So I just moved here from Kansas--going to U of U.

Any caves? Best places to hike? Awesome eats? Free shooting ranges? Light off-roading (stock F150 FX4)?  Anything else I should know?

Went to the smelly Salt Lake yesterday--was awesome. Going to camp out for a week before school starts up near Hill AFB. Looking forward to hiking to the very top of all the mountains around here. I am very pleased with the area so far, other than the stupid expensive housing. From the east coast originally so the mountains and desert areas are new to me. So much exploring to do...

Go to The Pie and have some pizza.  Just down the street from the U.

Don't pass up the opportunity to get Muss tickets to football. Best student section in the PAC-12. Great football schedule this year. If the Utes win even six games, they will have earned a bowl bid.

Yeah, about 3/4 of the land mass of the state meets both those descriptions.

Goblin Valley and Arches National Park are pretty popular hiking spots.

The hiking is awesome here. For a someone new to the area, I would suggest these:

1. Ensign Peak
2. Grandeur Peak (from Milcreek Canyon side)
3. 5th Water Hot Springs (bring some lady friends with)
4. Cecret Lake (Top of Little Cottonwood Canyon
5. Lake Solitude (Eat at Silver Fork Lodge after, great breakfast and rubens)


Food:

Moochies, Sigfried's Deli, Red Rock, Cup Bop (Korean BBQ Food Truck), Settebello Pizza, R&R BBQ.

Caves-Timpanogos Cave is ran by the .gov, you can hike up and have a tour. There are a few clubs that check out caves and mines. It may be best to go with these folks or someone else who has experience.

Welcome to the state, feel free to hit me up if you need have any other questions.

Thanks for the info. Had Pie pizza last night--BBQ chicken. It is tied for some of the best pizza I've ever had, right up there with Mellow Mushroom in Florida.

Parked in a residential neighborhood and started walking up the mountain. Beautiful view! Spooked a rattle snake too. Or rather, he spooked me. Hike was cut short due to impending rain. Looking forward to checking out the hot spring and some of the other hikes.

I am going for a Major in Finance.

Try the Greek pizza at the pie, I think it's my favorite one, also Spitz if you are downtown is fantastic

The godfather is good. The Stromboli is just too much stuff for me.

My favorite custom pie there is breakfast bacon and Smoked Gouda.

Where in KS?  I grew up in Olathe.

As for food,
Cafe Rio / Costa Vida - delicious burritos, etc. and you don't have 'em in kansas
Rumbi Island Grill - rice bowls and such, another chain that doesn't exist in ks
Siegfrieds - downtown, delicious German food
Crown Burger - burgers with a big pile of pastrami on top, mmmmmmm
Red Butte Cafe - close by and pretty good if you just want a place to sit down and eat something more than fast food

If you're from the Kansas City area, there's no BBQ here that really compares.  

For light off-roading, you can go up American Fork Canyon and there are lots of forest service roads and trails.  Also do the skyline drive loop from Bountiful to Farmington (starts at the Bountiful "B" and loops to  Farmington Canyon.  You can also drive up to the radar domes at the top of Farmington Peak.  It's all very light, nothing worse than rough dirt roads--you'll not need to get out and look or have a spotter--but the scenery is simply amazing from 4-5k feet above the valley floor.

The Uintah's are nice.  Out east just past Kamas.

Shooting ranges  - I've never been to one in this state.  I just shoot on public land.  Someone closer to downtown might be able to point you in the right direction.  There is a public range not far from the airport though.

Exactly what I was looking for in terms of the off-roading. Will be making a trip there within the next month or two. I was in Wichita.. Decent city, I guess. Just way too boring of a state for me. I have been so much happier since moving to SLC.


I'll have to look up the rules on public land shooting. I hate having people look down on me for having black rifles and getting yelled at for "shooting too fast" while trying to do drills.

For shooting on BLM land, the only rules are: no tracers/incendiary ammo.

 


















 
 

The gun range here in Morgan county can be reserved online.  It's $10 for 2 hours.  Range is yours no range master.  And I have heard FA over there.

Call in sick monday, we are going to shoot for a little bit. in the morning

Oops should have text or called.  

Concealed carry is a go at the U.  

Shooting—Gravel pit past Grantsville or Stansbury Island, both off I-80 West. You can also go off-road at Stansbury too. I hit The New Golden Dragon for Chinese, Penny Ann's Cafe for Breakfast eats, The Copper Onion, Gourmandise, Ruth's Diner, Caputo's Deli, Eggs in the City, Bruges Waffles, The Bayou, Park Cafe... tons more.

How exactly did you "learn the hard way"?  

Salt Lake County's ban on shooting is unlawful.  (It appears that the law doesn't even exist anymore, couldn't find it in the ordinances.)

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=8&f=37&t=427443

ETA: All of SL County's  unlawful weapons ordinances were repealed in 2010. https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=16602

Big Cottonwood canyon is really beautiful.


bear territory, though. Take a gun

Not many bears. Lots of moose. Steer clear, especially mamas and calfs.

I just started an MBA in finance. If you see a huge SOB in the DESBB, it's probably me...

Big Cottonwood canyon is on the map once I get some free time. Looks beautiful. I had no idea that there were moose in Utah! That's awesome. Never seen one in the wild before.






I haven't made it to that building yet.  If you see a guy with tan backpack sporting a patch with a skull wearing a pink hat and chewing on a stick of dynamite, that's me.

Moose, Elk, Mule deer, Pronghorn, Mountain Goats, Big Horn Sheep, The occasional Bison and Whitetail.

Lots of furbearers, Mountain Lions, Black Bear, Bobcat, and last year, a Wolverine sighting on game cam. Anecdotal Wolf sightings. Lots of coyotes - open season year round on 'yotes.

FYI, if you like skiing or boarding, don't bother, the snow sucks here.

Utah, Nevada, Southern Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico make up some of the most fun places a boy can call home.

A really fun LONG couple of "off road" drives are the Pony Express road (turn right about 35 minutes south of Tooele-Pronounced Two-Will-A)  off  Hwy 36.  Drive westerly for a day, turn north for a couple hours hit I-80 somewhere around Wendover (Bendover) NV and go East back to SLC.

The northern (more remote and fun) version of this drive is to find the original transcontinental rail road grade and drive it West towards Nevada for a day.....turn south towards I-80 and Wendover. (A place called Golden Spike would be a good starting point) Rements of old ghost towns and pioneer grave yards (think Hell on Wheels).

Good maps are your best friends. If you can get ahold of older ones you will have more fun-there are "roads" everywhere and it is best to think in terms of general directions and days when describing how to get somewhere. (Go west for half a day etc.)  Leave gates the way you find them-be polite. Out away from the cities you are on your own....don't count on technology to save your ass-it wont.

Both these drives can be simple no drama affairs......or they can be dangerous as hell and kill you depending on weather-be prepared and driving these alone- or until you get a feeling for the climate and how quickly it can change and fuck you up- is foolish. Water (lots of it, extra fuel, a shovel, highlift jack, and chains were ALWAYS in my 4x4's......ALWAYS.  Take your rifles and handguns and warm clothes and or sleep systems.

Another fun drive if you want another amazing view is up to the top of Willard Peak which is north of Ogden and overlooks Willard. You access that "road" from Sardine Canyon and Mantua (hwy 91).

Have fun. Utah is a pretty great place if you like the outdoors and you can happily spend the rest of your life there.

We used to be able to shoot around Utah Lake. I think that is all closed down now , or is there still some area around there open?