Utah's Laidback Salt Lake City Suburb Is An Outdoor Gem With A Historic Main Street And Scenic Trails

Visitors to Salt Lake City will naturally gravitate towards downtown, where much of the city's culture, entertainment, dining, and shopping is centered. But if you enjoy less built-up areas where the outdoors more seamlessly integrates with a classic Main Street America aesthetic, you might want to explore further afield. Magna, one of Salt Lake City's suburbs and a characterful city with its own distinct style, sits within 15 miles of downtown. Located near the southern edge of Great Salt Lake, it just might provide the outdoorsy Utah experience you're seeking.

Magna is a lot more relaxed than Salt Lake City's inner neighborhoods. It has a small-town atmosphere and sweeping mountain vistas. Residents on Niche call it "a great quiet neighborhood" and say that "you genuinely feel like you are in a small town area away from a big city" in their reviews. However, with this more rural setting come fewer shopping and dining opportunities. Sentiment on the r/SaltLakeCity subreddit is mixed, with many Salt Lake City locals unsure of Magna's appeal beyond its historic Main Street.

But Magna's Main Street strip is certainly worth exploring. While the town was settled in 1851, its eventual mining boom and Main Street renaissance didn't occur until the early 1900s. Over 40 buildings along Main Street were constructed during this iconic Copper Boom Town Era, showcasing the commercial brick block style that upholds downtown's historic tapestry backed by undulating hills and farmland. This includes the eye-catching Empress Theatre, which first opened in 1916 as a burlesque venue. Today it hosts various plays and musicals, such as Little Shop of Horrors, Alice in Wonderland, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Even more history awaits those who stroll along this storied strip.

You can learn more about Magna's history by visiting the Magna Ethnic & Mining Museum, located along Main Street. This museum celebrates Magna's rich mining history and culture, as well as the ethnic groups who immigrated to the area in the early 1900s and were responsible for building up the city. You can browse photographs, mining tools, clothing, and antique furniture. It also has stories on display sharing more about the individuals who helped shape the town and eventual suburban city.

Past meets present when shopping along Main Street. Colosimo's Original Standard Market & Sausage Factory has a long family lineage of producing high-quality meats for the local community. Store hours aren't always consistent (open only until everything sells out), but if you have a chance to pop in, you can purchase a range of delicious meats and pasta. The meatballs, Italian sausages, and spaghetti sauce are particularly sought after. Just down Main Street, Utah Crystal Sanctuary sells a variety of (you guessed it) crystals, as well as gemstones, Buddha statues, and jewelry. Customers talk about the calm and relaxing atmosphere here as much as the products.

If you fancy a libation with historic Magna ambience, check out Copper Miner Saloon. This local bar is a laidback and no-frills affair, pairing good drinks and company with karaoke every night of the week. People are often enamored with its Old West style and quiet setting. It also gets a lot of praise for its chicken wings and mushroom poppers. In keeping with its aesthetic, Copper Miner Saloon hosts free pool days and poker nights. You may just find yourself strutting into this saloon and traveling back to those wild mining days as you sip beer, play pool, and soak up the history of Magna's Main Street.

A big part of Magna's appeal, especially for those unenthusiastic about inner-city life, is its outdoor lifestyle. With Great Salt Lake in one direction, the Wasatch Mountains in another, and rolling hills all around, this suburb feels partly responsible for Utah being the top-rated state for healthy living in 2026. Immerse yourself in this environment by tackling some of Magna's nearby trails. The 1.4-mile Saltair to Salt Lake Shore route is great for an easy one-hour hike. It leads off from Saltair, a remarkable outdoor live music venue, taking you across stunning salt flats to the lake's shoreline. However, the route is not without its downsides, and hikers who have walked the trail have reported strong smells, dead birds, and mosquitoes.

Another popular route is the Utah and Salt Lake Canal Trail, which you can follow as far as 6.2 miles. You can access this trail just south of Downtown Magna, following it along the canal past homes and parks. It's a popular route for walkers and joggers. While it doesn't have the most captivating scenery in Utah, you will see birds and enjoy views of sprawling farmland and distant hills. If you want more immersive wilderness, drive one hour to Antelope Island State Park, a little-known Utah island full of wildlife, beaches, and hiking trails. You can take on the challenging Fray Peak Trail, ascending over 2,300 feet to reach a mountain summit with panoramic vistas of Great Salt Lake and snow-capped peaks.

You can drive to Magna in 15 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), one of the easiest-to-navigate airports in America. It's a similar distance from Downtown Salt Lake City. A combination of tram and bus covers the journey in just over one hour. The closest hotels are about 5 miles away between Magna and West Valley City.