Salt Lake City is one of the most underrated family travel destinations in the West — and it's significantly cheaper than comparable mountain cities like Denver or Jackson Hole. The trick is knowing which activities are genuinely free, which are worth paying for, and where you'll overpay for something mediocre. Here's the honest breakdown.
Free Activities in Salt Lake City
The Salt Lake Valley has an exceptional number of free outdoor destinations. These cost exactly $0 to enter.
Sugar House Park — 4.7 stars. $0. Free parking, no admission fee. Large pond, open fields, and good park infrastructure in the Sugar House neighborhood. Budget 1–3 hours. Pack a picnic — no food vendors onsite.
Wild West Jordan Playground — 4.7 stars. $0. Completely free. One of the more creative themed playgrounds in the Salt Lake Valley — the Wild West theme is executed well enough that kids buy into it. 1–2 hours. Pack your own snacks and water.
Murray City Park Playground — 4.7 stars. $0 for the playground. Murray Park has a separate fee for the seasonal splash pad — check murray.utah.gov for current pricing. 1–2 hours. Well-equipped for multiple age groups.
Lodestone Park — 4.7 stars. $0. One of the largest free regional parks in Salt Lake County. Located in Kearns. Budget 2–4 hours. Full picnic setup recommended — this is a destination, not a quick stop.
Evergreen Park — 4.6 stars. $0. Open 24 hours on Salt Lake City's east bench. Bring everything you need — no vendors onsite. 1–2 hours.
Richard K. A. Kletting Park — 4.6 stars. $0. Free park in the walkable Lower Avenues neighborhood. The Avenues has good walkable lunch spots nearby if you want to eat out after. 1–2 hours.
Fitts Park — 4.5 stars. $0 admission, free parking. Total cost: $0. Best paired with nearby Sugar House area dining for a post-park meal. 1–2 hours.
Jordan Park — 4.5 stars. $0. Free park in the Glendale neighborhood with a skatepark (free to use — bring boards/scooters), playground structures, and open fields. 1–3 hours.
Big Cottonwood Regional Park — 4.5 stars. $0. Free county park with extensive recreation areas along Big Cottonwood Creek. Check saltlakecounty.gov for seasonal programs. 1–3 hours.
Cook Family Park — 4.5 stars. $0. Located in Pleasant Grove (south of SLC, about 35 minutes). Free. Pleasant Grove has affordable nearby dining. 1–3 hours.
Fairmont Park — 4.3 stars. $0. Free admission and parking. Large playground in the Sugar House area. 1–2 hours.
Ballpark Playground — 3.9 stars. $0. Free neighborhood playground in the Ballpark neighborhood. Good as a quick stop. Opens at 5AM.
The Partially-Free Option
Wheeler Historic Farm — 4.7 stars. Walking the farm grounds and seeing the animals is free. Paid activities like wagon rides and milking demonstrations run extra — priced very reasonably. Budget $5–20 for a family depending on which paid activities you add. This is one of the best values in the entire Salt Lake Valley: kids interact with real farm animals for free, and you add experiences a la carte.
The One Paid Attraction Worth the Price
Lighthouse Point Splash Zone at Hogle Zoo — 4.9 stars. Zoo admission for 2 adults (~$22 each) + 2 kids (~$16 each) = $76 base for a family of 4. This is the single most popular paid family attraction in Salt Lake City. The Lighthouse Point Splash Zone is the summer draw — a water play area within the zoo that kids can run through. Buy zoo tickets online in advance to save $2–3 per person. A family membership pays for itself in 2 visits and grants free entry year-round — worth considering if you're in the area regularly.
Mid-Range: Active Indoor Experiences
Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park — 4.7 stars. Admission varies by package — budget $15–25 per person for a 2-hour jump session, or roughly $60–100 for a family of 4. Book online in advance for discounts. Membership plans available for regular visitors. Grip socks are required — bring your own to avoid the per-visit fee.
Money-Saving Tips in Salt Lake City
- Buy Hogle Zoo tickets online. You save $2–3 per ticket. For a family of 4, that's $8–12 back in your pocket with 2 minutes of planning.
- Wheeler Historic Farm is free to walk. You don't have to pay for any activities. The free version — walking the grounds, seeing the animals — is genuinely good. Add paid activities only if your kids ask.
- Pack lunch for every park visit. None of the free parks have food vendors. A packed lunch saves $30–50 versus stopping at a restaurant mid-afternoon.
- Lodestone Park is the best picnic destination. It's the biggest free park in the valley — bring a full setup, a Frisbee, and budget the entire afternoon there.
- Murray Park's splash pad has a separate fee. The playground is free; the splash pad is extra. Check the current pricing before you plan a water day.
- Urban Air memberships pay off at 2–3 visits. If you're in the area for a week, the math may work out.
- The Avenues neighborhood near Kletting Park has good walkable restaurants — a cheap, easy lunch add-on after a free park morning.
What a Typical Family Spends
Budget day (free parks + packed lunch): - Wheeler Historic Farm — free to walk, $10 for one paid activity - Sugar House Park — $0 - Packed lunch — $0 - Total: $0–$20
Typical day (zoo + one park): - Hogle Zoo / Lighthouse Point Splash Zone — $68–76 - Fairmont Park or Sugar House Park — $0 - Lunch out in Sugar House — $35–50 - Total: $103–126
Splurge day: - Urban Air — $60–100 - Hogle Zoo — $68–76 - Food both stops — $50–70 - Total: $178–246
Salt Lake City's real advantage: the free park system is exceptional. You can have a legitimately full, active family day here at essentially zero cost. The paid options are additions, not necessities.