Golden Spike National Historical Park is about 130 miles and two and a half hours from downtown Provo, by an OpenStreetMap routing estimate (OSRM, no traffic) from Center Street and University Avenue: I-15 north past Brigham City, then State Route 83 west through Corinne to Promontory Summit. Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson's 1970 earthwork on the Great Salt Lake, is about 16 miles farther on gravel and dirt, which brings the total to roughly three and a half hours from Provo.
Together they are a full day: two very different kinds of history (the 1869 meeting of the transcontinental railroad, and a 1,500-foot coil of rock on the shore of the Great Salt Lake) on the same empty peninsula, connected by one gravel road. It works year-round, but what you see depends on the season, and late October is the changeover.
Golden Spike: what is there
The park marks Promontory Summit, where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific met on May 10, 1869. Its centerpieces are two working replica steam locomotives, Jupiter and No. 119, built to match the engines that met at the ceremony.
Fees (NPS): $20 per private vehicle, $15 per motorcycle. That covers the auto tours, walking trails, films, exhibits and ranger programs. America the Beautiful passes cover the pass holder and everyone in the car.
Visitor center hours (NPS):
| Season | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summer, early May to late October | Daily | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Winter, late October to late April | Thursday to Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Closed | Thanksgiving (Nov. 26, 2026), Christmas, New Year's Day |
The outdoor features, including the Big Fill Trail, the Last Spike Site, the East Auto Tour, picnic areas, outdoor exhibits and restrooms, are open sunrise to sunset every day of the year, weather permitting.
There is no wifi at the park. Download the NPS app and the park's audio tours before you leave Provo.
The locomotives: summer schedule
From May 1 to mid-October, the engines run daily except on boiler wash days (the park posts a boiler wash schedule). The park's daily program:
- 10:00 a.m. Jupiter arrives.
- 10:30 a.m. No. 119 arrives.
- 1:00 p.m. Demonstration run with both locomotives.
- About 4:00 p.m. No. 119 departs (one park page says 3:50).
- 4:30 p.m. Jupiter departs.
Summer Saturdays, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, add a costumed reenactment of the Last Spike Ceremony with volunteers and audience members, right after the 10:30 and 1:00 demonstrations. The park recommends arriving before 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. to see the steam demonstration and the ceremony together.
From Provo, that means leaving by 7:30 a.m. for the morning program, or by 10:30 for the afternoon run.
The engine house: the winter version
The locomotives spend each winter in the park's engine house, a working machine shop, and the park opens it to visitors. Engine house tours run mid-October through late April, Thursday through Monday, at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., meeting at the visitor center. For more rail outings from Provo, see train days.
For a late-October or winter trip, plan around those days. A Tuesday or Wednesday visit gets you the outdoor trails and the Last Spike Site but no visitor center and no tour.
The rest of the park
- Big Fill Loop Trail: 1.5 miles round trip, out on the original Central Pacific grade and back on the Union Pacific grade, past the Central Pacific's Big Fill, the abutments of the Union Pacific's Big Trestle, and drill marks from the blasting. Open year-round.
- East Auto Tour: 2 miles on the old grade, with cuts, fills and culverts, and views of the Wasatch. Subject to weather closures in winter.
- West Auto Tour: 7 miles, including the "10 Miles of Track, Laid in One Day" sign, marking the Central Pacific's 10 miles and 56 feet of track on April 28, 1869. Usually closed from late November to early June.
- Neither auto tour is approved for RVs or vehicles pulling trailers.
- A Junior Ranger book for kids, and on summer Saturdays a Junior Ranger table.
Spiral Jetty: getting there
The Dia Art Foundation, which owns the work, gives directions from the Golden Spike visitor center:
- Drive 5.6 miles west on the main gravel road (North Golden Spike Loop) and keep left at the fork.
- Drive 1.4 miles and turn right (southwest) at the next fork.
- Continue about 9 miles; the road curves north around Rozel Point.
- The road ends at a cul-de-sac parking lot directly above Spiral Jetty.
Dia's list of what is at the site: no bathrooms, no food, no fresh water, no fuel. Use the restrooms and fill bottles at the Golden Spike visitor center. Dia asks visitors to bring water, food, waterproof boots and weather-appropriate clothing. Fill your tank in Brigham City before SR-83.
Drive it dry. Gravel and dirt roads on the lake's edge are a different road after rain or snow.
Spiral Jetty: what you will see
Dia describes the work as a coil 1,500 feet long and about 15 feet wide, built in 1970. Over the decades the lake has drowned and exposed it; it has been visible since 2002, and Dia currently says that because of drought it is completely visible.
For a sense of how low: the USGS gauge near Saline, on the lake's north arm where the jetty sits, read about 4,189.5 feet on October 19, 2026. At that level the jetty sits on dry lake bed, and the water's edge is a walk beyond it. Our Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats guide explains what the lake is doing and why its level matters.
Rules (Dia): leave no trace; carry out all waste; do not take rocks; do not build fire pits, which can bring significant fines; and do not trample vegetation.
The day, put together
Summer Saturday (the full version):
- 7:30 a.m. Leave Provo. Fuel in Brigham City.
- 10:00 a.m. Golden Spike: the locomotives arrive, the 10:30 run, then the Last Spike reenactment.
- 11:30 a.m. Big Fill Trail and a picnic lunch.
- 1:00 p.m. Out to Spiral Jetty, about 16 miles on gravel. An hour or so on the jetty and the lake bed.
- 3:30 p.m. Back past the visitor center (restrooms), SR-83 to I-15, home around 6:30.
Late October through April (the winter version): go Thursday through Monday. Book your day around an engine house tour (10:30, 1 or 3), walk the Big Fill and the East Auto Tour if open, and do Spiral Jetty only if the roads are dry. Winter afternoons end early, so start the jetty leg by early afternoon.
Pairing it with the Wasatch Front
The drive north passes everything in our Ogden guide, which makes Ogden the natural dinner stop on the way home, and the lake's other famous visit is Antelope Island, closer to home on the same lake. If a weekend of Utah's land art appeals, the far end of it is Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels in the West Desert, covered in our Sun Tunnels guide. More trips at this distance are in our day trips from Provo list. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, off I-15 at Brigham City, is on the way; see our Bear River refuge guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far are Golden Spike and Spiral Jetty from Provo?
How much does Golden Spike cost?
When do the steam locomotives run at Golden Spike?
What is there to do at Golden Spike in winter?
Do you need four-wheel drive for Spiral Jetty?
Is Spiral Jetty underwater right now?
Can you walk on Spiral Jetty?
Is this a good day trip for kids?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Fees and passes, National Park Service, Golden Spike. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Operating hours and seasons, National Park Service, Golden Spike. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Locomotive ranger programs, National Park Service, Golden Spike. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Activities (auto tours, Big Fill trail, engine house tours), National Park Service, Golden Spike. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Visiting in summer, National Park Service, Golden Spike. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty: visit, Dia Art Foundation. Checked October 20, 2026.
- OSRM route service (OpenStreetMap data), driving estimates from Center St & University Ave, Provo, Project OSRM. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Great Salt Lake near Saline, UT (10010100), lake elevation, U.S. Geological Survey. Checked October 20, 2026.
