Restaurants, parks, museums and more: places you can go most days, with no date to catch. Pick a category; the number on each is how many places it has with the choices you have made.
10 places.
A flat mile of boardwalk around an alpine lake at the top of Big Cottonwood, with moose seen often at dawn and dusk. Stroller friendly and about twenty degrees cooler than the valley. The car park fills by nine on summer weekends, and dogs are banned in the watershed.
Freeabout 60 minutes · up to age 90
Short hike to a real suspension bridge, which gives a young child an obvious destination instead of an abstract one. Start from the Coyote Hollow trailhead for the shortest approach. Shares trail with mountain bikers, so keep children to one side.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 4–75
A mile to a real alpine lake, short enough for a determined six year old, with the best wildflowers in the range in late July. Snow lingers into early summer and it is high enough that the walk feels harder than the distance suggests. Parking is paid and limited.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 5–70
Short hike to a waterfall pouring through a hole in the rock. The last scramble to the falls is slick and not for small children, and the turning is closed in winter. Go on a weekday or before eight; the lot fills and the road backs up by mid-morning.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 5–70
Gentle old road grade up a shaded canyon, so it climbs without ever feeling steep, which is the rare combination that works with a five year old. Best in spring when it is green; the last stretch of access road is dirt and gets rutted after storms.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 4–75
Reservoir at the first mile makes a natural turnaround with children. Parking fills early on Saturday mornings.
Freeabout 2.5 hours · ages 7–70
Paved and flat the whole way, which makes it the reliable answer for a family ride with mixed abilities. Rideable in winter when it is clear.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 2–90
Flat paved loop around the lake in Daybreak, about three miles, with playgrounds and beaches spaced along it so a tired child is never far from a reason to stop. Works with a stroller or a balance bike.
Freeabout 75 minutes · ages 2–85
Dirt jumps and trail riding. Hot and exposed by midday in summer.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 8–60
Paved half-mile loop at the mouth of Little Cottonwood past the granite the temple was cut from. Short enough for a toddler and flat enough for a stroller or wheelchair, and it pairs well with something else nearby.
Freeabout 30 minutes · up to age 90
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