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All the United States Utah

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Utah

159 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Utah

Updated August 1, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
Salt Lake City
Moab
Wendover
Hanksville
Hoodoos from ground level
Kanab
History collapsed awaits the next wave of promise at Satan’s Land
Provo
All Cities
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  2. Corinne
  3. Delta
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  6. Hanksville
  7. Herriman
  8. Hurricane
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  10. Lehi
  11. Moab
  12. Monticello
  13. Ogden
  14. Panguitch
  15. Provo
  16. Salt Lake City
  17. Sandy
  18. Spanish Fork
  19. Springdale
  20. St. George
  21. Vernal
  22. Wendover
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Utah

Nine Mile Canyon - the BLM has advised it as “an area of critical environmental concern”

Carbon County, Utah

Nine Mile Canyon

Here, at the "world's longest art gallery," you'll find forty miles of ancient petroglyphs and pictographs.
The “Wall Street” section of Zion Narrows in Zion National Park

Springdale, Utah

The Narrows

The hike through a narrow river flanked by the 2,000-foot-tall walls of Zion Canyon is one of the best in the world.
Sunlight from the dome’s opening plays on the surface of the spring water, reflecting on the rock face inside

Midway, Utah

Homestead Crater

This geothermal hot spring hides beneath a slowly growing mineral dome.
Pando, the Trembling Giant

Richfield, Utah

Pando, the Trembling Giant

One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.

Bryce, Utah

Bryce Canyon

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

Moab, Utah

Hole N" the Rock

A house carved into a rock in the 1940s.
Spooky Gulch sun-ray

Kane, Utah

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

This rugged area of red rocks and arches is often considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
The Goblin (aka The Witch)

Vernal, Utah

Fantasy Canyon

Sandstone rock formations that look like they belong on the cover of a progressive rock album.
See All 159 Things To Do in Utah

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Utah

Oakley, Utah

Oakley Diner

What's a diner from the 1939 World's Fair doing in a remote Utah mountain town?

Huntsville, Utah

Shooting Star Saloon

Eat burgers beneath gargantuan taxidermy and thousands of dollar bills in Utah's oldest continuously-operating bar.
Snelgrov Ice Cream Cone

Salt Lake City, Utah

Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone

This giant ice cream cone is the last remaining icon of a Salt Lake City staple.
Mmmm

Hurricane, Utah

Pioneer Heritage Museum

A museum has some wedding cake dating to the Teddy Roosevelt administration, and some bacon from FDR's.
See all 6 Places to Eat in Utah
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

6 Sweet and Savory Snacks Concocted in Utah

More than half of Utah’s population is Mormon, which translates to more than 1.5 million citizens who eschew coffee, alcohol, and cigarettes. Sugar, however, is not restricted. This may explain why the state’s candy-eating rate is twice the national average: Everyone needs a vice. Or perhaps it’s that Mormons’ proclivity for large families skews the demographics in favor of sweets and starches—more kids equals more unbridled sugar fiends.Couple the state's bounty of confectionary with its proximity to Idaho, and you've got a wealth of potato-based treats to contend with, as well. In some cases, potatoes and dessert become one. Our advice? Don't knock it until you try it.

View Itinerary

Explore Utah

Geology 27
Nature 20
Natural Wonders 17
Rocks 14
Rock Formations 14
Geological Oddities 13
Museums 12
Abandoned 11
Ghost Towns 11
Art 10
Water 10
Wild West 9

Utah Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. slgwv
    14
  2. CuriousMichele
    5
  3. Dr Alan P Newman
    4
  4. mckaylenker
    4
  5. mikewalker
    4
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Utah.

Places Edited

  1. Collector of Experiences
    35
  2. breaingram
    27
  3. WhiskeyBristles
    22
  4. slgwv
    22
  5. Rachel
    9

Places Visited

  1. sarahwilson6742
    107
  2. etaa4
    94
  3. Baljeet
    89
  4. jamesarvidson
    87
  5. JennyBenny
    75

Recent Utah Activity

  • Cheyanne

    has been to Wedge Overlook

  • Cheyanne

    has been to Buckhorn Wash Pictograph Panel

  • Cheyanne

    has been to Hole N" the Rock

  • Cheyanne

    has been to Mexican Hat

  • Cheyanne

    has been to Forrest Gump Point

Stories About Utah

Turns out the Pacific Ocean and Utah desert have a lot in common.

How Cold War Spying From Space Connected the Galaxy to Utah

NASA and the private space sector are now turning to technology used for a top-secret 1960s mission.
by Danny Robb
February 27, 2025
In the American West, preventing wildfires is becoming all the more crucial. Meet one of the helpers.

Why NASA Is Watching Where Idaho’s Parachuting Beavers Landed

The mini-paratroopers have a new role to play today.
by Danielle Hallock
January 25, 2024
Eggnog, technically, comes from space.

Asteroid Collisions, Wandering Spacecraft, and Eggnog

Taking holiday a moment to appreciate how Earth got its water—and eggnog and mulled wine.
by Robin George Andrews
December 21, 2023
Pando, called simply The Tree by those who know it best—and love it most—is a single organism that covers an area larger than 100 football fields.

Pando As You've Never Seen It Before

The Utah aspen grove is one of the world's oldest and largest living things. It's finally getting its close-up.
by Amiee Maxwell
May 16, 2023
Iridescent green figeater beetles (Cotinis mutabilis) have long been used as adornments in cultures around the world.

Were These Beetles Once as Valuable as Gemstones?

Archaeologists believe jewelry made from the bugs was a coveted status symbol 2,000 years ago.
by Shoshi Parks
March 23, 2023
A 171-foot-tall white stain, left by the retreating waters of Lake Powell, looms over a lone human as he strides across a sandstone fin in the heart of Glen Canyon.

The Return of Glen Canyon

As Lake Powell's water levels continue to drop, a stunning landscape resurfaces—along with questions about the future of the Colorado River and those who depend on it.
by Craig Childs
March 6, 2023

Podcast: Goblin Valley State Park

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
May 17, 2022
The quaking aspen known as Pando is one of the planet’s largest and oldest living organisms.

Pando, the World’s Largest Organism, Is Being Eaten by Deer

Utah's 106-acre stand of quaking aspen clones has survived for millennia, but faces threats large and small.
by Richard Elton Walton
December 6, 2021

Lists Featuring Utah

View from Hell’s Backbone Bridge overlooking Box-Death Hollow Wilderness Area
Looking down the Burr Trail Switchbacks
The Goblin (aka The Witch)

From Desert Waterfalls to Wind-Carved Hoodoos: Dive Into Utah’s Wild Dreamscapes

Sponsored by Visit Utah
8

Including Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument , Hell's Backbone Scenic Road, and Burr Trail Switchbacks

View westward from the trail, toward the Colorado River.
Oblique view of the west arch, looking southeast.  The edge of the east arch is barely visible at the top of the photo.
Near the entrance to Tusher Tunnel, Moab Area, UT
Potash evaporation ponds

The Mysterious Petroglyphs and Twisted Towers Beyond Utah’s National Parks

Sponsored by Visit Utah
6

Including Fisher Towers, Gemini Bridges, and Tusher Tunnel

Devil’s Kitchen
Goblin Valley
Cedar Breaks National  Monument
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

You’ve Never Seen Stars Like This: Underneath Utah’s Mind-Blowing Night Skies

Sponsored by Visit Utah
6

Including Devil's Kitchen, Goblin Valley State Park, and Cedar Breaks National Monument

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
Double Negative’s north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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