Herriman, where the last street runs into the mountain

In the far southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley, at the foot of the Oquirrh Mountains, with Riverton and South Jordan to the east, Bluffdale to the southeast and the range forming the western edge. Mountain View Corridor, signed State Route 85, runs about seven miles along the east side of the city. There is no rail station inside the city, and the nearest platform is Daybreak Parkway in South Jordan.

Three things, unusually specific for a young city. Blackridge Reservoir, an irrigation pond that holds the only real sand swimming beach in Salt Lake County. Butterfield Canyon Road, one of the few ordinary car routes up into the Oquirrh range, which climbs from the west end of Main Street toward a rim near nine thousand feet. And growth: the city counted 1,523 people in 2000 and 55,144 in 2020.

Often not. A seasonal gate closes the canyon every year from about 1 November to roughly 1 June. On top of that, a July 2026 storm washed out the road about five and a half miles above the city, and the repair is Salt Lake County's rather than the city's, so check with the county before you drive up. The trailhead park at the bottom of the canyon stayed open.

Parking is charged on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 1 May to 7 September, recently 15 dollars for the day and card only, with weekdays inside that window free. The streets around the reservoir are resident permit parking across the same dates, with a fine for parking there without one. The lot is the real limit, not the beach, and it closes to new cars once it fills, so arrive early.

Yes, from a sand beach, with no lifeguard and untreated natural water. The state samples the reservoir through the summer and posts the results, and it has closed the water at times for algae, so check current conditions before you go. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the water, and there is no glass, alcohol, diving or fishing.

It has an outdoor ice ribbon, a looping skating track rather than a rink, at J. Lynn Crane Plaza beside the town hall. It runs in winter, recently from 1 December to the end of February, on timed sessions rather than open skating, with skates and helmets to rent. Check the city calendar for the current season and prices.

The city counts more than 60 miles of trail inside its boundary, over 37 of them unpaved routes climbing off the western streets into the Oquirrh foothills and more than 23 paved. Beyond the city line, Salt Lake County opened Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park in 2023 with more than 13 miles of multi-use trail, part of the Southwest Canyons network with Rose and Yellow Fork canyons. Motorized vehicles are not allowed, and mountain biking only where marked.

From 1,523 people in 2000 to 21,785 in 2010 and 55,144 in 2020, one of the fastest growing cities in the country by percentage over that stretch. Almost all of that housing went up after the Mountain View Corridor opened the west side of the valley, which is why so much of the city reads new.

For a visitor, comfortably, because the whole city fits inside about a fifteen minute radius with no long approach drive. The catch is season, not distance. A good share of what is worth doing here runs one half of the year or the other: the water at Blackridge from May to September, the ice from December to February, and the rodeo and the June festival on single fixed weekends. Whichever day you pick, some of it will be out of season.