A Better Quality of Life: Recreation

Get to know your adventurous side in Layton, Utah, where recreation opportunities are plentiful! With direct access to the Wasatch National Forest along the Wasatch Front, 15 city parks with every activity from swimming and Pickleball to organized sports of every kind, over 24 miles of scenic trails, two reservoirs, two golf courses, Antelope Island State Park, Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve, and nearby Snowbasin ski resort, the possibilities are endless.

Kayaking, Boating

Andy Adams reservoir, located at 1799 E Gordon Avenue, is a wonderful location for kayaking, boating (motorless), fishing, hiking, or just relaxing. The reservoir includes a ramp for launching small, motorless watercraft. Virtual Tour.

Other great locations for kayaking:

  • Causey Reservoir – 36 minutes
  • Pineview Reservoir – 20 minutes
  • Weber River – 5 minutes
  • Ogden River – 25 minutes

Other nearby lakes and reservoirs that offer boating:

  • Great Salt Lake (Antelope Marina) – 20 minutes; powerboats, sailboats, kayaks
  • Pineview Reservoir – 20 minutes; powerboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks
  • Willard Bay – 29 minutes; powerboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks
  • Echo Reservoir – 49 minutes; powerboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks
  • East Canyon State Park & Reservoir – 52 minutes; powerboats, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks

Camping

You’ll find a wide variety of camping options in or near Layton City. Options encompass everything from undeveloped sites for the hardcore adventurist to developed campsites providing amenities designed with your comfort and convenience in mind. Backpacking along the Wasatch Front along one of its many trails is an experience to remember. Davis County’s RV Parks and campsites are conveniently located near popular destinations – the Great Salt Lake and two of Davis County’s most popular amusement parks, Lagoon and Cherry Hill. From our majestic peaks to our protected shoreline the ideal lodging or campsite is waiting for you.

Fishing

Utah is full of great fishing spots, whether you’re fly fishing on a river, floating on a reservoir or fishing from the banks of an alpine lake. Some believe that any fishing trip involves a substantial amount of time in the car. But the truth is in a place like Davis County, you don’t need to go nearly as far as you might think.

Layton City is home to Andy Adams Reservoir, Hobbs Pond, and Holmes Reservoir which are all full of fish waiting to be caught. A variety of fish species in these waters include: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Crappie, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, and Carp. Pineview Reservoir, just 20 minutes from Layton, also offers a variety of fishing opportunities that include: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bullhead, Catfish, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Tiger Muskellunge, and Yellow Perch.

If you prefer fly fishing, the blue ribbon Weber River runs just north of Layton’s city limit and the blue ribbon Ogden River is only minutes away. Whether you’re into traditional methods or fly fishing, there’ll be somewhere for you to fish the waters in or near Layton City.

Hobbs Reservoir, located at 2360 E Canyon Drive, is open year around with access for fishing. Sign in access required and other regulations (see DWR website for information). Artificial flies and lures only.

Hiking

If you’re looking for new outdoor hiking adventures, look no further than Layton City. With over 500 miles of trails in Davis County, your mountain hiking adventures can include waterfalls, wildlife, incredible views and a variety of easy to challenging options. Access is plentiful to large trail system such as the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (100 miles completed of a 280 mile trail system extending from the Idaho border to Nephi, Utah) or the Great Western Trail (a 4,455 mile trail from Canada to Mexico accessed from the Fernwood Trail in Layton or Bair Canyon Trail just south of Layton’s city limit and running along the peak of the Wasatch Mountains). Directly above the east side of Layton sits Thurston Peak, the highest point in the local mountain range (9,706 feet). The hike is strenuous, with a 5,600 foot elevation gain in less than five miles. The trail features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. Dogs are allowed on all hiking trails without a leash.

Shorter trails such as the Adams Canyon trail in Layton is one of the most beautiful and popular trails in Davis County. It is easily accessible, with a parking lot just above Highway 89. It starts with a switchback and heads into the canyon in the cool shaded forest. The trail is 3.5-miles round-trip with a few steep areas, but the waterfall is worth the effort. It is gorgeous in the fall with the changing leaves, but also rewarding in the summer to splash in the water after your climb. Layton provides the ideal launch point to some of the best hiking trails in Davis County.

Lagoon

Lagoon amusement park is located only eight miles south of Layton City. The park features 10 roller coasters, including the last Schwarzkopf Double Looping coaster still in operation in the United States (since 1921). Lagoon contains a wide array of rides for kids and adults, an assortment of carnival type games, food outlets, pioneer buildings and artifacts, water park, full-service RV park and campground.

Layton Parks

Ellison Park is a local favorite with 44 acres of amenities. There are several soccer fields, baseball diamonds, basketball and tennis courts and a skate park to accommodate a variety of sports. During the summer season the splash pad is a refreshing local favorite with safety in mind for all ages.

Layton Commons features 47 acres and is home to the Davis Arts Council, Kenley Amphitheater, Heritage Museum and Layton Surf ‘n Swim. Visitors and residents alike can enjoy a summer evening in the park at Layton F.E.S.T., featuring food, entertainment and vendors.

Bird Watching

Located along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake between Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and the Antelope Island State Park Causeway, Layton’s own Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve spans 4,400 acres of wetlands and uplands habitat. The Great Salt Lake — the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere — is a rich feeding ground for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. The lake supports between four and six million migratory birds as they journey from the Arctic to Central and South America.

Some of the largest gatherings of wildlife ever recorded on the Great Salt Lake have been observed from the preserve’s visitor center, making it a birdwatcher’s paradise. The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is one of Utah’s most unique natural treasures.

Trail Running, Biking, Horseback Riding

The Davis County trail system offers hikers, bikers and horseback riders everything from easy to challenging terrain. The common theme of the area is spectacular scenery and natural beauty.

Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island is located right in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. Within the park’s beautiful 28,000 acres visitors enjoy playing on the beach, floating in salt water, or discovering 40 miles of scenic hiking trails. Biking and horseback trail riding are popular options as well. There’s plenty of wildlife to spot including antelope, mule deer, bighorn sheep, coyotes and a herd of over 500 free-roaming bison.

A Salt Filled Day in Utah: Frary Peak, floating the Great Salt Lake, & Bonneville Salt Flats

Golf

Layton City delivers both scenic beauty and enjoyable challenge to golf enthusiasts. The diverse variety of Layton’s two pristine courses provides golfers of every skill with an unforgettable experience.

Valley View Golf Course

Valley View offers a fun and challenging championship course for a reasonable price. Both the front and back nines have an interesting and varied mix of holes. The course boasts scenic views of the Salt Lake Valley and Wasatch Mountains. There’s large rolling greens with four sets of tees, many of which are elevated. The course has its fair share of challenges including water hazards and bunkers and several side hill lies.

Sun Hills Golf Course

Sun Hills Golf Course is open to the public, featuring 18 challenging and fun holes. Its practice area has three practice greens, full-length grass tee driving range and practice bunker. With a full-service club house, Sun Hills is an ideal destination for both practice and play.

The course has a links style design that accommodates all levels of play. Constructed around the natural rolling hills in East Layton and designed to utilize the natural outlay of the land, Sun Hills offers an array of varying terrain and challenging holes. The course also boasts some of the most scenic views of any course in Northern Utah.

Utah Jazz

The NBA’s Utah Jazz are based in Salt Lake City just a few minutes south of Layton. The team plays its home games at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City in 1979 and quickly gained popularity as they developed into a notable and respected franchise. Larry Miller, Frank Layden and Tom Nissalke were the reasons why the move to Utah was so successful.

Jerry Sloan may be credited with raising the Utah Jazz to elite status in the NBA. In 23 seasons as Utah’s head coach, Sloan led the Jazz to 19 playoff appearances (including 15 straight from 1988–2003), 2 trips to the NBA Finals (1997, 1998), 7 division championships and 13 seasons with at least 50 wins. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. With the development of All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the team has muscled its way back into legitimate league title contention. Some of the franchise’s most recognizable players, coaches and personalities include John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jerry Sloan, Frank Layden, Ron Boone, Adrian Dantley, Pistol Pete Maravich and others.

 

Additional opportunities to engage in local professional sports include:

  • Real Salt Lake (Soccer)
  • Utah Royals FC (Soccer)
  • Utah Warriors (Rugby)
  • Utah Grizzlies (Hockey)
  • Salt Lake Bees (Baseball)
  • Orem Owlz (Baseball)
  • Ogden Raptors (Baseball)

Skiing & Snowboarding

Snowbasin Ski Resort

Snowbasin Resort, only 24 miles and 27 minutes from Layton City, combines 3,000 acres of world-class skiing with luxurious lodges and amenities. The resort is one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in the US. Since 1940, people from all over the world have come to enjoy our exhilarating powder snow and majestic mountain scenery. Snowbasin was the proud host of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games’ Downhill, Combined and Super-G races.

The resort offers the greatest snow on earth with uncrowded slopes promising adventure for skiers of all abilities. Wide open bowls filled with powder, steep chutes, evergreen-forested gullies and long-rolling groomed runs await at majestic Snowbasin. Layton City is proud to be considered its base for lodging, shopping and dining and welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world each winter.

Other local ski resorts near Layton City include:

Hunting

For the outdoor sportsman, there are few better places to hunt in North America than right here in Utah. People travel from all over the world for an opportunity to experience hunting in Utah. Hunting is allowed on most federal public lands in the state, except in national parks and monuments and state parks (with some exceptions) and direct access to the Wasatch National Forest begins right here in Layton. Thanks to careful state management, Utah is filled with healthy, thriving populations of wildlife – from big game to game birds. Here, there’s always a trophy (and a great story) just waiting for you.

Hunters along the Wasatch Front commonly harvest mule deer, elk, antelope, pheasant, ducks, geese, sage grouse, forest grouse, chukar, partridge, mourning dove, and wild turkey. For big game hunters, a limited number of black bear, moose, bison, mountain goat, bighorn sheep and mountain lion hunting permits are also issued. Every hunter should check with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for regulations and seasons.

Photography

Layton City and its surroundings offer some of the best locations in Utah for photography; and let’s face it, the state of Utah is simply a paradise for landscape and nature photographers. Antelope Island State Park is among the most scenic in the state. If you’re looking for places to photograph in Layton you will have no problem finding plenty of options. Simply driving from east to west through town allows you to see some amazing scenery. The biggest challenge you will face is deciding which locations to prioritize.

College Athletics

College sports enthusiasts find plenty of exciting year-round athletic action throughout the state of Utah. Basketball fans are typically treated to first and second round March Madness tournament action at the University of Utah Jon M. Huntsman Center. The area also boasts highly competitive Division 1 NCAA football played at the University of Utah’s (Pac XII) Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo and Weber State’s Stewart Stadium (NCAA Div. I FCS) in Ogden.