Observing Memorial Day in the Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City Cemetery is full of history, as the largest municipally owned cemetery in the nation. Over the past 169 years, Salt Lakers have laid their loved ones to rest in this peaceful garden that has come to hold so many treasured memories. Memorial Day will bring many visitors from near and far who come to decorate graves, pay their respects, and honor those who served.
Memorial Day Clean Up
All flowers and decorations will be removed one week following Memorial Day.
Any decorations placed June 2, 2025, to June 7, 2025, will be removed. Please do not decorate during clean up week.
The Cemetery encourages families to submit photos and stories of loved ones through their website. Calling or stopping by the Sexton’s house during office hours to keep contact information up to date is a great way to help cemetery staff care for your loved one’s grave. Visit the Salt Lake City Cemetery website to find tools and information.
The cemetery provides memorial art, beautiful green space, and great views that can leave a lasting impression. Many visitors are not aware of the opportunities to appreciate and give back to the cemetery year-round. The Friends of the Salt Lake City Cemetery is a non-profit volunteer group who organizes the annual Post Memorial Day Cleanup and many more events to support the cemetery. Each year, volunteers help divert several tons of recyclable and compostable decorations from the landfill. Check out the Public Lands Calendar to view and sign up for these upcoming events.
This year, a lot is new at the cemetery. The new map tool below can help visitors locate where a loved one is buried and navigate grave sites.
Find a Grave
Instructions
- Select the A-B Icon (second button under the search bar)
- Click the location icon at the end of line 1
- Type the name of the individual interred at the cemetery in a last name, first name, middle name format, (i.e. Smith, Brian E) a list of names will appear
- Click Get Directions (highlighted in blue)
- Select Print
- More than one deceased individual can be added to a search list by selecting add and repeat step 3
- Change the dropdown menu from Driving to Walking for precise directions to grave locations
Please note, internal cemetery streets are not recognized by mapping software. The Salt Lake City Cemetery is diligently working to provide updated/user friendly mapping services to assist visitors with finding their loved ones. Contact the Cemetery Administration Office for assistance, questions or concerns.
Visitors may also notice construction signs along with brand new roads in the northeast section of the cemetery. Improvements to the cemetery’s irrigation system and roadways are ongoing. Learn more about this investment in the cemetery at the Cemetery Improvement Project Page. All roads will be open and accessible over Memorial Day weekend.
While the Salt Lake City Cemetery preserves the past, it’s also a place that sees significant change. The Mark Smith Memorial Arboretum within the cemetery is a grove of living trees affected by the forces of nature. In September 2020, a powerful windstorm uprooted more than 200 trees in the cemetery. After years of effort from the community and Salt Lake City Urban Forestry, most of the trees have been replaced. The tree planting event this fall aims to fully restore the number of trees that were lost to the windstorm. To be a part of this important milestone, check the Public Lands Calendar and sign up for the fall tree planting later this year. These trees represent so many of the things that make the cemetery special: history with deep roots, a record of the past with growth rings, and comfort for the living with the shade of their leaves.
Memorial Day 2025 will offer visitors to the Salt Lake City Cemetery new tools and information to find loved ones and reconnect them to their roots. This holiday weekend is also a chance to connect visitors with service opportunities year-round.
