Utah 101

Pioneer Day, celebrated on July 24th, is Utah's state holiday honoring the arrival of the 1847 pioneers, featuring parades, fireworks, rodeos, and community festivities statewide. Similar to July 4, many local and all state-run government offices and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day, including Utah State University.

A Utah staple: a mix of ketchup and mayonnaise, often served with fries.

In Utah, the powder is addictive but it's not an illegal drug. "Powder" refers to Utah's "Greatest Snow on Earth", Utah's claim to fame for world-class skiing.

A cheesy, potato casserole dish that's a staple at potlucks and family gatherings.

A quirky Utah stereotype that stems from the state's past as one of the highest consumers of Jell-O per capita.

A weather phenomenon in winter where cold air gets trapped under warm air, leading to smoggy conditions in Salt Lake City and Cache Valley.

Utah slang for skipping class or work (not that we recommend it!).

The area between Salt Lake and Utah Counties, a major landmark for locals.

Slang for rival schools: BYU (The Y), University of Utah (The U), and SUU (Southern Utah Thunderbirds).

Summer (June – September)

"Blazing hot with a side of snow." Most of the state experiences dry, triple-digit heat, but in the mountains, you can still find snow patches in June. Afternoon thunderstorms roll in like clockwork, and in southern Utah, it's so hot that hiking is best done at sunrise—or not at all.

Winter (November – March-ish)

"The Greatest Snow on Earth... or a frozen inversion bubble." Skiers love Utah's powder-perfect slopes, but the valleys sometimes get stuck under a gray inversion layer, trapping pollution and cold air. One day it's dumping snow, and the next, it's 50°F and everything melts—only to freeze again into an ice rink overnight.

Spring (March – May)

"All four seasons in a single day." One moment, it's sunny and 65°F, and the next, a blizzard rolls in. Utahns joke that "False Spring" happens multiple times before the real thing finally sticks. March is particularly wild—you can ski in the morning and then get a sunburn in the afternoon.

Old Ephraim was a famous 10-foot-tall grizzly bear that roamed Logan Canyon until he was hunted in 1923. His massive skull is now displayed at Utah State University, and a stone monument in Logan Canyon marks the spot where he fell.

Located in Fishlake National Forest, Pando is a single aspen grove covering 106 acres—but all 47,000+ trees are connected by one root system, making it one of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth!

The town of Levan is said to be named because it's the "navel" (belly button) of Utah—"navel" spelled backward!

Utah is the only state with an official cooking vessel: the Dutch oven, famous for making everything from cowboy stews to peach cobbler.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are so vast and flat that cars have broken world speed records here—including a rocket car hitting over 600 mph! The otherworldly landscape has also been featured in Hollywood films like Independence Day and The World's Fastest Indian.

The Great Salt Lake is so salty that people float effortlessly, but due to drought and diversion, it's now less than half its original size.

The Spiral Jetty, a 1,500-foot rock formation in the Great Salt Lake, was built in 1970 and sometimes disappears under the water when the lake rises.

The first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise was opened in Salt Lake City in 1952 after Colonel Sanders partnered with a local Utah businessman.

Utah has more dinosaur fossils than almost anywhere else, and it's home to the Utahraptor, one of the largest raptors ever known to exist. The Utahraptor was discovered in the state and named after it—it more closely resembles the terrifying raptors in Jurassic Park than the much smaller Velociraptor.

Utahns consume more Jell-O per capita than any other state, so much so that green Jell-O is unofficially associated with Utah culture.