Somedays I just want to relax and do nothing at all; some of the best days of my life, in fact, I’ve spent doing just that, often lounging on a grassy hill or under a tree in a park. One of the best parks in which to do that might just be located in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. Considered a prized jewel amongst the regional parks of this valley, there’s Sugar House Park, about 110 acres of rolling greenery. Is there an irony that this site was also the site for the old State Prison? An area once used for incarceration is now available for public use: There’s seven pavilions that you may reserve for groups, there’s soccer and baseball fields, regulation-sized. Three’s a cement basketball quart that was donated by the Utah Jazz, as well as a couple of areas designed specifically for children to play, seven volleyball courts, a hill for sleigh-riding, and an amphitheater capable of holding about 220 people. You’ll find all this in the Sugar House area in Salt Lake City, with two entrances for automobiles off 2100 South, at about 1400 East and 1500 East.
With all the things you might do here, it’s possible to forget that you can also just take a walk and enjoy the views. In addition to everything else, there’s a park road that’s about a mile and three-eighths long. Its sixteen foot wide inside lane is popular for walking, but also for runners or bicyclists, and, since it’s winter now, cross-country ski trainers.
I have a feeling that many people arriving in town and just hire a van or rent a car and speed on up to Park City to ski or watch films. But these folks might one day find it worth the time to grab a hotel in Salt Lake City, and see the sights closer to town.