Utah is a state defined by its varied geography, from the great Salt Lake to the barren red rock canyons , famed rock formations, and green mountain valleys. Its ski resorts and national parks attract thousands of visitors annually, and most begin their trek in the state capital: Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is unique in America as a monument to religious freedom. The city was built as a place of refuge for the Mormons to practice their faith freely, following their exodus from the east and mid-west. Interestingly, it is believed that the great Jesuit missionary Fr. Pierre Jean DeSmet, as he was returning from Oregon, met Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers while they were wintering in Nebraska and provided them with information about the Salt Lake Valley, guiding their decision to settle here.
Temple Square is the main draw for visitors to the city, crowned with its gleaming six spired Mormon Temple and the adjoining Salt Lake Tabernacle performance hall, home to the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and its 11,000 pipe organ. You may be surprised to learn that this Temple was also the site where one of the most interesting conversion stories in American Catholic history began. Cora Evans, a young Mormon girl, was married here in 1924. It was her marriage at the Temple that led her to immediately reject the secrecy of the marriage ritual and question the teachings of the Mormon church. Her heart began to stir in search of the truth. It took her ten years, but she eventually converted to Catholicism and became a famed mystic, stigmatist, and writer. Her witness led to the conversion of hundreds of Mormons across Utah. She has been recognized as a Servant of God and her cause for canonization is now being considered.
Cathedral of the Madeleine
Just off of Temple Square is the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the seat of the bishop of Salt Lake City and a place of pilgrimage to venerate the exposed relic of the sinner- turned-saint who famously washed the feet of Jesus with her tears.
A somewhat unlikely discovery in the heart of Mormon Utah, it is the only cathedral in the United States dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. The beautiful artwork within the Cathedral depicts the biblical stories of Mary Magdalene, including an original Renaissance-era painting of the saint above the main altar which was brought back from Rome by one of the city’s earliest bishops. St. Mary Magdalene’s relic is displayed in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, as is a relic of the True Cross. The other noteworthy piece of art in the Cathedral is the Shrine of the Good Shepherd, with an icon of Christ the Good Shepherd set against Utah’s Arches National Park in the background.
Elsewhere in Salt Lake City
After visiting the Cathedral, there are several unique and family friendly activities in and around the downtown. On the campus of the University of Utah is the Natural History Museum of Utah where you can see a significant collection of dinosaur fossils; also on the campus is the Olympic Cauldron Park. Just outside of the downtown, you can hike to the top of the Ensign Peak for spectacular views over the city and a short drive away in Farmington is the Lagoon theme park, complete with an early twentieth century rollercoaster and re-created 19th century frontier village.
Experiencing the wonders of God in nature
It is the great outdoors that attracts most visitors to Utah. Within a short drive of Salt Lake City, there are some spectacular natural attractions that give witness to the beauty and splendor of God’s creation.
Some of the best skiing and mountain vacations are in the Greater Salt Lake City area. Located 35 miles from Salt Lake City, Park City is the most popular. It is home to two large resorts: Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort, which has 155 runs. Its Main Street has preserved its nineteenth century western feel and each winter it draws thousands of visitors for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Park City is also home to the Utah Olympic Park, one of the premier venues of the 2002 Olympics.
About 40 miles from Salt Lake City is Ogden, the town where Cora Evans lived and underwent the final stages of her conversion to Catholicism. The local parish, St. Joseph’s Church, is where she was received into the Catholic faith in 1935 and she is said to have attracted over 1,000 Mormons to visit the church, many of whom later converted. The city is the basecamp to three ski resorts that offer a combined 11,600 skiable acres and 500 feet of snow: Nordic Valley, Powder Mountain, and Snowbasin Resort. Along Ogden’s Historic Main Street is the old Union Station with its popular locomotive, classic cars, and firearms museums. At Hill Air Force Base is the ever popular Hill Aerospace Museum, with an extensive collection of fighter, bomber, surveillance plans and helicopters. If you have kids with you, the George Eccles Dinosaur Park with its collection of over 100 life size dinosaur sculptures is a must-see.
From the mountains, head to the lake – Great Salt Lake to be more precise. It is the largest inland lake west of the Mississippi and the second saltiest on earth after the Dead Sea. Antelope Island State Park is the perfect spot to take in the lake, float away on its surface, and take in some of the area’s wildlife, including bison and antelope.
A bit further afield are some other spectacular natural attractions, each located about three and a half hours from Salt Lake City. There is Dinosaur National Monument about 175 miles east of Salt Lake City, which is source of the many dinosaur fossils that fill museums across the U.S. The park straddles both Colorado and Utah and offers visitors the chance to see a real life dig and over 1,500 fossils still embedded in the quarry wall. The park also offers fantastic whitewater rafting and canyon exploration.
Finally, there are the fantastic rock formations and canyons south of Salt Lake City. Bryce Canyon National Park is located to the southwest and Arches National Park located to the southeast. Most of the drive is quite scenic and both are definitely worth the trip to take in memorable views that will be unforgettable.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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