Community post by Dan Garfield
For the very first time, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America is traveling to where I live! Hi, my name is Dan Garfield, I’m an Argo Maintainer for Codefresh and Octopus Deploy residing in Salt Lake City. I wanted to share some quick tips for how to get the most out of your trip to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Getting Around
Salt Lake City has both a light rail and bus system for getting around town, as well as a regional train system called Front Runner that runs north (Ogden) to south (Provo). You can take a short train ride from the SLC Airport to downtown, or just grab an Uber, Lyft, or Taxi. If you plan to stay near the convention I don’t recommend renting a car because you’ll have to pay for parking and SLC is small enough that it’s not really worth it.
The Weather
November is a wildcard in Utah, it could be 70-80 degrees or it could be snowing. It’s not uncommon for snow to start falling in SLC in late-October but these are usually quick storms that melt right away. Bring warm clothing options with closed shoes in case it’s cold and snowy the week of KubeCon.
Adventures
Adventures in Town
Salt Lake City is known for its proximity to amazing outdoor experiences. We’ll talk about the best things close to town but if you want to stay in town I recommend hiking Ensign Peak, it’s a bit steep but at less than a mile it’s very doable and you’ll be rewarded with a view of the entire Salt Lake Valley. For something more robust I recommend doing the Bonneville Shoreline trail, the entire trail is hundreds of miles but you can start up off 18th Ave and hike 9 miles to the Hoogle Zoo. There are plenty of places to rent mountain bikes if you’d rather ride and you can ride the same trail. Iif you’re an expert (this is black diamond) you can do the Bobsled trail off the same trail as above.
If you’re staying on foot, just across the street from the convention center is the City Creek Mall which runs through the heart of downtown and is a nice place to walk. Next to that is the world-famous Temple Square where you can catch the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, one of the largest and oldest choirs in the world. Also, there are several free museums – I recommend checking out the Family Search Library where you can get tons of information about your ancestors for free.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants downtown and I’m hesitant to recommend any specific one because 10,000 KubeCon attendees would undoubtedly completely overrun any particular place. Soda shops like Thirst, Swig, Crema, Sips, Sodalicious, and others are Utah phenomena where you can get fancy soda. A dirty soda from these shops usually means Coca-Cola with flavorings added. They’re not my thing but they’re quite popular.
During the week of KubeCon there will be lots of sporting events, the Delta Center is literally across the street from the convention center. Jazz vs the Suns, Jazz vs the Mavericks, and Utah’s new and yet unnamed Hockey team will be playing the Hurricanes and Knights.
There are also opportunities for service, my team is planning to spend some time after the conference at the Cannery on Welfare Square which sends food and aid worldwide.
Day Trips After KubeCon
Lots of people have asked if they’re going to be able to Ski, while it is possible, currently, Park City is planning the earliest opening at November 22. If you don’t mind hiking backcountry like Matt Asay you will be able to find snow but if you don’t normally ski backcountry I would heavily discourage doing so without a local guide as it can be quite dangerous.
Beyond skiing, there are tons of day trips the weekend after KubeCon that are easily done with a rental car or in some cases with a tour bus. In no particular order:
- See the Bison at Antelope Island.
- Swim at the Homestead crater – great in any weather.
- See what infinite nothing looks like at the Bonneville Salt Flats
- There are lots of waterfalls to go see and hike.
- Do the infinite hikes up Big or Little Cottonwood Canyons.
- If there is snow, there are lots of snowshoeing opportunities in Park City and elsewhere.
- Get a tour of Olympic Park.
While early November in Utah may fall between the peak summer and winter activities, there are still plenty of great experiences to enjoy. Whether you’re exploring Salt Lake City or taking a scenic drive south to Zion, Escalante, or Moab, this guide will help you discover a variety of exciting options to make the most of your time.