Why you should visit Tooele County, Utah

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Tooele County, Utah.

For those that have never been to Utah, the state is absolutely gorgeous. We first visited in 2015 and fell in love, so much so that we vowed to explore every inch of that state and hope to buy a vacation home there in the future.

This summer as part of our yearly summer road trip, we plan to explore . For those that know us (and those that don’t,) we love the outdoors, country music, motorsports, camping and western history. Tooele County has it all!

I love the fact that it is conveniently located along Interstate 80 in the western part of the state between Wendover, Nevada and Salt Lake City. Thankfully we have 30 days to explore all the destinations on our road trip this year, and Tooele County will have the largest chunk of our time dedicated to it. Without further ado, here are some of the places we plan to check out while in Tooele County, Utah.

Our Planned Stops in Tooele County, Utah

Miller Motorsports Park

My husband is super excited to stop here and check out the courses and the Miller Motorsports Museum, which is one of the industry’s most impressive auto racing museums around. My husband is a racing fanatic (and even owned a race car for a good part of our marriage) so anytime we can stop at a racetrack or motorsports complex, we stop! And you better believe we will take a trip or two around the kart track while we are there!

ATV Off Road Trails

The one thing we noticed about Utah when we visited is the vast amount of ATV and off-road trails available for use by the public. Tooele County is no different and offers ATV, Mountain Bike & Dirt Bike trails. We plan to rent some ATV’s to explore Knolls OHV Recreation Area just off of Interstate 80 and Five Mile Pass at the southern end of the Oquirrh Mountains in Tooele County.

Hiking Trails

My ultimate goal is to hike the Deseret Peak trail which puts you on top of an 11,031 ft high summit that has a 360-degree view of Tooele County. In fact, Deseret Peak is on my bucket list of trails to hike. We will have our teens with us this year, so I may need to settle for some of the easier trails which I hear are just equally as beautiful!

The Wild Horses!

Did you know that Tooele County has been home to wild horses for generations? You can catch a peek of these beauties in the Onaqui and Cedar Mountain Herd Management Areas.

Stansbury Park Observatory Complex (S.P.O.C.)

They will be hosting a public star party and you know we have to check it out! SPOC consists of the Harmons Observatory, which houses two large reflecting telescopes, and the Donna Pease Wiggins Refractor House which houses a large refracting telescope. Even without the star party, we would want to stop by and check it out!

Bonneville Salt Flats

We have only been to one other salt flat (which was in a different state) and was in awe. As soon as we found out that Tooele County had salt flats, we knew we needed to add it to the list! Bonneville Salt Flats is a remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville that once covered the Great Basin region. It is also home to land speed races which occur every year and have since 1914. Due to this, it is called the “Fastest Place on Earth.”

A Visit to the Pony Express

We love when we get the chance to visit history and over 100 miles of the old Pony Express trail runs through Tooele County. There are several Pony Express Station markers and a restored Pony Express Station at Simpson Springs that can be seen along the route. While we plan to do the entire 100-mile stretch, you can also choose the partial experience (for those that are short on time or just do not want to do the entire 100-mile stretch). The partial experience allows you to walk through the Stage Coach Inn and visit an original Pony Express Station. You will also be taken to an overlook on a small knoll that overlooks the Pony Express Trail, complete with interpretive display. While we plan to do the entire 100-mile stretch, you can also choose the partial experience (for those that are short on time or just do not want to do the entire 100-mile stretch). The partial experience allows you to walk through the Stage Coach Inn and visit an original Pony Express Station. You will also be taken to an overlook on a small knoll that overlooks the Pony Express Trail, complete with interpretive display.

History Museums & Sites

We love museums, especially when they are history related and Tooele County won’t let you down. We plan to visit the Benson Gristmill, Firefighters Museum, Tooele Pioneer Complex, Donner-Reed Museum, Ophir Historic District, Oquirrh Mountain Mining Museum, Tooele Valley Railroad Museum, Stockton D.U.P., and the Grantsville D.U.P. Museum.

Country Fan Fest

Yep, we are timing it just right to make sure we check out Country Fan Fest. Ned LeDoux is the main reason I want to go, but they also have some other big name artists performing such as Billy Currington and Jo Dee Messina. It will be 3 days of concerts, mud bog racing, and everything country music! Plus, they have a ton of activities for kids of all ages.

Upcoming Events

As if the countless things to do and see aren’t enough, Tooele County is jammed packed with events for all ages!

• May 20th – Lantern Festival
• Apr-Jun – Salt Flats Racing Association Test & Tune
• Jun 15th-17th – Arts Festival
• July 27th-30th – Country Fan Fest
• July 4th Weekend – Bit N Spur Rodeo
• Sept – Historic Wendover Airbase Fly In and Air Show

Getting There

Tooele County is located in the northwestern part of Utah, just west-southwest of Salt Lake City. For more specific directions or to find out more to do in Tooele County, visit their website

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