The Atlas Obscura Guide To Utah

144 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Utah

Updated November 24, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Utah

Nine Mile Canyon - the BLM has advised it as "an area of critical environmental concern"

Carbon County, Utah

Nine Mile Canyon

Here, at the "world's longest art gallery," you'll find forty miles of ancient petroglyphs and pictographs.

The "Wall Street" section of Zion Narrows in Zion National Park

Springdale, Utah

The Narrows

The hike through a narrow river flanked by the 2,000-foot-tall walls of Zion Canyon is one of the best in the world.

Sunlight from the dome's opening plays on the surface of the spring water, reflecting on the rock face inside

Midway, Utah

Homestead Crater

This geothermal hot spring hides beneath a slowly growing mineral dome.

Pando, the Trembling Giant

Richfield, Utah

Pando, the Trembling Giant

One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.

Bryce, Utah

Bryce Canyon

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

Monticello, Utah

Hole n" the Rock

A house carved into a rock in the 1940s.

Kane, Utah

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

This rugged area of red rocks and arches is often considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The Goblin (aka The Witch)

Vernal, Utah

Fantasy Canyon

Sandstone rock formations that look like they belong on the cover of a progressive rock album.

See All 144 Things To Do in Utah

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Utah

Oakley, Utah

Oakley Diner

What's a diner from the 1939 World's Fair doing in a remote Utah mountain town?

Huntsville, Utah

Shooting Star Saloon

Eat burgers beneath gargantuan taxidermy and thousands of dollar bills in Utah's oldest continuously-operating bar.

Snelgrov Ice Cream Cone

Salt Lake City, Utah

Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone

This giant ice cream cone is the last remaining icon of a Salt Lake City staple.

Mmmm

Hurricane, Utah

Pioneer Heritage Museum

A museum has some wedding cake dating to the Teddy Roosevelt administration, and some bacon from FDR's.

See all 6 Places to Eat in Utah

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A Guide to Arizona’s Most Striking Natural Wonders

Arizona has some of the most beautiful and surprising landscapes the American West has to offer. The geography of this northeastern stretch of the Sonoran desert can be incredibly dramatic. And while we’ve all heard of—or seen—the majesty of the Grand Canyon, there are a number of lesser-known natural wonders that will take you off the beaten path in this gorgeous state.

Big Balanced Rock stuns along the Heart of Rocks Loop near Wilcox, AZ.

Explore Utah

Geology 23

Nature 19

Natural Wonders 17

Rock Formations 11

Rocks 11

Geological Oddities 11

Ghost Towns 11

Art 10

Abandoned 10

Monuments 8

Wild West 8

Water 8

Utah Leaderboard

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Recent Utah Activity

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wants to go to Burr Trail Switchbacks
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wants to go to Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake
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Stories About Utah

Pando, called simply The Tree by those who know it best—and love it most—is a single organism that covers an area larger than 100 football fields.

Pando As You've Never Seen It Before

The Utah aspen grove is one of the world's oldest and largest living things. It's finally getting its close-up.

by Amiee Maxwell

Iridescent green figeater beetles (Cotinis mutabilis) have long been used as adornments in cultures around the world.

Were These Beetles Once as Valuable as Gemstones?

Archaeologists believe jewelry made from the bugs was a coveted status symbol 2,000 years ago.

by Shoshi Parks

A 171-foot-tall white stain, left by the retreating waters of Lake Powell, looms over a lone human as he strides across a sandstone fin in the heart of Glen Canyon.

The Return of Glen Canyon

As Lake Powell's water levels continue to drop, a stunning landscape resurfaces—along with questions about the future of the Colorado River and those who depend on it.

by Craig Childs

Podcast: Goblin Valley State Park

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

The quaking aspen known as Pando is one of the planet's largest and oldest living organisms.

Pando, the World’s Largest Organism, Is Being Eaten by Deer

Utah's 106-acre stand of quaking aspen clones has survived for millennia, but faces threats large and small.

by Richard Elton Walton

December 6, 2021

These small peaches once flourished widely over the Southwest.

Meet the Woman Restoring Native American Peaches to the Southwest

Searching for the precious trees has become Reagan Wytsalucy's calling.

by Amiee Maxwell

Adult brine shrimp can reach half an inch long when fully grown.

Behold Brine Shrimp, the Livestock of Utah’s Great Salt Lake

The otherworldly stars of a thriving industry and endless curiosity could be at risk if the lake continues receding.

by Casey Crownhart

One of the subsequent 2020 monoliths, in Atascadero, California.

Trying to Make Sense of the Mystery Monolith Craze of 2020

An expert on Kubrick finds them "fascinating," if "derivative," but they may be this strange year's physical embodiment.

by Matthew Taub

December 16, 2020

Lists Featuring Utah

Winter Solstice 2019

The Spiral Jetty

Double Negative's north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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