Top Summer Outdoor Activities For Seniors In Bountiful

Two seniors are smiling as they birdwatch.

Bountiful is approximately 12 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah. The city is known for its parks, recreation areas, and golf courses, where people can enjoy spending time outdoors. The easy access to Salt Lake City and outdoor recreation areas make Bountiful an excellent home for older adults. The city provides many opportunities for socializing and staying active, while enjoying the top summer outdoor activities for seniors in Bountiful. 

Benefits Of Outdoor Activities For Seniors

Engaging in outdoor summer activities for seniors offers numerous benefits, including physical, mental, social, and personal advantages.

Physical Benefits 

Summer outdoor activities for seniors keep seniors active. Physical activity offers the following benefits:

Retaining balance and coordination enables seniors to stay active and retain their independence. Good balance helps prevent injuries from falls. Staying active also promotes heart and lung health. 

Additionally, staying active outdoors helps seniors get enough vitamin D, an essential nutrient necessary for maintaining physical health. 

Mental Health Benefits 

Outdoor physical activity offers the following mental health benefits:

  • Lowers stress levels
  • Prevents depression
  • Promotes positive moods
  • Reduces anxiety

Social Benefits

Engaging in outdoor activities promotes social interactions with others enjoying the same activities. Discovering people with shared interests helps seniors meet new people and form friendships.

Social interactions help prevent cognitive decline, depression, and social isolation.

Personal Benefits

Individuals who enjoy outdoor activities for seniors enjoy personal benefits, such as maintaining their independence. Staying healthy enables seniors to remain independent and enjoy their favorite activities for longer as they age.

Top Summer Outdoor Activities For Seniors In Bountiful 

The best summer outdoor activities for seniors in Bountiful are low-impact activities suitable for people at varying fitness levels.

Walks And Nature Trails 

Seniors can enjoy opportunities for socializing while walking and visiting local nature trails in Bountiful. 

Seniors should use these tips when walking:

  • Socialize: Walking with a friend ensures you have someone to help if any health issues arise during your walk. 
  • Stay hydrated: Take water bottles with you and ensure you drink plenty of water when outdoors to prevent dehydration.
  • Use walking poles: Walking poles help you maintain your balance, reducing your chances of falling.
  • Wear proper footwear: Suitable footwear provides support while you’re walking, helping to prevent you from rolling or spraining your ankle, or losing your balance and falling.

Popular places to walk in Bountiful include the following:

  • Bountiful City Park features accessible benches, public restrooms, and shaded walking paths.
  • Mueller Park Trail has paved paths for scenic walks, public bathrooms, and access to drinking water. You can also enjoy the picnic areas.
  • North Canyon Trail has tree-lined walking trails. It connects to Mueller Park.

Gardening And Yard Activities 

Gardening is an excellent, low-impact activity for seniors. Many people enjoy gardening because it provides a sense of purpose and the reward of seeing flowers and plants grow. Gardening promotes moderate physical activity and offers mental stimulation and opportunities for socialization. 

There are community garden plots and long-term care centers in Bountiful where seniors can enjoy gardening. Those who live at home may opt to have raised gardens, making them easier to access.

Yard activities include outdoor events, such as outdoor movie nights and games, like ladder toss.

Birdwatching And Wildlife Viewing 

Birdwatching is an excellent way to interact with nature. Seniors can take binoculars and walk on suitable trails without overexerting themselves. Seniors can also take a folding chair and spend time sitting while birdwatching. 

Seniors interested in birdwatching should also purchase a bird guide and a hat to protect themselves from the sun.

Seniors can also visit local parks and wetlands to observe the local wildlife. Places in the Bountiful area to visit for birdwatching and wildlife viewing include the following:

  • Chapel Park
  • Hatch Park
  • Legacy Parkway Trail
  • Mueller Park
  • North Canyon Park
  • West Bountiful City Park

The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is an excellent nature conservancy where people can observe birds and wildlife in Layton, which is a 15-minute drive north of Bountiful.  

Call Monument Health Group Today 

Monument Health Groups’s Bountiful location is a short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility. We offer seniors the personal and medical support they need to recover from injuries and learn to manage their health. We promote social opportunities and engagement in healthy activities to help residents enjoy the health benefits of spending time with others and staying active outdoors.