Just moved to Salt Lake City, or getting back into it after a while? These groups are beginner-friendly and welcoming — no need to be fast, experienced, or know a soul.
Thursdays · 6:30 or 7:00am (season depending) · foothill singletrack · dog-friendly · free
Rotating trailheads around the University / Avenues foothills
Start time slides between 6:30am and 7:00am with the seasons. The meeting trailhead rotates — announced through the club’s Discord.
500+ rides a year · Social, Climb, Metric, Super & MTB series · every pace · non-members welcome
Varies by ride — see the BCC ride calendar
Utah’s largest club. Rides span easy social spins to 100-mile-plus endurance days, each rated for pace, distance, and climbing. Anyone can ride along; full schedule on the club’s ride calendar.
Free awareness talks + Backcountry 101 & field courses · field days in the Cottonwoods · winter
SLC classrooms + field sessions in Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons
Free 1-hour awareness talks plus paid courses like Backcountry 101 with field days in the central Wasatch. The schedule fills in from late fall through winter.
Tuesdays · track workout that adapts to any level · free
East High School track, 840 S 1300 E
Summer start is 6:30am; the workout shifts to roughly 6:00pm in the darker months (Oct–Mar). Workouts scale to your fitness.
Saturdays · 7:00am (earlier option an hour prior) · paces from 7:00 to 12:00 min/mile · free
Varies weekly — announced via the club Discord
Endurance run with a wide pace range; an early group goes out an hour before the main start.
Sundays · 8:00am · easy 3–5 miles walk or run, breakfast after · free
Highland High School, north lot, 2166 S 1700 E
The club’s most relaxed run — a short social loop followed by breakfast.
Mon & Wed evenings · casual, all-paces · routes rotate between parks, the Avenues, and breweries
Rotating — city parks, Avenues routes, and breweries like Fisher
Group runs land on Monday and Wednesday evenings with distances that scale to whoever shows. Check Instagram for the week’s meet spot and time.
Social run + local brewery after · beginner-friendly, no-drop
Rotating Salt Lake breweries
Beer-and-running social club — explicitly beginner-friendly and no-drop. Check their site for the next run.
Weekly chapter meetups for all abilities · women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC & allies
Salt Lake City–area trailheads (chapter-organized via Discord)
Each chapter (SLC and U of U among them) runs its own weekly meetup; days, times, and trailheads are posted in the group’s Discord.
SLCMTB — Salt Lake City Mountain Biking
Tuesdays · 6:30pm · no-drop, regroups at intersections · beginner option offered
Rotating Wasatch / Wasatch Back trailheads (e.g. Round Valley)
2,600-member Meetup. A few evening and night rides each week plus weekend outings; the Tuesday social ride rotates trailheads and includes a beginner group.
WomenMTB community night at the shop · free for members · ride leaders on hand
A recurring WomenMTB gathering (formerly “Bikes, Baddies, and Bubbles”) hosted at the shop, free for WomenMTB members, with leaders pointing riders toward upcoming clinics and rides.
Weekly women’s group rides and clinics across the Wasatch · coordinated via Telegram
Rotating Wasatch trailheads (details in the WomenMTB Telegram)
Rides and clinics run weekly through the season; the group organizes day, time, and trailhead through its Telegram chat.
A full week-by-week calendar of graded hikes, backpacks, and outings · year-round
Wasatch trailheads (see the WMC activity calendar)
SLC’s 1920-founded outdoor club posts a deep, rolling calendar of member-led hikes graded by difficulty and distance. Activities run year-round; specific days vary on the calendar.
Wasatch Hiking & Outdoors Group
Frequent all-levels hikes plus road trips, camping & socials · 14,000+ members
Rotating Wasatch trailheads (posted on Meetup)
The largest hiking Meetup in SLC; hikes for every skill level are posted regularly on the group’s Meetup page.
40+ volunteer days a year, May–Oct · 4-hour sessions (often 8am–12pm) · free
Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons (varies by project)
Trail maintenance, restoration, and weed-pulling in the Cottonwoods, plus winter naturalist snowshoe tours. Sessions are four hours; dates vary across the May–October season.
Volunteer trail-building days through the building season
Wasatch-area projects (incl. the Bonneville Shoreline Trail)
SLC trails nonprofit; volunteer days are scheduled across the season — see the Trails Utah volunteer page.
Tuesdays · 6:00pm · group run with food & drink provided after
The Front Climbing Club, 1470 S 400 W (meet spot varies — check Instagram)
The gym’s weekly run, open to all, with food and drink afterward. The starting location rotates — confirm on the gym’s Instagram stories.
Wednesdays · movies & co-op video games behind the Terminal boulder · summer adds courtyard music
The Front Climbing Club, 1470 S 400 W
A weekly social night in the community room (a day pass or membership gets you in to climb). June–September it pairs with a live-music series in the courtyard.
Climbers’ Coffees, film nights, mixers & trail-work days through the year
Wasatch crags and SLC venues (see SLCA events)
The Wasatch climbing-advocacy nonprofit runs a steady calendar of Climbers’ Coffees, film nights, member mixers, and crag trail-work days, plus the annual Climbing Festival.
Daily-set classic & skate track all winter · the only SLC venue groomed every day
Mountain Dell Golf Course, Parley’s Canyon
TUNA grooms Mountain Dell daily through the winter — about 90 ski days a season. A trail pass or TUNA membership covers access.
One of Utah’s biggest citizen XC race series · several events across the winter
Wasatch Nordic venues (Mountain Dell, Soldier Hollow, and others)
A welcoming citizen race series run by TUNA across the winter; dates and venues are posted on the TUNA site.
20km of groomed classic & skate trails · group/private lessons & guided snowshoe tours
Solitude Nordic Center, Big Cottonwood Canyon
Lessons and snowshoe tours run through the winter; reserve through the Nordic center.
Last Tuesday & Thursday of each month · free · all levels welcome
Salt Lake–area birding spots (see the GSLA calendar)
Free walks for all levels on the last Tuesday and Thursday of each month; meeting locations are posted on the chapter’s calendar. (Weekday set to Tuesday; the matching Thursday walk runs the same week.)
Stonefly Society of Trout Unlimited
Monthly meeting with a guest speaker · free & open to all
Salt Lake valley (see Stonefly Society site)
Utah’s oldest TU chapter (~900 members). Monthly programs with guest speakers, plus conservation projects, education, river outings, and the annual Wasatch Expo.
Off-season indoor roll & skills practice · plus a full season of river trips
Salt Lake–area pools (members’ sessions)
An ACA Paddle America Club for kayakers, packrafters, rafters, and SUP paddlers. Winter pool sessions keep rolling skills sharp; spring–fall brings a calendar of river trips.
University of Utah Outdoor Adventures
Day trips & clinics through multi-day expeditions · climbing, MTB, backpacking, XC & backcountry skiing
George S. Eccles Student Life Center, 1836 Student Life Way
Trips run year-round (semester trips are students-only; summer opens to faculty/staff). Costs include food, transport, and group gear. Clinics return each fall.