Salt Lake City's TRAX light rail system covers downtown and connects to the University of Utah, the suburbs south and west of the city, and the airport. The system is well-run and sufficient for most tourist destinations in the city centre. The FrontRunner commuter rail extends north to Ogden and south to Provo.
The city grid system makes navigation by car very easy — addresses count outward from Temple Square in all four directions in 100-foot increments per block. Once you understand the grid, you can find any address instantly. Parking is available throughout downtown, though metered on-street spaces fill up around Temple Square.
For the ski resorts, UTA operates ski buses to both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons during the winter season; driving up canyon roads can be complicated by snow and traffic, so the bus is often the better option. Car rental is available at the airport.