Birthday Hike to Stewart Falls!

On August 1st, my lovely friend Erin and I decided to celebrate my birthday with a hike to Stewart Falls. I figured if I have to turn 26 years old, I might as well do it while feeling good about life and enjoying the outdoors!

Stewart Falls turned out to be the perfect hike. It wasn’t overly difficult, but it was long enough that I still felt accomplished by the time we finished. Having lived in Florida and Arizona, my birthdays are usually spent melting in extremely hot weather. This year I got lucky! Beautiful overcast skies and about 85° weather. It honestly couldn’t have been more perfect.

To get to Stewart Falls from Orem, we headed north up East Provo Canyon Road. Just after passing through the small tunnel, we took a left onto Alpine Loop Scenic Highway. From there it’s about a 10-minute drive to the trailhead.

We parked at Aspen Grove Trailhead, which requires a $6 park fee for a 3-day pass. If you’re using Google Maps or GPS, simply search “Aspen Grove Trailhead.” Once you arrive, the trailhead starts directly behind the restroom building, making it very easy to find.

I absolutely loved this hike. One of the best parts was how the scenery kept changing. It felt like every twenty minutes we were in a completely different environment. At one point you’re walking through a forest, then suddenly it feels like a lush jungle, then a meadow full of butterflies and finally you arrive at the beautiful waterfall.

Another thing I loved was how accessible the trail was for everyone. Along the hike we saw everyone from newborn babies to grandparents in their 70s making their way to the falls. It really is a great trail for all ages and skill levels, with a gorgeous destination waiting at the end.

All in all, it was the perfect way to spend my birthday.

Buffalo, Bugs, and the Great Salt Lake: Our Trip to Antelope Island

Trying to take advantage of my unemployment, Shane and I decided to take a drive up to Antelope Island on his day off!

Since we had never been to Utah before moving here, everything still feels new and exciting. I knew the Great Salt Lake would be large and salty, but driving out onto the island completely surprised me. For a moment, it honestly felt like I was back on the East Coast. The salty smell, the breeze off the water (well… lake breeze), and the seagulls everywhere made it feel strangely like the ocean. It was peaceful and oddly familiar.

Before this trip we had done very little research. We assumed there would be antelope on the island, but we didn’t really know what else to expect. It costs $10 per car to enter, and I would definitely recommend making sure you have plenty of gas so you can drive around and explore the whole island.

One thing that confused us right away was seeing a huge buffalo statue near the road leading onto the island. At the time we thought it was odd… buffalo on an island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake? Hmm…

Our first stop was Bridger Bay, where you can park and walk out to the beach. If you want to float in the Great Salt Lake, this is where they direct you on the island. Being the tourists that we are, we were ready for the experience—bathing suits and water shoes on. We were ready to float!

We walked down across the salty sand flats toward the water, and that’s when we noticed something strange. Every time the seagulls near the shoreline moved, a huge black cloud would puff up into the air.

As we got closer, we quickly realized what it was… millions of flies.

If you get within about five feet of the shoreline, you are guaranteed to be swarmed. Unfortunately we discovered this the hard way and ran back as fast as we could—holding our breath and plugging our noses the whole way. Other people walking down watched us sprint away and immediately turned around themselves after seeing the swarm.

You may notice in one of the photos that a family was already out in the water. My guess is that once you get past the flies, you’re fine. They probably floated around happily while we were running for our lives! But by that point we were no longer in the mood to float peacefully in the lake.

My recommendation: skip the walk to the shoreline and enjoy the lake views from a distance. There’s plenty more to see on the island.

Next we headed up to Buffalo Point, which offers an incredible view of the lake and makes for a great photo stop.

From there we continued exploring the island, driving along Antelope Island Road toward the other end.

Then something amazing happened.

At first we saw something in the distance…

“Buffalo? On an island right outside Salt Lake City? No way…”

Then suddenly—there they were.

My very first buffalo sighting! And not just one… hundreds of them.

And of course… we finally spotted the island’s namesake too—antelope.

I had no idea how incredible this day would turn out. I was absolutely in buffalo heaven.

After a few hours of driving around the island, a storm started rolling in and it was time for us to head home.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend visiting Antelope Island if you’re anywhere near the area. It makes for a fantastic day trip and offers some truly unique views and wildlife.

Just… maybe stay away from the flies.

A Day Trip to Park City

The boyfriend had the day off today, so we decided it was the perfect chance to knock a few things off our to-do list.

We started the morning bright and early and managed to get quite a bit done—new driver’s licenses, registrations, and license plates for Utah! Since we were feeling productive and had finished our checklist, we decided to reward ourselves with a little adventure.

We took the hour drive from Orem to Park City to visit my friend Erin and explore this amazing little ski town. The drive alone was worth it. The scenery between Orem and Park City is absolutely beautiful, and I have a feeling we’ll be making that trip many more times for weekend getaways.

When we arrived, the weather was perfect and the town was buzzing with charm. Park City has such a cool vibe—small mountain town meets artsy ski destination. One of the things that surprised me most was that Park City has free public transportation around town (on the bus… not the ski lift unfortunately!).

One of my favorite moments of the day was stumbling across a Banksy original—which absolutely made my day. After walking around and soaking in the town for a bit, we met up with Erin and grabbed pizza and tacos at Davanza’s, which was delicious and a perfect casual spot to catch up.

It was great being reunited with Erin, and we spent the afternoon wandering around town, checking out the ski slopes (which look very different without snow!), and enjoying the mountain views.

On the way home, the scenery kept getting better. We passed Deer Creek Reservoir and made a stop at Bridal Veil Falls, which was absolutely beautiful. The waterfall was the perfect way to end such a fun little day trip.

Days like this make me even more excited to explore Utah.