1. Goblin Valley, Green River
The thousands of mushroom-shaped "goblins" at this state park are pretty weird. Like much of Utah’s landscape, the sandstone formations were created by erosion. The area has been compared to Mars, and it’s a pretty tough environment with temperatures as high as 105 degrees in the summer and as low as 10 degrees in the winter.
2. Gilgal Garden, Salt Lake City
If you haven’t visited this weird sculpture garden in Salt Lake, you should definitely check it out. Have you ever seen a sphinx with the head of Joseph Smith? Weird.
3. Homestead Crater, Midway
This spot is the only warm water scuba diving destination in the continental U.S.. The geothermal spring created a 65-foot-deep pool, which is hidden below a 55-foot, dome-shaped crater. The Homestead resort created a tunnel into the crater so guests can swim, scuba dive or just enjoy the warm 90-degree sauna-like atmosphere. Weird never felt so good!
4. Hole in the Rock, near Moab
This weird tourist destination was actually someone’s house before it became one of Utah’s strangest museums/gift shops/petting zoos. You can take a guided tour of the 5,000 square foot home, buy a metal sculpture, and feed a zebra.
5. Devil’s Slide, Weber Canyon
These two parallel limestone slabs look so perfectly placed that it’s hard to believe they weren’t created by humans. The sides of Devil’s Slide rise about 40 feet from the mountain — the space in-between is about 25 feet wide.
6. Interstate 70 between Green River and Salina
This is one of the most deserted stretches of highway in the entire country. It’s 106 miles with no towns, no services and no way to turn around. Run out of gas out here in the middle of the night, and you’ll quickly see just how weird things get.
7. Summum Pyramid, Salt Lake City
The pyramid is 40 feet long and 26 feet tall and was constructed in 1977. Summum offers mummification services (for people or pets) and also produces nectar that sits in the pyramid for 77 days in a "creative state" before being aged for up to 15 years.
8. Metaphor: The Tree of Utah I-80 near Wendover
Long before Sweden brought IKEA to Utah, Swedish sculptor Karl Momen built the sculpture Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. You’ll find the 87-foot-tall "tree" about 27 miles east of Wendover, on I-80.
9. Timpanogos Cave, American Fork Canyon
Timpanogos Cave is amazing...but also pretty weird. The stalactites, stalagmites and helictites are abundant.
10. Peter Sinks, Bear River Mountains
Peter Sinks is one of the coldest spots in the lower 48 states — so cold that trees can’t grow there. It’s a sinkhole located east of Logan at an elevation of 8,100 feet. Because of the inversion in the sinkhole, cold air gets trapped and temperatures reach -69 Fahrenheit.
11. Fantasy Canyon, Uintah County
Fantasy Canyon covers only a few acres, but its formations are definitely weird. Millions of years ago, this area was Lake Uinta. Layers of sediment, along with erosion, created the sandstone formations.
12. Sun Tunnels, Great Basin Desert
These tunnels look like big concrete storm drains sitting on the salt flats. Until you figure them out, that is. Artist Nancy Holt created them in 1976. The placement of the tunnels is designed to align perfectly with the sun during the summer and winter solstices. They’re really cool. And pretty weird.
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