Summer Activities

National Parks

• Did you know that people with permanent disabilities are able to receive a free lifetime national parks pass? Read more here!

• Utah has 5 national parks! Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Canyonland, and Zion.

County Rec Centers

• All kids ages 5-18 are able to get a free county rec center pass this summer! Pre-registration is open now, read more about her here! The pass can be used at Salt Lake County rec centers, swimming pools, and ice skating rinks during the summer months starting June 1.

Playgrounds

Taking your child to a playground is a fun way to get out of the house to get some sunshine and exercise! Below are a list of "All Abilities Playgrounds" you can visit in Utah.

• Veteran's Memorial Park (no link): Located in West Jordan, Utah at 1985 W 7800 S 

• East River Front Park: Located in South Jordan, Utah at 10900 S River Front Pkwy

• Adventure Heights: Located in Spanish Fork, Utah, at 1321 E Canyon Rd Spanish Fork

• All Together Playground: Located in Orem, Utah behind the Orem Library on 100 N in Orem (the parking lot is between 200 E and 300 E)

• Chloe Sunshine Playground: Located in Syracuse, Utah within Centennial Park, 1800 S 2000 W 

• Adventure Playground: Located in Logan, Utah at 290 N 400 E in the Whittier Community Center.  

• Thunder Junction: Utah's most well known park in St. George Utah. 1851 S Dixie Drive 

Splash Pads

Get those swimming suits on and head over to your nearest splash pad! (Please check each individual splash pad for open dates and times)

• Ellison Park: Located in Layton, Utah at 700 N 2200 W

• Wardle Fields Regional Park: Located in Bluffdale, Utah at 14148 S 2700 W

• Sandy Amphitheater Splash Park: Located in Sandy, Utah at 9400 S 1300 E

• Nolan Park: Located in Eagle Mountain, Utah at 7862 Tinamous Rd

• Springville Civic Center Splash Pad: Located in Springville, Utah at approximately 50 South Main Street

• Thunder Junction: Located in St. George Utah at 1851 S Dixie Drive

Adaptive Sports

• Wasatch Adaptive Sports offers spring, summer, and fall programs which include programs such as adaptive cycling, mountain biking, paddle boarding, hiking, and yoga.  Scholarships are available for those who qualify. Advanced reservations are required for all activities and are based on availability.

• National Abilities Center's goal is to make recreation and outdoor adventures accessible to people of all abilities – 365 days a year and across the state of Utah. They have basecamps in Park City, Salt Lake City and Moab!

• Splore has been providing outdoor adventures for people of any age and ability since 1977. Their activities are led by specially trained wilderness guides and designed by managers with years of experience working with people of all ability levels, ages, and backgrounds. Adventures include white water rafting, rock climbing, paddle boarding, and canoeing.  

• Are you interested in your child trying horseback riding? Check out Courage Reigns Therapeutic Riding or Hoofbeats to Healing.

Summer Camps

Summer camps are available through private companies and county recreation centers, be sure to check them out soon before classes fill up!

• Copperview Rec Center Adaptive Summer Camp

• Camp K's mission is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through recreation, education, and growth experiences. They offer four types of summer camps: Residential Camp, Day Camp, Travel Trip Camp, Partner Day Camps.

Swimming

• Swimming and splashing around in the pool is a great full body activity! Did you know that Salt Lake County rec centers offer adaptive swim club for children ages 15 and older as well as all inclusion swim lessons for kids? Click HERE for more information!

• Salt Lake County also offers a Disability Fitness Pass which includes a significantly discounted rec center pass for an individual with a disability and their caretaker. Click HERE for more information.

• Did you know that here at Hartvigsen we have special pool equipment to help keep our kids safe in the water? If you're interested in purchasing some equipment similar to what we use here, click on the following links:

  • Aquatic Foam Collar: Amazon  or  Theraquatics.com

  • Life Jacket: Amazon

  • Aqua Joggers: AquaJogger.com  or Amazon

Biking

Take your child for a bike ride! Whether they're on the bike themselves or being pulled behind you, riding a bike is a great way to get your legs moving and core activated.

• Learn about different types of adaptive bicycles and tricycles HERE.

• Shriners Hospital offers an adaptive bike program for their patients.

• Bike Utah is a company working to promote networks of bike lanes, paths, and trails which contribute to livable, healthy communities, allowing everyone to ride regardless of age, ability, race, or income. Check out their website to view what programs they offer!

• If you are interested in owning your own adaptive tricycle, Rifton Adaptive Equipment is the place to go! They offer a resource funding guide to help families afford equipment for their children.

Walking

If you don't have time to pack the kids into the car to drive somewhere, take a nice walk around the neighborhood!

• Encourage your child to challenge their balance by walking on different surfaces such as a hill, grass, wood chips, or gravel.

• If your child is in a wheelchair, try pulling them in a wagon for a little change!

• If you're feeling adventurous, this website HERE lists wheelchair accessible nature trails

Obstacle Course

• Create yourself a homemade obstacle course! It can be as simple or as complex as your child can handle. You can use things like sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, cones, bean bags, a 2x4, and rocks for example. Let your child help pick out what types of activities they'd like to do. This is also an easy activity to make wheelchair accessible.

Bubbles

Playing with bubbles outdoors is a fun activity for children of all abilities. If you have a child who can walk without assistance, blow some bubbles while standing on an unstable surface like grass or wood chips and have them catch or chase after the bubbles! If your child needs to be seated in their wheelchair or other supportive seating, encourage them to reach for the bubbles as best as they can.

Games

• Tag: A good ol' fashioned game of tag is a fun way to get your child moving! Whether they're playing with just you, their siblings, or neighborhood friends, this game is easy to include children of all abilities. Offer whatever level of assistance your child needs (it may be holding their hand or pushing their wheelchair) and help them get their bodies moving!

• Red Light Green Light: Not only is this game a great gross motor activity, it will encourage following directions and attentive listening. As above, offer whatever level of assistance your child needs to play the game.

• Hopscotch: Draw some hopscotch squares on a sidewalk, making them however big or small you want. Help your child complete the hopscotch course either by stepping or jumping in each square (to the best of their ability.)

• Ball Games: Dust off the old soccer ball or basketball and take it outside! Kicking, rolling, or tossing the ball back and forth with your child is great for coordination

• Check out the Salt Lake County Rec Center website HERE to see their list of adaptive sports offered in your area.

Museums

If it's a rainy day and you just need to get out of the house, how about heading to a museum? While at the museum, encourage your child to be as independent as possible! Let them walk up the stairs, climb on the indoor jungle gym, let them interact with the exhibits. This is a great way to get the kids out of the house and use up some of that energy!

• The Discovery Gateway Museum is fun for all ages! Check out their website for operating times and tickets.

• Get tickets online for the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving point!

Need more help? 

Check out the 2024 Summer Resources and Activities page on the Utah Parent Center website!

Utah Down Syndrome Foundation also created a list of Summer Activities for children and adults with disabilities living in Salt Lake County.

Life Utah Elevated also has an Accessible Utah page that compiles resources of companies who work together to advocate specialized recreation plans.