When we first moved to Logan in 2016, it took a while to figure out all of our favorite places. We had only visited Cache Valley a handful of times growing up (mostly for gymnastics and baseball) and had no clue about any of the local places. Summer 2016 was spent camping, going on drives, and trying all of the cool local places we heard about from my new college friends at Utah State University. (below: Cache Valley residents, 2016 + now!)
There are still lots of things we haven't done and are still discovering about this cool place! Because of that, this blog will be updated over the years with new ideas and updates on places already listed. Have some more cool date ideas to add? Leave a comment below!
1. Bear Lake!
Bear Lake is a must-visit for all CV residents. It's so popular, people come from all over the country to see it! It's nicknamed the "Caribbean of the Rockies" for a good reason, the water is beautiful! Bear Lake sits half in Utah, half in Idaho. It's a great lake for swimming, boating and fishing. There are lots of cute little restaurants and shake places nearby! They have famous raspberry shakes. So good, we even stopped for shakes on our wedding day! Bear Lake is great year round, but if you go between September - April, many restaurants will be closed. Some beaches have fees for parking / launching boats.
Fun idea: order a new flavor of shake for your date that you both have never tried before!
Fun idea: head to the dollar store and buy a cheap floatie to try out on the beach before you go! For even more fun, pick a crazy design of floatie for your date.
2. Hike up to the Wind Caves!
One of my favorite hikes in Logan Canyon! Head up the canyon until you get to the Malibu-Guinavah Campgrounds. Across from them, on the left side of the street, is the trailhead for the Wind Caves. It's all uphill until the caves. But the views are so worth it! You'll climb lots of switchbacks until the top. Bring a camera and lots of water! It's a pretty popular hike as well, so if you want to run into less people, go on a weekday. 4 miles roundtrip.
Fun idea: do a photo scavenger hunt! Find an animal, a bird, a colorful rock, a purple flower, a view of the road, and someone wearing a superhero shirt.
3. Hardware Ranch!
Winter or summer, Hardware Ranch is a fun activity. In the winter, there are hundreds of elk that come down to the ranch freely to spend their winter in a warmer area with more food. The ranch provides them with food and protection.
When it starts to warm up in the spring, they wander back into the mountains! December - February (depending on the elk), Hardware Ranch offers sleigh rides through the elk field where you can learn more about them and see them up close. It's so cool! In the summer, there are ATV trails near there and you can still visit the Visitor's Center. It's also a really pretty drive up Blacksmith Fork Canyon!
4. Cache Valley Cruise-In!
Every year around the 4th of July, people from all over the west come to Logan for the Cache Valley Cruise-In. It is a days-long festival with a car show, booths, concert, sock hop, food, and of course, the Cruise-In Parade at the end. It's a blast! We go every year. The parade is free, and everything else can be accessed with a ticket you can get online. We've seen The Beach Boys at the Cruise-In, and love getting a Texas Twister drink.
5. Tony Grove!
Tony Grove is one of the coolest places around here. It's about 40 minutes up Logan Canyon, on the very top of the mountain range. Because of it's elevation, it is closed about October - May, depending on the year. Sometimes it doesn't open until June. It gets a lot of snow, and is open to snowmobiles in the winter. In the summer, you can enjoy the lake, camp, kayak, hike, etc.
In July there are wildflowers all over. It's so pretty! There is a fee for parking and camping. Read more about backpacking near Tony Grove here.
Fun idea: hike the Tony Grove Nature Trail around the lake to see wildflowers and wildlife!
5. First and Second Dams!
First Dam lies at the mouth of Logan Canyon. It's a dam of the Logan River, and holds fish! You can fish, picnic, kayak, and paddleboard. At my USU orientation, we kayaked on the dam. It's also the start of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, an easy hike into Logan Canyon. Lower Second Dam is a bit up the canyon, and has it's own campground. There is also an upper Second Dam. (Don't ask me why it's not called Third Dam.)
Fun idea: rent a stand up paddleboard and paddle first dam on a summer evening!
6. Hyrum Lake State Park! Such a pretty lake! There is an entrance fee since it's a State Park. There's swimming, boating, water sports, and beaches here. It's great for kayaks and paddle boards as well, because it's a smaller lake. There are even a couple cabins in the campground you can rent out for the night.
Fun idea: go to Ridley's in Hyrum and grab a Pic-A-Pac soda pack to try different flavors at the lake. More on this here.
7. Beaver Mountain / Cherry Peak!
Our two ski resorts in Cache Valley! In the winter, skiing or snowboarding is so fun at both places. In the summer, they have concerts, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more. We have seen Josh Turner there at Cherry Peak's summer concert series!
8. Main Street Logan Downtown!
The cutest local shops, restaurants, and activities. Our favorite places to visit are The Sportsman, The Book Table, Great Harvest, Bluebird, Even Stevens, Earthly Awakenings, Factory Pizzeria, Himalayan Flavor, and Coppin's Hallmark. There is so much to do downtown!
Fun idea: grab food from different restaurants and eat on Center Street to try different places!
Fun idea: spend exactly $30 each at thrift stores on Main Street! For an extra challenge, try to stretch it between 3 different stores.
Fun idea: go to Bluebird Candy and tell them you'd like 5 different mystery chocolates of their choosing to try.
Fun idea: go to The Book Table and find a unique gift for a loved one that you have never seen anywhere else.
9. Golf and Mini Golf!
In the summer, Cache Valley is a great place to golf! The first time I golfed in Cache Valley was when I played for my high school golf team. We've been to most courses in the valley, and our favorite is Logan River Golf Course. Birch Creek is a bit advanced for casual golfers. There are also some mini golf places that are so fun! We love the one in Providence.
Fun idea: head to Logan River Golf Course and get a bucket of balls to share at the driving range. See who can hit a ball the furthest, fastest, and straightest.
10. Pepperidge Farms / Gossner's!
If you're like me and love local cheeses and goldfish crackers, head to these outlets! Pepperidge Farms in Richmond has all of the classic Pepperidge Farm cookies and snacks at a discount and in bulk. Gossner's has some great local Cache Valley cheeses.
Fun idea: grab some Garlic Jack or Cheese Curds from Gossner's to share and take them on a picnic! Or grab a few and make your own charcuterie board.
11. Crystal Hot Springs!
While not in Cache Valley, this one is not too far. Head over through the Tremonton way into CV, and down to Honeyville. Crystal has been newly redone and is so much fun! Lots more room as well. It's so nice to enjoy the warm water on a cold winter day.
12. Summerfest Arts Faire / Saturday Farmer's Market / Summer Sidewalk Sale
I love these local events so much. In June, the Summerfest Arts Faire happens at the Cache County Fairgrounds. There are so many cool local artists, vendors, and food trucks. We got Daylen's wedding ring from a local silversmith here! The Farmer's Market happens every Saturday May-October from 9am-1pm. We used to ride our bicycles here every weekend to pick up some fresh local produce and eat lunch. Every summer at the beginning of July, some of the local businesses on Main Street do a sidewalk sale / art gallery walk with refreshments!
13. Limber Pine Trail!
At the summit of Logan Canyon, right before the Bear Lake Overlook, there's a trailhead you could easily miss while driving by. But, it leads to a tree that has been alive since the 1400's! It's an easy loop hike and there are views of Bear Lake, the Cache Mountain Range, and super old pine trees that are still alive today.
14. Corn Mazes + Pumpkin Patches in the Fall!
Our farm valley is not short of corn mazes in the fall. They are so fun! There are plenty of options like haunted corn mazes, regular, pumpkin patches, etc. Our favorites are Little Bear Bottoms (photos below) and American West Heritage Center, both in Wellsville. We get our yearly carving pumpkins while we are there!
15. Manuta Reservoir!
Nestled in the mountains in between Brigham City and Cache Valley is a tiny town called Mantua. There is a small lake for boating, ice fishing, and beaches. There is also a campground that grows fields and fields of poppies in the early summer!
16. Aggie Creamery / Chocolate!
If you haven't been up on campus to the Aggie Creamery, consider this your formal invitation. I used to live near campus, and loved Aggie Ice Cream. It's all made locally, and it's SO GOOD. They sell it in some local grocery stores, but head up to the Creamery if you haven't been. My favorite flavor is Aggie Blue Mint, Daylen loves Huckleberry and Bull Tracks.
17. Crimson Trail!
I love the Crimson Trail hike! In my opinion, the prettiest hiking trail in CV. Across from the Wind Caves, this one is also a hard uphill at the beginning. But unlike Wind Caves, once you're at the top, the hike continues flat for a while. You're standing on cliffs, hiking through tall pine trees, and looking at the canyon from above. Bring lots of water and a camera. 5 miles round trip, hard at the beginning, easy middle, moderate end. Click here to read more about it.
18. Mount Logan Peak!
Take a ride up to Mount Logan Peak! It can be accessed through Right Hand Fork in Logan Canyon or Left Hand Fork in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. We love taking our four wheeler to the top, but we've seen people take jeeps and SUVs as well. It's a gorgeous drive, especially in the fall. You can see almost all of Cache Valley from the top! We always love to bring a picnic with us.
19. Smithfield Implement!
Every once in a while, we drive up to Smithfield and go to Smithfield Implement and Callaway's for dinner. Smithfield Implement is such a fun store. It's also fun to drive a few minutes up from there and visit the Idaho state sign!
20. Couples Photo Session!
Take some couples photos at one of the many gorgeous Cache Valley photo spots! It's so fun to get all dressed up and get some professional photos taken every once in a while. At Abigail Erin Photography, we know some amazing locations in Cache Valley with great views. Click here for details.
My favorite local Cache Valley restaurants:
Beehive Grill (pictured)
Callaway's Bistro (pictured)
Firehouse Pizzeria (pictured)
The Factory Pizza
El Toro Viejo (pictured)
MayMoes Cajun Grill
Jack's Wood Fired Oven
Café Sabor
Herm's Inn
Formosa Restaurant
Thanks for sharing these ideas! We've been pretty busy lately with a lot of stuff going on. We're counting our blessings though, we've had a good attorney helping us through some of it, but I want to get the kids out and exploring Logan, and these seem like some great places to start at! Thank you!
This is such a great list of things to do near Logan!! We had some plumbing issues, so the <a href="http://www.mikenorrplumbing.com/">plumbers</a> will be working on it this weekend and I need something to go do with our kids. These are some great ideas, I didn't realize how much we hadn't done here! Thanks for sharing!