Stop #30: Salt Lake City KOA Holiday, Salt Lake City, UT

Some time in the summer, we planned to NYC with family and therefore needed to be in a major city out west in order to get decent flights there and back. With that in mind we booked our flights out of Salt Lake City knowing we'd be exploring Utah in the fall. We booked at Salt Lake City KOA Holiday which seemed to be close to both the city and the airport. For this purpose it turned out to be perfect. There was a train station right outside of the campground which we took to the airport and back. However, as we first pulled into the campground we couldn't help but notice that the surrounding neighborhood didn't seem to be the safest... with an abundance of homeless people throughout. But this was one of the few options we had to work with and it was too late to cancel.

Airport terminal :)

The campground itself was nice enough, with paved sites and trees throughout - it probably looks nicer in the spring or summer. The staff at the office were always very nice and helpful despite the large packages we had delivered during our stay (we ended up purchasing skirts for our RV to help keep us warm through the winter). Similar to other KOA's, this campground has a pool and hot tub area (the pool was closed for the season), a playground, a game room, laundry, and showers. They also offer cabins for rental though we didn't see too many of them.

At this location, we were just 10 mins away from City Creek Center shopping mall and other downtown offerings. Salt Lake City was the perfect location for shopping for ski gear ahead of our Park City and Breckenridge stays. Salt Lake has plenty of ski shops that offer both new and gently used gear. We found one just down the block from the campground called Ski Trucks where we found great deals for gently used skis and boots for the kids... as well as new ones (we ended up getting new boots for our daughter because they were last seasons and well priced). Paul and I visited a few shops but ended up getting some gear at Christy Sports. The sales staff at Christy's seemed to be the most knowledgeable when it came to boot fitting and they also had some last year models at a discount. We had actually purchased boots at another store and when visiting Christy's they showed us how those were actually not the right fit for us. Highly recommend them. Also, if you have to time to shop, you can always go there first in order to find the right boot and then shop for that same boot at other stores... including Curated, an online service I used to get my skis and bindings. A shopping specialist searches for the best price for the item you are looking for and will match whatever price you find yourself. I got an awesome deal for my skis, poles and bindings this way - Nick was the bomb.

City Creek Center

It had been a long while since I had done anything with my hair or skin so I also took the opportunity of being in a city to book color, cut and facial appointments. I booked at the Balayage Studio which was also just a few minutes from the campground as well as at Awaken skin. Both places had reasonable prices, specially in comparison to what I'm used to in Miami and delivered well.

So this stay was a logistical one more than anything. We shopped, ran errands, we left the RV there while we visited NYC for 5 days, and then returned with two days left before moving on to Park City. Oh, and Salt Lake City was beautiful at this time, with tons of holiday lights and decorations everywhere. I don't have much to show from this stay as I kind of forgot to take pics of the campground or much else - the two above are the only ones I have. I love architecture and the airport terminal design had to be captured. :)