Time a trip for Smithfield Health Days
Mack Park and Main St Free to attend Each May
Smithfield does one thing that no other town in Cache Valley can claim, and it goes first for that reason. Health Days began in May 1925, when a school principal set aside a single day to promote good health, and it has run every year since, growing into a week long city festival. That unbroken run is why Smithfield calls itself Utah's Health City, and the hundredth Health Days was held in May 2025.
It is a real small town festival, not a token one. Across the week and its big Saturday you get a Main Street parade, a Fun Run with a 5K, a 10K and a shorter Mayor's Mile, horse pulls, a youth rodeo and a horse show, a carnival, a classic car Show and Shine, chalk art, pickleball and a Battle of the Bands, most of it centered on Mack Park and the Main Street blocks around it. It is free to wander, and the whole town turns out.
The exact dates move from year to year, so treat this as a May event and confirm the current schedule with Smithfield Recreation before you build a trip around the parade or the Fun Run. The full history and the piece by piece rundown of the week are on the sibling Smithfield Health Days page.
The details
Getting there
Head for Main Street and Mack Park on Canyon Road; the parade runs the Main Street blocks and most of the field events cluster at the park. Parking is on the neighborhood streets around both, and it fills early on the Saturday, so come ahead of the parade or plan to walk a few blocks in.
Before you go
- The dates change each year; confirm the current schedule with Smithfield Recreation before planning around a specific event.
- The Fun Run and the parade fill the morning; the carnival and the car show run later in the day.
- The horse pulls, youth rodeo and horse show are a genuine draw and set this festival apart from the valley's other city weeks.
- The full week and its history are on the sibling Smithfield Health Days page.
Drive up Smithfield Canyon and Birch Canyon
Canyon Rd, northeast of town Free, campsite fee Seasonal road
Smithfield has its own canyon, and that is easy to miss because Logan Canyon gets all the attention. Smithfield Canyon is a separate drainage into the Bear River Range, reached by following Canyon Road northeast out of town, and it is quieter for it. It is not the same place as Logan Canyon, which carries US-89 over the summit to Bear Lake several miles south of here; the two are different canyons on different roads.
Up the canyon the Forest Service runs the small Smithfield Campground, about a dozen miles up at roughly 5,500 feet, with six single sites and a group day use area, picnic tables and fire rings, and vault toilets but no drinking water, so pack in what you need. A couple of miles further, the Smithfield Canyon Trail number 007 climbs toward the Mount Naomi Wilderness, and gentler Birch Canyon runs alongside as an easier walk. The unpaved forest road is seasonal, roughly mid April into early December, with stream crossings, so check conditions and clearance before you commit to the drive.
The bigger Logan Canyon byway, the Wind Caves, Tony Grove and the whole summit run to Bear Lake, is its own Cache Valley page, at Logan Canyon. This entry stays in Smithfield's own drainage, and the town's full outdoor roster is on the sibling Smithfield Canyon page.
The details
Getting there
From Main Street, follow Canyon Road east past Mack Park and out of town, where the pavement gives way to the forest road up the canyon. Cell signal fades as you climb, so download a map first, and know that the road is rough and unpaved past the mouth, with stream crossings that favor higher clearance.
Before you go
- The campground has vault toilets but no drinking water; bring your own supply.
- Trail number 007 enters the Mount Naomi Wilderness, where bikes and motors are not allowed; it is a real climb, not a stroll.
- Birch Canyon alongside is the gentler option if you want the trees without the full ascent.
- Do not confuse this with Logan Canyon; the two are separate drainages, covered on the region Logan Canyon page.
Spend an afternoon at Mack Park
Canyon Road Free Year round
Mack Park is the town's front yard. It sits on Canyon Road at the mouth of Smithfield Canyon, about fourteen acres of shade and lawn with Summit Creek running through it, and it is where Smithfield gathers for everything from a weeknight picnic to the heart of Health Days. That double role, an everyday park and the festival grounds, is why it ranks this high among things a visitor can actually do.
The park is well equipped for its size. There are two playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits and a gaga ball court, along with two large pavilions that have elevated grill stands and fire pits, plus short trails along the creek and up toward the canyon mouth. It is the easy answer for a family afternoon, and the pavilions are worth reserving ahead if you want a set spot on a summer weekend.
One bit of local color: the Mack Park Monster is a piece of Smithfield folklore, a tall tale about a creature said to lurk among the old trees and the creek. It is a story people tell, not a fact, and it has become part of the park's small town character. The full slate of Smithfield parks, Mack Park and Forrester Acres and the neighborhood parks, is on the sibling parks and recreation page.
The details
Getting there
From Main Street, take Canyon Road east toward the mountains; Mack Park is on the way to the canyon mouth, with parking at the park. It is close enough to walk or bike from the Main Street core, and it pairs naturally with a drive up the canyon just beyond it.
Before you go
- The two pavilions with grills and fire pits can be reserved; book ahead for a summer weekend.
- Summit Creek runs cold and quick through the park; keep an eye on small children near the water.
- During Health Days in May the park is the festival hub, lively rather than quiet.
- It is the last easy stop before the canyon road, so combine the two on the same trip.
Play a round at Forrester Acres
100 N 500 W Free Year round
Forrester Acres is the other side of Smithfield's park system, and it is a big one. On the west side of town at 100 North 500 West, it runs to roughly forty seven acres of open recreation, and where Mack Park is shade and creek, this is fields and courses. It is the town's sports engine, and it hosts pieces of Health Days each May.
The draw for a visitor is what you can just show up and do. There is a free disc golf course, an equestrian park, a network of ball fields for softball, baseball and youth leagues, football and soccer fields, outdoor batting cages and a trail system around the edges. A round of disc golf or an hour at the batting cages is an easy, low cost way to spend part of a day, and there is room to spread out even when the fields are booked.
Between Mack Park at the canyon mouth and Forrester Acres on the west side, Smithfield covers a lot of ground for a town this size. The complete parks picture, hours and reservations included, is on the sibling parks and recreation page.
The details
Getting there
From Main Street, head west toward 500 West; Forrester Acres sits on the west edge of town with its own parking near the fields. It is a short hop from the Main Street core and an easy pairing with the historic walk downtown.
Before you go
- The disc golf course is free and open; bring your own discs, since none are rented on site.
- The ball fields are heavily used for youth leagues in season, so casual play is easiest outside game times.
- The equestrian park is a working facility; check locally before assuming public use.
- Parts of Health Days run here each May, so expect a busier complex that week.
Swim indoors at the Sky View Pool
520 S 250 E Admission per swim Year round, indoor
The Sky View Pool is Smithfield's rainy day and winter answer, and it earns a spot because so little else in a small town runs indoors. It is an indoor competitive pool at Sky View High School, at 520 South 250 East, one of the original pools in Cache Valley, run through the Cache County School District. Cache Valley draws a heavy winter inversion, and an indoor pool is a genuine option on a gray day.
It is a school pool with public hours rather than a full recreation center, so the swim windows are the thing to plan around. Public open swim is heaviest on Saturday and thinner on weekday evenings during the school year, and the schedule shifts with the school calendar and the swim team season. Check the current hours before you drive over, because they are the difference between a swim and a locked door.
For families weighing Smithfield against Logan, the larger Logan Aquatic Center is an outdoor summer pool twelve to fifteen minutes south, so the two cover opposite seasons. The rest of the town's recreation, the Rec Center included, is on the sibling parks and recreation page.
The details
Getting there
From Main Street, head south toward Sky View High School; the pool is part of the school complex at 520 South 250 East, with parking on site. It is a short drive from anywhere in town, but time your visit to the posted open swim hours rather than just showing up.
Before you go
- Check the current open swim schedule first; weekday hours are limited during the school year.
- It is a competitive pool at a high school, not a splash park; set expectations for lap lanes and open swim rather than slides.
- Because it is indoors, it is the reliable option on an inversion day or through the winter.
- For an outdoor summer pool, the Logan Aquatic Center is a short drive south.
Walk the historic Main Street
Main Street Free to walk Year round
Smithfield was settled in October 1859, first called Summit and then renamed for John Glover Smith, the community's early bishop, and the Main Street grid still carries that pioneer history in brick and stone. A short, self guided walk past three landmarks is the best way to read it, and it costs nothing but the time.
Start with the Smithfield Tabernacle, a Victorian Gothic meetinghouse begun in 1883 and finished in 1902, one of the small number of these pioneer tabernacles still standing in Utah. A block or so away, the Carnegie library of 1921 is a Prairie style building on the National Register, the town's first public library, and the Douglas General Mercantile of 1883 is the oldest commercial building in Smithfield. The mercantile is being restored as a city museum, so treat it for now as a building to look at rather than a museum to tour, and check locally on its status.
It is a modest downtown, not a shopping district, and that is the honest read: three real landmarks and a pioneer street plan, worth an hour on foot when you are already in town for the park or a festival. The deeper history sits alongside the everyday texture on the sibling Living in Smithfield page.
The details
Getting there
Park once near Main Street and do the walk on foot; the Tabernacle, the Carnegie library and the Douglas Mercantile are all within a few blocks. It is an easy add before or after Mack Park, which sits just east on Canyon Road.
Before you go
- The Douglas General Mercantile is being turned into a city museum; check locally before planning on an interior tour.
- The Carnegie library still serves as the public library; it is an active building, not a static monument.
- The Tabernacle grounds are a public space to walk; confirm before assuming interior access.
- Health Days in May puts the parade and displays right on these blocks, the best time to see the street alive.
Catch the Health Days Show and Shine
Main Street area Free to watch Each May
The Show and Shine is Smithfield's classic car morning, and it is worth calling out on its own even though it lives inside Health Days. On the big Saturday in May, after the parade, owners line up their restored cars and trucks near the festival grounds, and it draws car people from around the valley as much as it draws locals.
If old iron is your thing, this is the one day of the year to plan around in Smithfield. It pairs with the rest of the Saturday, the parade, the carnival and the food, so you can make a full morning of it without moving the car far. Like the rest of Health Days, the date lands in May but moves year to year, so confirm the current schedule before you count on it.
The car show is one piece of a full week, and the complete lineup, from the horse pulls to the Battle of the Bands, is laid out on the sibling Smithfield Health Days page.
The details
Getting there
Follow the Health Days crowd on the festival Saturday; the cars stage near the grounds after the morning parade. Park where you would for the rest of the festival and walk in, since the Main Street area is busy that day.
Before you go
- It runs on the Health Days Saturday, so it depends on the festival dates; confirm the current schedule.
- The cars usually gather after the morning parade, so late morning is the time to arrive.
- It sits steps from the carnival and the food, so it works as one stop in a full festival morning.
- Outside May there is no standing car show in town, so this is a once a year thing to time for.
Fifteen minutes south, all of Logan
Logan and North Logan 12 to 15 minutes south on US-91
Smithfield is compact on purpose, and part of living or visiting here is that the big day out is a short drive away. Logan and North Logan sit twelve to fifteen minutes south on US-91, roughly seven miles, and that is where the university, the hospital, the larger stores and the bigger calendar of events are. This list stays in Smithfield; the rest of a full Cache Valley trip belongs down the highway.
Down there you get Aggie Ice Cream made on the Utah State campus since 1888, the seven acre Zootah at Willow Park, First Dam at the mouth of Logan Canyon, the restored Ellen Eccles Theatre that turns into an opera house each summer, and the indoor Cache Valley Fun Park for a cold day. Beyond the city, the Logan Canyon byway climbs over the summit to Bear Lake, and the ski hills sit up and off it, each its own Cache Valley page.
The full ranked rundown for the city is on the top 15 things to do in Logan, the canyon itself is on the region Logan Canyon page, and prices, neighborhoods and current listings for anyone weighing the move are on the Logan city guide.
