Salt Lake City sits inside an hour of alpine reservoirs, red-walled canyons, and a mountain range most people drive straight past on the way to somewhere else. The best day trips from Salt Lake City run in three directions, and each one ends at a place you can park the rig and stay a while. This guide maps them by compass point: east to the reservoirs, up the Provo River to the High Uintas, and south into the canyons.
Here’s what’s covered:
- East to Echo and Rockport reservoirs, with Weber River fishing on the side
- Up State Route 150 to Mirror Lake and the alpine lakes of the High Uintas
- South into Provo Canyon for waterfalls, Sundance, and the Nebo Loop
- Two closer runs you can do straight from the city: the Cottonwood Canyons and Antelope Island
- A quick-reference table pairing each trip with drive time and a basecamp park
The basecamp idea
You can run any of these as an out-and-back from a hotel downtown. You’ll spend a good chunk of the day in traffic on I-15 and I-80 doing it. The other option: point the RV toward the country you actually want to explore and let the day trips get shorter. RJourney runs three parks that ring the Wasatch Front, and each one puts a different set of destinations within a 30-minute drive. Pick your direction, then pick your park.
East to the reservoirs: Echo, Rockport, and the Weber River
Head east on I-80 and the city drops away fast. About 50 minutes out, near Coalville, two reservoirs sit within 15 minutes of each other. Echo Reservoir is the bigger one, wide open for boating, waterskiing, and warm-water fishing (rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass). Rockport, a few miles south on the Weber River, is the quieter of the two, with a state park, a marina, and swimming beaches. Between them runs the Weber River itself, a genuinely good tailwater for fly fishing and an easy afternoon of tubing when the flows are right.
Basecamp: Roam Echo Island RV Resort, Coalville, UT. This one sits right in the reservoir country, with 160 full-hookup sites, 2 heated pools, a streamside cold dip, a stocked fishing pond, and Weber River access out the back. Big-rig friendly, pull-through sites, camp store on site. Call (801) 903-9265 or check availability at Roam Echo Island.
Up the Provo River to the High Uintas and Mirror Lake
Kamas is the gateway town for the High Uintas, about an hour east of Salt Lake City. From there, State Route 150, the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, climbs from sagebrush foothills to alpine lakes above 10,000 feet. Mirror Lake itself sits under the bald granite of Bald Mountain and Hayden Peak, ringed by a campground and easy shoreline trails. Along the way you pass Provo River Falls, a set of tiered cascades right off the road, and dozens of pull-offs for lakes you can fish or paddle.
Two things to plan around. The byway is seasonal: UDOT opens the gates in mid-May and closes them at the Soapstone gate in late fall once the snow sets in, so it’s a summer and early-fall trip. And while driving the road is free, stopping at any of the recreation areas requires a Forest Service recreation pass, sold at the entrance stations and local shops. The Provo River down in the valley is a blue-ribbon trout fishery, so pack the rod either way.
Basecamp: Roam Uinta RV Resort, Kamas, UT. It sits on the Provo River right where SR-150 begins, which means the alpine lakes are a scenic 30 to 90 minutes up the hill and the river is at your feet. Call (435) 214-1452 or check availability at Roam Uinta.
South to the canyons: Provo Canyon, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Nebo Loop
Run south on I-15 about 50 minutes and the Wasatch canyons open up around Provo and Springville. Provo Canyon (US-189) is the headliner: Bridal Veil Falls drops 600 feet in two tiers right beside the road, the paved Provo River Parkway trail runs the canyon floor for cyclists and walkers, and Sundance Mountain Resort sits a few miles up with lift-served hiking and a scenic ski-lift ride in summer. Deer Creek Reservoir at the top of the canyon is the local spot for sailing and paddleboarding.
Two more worth the drive. Timpanogos Cave National Monument, in American Fork Canyon, is a ranger-guided tour through three limestone caverns reached by a steep 1.5-mile hike; the caves open for the season around May 18 and tickets sell through Recreation.gov, so book ahead. And the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway starts just south in Payson, climbing past Payson Lakes and overlooks of Mount Nebo, the tallest peak in the Wasatch Range at 11,928 feet.
Basecamp: Roam Springville RV Resort, Springville, UT. It puts Provo Canyon, the Nebo Loop, and Utah Lake all within a short drive, and it’s the closest of the three parks to Timpanogos Cave. Call (801) 491-0700 or check availability at Roam Springville.
Closer runs: the Cottonwood Canyons and Antelope Island
Two day trips sit so close to the city you can do them from anywhere. Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons climb straight out of the southeast suburbs, about 45 minutes to trailheads like Cecret Lake, Donut Falls, and the Brighton lakes loop. Be aware that big rigs and trailers face length restrictions on the canyon roads, so these are better as a car or truck side trip from your site than a place to tow into.
Antelope Island State Park runs the opposite way, about 45 minutes northwest across a causeway into the Great Salt Lake. A free-roaming bison herd, pronghorn, and some of the best sunset views in the state make it worth the drive, and the visitor center explains why the lake is so salty you float without trying.
Day trips from Salt Lake City at a glance
| Day trip | Direction / drive from SLC | Closest RJourney basecamp |
|---|---|---|
| Echo & Rockport reservoirs, Weber River | East, ~50 min | Roam Echo Island (Coalville) |
| Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, High Uintas | East, ~1 hr to Kamas | Roam Uinta (Kamas) |
| Provo Canyon, Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance | South, ~50 min | Roam Springville (Springville) |
| Nebo Loop Scenic Byway | South, ~1 hr to Payson | Roam Springville (Springville) |
| Timpanogos Cave National Monument | South, ~50 min to American Fork Canyon | Roam Springville (Springville) |
| Cottonwood Canyons | Southeast, ~45 min | Any (car side trip) |
| Antelope Island State Park | Northwest, ~45 min | Any |
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best day trip from Salt Lake City with an RV?
For RVers, the reservoir run east toward Echo and Rockport is the easiest, since the roads stay flat and open and you can tow right to the water. If you want alpine scenery, base near Kamas and drive up the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in a car or truck, leaving the trailer at your site.
Is the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway open year-round?
It’s seasonal. UDOT opens the gates around mid-May and closes them at the Soapstone gate in late fall once heavy snow arrives, so plan on a summer through early-fall visit. Driving the byway is free, but stopping at recreation areas requires a Forest Service pass.
Do you need reservations for Timpanogos Cave?
Yes. Every cave visit is a ranger-guided tour capped at 16 people, and tours sell out daily in summer. Tickets are sold through Recreation.gov from 30 days out to 1 hour before the tour. The season opens around May 18, 2026.
Point the rig east
The best day trips from Salt Lake City reward staying close to the country instead of the airport. Reservoirs to the east, the High Uintas up SR-150, and the canyons to the south each earn a full day, and each one has an RJourney park at the trailhead. Pick a direction and check availability at Roam Echo Island, Roam Uinta, or Roam Springville. Summer weekends fill fast.
