>>984289Denver wishes it had mountains that close.
>>984309Shitloads of camping and outdoors activity in that range. I live in SLC and get outside a lot.
You have the Wasatch front which involves some contortions to get away from people but there's a lot of access with day hikes. The further out from SLC and Utah county you get the more solitude you can conjure up.
The Uintas is mainly accessed via Mirror Lake Highway and is very friendly for overnight camping trips as well as dayhikes. Flat(ish) terrain and numerous lakes and small peaks.
The West Desert has all kinds of mining shenanigans, vast landscapes, bizarre geologic features and absolutely no shade anywhere. It's a fall/winter/spring place generally.