Like a mini Fort Collins, with a 100-year-old temple
Logan: 48-Hour Escape from Salt Lake City
A Cache Valley college town at the mouth of a 7,000-foot canyon drive to Bear Lake.
Logan: A Cache Valley college town at the mouth of a 7,000-foot canyon drive to Bear Lake.
At a glance
Logan, Utah is a 1 hr 50 min drive from Salt Lake City, best visited June-September or December-March (ski). Like a mini Fort Collins, with a 100-year-old temple. Top things to do: Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, Utah State University campus & Old Main, Beaver Mountain ski & summer. Where to eat: Angie's Restaurant, Herm's Inn, Le Nonne. Stay at The Anniversary Inn or Hilton Garden Inn Logan.
69
of 100
Escape score
A solid 48 hours
A modest weekend: reasonable rooms, plenty to do.
- Drive
- 1 hr 50 min from Salt Lake City
- Best window
- June-September or December-March (ski)
- Typical stay
- ~$153/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Logan is a town of 52,000 in Cache Valley, 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, home to Utah State University. It sits at the mouth of Logan Canyon, a National Scenic Byway that climbs 7,000 feet to Bear Lake on the Idaho border. The 1877 Logan Utah Temple anchors the historic center, and Main Street has the oldest operating movie theater in Utah, the 1923 Ellen Eccles Theatre. The valley is farm country, settled by Mormon pioneers in 1859, and the slower pace is the point.
Logan is the college town at the mouth of the canyon, and the two halves are the story. Utah State University, founded in 1888, gives the town a young population and the Aggie ice cream and the Nora Eccles ceramic museum, and the 1877 Logan Temple, the second built by the Mormons, anchors the historic center on the hill. Logan Canyon, a National Scenic Byway, climbs 7,000 feet in 41 miles to Bear Lake, the turquoise alpine lake on the Idaho border known for its raspberries, and the fall-color drive in late September is one of the best in Utah. Cache Valley, settled by Mormon pioneers in 1859, is the farm country that surrounds the town, and the slower pace and the dairy farms are the point.
A weekend in Logan is a canyon-and-campus weekend. Drive the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway to Bear Lake, walk the USU quad and Old Main, eat at Angie's for breakfast and Le Nonne for dinner, and ski or bike Beaver Mountain. Come June through September, or late September for the canyon color. Two nights lets you add Bear Lake, 40 minutes up the canyon, for the raspberries and the beach.
The plan
48 hours in Logan
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inThe Anniversary Inn
From ~$200/night
Themed luxury suites with jacuzzi tubs and private entrances. 18 rooms, breakfast delivered to the room. A Cache Valley favorite for couples.
Leave Salt Lake City after work: the 1 hr 50 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetAngie's Restaurant
A Logan institution since 1939, 24-hour breakfast. The pancakes and the raspberry french toast. The line wraps the building on Sunday.
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopLogan Canyon Scenic Byway
Free. 41 miles from Logan to Bear Lake, climbing 7,000 feet. Stop at Wind Cave Trail, 1.3 miles, and the Guinavah-Malibu campground. The fall-color dr...
Saturday midday
LunchHerm's Inn
1930s roadhouse turned burger and custard shop. The Herm's burger, the fries, and the daily custard flavor. Patio, walk-up window.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopUtah State University campus & Old Main
Free. The 1889 Old Main building, the Merrill-Cazier Library, and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Ceramic Art. Walk the quad and the trail above.
Saturday night
DinnerLe Nonne
Northern Italian in a 1912 house. The lamb gnocchi and the tiramisu are the orders. Reserve 1+ week ahead, the best dinner in Cache Valley.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeBeaver Mountain ski & summer
$65 lift ticket. The family-owned ski area since 1939, 27 runs, 1,500 vertical. Summer bike park and disc golf, 30 minutes up Logan Canyon.
1 hr 50 min back to Salt Lake City still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Logan
The Anniversary Inn
Themed luxury suites with jacuzzi tubs and private entrances. 18 rooms, breakfast delivered to the room. A Cache Valley favorite for couples.
Hilton Garden Inn Logan
Standard hotel walking distance to campus and Main. Pool, free breakfast, and parking. The reliable base.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Logan
A modern hotel near the canyon and campus, with a pool and free breakfast. The good-value base for Bear Lake and Beaver Mountain.
What to do
Logan Canyon Scenic Byway
Free. 41 miles from Logan to Bear Lake, climbing 7,000 feet. Stop at Wind Cave Trail, 1.3 miles, and the Guinavah-Malibu campground. The fall-color drive peaks late September.
Learn more ↗
Utah State University campus & Old Main
Free. The 1889 Old Main building, the Merrill-Cazier Library, and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Ceramic Art. Walk the quad and the trail above.
Learn more ↗
Beaver Mountain ski & summer
$65 lift ticket. The family-owned ski area since 1939, 27 runs, 1,500 vertical. Summer bike park and disc golf, 30 minutes up Logan Canyon.
Learn more ↗Pack for Logan
Trail & waterfall kit
Curated for waterfalls, trails, and summit days in Logan.
Lightweight hiking daypack
Room for layers, snacks, and the camera, without weighing you down.
See price on Amazon →Insulated water bottle
Cold water past the last switchback, hot coffee at the overlook.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof hiking boots
Grippy and dry through creek crossings and muddy gorge trails.
See price on Amazon →Rechargeable headlamp
For early trailheads and that one hike that ran long.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
Angie's Restaurant
A Logan institution since 1939, 24-hour breakfast. The pancakes and the raspberry french toast. The line wraps the building on Sunday.
Herm's Inn
1930s roadhouse turned burger and custard shop. The Herm's burger, the fries, and the daily custard flavor. Patio, walk-up window.
Le Nonne
Northern Italian in a 1912 house. The lamb gnocchi and the tiramisu are the orders. Reserve 1+ week ahead, the best dinner in Cache Valley.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Logan. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Tandoori Oven
Indian
Le Nonne
Italian
Center Street Grill
Diners
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Logan
Once you've settled into Logan, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
1 hr from Logan
Garden City (Bear Lake)
1 hour northeast over Logan Canyon, the turquoise-water lake resort town on the Idaho border, famous for raspberry shakes and summer beaches.
10 min from Logan
Smithfield
10 minutes north, the quieter Cache Valley town with a walkable main street and the closest base for the Smithfield canyon trailheads.
On the calendar
Coming up in Logan
Events happening in town, refreshed weekly.
Refreshed weekly
Nov 27 to Dec 1
The Nutcracker by Cache Valley Civic Ballet
Logan · The Ellen Eccles Theatre
The Cache Valley Civic Ballet brings this classic holiday production to life inside Logan's historic downtown theater. It offers a festive cultural centerpiece for an arts-filled holiday weekend getaway.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Salt Lake City, take I-15 North to Brigham City, then US-89 North. ~80 miles, about 1 hr 50 min. Sardine Summit on US-89 can close in winter storms. Bear Lake is 40 more minutes up Logan Canyon.
Drive time
1 hr 50 min
Best time
June-September or December-March (ski)
Questions & Answers
Logan weekend FAQ
About 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, roughly 1 hr 50 min via I-15 North and US-89.
Yes, the 41-mile Logan Canyon Scenic Byway to Bear Lake is a National Scenic Byway climbing 7,000 feet, best late September for fall color.
Utah State University campus, the 1877 Logan Temple, the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, and Beaver Mountain ski area 30 minutes up the canyon.
Yes. At 2 hours, Logan is the best mountain-college-town weekend from Salt Lake City, with a walkable main street, Utah State campus, and the Logan Canyon scenic drive into the Bear River Mountains.
About 2 hours total, taking US-89 north to Logan, then the Logan Canyon scenic byway (US-89) northeast to Garden City on Bear Lake, famous for its turquoise water and raspberry shakes.
The Dispatch
Next weekend, in your inbox
One underrated town every week, with the same 48-hour plan you just read. Starting with somewhere near Salt Lake City.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.