Delta
Local Highlights
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Delta Snow Goose Festival
Every spring, watch thousands of snow geese fly over Delta on their annual 3,000-mile migration back to Canada. Delta is situated along the route from their California winter home and hosts the Delta Snow Goose Festival during the February migration. Attend to run the Wild Goose Chase 5K or 10K, observe the snow geese, and visit a craft and quilt fair put on by local artisans.
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Great Basin Museum
Learn about the area and Great Basin at this free museum that uses historic objects and photos to tell the stories of Delta’s past. A haven for rockhounders searching for geodes, trilobites, and rarer fossils, Great Basin Museum showcases many local rocks.
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Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Minutes from Delta, you’ll find this calm reservoir that’s perfect for water skiing, boating, and relaxing. A peninsula in the lake keeps large waves from forming so it’s never too choppy, and the shallow depth keeps the water warm. Entrance to Gunnison Bend Reservoir is free, and there are plenty of picnic tables, pavilions, and a boat dock.
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Sunset View Golf Course
Play a round at this oasis in the desert at Sunset View Golf Course, a challenging 18-hole, par-72 course with amazing views spread over 7,000 yards.
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Topaz Museum
The Central Utah Relocation Center — commonly referred to as “Topaz” because of its proximity to the Topaz mountain range — is one of 10 camps created in the United States during World War II to hold Americans of Japanese ancestry. The story of this event, including the eventual formal apology and monetary compensation to former internees in 1990, is preserved in stunning detail at the Topaz Museum in Delta, Utah.
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Van's Dance Hall
Once voted the best dance hall in America, Van’s Dance Hall is the place many World War II love stories began. Veterans met their wives here and people danced the night away until its closure in the 1960s. Famous more for what it was than what it is today, the dance hall sits empty but intact, with Delta residents hoping to restore it to its former glory.
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Grand Adventure in the Great Basin
In this five-day itinerary you won’t find many crowds. But take your time and you’ll find this desert geography isn’t so empty after all.
Highlights
- Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum
- Pahvant Valley Heritage Trail
- Topaz Incarceration Camp and Museum
- Sinbad Road / Hermit Cabin
- Great Basin National Park
- Cove Fort
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West Desert Ramble & The Pony Express
This itinerary is a three-day adventure along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in Utah's West Desert. Visit Simpson Springs, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Gold Hill and more.
Highlights
- Camp Floyd State Park Museum
- Fish Springs Wildlife Refuge
- Pony Express National Historic Trail
- Historic Wendover Airfield
What's Nearby
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Beehive Charcoal Kilns
Near Leamington, alongside on S.R. 132 northeast of Delta, look for two well-preserved charcoal kilns from the pioneer era. Built from stone and shaped like beehives, the kilns were likely built in 1871.
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Eureka Ghost Town
On state Route 6 from Salt Lake City to Delta, you’ll find the mining ghost town of Eureka. Founded in 1870 when gold and silver were discovered there, the population boomed in 1910 to nearly 4,000 inhabitants. Today, 600 folks still call Eureka home, and its historic buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Explore its mining heyday at the old jail and the Tintic Mining Museum.
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Fort Deseret
Head over to the neighboring town of Deseret and see Utah’s last remaining adobe fort. Built in 1865 to protect settlers during the Black Hawk Indian War, the adobe mud and straw mixture used in Fort Deseret’s construction was “mixed by the feet of oxen,” and built in just 18 days by 98 men.
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Great Basin National Heritage Area
The federally-designated Great Basin National Heritage Area (branded locally as “Great Basin Territory”) covers all of the highlights for travelers between Delta and Great Basin National Park, which lies near the Utah and Nevada state border. If you like the sound of ghost towns, wild horses, rockhounding for ancient fossils and remote hot springs — this is the heritage area for you.
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Great Basin National Park
Delta is the gateway to Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, one of the country’s least-visited national parks due to its remote location. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit! Great Basin is home to 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak (the state’s second highest mountain), Lehman Caves and ancient bristlecone pine trees. Guided cave tours showcase Lehman’s limestone stalagmites, stalactites and rarer formations. See the world’s oldest known living trees on bristlecone pine trails to Wheeler Peak, Eagle Peak and Mount Washington.
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Little Sahara Sand Dunes
Explore the remnants of an ancient river delta at 60,000-acre Little Sahara Recreation Area, 38 miles from Delta. Off-highway-vehicle riding is the most popular pursuit for exploring the region’s sand dunes and trails, and it’s especially popular to climb Sand Mountain — a 700-foot wall of sand. Venture off from here and you’ll likely be all alone in this huge expanse of the Sevier Desert.
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Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum
The town of Fillmore briefly served as Utah’s territorial capital, and territory leader Brigham Young directed the building of the territorial statehouse in 1851 in anticipation of gaining statehood. Unfortunately, just one wing of the building was completed and one legislative session held there in 1855 before the capital moved to Salt Lake City. The building has since functioned as a dance hall, jail, school and library. Today it’s a pioneer history museum.
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Trilobite Fossils & Rockhounding
Find ancient fossils at U-Dig Fossils, a private trilobite quarry an hour west of Delta. It has one of the world’s richest collections of trilobites, and it’s finders keepers—take home whatever you unearth.
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Yuba Lake State Park
Sandy beaches, warm water, and excellent fishing draw visitors to Yuba Lake State Park, just one hour east of Delta. Yuba Reservoir welcomes every type of water recreationist, and there’s even boat-camping along its shores.
Discover More
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5 Hot Springs for a Romantic Utah Long Weekend
For those seeking a slice of paradise, the mineral-rich hot springs of Utah are a picture-perfect destination for a romantic getaway built for two.
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5 Road Trip-Worthy Restaurants in Kanab, Utah
Hungry for a culinary renaissance? Or a small-town staple? Whatever you’re craving, fuel your outdoor adventures at these favorite Kanab restaurants.
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Artisan Cheese in Red Rock Country
Two decades ago, Randy Ramsley traded his Dockers-and-tie city job for a 50 acre plot of land that he called a “Garden of Weedin” and the dream of establishing a sustainable farmstead. Now travelers from all over the globe know the small market and counter-service restaurant at Mesa Farm as a refreshing “must-do” respite seemingly plunked in the middle of nowhere on Highway 24 east of Capitol Reef National Park.
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Best Après Ski Bars in Park City and Beyond
Want to master the art of après? Here’s your guide to the best après-ski bars in Park City and the Wasatch Front.
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Discover the Breweries of the Wasatch Front
Over the past two decades, Salt Lake’s breweries have grown into a culture all their own. Here’s what you need to start planning a pub crawl with this collection of Salt Lake’s most popular breweries.
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Eating Up Mount Timpanogos
Learn about the Utah farms near Mt. Timpanogos that produce luscious lettuce and artisan cheese. Make your own plans to “eat up” Mt. Timpanogos!
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Frisco: West Desert Ghost Town
Standing in the Basin and Range topography of Utah's West Desert at ghost town Frisco, you'll feel the solitude of the space
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Heber Eats
Heber Valley is a basecamp for adventure with none of the crowds! With restaurants, bakeries, yurt dining and more there is never a shortage of places to eat.
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Hell's Backbone Grill
Boulder, Utah sits at the edge of wilderness, but Hell's Backbone Grill culinary ethics and farm-to-table cuisine puts most city dining to shame.
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Kiva Koffeehouse
Kiva Koffeehouse is a welcome stop for fresh food and espresso tucked on a hillside down a dirt driveway near milepost 73 on the scenic byway.
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Meet the Women Leading Utah's Food and Beverage Renaissance
When it comes to food and beverage in Utah, there are key influencers who have been the proponents of change, growth, and the role of women in Utah’s food scene.
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Mesa Farm Market
Best local shops and healthy eats near Moab and Capitol Reef. Try the goat cheese!
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Navajo: Fry Bread, Tacos, Pizza
Despite its troubling origins, Navajo fry bread is an inspired food of the nation’s people, and it can be found in many forms with various names around the southwest.
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Short List: Local Salt Lake City Nightlife Picks
Make the most of winter's shortened daylight by extending your Utah ski trip into the night. Sure, some resorts offer incredible night skiing — so, okay, after that — but then the night really gets going in downtown Ski City.
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The Herds of the West Desert
Searching for wild mustangs amongst Utah’s rolling hills.
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Utah at 15 mph
When it comes to family bike tours, Utah is tough to beat. Learn how to plan a family-friendly bike tour and see what this state has to offer!
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Utah Spirits Tours
Utahns have rediscovered distilling. Sample the merchandise on a gin distillery tour, stay for dinner and taste Utah whiskey, vodka and more on other tours.
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Utah's Rum Underdogs
Utah distilleries are becoming very popular. Distillery 36 is rising to the top of the list. Drink in their story and then let’s toast with Brigham agricole rum!
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Utah’s Fruit Way: Harvest Time Along Old Highway 89
Headed to Bear Lake, Golden Spike National Historical Park or the Bear Lake Migratory Bird Refuge? Stock up with fresh road-trip snacks and dinner provisions direct from family-run farm stands, all within a stone’s throw of the region’s many historic farms and orchards.
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Utah’s Women Make History
Walk in the footsteps of Utah’s earliest women’s suffrage leaders at sites throughout downtown Salt Lake City. Along the way, view public art installations commemorating voting rights and stop at trail-adjacent local women-owned businesses.
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Want Wine? Utah Has an App for That!
Search for and locate any wine, beer or spirit in the entire statewide inventory using an app.
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Welcome to the 5%: Liquor Laws Support Utah's Vibrant Craft Brew Scene
While Utah still has some unconventional liquor laws on the books, they aren’t an impediment to enjoying the local creations. So raise a glass to your next trip to Utah — you won’t be disappointed.
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Where to Eat and Drink in St. George
As you explore St. George and Greater Zion seeking excellent food, coffee and drinks, you’ll want to add these top restaurants to your list.
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Where’s the Meat?
Taking the blue highways, finding a local diner or picking up fresh fruit from a family-run farm store gets us that much more in touch with the flow of seasons and feeling grounded in our sense of place as we travel. And shrinking the circle of our food sourcing has become a priority for many people even, and especially, while on the road.
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Women in the Wild: Transformation and the Outdoors
Paula Colman joins a weekend retreat for women in Moab, Utah, that has an eye-catching mission: Build your tribe. Connect with your inner spirit. Transform body, mind and spirit around the theme: “Ignite the Flame Within.” Follow along as she seeks her authentic self and learn how to find your own Tribe.
