🇺🇸 Salt Lake City – More Than Just a Layover (Part 1) 🏔️

This trip was divided into three parts: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Salt Lake City. My favorite? Yellowstone 🥇 — it’s even surpassed the Grand Canyon for me. Truly worthy of its reputation as America’s first national park! Let’s start with Salt Lake City: We arrived around noon on August 31. The Avis counter was inside the airport, but it was packed — waited over 30 minutes just to get the rental car sorted. 🚗💨 First stop: One More Noodle in Chinatown! 🍜 We ordered Northwest Beef Noodles, Beef Shank Noodles, and Wood Ear Mushrooms. Honestly, the two noodle dishes looked pretty similar — but the portions were generous, and the flavor was mild and pleasant, perfect for our light-eating preferences. After that, we stocked up at a nearby Asian supermarket 🛒: instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, and nostalgic childhood snacks! We also grabbed fruits, veggies, and daily essentials at Target. These supplies came in super handy during our four days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton — though my rice-loving travel buddy still lost a couple of pounds 😅 My own extra pounds, however, stayed faithfully with me 🙈. Then we drove to Montpelier to stay the night. Salt Lake City to Grand Teton is about 5 hours, so breaking it up with a stop in Montpelier made the next day easier. On the way, we passed Bear Lake — a stunning natural freshwater lake on the Utah-Idaho border 🏞️. It was full of visitors, and it reminded me: sometimes the places we pass through are destinations for others. Don’t forget to look up and enjoy the journey. On September 5, we returned to Salt Lake City around 5 PM and visited: Cathedral of the Madeleine Utah State Capitol And just in time for a breathtaking sunset at Ensign Peak! The cathedral and capitol are only 5 minutes apart by car, with free street parking 🅿️. No reservations needed — just walk in. We toured the cathedral not for religion, but for its beautiful architecture — and it was lovely. That day, the capitol was hosting its annual teacher’s event 🍎, so we got a glimpse of Utah’s history and government in action. Around 7 PM, we headed up to Ensign Peak for sunset. You can only drive halfway up — the hike to the top takes about 30 minutes. Short on time (and feeling a bit lazy 😉), we stopped at Hell Canyon and Vista Mound near the parking area. The sunset was still absolutely stunning 🌄, and we got a gorgeous view of the city lights at night. Highly recommend! #SaltLakeCity #UtahTravel #RoadTripUSA #Yellowstone #EnsignPeak #CathedralOfTheMadeleine