Heber Valley for Adventurers
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Heber Valley is known as Utah’s Adventure Escape and there definitely is a lot to keep the adventure traveler occupied in all four seasons of the year. It is located in northern Utah, just south of Park City and only 40 miles from Salt Lake City making it an ideal destination to add onto any Utah trip.
A little bit about Heber Valley, Utah
- Heber Valley is known as Utah’s Switzerland due to its rugged beauty of Mount Timpanogos, green meadows, streams, climate and large population of Swiss who settled in the Midway in the 1800s.
- Nordic events for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games took place in Soldier Hollow in 2002.
- Provo River is a blue ribbon fishery known for its quality of fish, access and beautiful surroundings.
- Home to the world’s foremost sheepdog competition, brining in competitors from all over the world.
- Home to 90 holes of golf, over 200 miles of trails and 45,000 fish per river mile.
So, what all is there to do in Heber Valley, Utah for the adventurers?
Heber Valley Railroad
The Heber Valley Railroad line is 16 miles long and runs from Heber City to Vivian Park with a roundtrip taking about three hours – seems like the perfect way to spend a day! Several landmarks and wildlife can be seen from the train including Cascade Mountain, Provo River, moose, and even eagles. The train runs year round with special events and themed nights.
Homestead Crater
The Homestead Crater is the only inland location within the 48 states that you can do warm water scuba diving, making it a pretty unique thing to do in Heber Valley. Also open year round, the Crater is located on the Homestead property. You do not have to stay at the resort to enjoy this one of a kind experience though!
Zipline the Provo Canyon
Make sure to zipline in the Wasatch Mountains during your visit to Heber Valley – a great way to enjoy mountain scenery, wildlife, the Provo River and more all from tree top heights!
Deer Creek State Park
This gorgeous state park provides plenty of adventure and outdoor activities including but not limited to camping, boating, hiking, swimming, water skiing, and fishing.
Ice Castles
A winter only activity that definitely deserves some recognition are the ice castles. Every year Ice Castles unveils a castle made only of…ice. And, we’re talking Elsa-style ice castle here with ice towers, tunnels, archways, canyons and thrones. The ice castle is typically open sometime in December through March.
Horseback Riding at Soldier Hollow
A horseback ride in Solder Hollow will provide breathtaking views of the Wasatch Mountains, Deer Creek Park and Mt Timpanogos all while atop magnificent animals.
Hike Mount Timpanogos
Mount Timpanogos is one of the most recognizable mountains in all of Utah and a very popular hiking destination. There are two trails that are commonly used to reach the summit – the Aspen Grove which is 8.3 miles and Timpooneke Trail which is 7.5 miles. Wildflowers, wildlife and fall colors are wonderful on both trails.
Other Adventure Activities in Heber Valley
Some other activities that are worth a mention include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ATV riding, golf courses, and more.
With so many activities in all four seasons of the year, Heber Valley is the perfect destination for adventure travelers looking to get outside and do as much exploring as possible!
What would you most like to experience in this corner of Utah?
**All photos courtesy of Heber Valley except for Pinterest image which can be found here. This post was brought to you by Heber Valley but all opinions, as always, are my own.**
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Those Ice castles look amazing! I have to admit I definitely thought of Frozen when I saw it!
“Heber Valley is known as Utah’s Switzerland.” It certainly does look like Switzerland- very rugged!
Sounds like a very cool part of the US! Great post, thanks for sharing.
Happy travels 🙂
Heber Valley Railroad may well be the Valley’s biggest and most celebrated attraction, but it’s far from the only attraction. There are a number of different things to do in the area that have become some of Utah’s most well-known attractions. The Heber Valley features sightseeing, museums, spas, art, entertainment, state parks, and many other world-class activities.
The ice castles, mountains and horseback riding have me excited about this place! We are stopping in Utah on our road trip this summer, I’ll have to see if it can fit into our itinerary. We are going to be close to Arches National Park. I’ll have to check the location. If not this time, next time for sure!
I had never even heard of this area but it is lovely and love the views! I am trying to plan a late spring trip for 2017 to Arches and maybe venture over to see friends in SLC while we are there. Maybe we can venture over to Heber Valley, too.
I took what was supposed to be a quick detour into Utah on my last roadtrip – I ended up staying for a week, and it wasn’t nearly long enough. So now I’m planning that my next trip will be just exploring the state. Heber Valley is going on the to-do list!
My friend lives in Utah , I li refer your informative blog post to him for his next adventure trip !
Wow, I would never have guessed that these pictures are from somewhere in the States! Looks so surreal and amazing.
Wow, I never knew about all of these great things to do in Utah! I will definitely have to take the kids there very soon!
I have never been to Utah but have heard so much about all the adventure stuff you can do there. Hope to make it one day…
Wow! Some great activities here! I will have to head here if I ever get to Utah!
Thanks for this informative post.
Yes yes yes!!! Looks amazing! SO beautiful!
Looks awesome. Had never heard of Heber Valley before.