Sandy is the nearest big city on the far side of the Point of the Mountain, and for Utah Valley it is closer than it feels: about 31 miles from downtown Provo, which OpenStreetMap routing puts at roughly 35 to 40 minutes without traffic, straight up I-15. It has one of Utah's major producing theaters, running large-scale musicals in the round, the closest professional stadium to Utah Valley, a ravine park of more than 600 acres, and the mouths of both Cottonwood canyons.
This page is the Sandy day on its own. For a day that strings Sandy together with Draper and South Jordan, see our near-north day guide.
Before you go
Traffic, not distance, is the variable. The drive is short on paper; the Point of the Mountain at rush hour is not. For a 7 p.m. curtain or kickoff on a weeknight, leave earlier than the mileage suggests.
Without a car it works for one stop. TRAX's Blue Line stops at Sandy Expo station, near the expo center and America First Field. From Utah County that means FrontRunner plus a transfer to TRAX, which is fine for a single event near the station and slow for anything else.
No dogs above the city. Bells Canyon is under Sandy City watershed restrictions that the Forest Service says are strictly enforced, with no animals and no fires, and the Cottonwood canyons are protected watershed too. Bring the dog to Dimple Dell instead, on a leash.
The Hale question
Utah has two Hale theaters, and Utah Valley residents mix them up constantly. Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, spelled the British way, is a separate company at 9900 South Monroe Street, just off I-15 at exits 293 and 295. Hale Center Theater Orem is a different organization, now known as The Ruth, and our guide to The Ruth covers it. If a ticket says Sandy, it is the one on this page.
In its 2026 season, Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy plays Monday through Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., with weekday matinees at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday matinees. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs through October 24, Ken Ludwig's Moriarty through November 14, Anastasia opens November 16, and A Christmas Carol runs November 27 through December 26, 2026, according to the theater's own listings.
Fifteen things to do in Sandy
1. Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy
Large-scale productions at 9900 South Monroe Street, with 2026 evening performances at 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and matinees on weekdays and Saturdays. Tickets and schedule
2. A Real Salt Lake match at America First Field
Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League both play at 9256 South State Street, in a soccer stadium of about 20,000 seats that opened in 2008 as Rio Tinto Stadium and was renamed in 2022. It is the closest professional stadium of any kind to Utah Valley. Our pro-sports guide
3. A Utah Royals match at America First Field
The National Women's Soccer League's Utah Royals share America First Field with Real Salt Lake, and their regular season runs into the fall. Our pro-sports guide
4. A summer concert at the Sandy Amphitheater
An outdoor venue of about 2,700 seats at 1245 East 9400 South. Its 2026 season opened on May 18 with the free Jazz in the Park, and Sandy City and the Sandy Arts Guild present free events through the season alongside the ticketed tours.
5. A show at the Mountain America Exposition Center
Trade shows, conventions, home and garden shows and large seasonal markets; if you have driven north for a boat show or a craft fair, it was probably here. Our near-north day guide
6. Dimple Dell Regional Park
A Salt Lake County regional park that follows a natural ravine through Sandy's neighborhoods: more than 600 acres and more than 15 miles of unpaved trails shared by hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. Leashed dogs are welcome here, unlike the canyons above.
7. The Porter Rockwell Trail
A paved rail trail of about 10 miles beside the TRAX line, from Pioneer Avenue in Sandy south into Draper, passing Sandy Civic Center station. It is flat, stroller-friendly and open to leashed dogs.
8. Hidden Valley Park and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, with a dog
Draper City's trail rules allow leashed dogs on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from Hidden Valley Park in Sandy south toward Draper: the way onto the foothills with a dog, since the watershed canyons are off-limits to them. Draper City's trail rules
9. Bells Canyon
From the trailheads on Wasatch Boulevard, the lower reservoir is a short walk, and the lower falls are about 4.5 miles round trip with roughly 1,500 feet of climbing. The trail enters the Lone Peak Wilderness, and Sandy City's watershed rules mean no dogs and no fires. Forest Service trail page
10. The Temple Quarry Trail
A paved loop of about a quarter mile at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, where pioneers quarried the granite for the Salt Lake Temple, finished in 1893. Interpretive signs, restrooms at the trailhead, and room for strollers and wheelchairs. No dogs and no swimming: this is watershed. Our Cottonwood Canyons guide
11. The Little Cottonwood Creek Trail
It starts from the same trailhead as the quarry loop and follows the creek up the canyon, as far as you care to walk. Our Cottonwood Canyons guide
12. A Little Cottonwood Canyon day
The more dramatic and more crowded of the two canyons, whose best-known summer destination, Albion Basin, has the shortest season. Our Cottonwood Canyons guide
13. A Big Cottonwood Canyon day
The canyon's most popular hike leads to Lakes Blanche, Florence and Lillian. Our Cottonwood Canyons guide
14. Alta and Snowbird in winter
The two resorts at the top of Little Cottonwood, and the reason Sandy is Utah Valley's staging point for a ski day north of the Point. Our skiing guide
15. The near-north day
Sandy, Draper and South Jordan together, with the shopping question answered honestly. Our near-north day guide
Related Guides
- Things to Do in Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Millcreek, From Provo
- Things to Do in South Jordan and Daybreak, From Provo
- Things to Do in Draper, Utah, From Provo
- Draper, Sandy and South Jordan From Utah County: The Near-North Day
- Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons From Provo: The Summer Edition
- Utah Valley's Pro Sports Options
- Hale Center Theater Orem Is Now The Ruth
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Sandy from Provo?
Is Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy the same as Hale Center Theater Orem?
What stadium is in Sandy, Utah?
Are dogs allowed in Bells Canyon or the Cottonwood canyons?
Can you get to Sandy from Provo without a car?
What is Dimple Dell?
