On July 27, 1847, Brigham Young and a band of Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in search of "a place on this earth that nobody else wants." This Is the Place, as the city motto says. The Mormon community dominates everything in this laid-back city. The people are kind and unpretentious, making visitors from all over the world feel welcome whether they come to see the glorious temple and tabernacle, or if they just need a home-base for excursions to the many nearby first-class ski resorts and gorgeous national parks. From its desolate red rock canyons to its soaring pine-covered peaks, Utah is spectacular. It's also a land of cultural riches. All the groups who have settled here, from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Mormons, to mountain men and Wild West bandits, have left their distinctive mark.

"Take flight" at 4 of Utah's best ski resorts, all less than 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. At luxurious Deer Valley, you'll find new lifts and runs complemented by a continuing tradition of unsurpassed service. Sundance, in North Fork Provo Canyon, is famous for its Robert Redford-founded film festival and boasts a year-round mountain community for art and nature spread out on 6,000 pristine acres at the base of towering 12,000-foot Mount Timpanogos. Just 30 minutes from Salt Lake City, Snowbird and nearby Alta offer 3,240 vertical feet of continuous skiing, and an annual average of 200 skiable days. Much of the current excitement, of course, centers around Salt Lake City as the home of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games!