Tooele County

Tooele County in Utah is an amazing place to visit and explore. Nestled at the edge of the Great Salt Lake, Tooele County offers a wide variety of outdoor activities and attractions for visitors to enjoy. From hiking, biking and camping to swimming, fishing and birdwatching – there’s something here for everyone!

The county seat is in Tooele, a city of 18,000 people on the eastern edge of the Great Salt Lake. It has an elevation of 4,325 feet and is just 32 miles from downtown Salt Lake City. With the Oquirrh Mountains to the east and Stansbury Mountains to the west, Tooele County is home to some incredible mountain scenery.

Welcome to Tooele County, located in the beautiful Basin and Range region. Our towns are nestled in a stunning valley between the Oquirrh Mountains to the east and the Onaqui and Stansbury Mountains to the west. Explore the vast Great Salt Lake Desert that covers most of our county, except for the southwest corner where the majestic Deep Creek Mountains rise.

Discover our county's rich history, with prehistoric Indian sites and the Goshutes, a branch of the Western Shoshone, who consider this harsh environment their ancestral homeland. The ingenious use of limited resources by the Goshutes amazed the first white travelers. Today, the Goshutes have a reservation in Skull Valley, preserving their heritage.

Tooele County originally spelled Tuilla, was one of the first six counties created in January 1850. Over the years, its boundaries have changed, and it has grown to become the state's second-largest county.

The early settlers in Tooele Valley were Mormon pioneers who herded livestock before permanent settlement began in 1849. They cultivated crops, built mills, and manufactured various products. However, mining and smelting led the county's growth from the 1860s to World War II.

Tooele County covers an area of 5,737 square miles. It’s located on the west side of the Great Salt Lake and is bordered by Davis County to the north, Summit County to the east, Juab County to the south, and Nevada to the west. Tooele Valley is surrounded by ranges of mountains; with some reaching as high as 11,000 feet above sea level.

The eastern part of the county is high-desert terrain with sparse vegetation and occasional salt flats. The western portion of Tooele County includes the Deep Creek Mountains and part of the Great Salt Lake Desert. These regions are primarily composed of sand dunes and barren desert landscapes.

This iconic place is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Tooele County. The hard-packed salt flats are used for world land speed record attempts and provide a unique backdrop for pictures taken from all angles.

This 70-foot steel sculpture was created between 1982-1986 as a symbol of peace and stands on the west shore of the Great Salt Lake. It's known as one of the most unusual objects in all of Utah and is visible for miles around.