forty years in the building, its granite hauled by ox team from Little Cottonwood Canyon. The square also holds the Tabernacle with its famous acoustics and its self-supporting lattice roof, the Assembly Hall, and the Conference Center across the street, which seats 21,000 people and is one of the largest theater-style auditoriums in the world. The temple itself has been closed for a major seismic renovation; your guide will explain what is happening inside it, which is the part most people find interesting.
Brigham Young's houses
The Beehive House and the Lion House on South Temple, plus the Eagle Gate that once marked the entrance to his property. This is where the political and the religious history of early Utah meet, and where the tour deals plainly with the complicated parts.
City Creek
The stream the pioneers settled beside, which was buried under the city for a century and then brought back to the surface as the centerpiece of the City Creek Center. The pioneers picked this spot because of that water. It now runs past storefronts.
Pioneer Park
The site of the original 1847 fort, now a green square on the west side that hosts the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays from June through October. The walk out here crosses the part of downtown that was the railroad and warehouse district, and is now where most of the good restaurants are.
Historic Main Street
The commercial spine of the city, where the run of downtown architecture goes from 1870s brick to glass towers in about four blocks. The Greek Orthodox Cathedral a few streets west is there because this was a mining town full of Greek, Italian and Lebanese labor long before it was anything else.
Along the way: the Union Pacific Railroad Depot, whose Grand Hall the walk goes inside, now restored as the lobby of the Asher Adams Hotel; the Rio Grande Depot a few blocks south; the Delta Center on the west side; and the Utah State Capitol on the bench above the city.
What to wear and bring
Three miles on flat pavement over three hours, with stops. That is a gentle pace, but it’s still three miles.
- Shoes
- Ones you have already broken in. New shoes and three miles of pavement will end your day early.
- Water
- Salt Lake City is at 4,226 feet in a desert climate and you’ll dehydrate faster than you notice, particularly if you flew in recently.
- Sun protection
- For the same reason. The UV at this altitude is stronger than the temperature suggests.
- Layers
- Downtown moves between sun and shade, and the temperature swing between morning and midday can be twenty degrees.
- Winter
- A proper coat, hat, gloves, and boots with grip.
A note on Temple Square: it’s an active religious site and modest dress is appreciated inside the buildings: shoulders and knees covered. Nobody will turn you away, but it is the local courtesy and it is easy to observe.
Practicalities
The walk is a three-mile loop through downtown and runs 2.5 to 3 hours. Because it’s on foot, it doesn’t include hotel pickup in the way our vehicle tours do. You meet your guide at the Visit Salt Lake visitor center, and the loop returns you to the same place.
There are three departures. The morning walk leaves at 9:00 AM year-round. The afternoon walk leaves at 1:00 PM from May 1 to October 1. The evening walk, new this season, runs 6:00 to 8:30 PM from May through August, and is the one to take in high summer. The heat has gone out of the day and the light on the Wasatch behind the city is the best of the twenty-four hours.
The tour is not wheelchair accessible and does involve continuous walking with standing stops. If mobility is a concern, the Salt Lake City Highlights Driving Tour covers overlapping ground with far less walking and costs $59.
Children must be accompanied by an adult, and the child fare is $40. Departures cap at fourteen. Book as a single guest by all means; we just can’t run a walk for one person, so if nobody else takes your date we’ll move you to another departure or refund you.
If you’re staying downtown you can walk to the start of this tour from most hotels. If you aren’t, TRAX, the light rail, runs directly through the city center and is free within the downtown Free Fare Zone.
Photos
Before you book
- Morning departures run year-round; afternoon departures run May 1 to October 1
- The evening departure runs May to October, 6:00 to 8:30 PM
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Enjoy a more personal experience with our small-group tour (minimum of two guests required)
- English, Spanish, Dutch, German, and French
Salt Lake City Walking Tour: your questions answered
How far do we walk and how long does it take?
A three-mile loop through downtown Salt Lake City over about three hours, at an easy pace with regular stops. It is flat, because downtown sits on the valley floor, so the distance is the only demand, not the terrain.
Can we go inside the Salt Lake Temple?
No. The temple isn’t open to the general public and is currently closed entirely for a major seismic renovation. The tour covers Temple Square, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall and the grounds, and your guide will explain the renovation, and the engineering is the interesting part.
Does the walking tour include hotel pickup?
No. It’s a walking tour, so you meet your group at the Visit Salt Lake visitor center, at whichever departure time you booked, and the loop returns you to the same place. Most downtown hotels are within a few blocks. If you’re staying further out, TRAX light rail runs into the city center and is free within the downtown Free Fare Zone.
What languages are guides available in?
English plus, subject to availability, Spanish, Dutch, German and French. Tell us which language you’d like when you book your tour and we’ll confirm whether we can staff it on your date.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
No. It involves three miles of continuous walking with standing stops. If mobility is a concern, the Salt Lake City Highlights Driving Tour covers much of the same ground with far less walking, at $59.
Is it suitable for children?
For school-age children who can manage three miles on foot, yes. The child fare is $40. It is a long way for toddlers and there’s no stroller-friendly guarantee on every stop. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
What should I wear at Temple Square?
Ordinary comfortable clothes are fine anywhere on the tour. Temple Square is an active religious site, so modest dress, shoulders and knees covered, is appreciated inside the buildings. Nobody will refuse you entry.
Does the tour run in winter?
Yes, year round. December is a good time to come. Temple Square runs a large Christmas light display and the city is quiet. Wear boots with grip and a proper coat: three hours on foot in January asks more of your layers than the temperature on your phone suggests.
What happens if I need to cancel?
This tour offers the Trip Protection Plan, an optional cancellation waiver that costs 10% of your cart total. It is not insurance. With it you can cancel for any reason up to 11:59 PM the night before and get back everything we collected for the tour and for anything we sold you alongside it, with only the 10% fee retained. It has to be ticked at checkout, because it cannot be added once you have left that page, and it also lets you move your booking once within twelve months. Without it, the cancellation terms shown in the reservation system before you pay are the ones that apply. The full detail is in our terms.
Pair this with
The tours our guides most often suggest alongside this one, and why.
Salt Lake City Highlights Driving Tour
The same city at a wider angle: the whole valley in three hours, with far less walking.
Salt Lake City Museum Tour
Goes deeper indoors: the Natural History Museum, the Cathedral and the old Union Pacific Depot.
Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island
The obvious second day: the lake the city is named for, 45 minutes away.
Read before you go
Longer background on where this tour goes, written by the people who run it.
One day in Salt Lake City: how to spend it well
Most visitors get one day here, usually side-on to a conference or a ski trip. Here is how to use it, from the people who drive this valley for a living.
7 min read
Still have a question about the Salt Lake City Walking Tour?
Ask us anything the FAQ above did not cover: pickup points, fitness level, what to wear in November. We answer within one business day.
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