I am so glad I told my best friend that I wanted to tag along on her solo trip to Utah a few weeks ago! Amy and I have been besties since we were cheerleaders together in middle school. We go way back and have traveled together for decades. Of course, kids, careers, etc. have slowed that down a lot over the past few years, but we have no problem picking back up right where we left off!
So, I posted a photo taken last fall on FaceBook, just reminiscing about traveling. Amy commented on it, and a little exchange took place where she told me she had just booked a solo trip to Utah. I had just had to cancel my family’s trip to Boston because we all had Covid and had missed too many days of work and games. My boys are loving fall baseball and football! I was half serious, half joking, when I commented back, “Take me with you!” And the rest is history. I didn’t even really know where she was going or what she was planning to do, but Utah is one of my favorite states to visit!! And I knew we’d have a great time together anywhere.
Amy had booked an amazing hotel in Snowbird, Utah called The Cliff Lodge. Check it out, this place is stunning. She also rented a red mustang convertible for the long weekend, so all I had to do was book my flights to and from Salt Lake City. And as luck would have it, both flights had the seat next to hers available! Which we totally took as a sign that I was meant to be there with her. We are both teachers, so we left on a Friday evening after school and took full advantage of our Monday holiday and flew back home that evening. It was the perfect amount of time to spend in the mountains!
What we didn’t plan for was the weather! Well, we did, but it all changed right before we left. I always look ahead at long range forecasts and for a week or so, it was looking like the perfect fall weekend. Temps were supposed to be in the 60s and sunny the whole time. A day before we left, the forecast had a major change which included rain, snow, and cold/cloudy conditions. Our packing took a 180 and sweaters, coats, and gloves now filled our suitcases. We were kind of bummed about the rain, but we decided we’d spend the rainy day at the hotel spa! We booked a yoga class and massages. Well, it ended up not raining at all. Instead, we got the first snow of the season. It snowed all day and all night, which we loved!
We woke up Sat morning to a dusting of snow, which amplified the gorgeous fall colors. We ordered room service for breakfast and then left for yoga. We watched the snow pick up while we exercised and then headed up to the roof top hot tub at the spa. Then we had massages and enjoyed the eucalyptus steam room. The snow began slowing down, so we decided to go enjoy a hike in the mountains! Oh my gosh, the trail was beautiful and we loved every minute of it. We searched for nearby trails near us using the AllTrails app. We picked Gloria Falls because it was only a few minutes from our hotel and the trail is rated easy and only about 2.2 miles out and back. The fall colors were everything these Texas girls were hoping to find here!
It seemed like the snow was over for the day, but little did we know, it ended up snowing overnight. On Sunday, we woke up to a winter wonderland! We wanted to do a sunrise hike to the top of a mountain, so we were up and ready to head out by 6:30 am. We chose the hike to Cecret Lake because it was marked as easy on the AllTrails App. However, due to the snow we got overnight, the road leading up to the trail was closed, so we had to start the hike in the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain. This added about 1.5 miles to our hike and what was supposed to be easy, ended up being quite strenuous. I mean, we basically walked up the side of a mountain in a foot of snow! But the views were totally worth every once of pain! I kept saying, “It feels like I’m in a snow globe!”
After we finished this hike, we decided to go back to the hotel to rest and warm up. We ordered room service for lunch and binged a couple of true crime shows on tv. Then we decided to drive the mustang through the mountains with the top down! We had a blast singing to songs on the radio and talking about life. We also enjoyed the short loop around Silver Lake.
We found a nice Mexican food restaurant in Sandy, UT on the way back to the hotel called, La Fountain Mexican Restaurant. It was really delicious! Then we ventured back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the evening. We binged some more true crime shows in face masks and had a relaxing evening in.
On Monday, we had a 6:00 pm flight back to Dallas, so we decided to spend the day in Salt Lake City before our journey home. We had some Italian food at Brio Italian Grille and then ventured out to a nearby souvenir shop. The weather was getting chilly, windy, and rainy so we decided to head to the airport a little earlier than needed. We wanted to visit Temple Square and see the Tabernacle, but the conditions outside just weren’t favorable for that. Maybe next time!
Overall, we had the best time in Utah! Snowbird is one of my new favorite places to visit! I honestly believe that this destination is perfect for a girls trip, family trip, or even a romantic get away!
Let me know if you need any help making plans and be sure to follow me on Instagram at road_trip_queen.
Road Trip Queen 