Tooele's Top 5
Too-Will-Ya? Will ya go to Tooele, that is. Pronounced two-ill-uh, this western Utah county is full of nothing ... but interesting history and exhilarating adventure.
OK, so Bob Ross never painted the kind of scenes you’ll find there. (Though Deseret Peak Trail is more arboreal than you might expect from Utah’s West Desert.) But that’s kind of the point: Happy little streams are everywhere, but where else can you find 30,000 acres of shimmering salt (and these four other oddly unique places).
Bonneville Salt Flats
Salt is bad for your heart. Eating too much will raise your blood pressure, and so will watching people go for land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Don’t care about any of that? Grab a burger and fries and head to Speed Week (held every August, conditions permitting). Do care about it? At least make the drive out west and explore this massive natural wonder.
Utah Motorsports Campus
Considered one of the finest road-racing facilities in North America. Besides the main track, it has motocross, rock crawling and off-road tracks. Oh, and a car museum. OH, AND GO KARTS.
Ophir Historic District
So how does a town become a ghost town? In the case of Ophir, Utah (named for the rich mines of King Solomon), once the silver ran out so did the people. But it’s alive-ish and well known as one of Utah’s best-preserved ghost towns. A reconstructed post office, school, train car and more are best perused in the summer months. There are still some residents in the area, so be respectful of the living.
Pony Express Route
Before there was snail mail, and email, there was slow mail courtesy of the Pony Express. There’s 130 miles of the original trail in Tooele. We don’t recommend traveling the entire stretch (unless you have an urgent letter you’d like to deliver to Ibapah), but we do recommend attending the reenactment that takes place every June.
Historic Wendover Airbase
Did you know that this former airbase made a vital contribution to ending World War II? Now that you do, we hope you never forget. A visit to the restored service club and air museum will fill in the details and provide you with a sense of gratitude for the good veterans who fought and flew for our freedom.