Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele, Utah, Opens for Tours 

The public open house for the Deseret Peak Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begins this week in Tooele, Utah — located about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

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Media attended a news conference and toured the new house of the Lord on Monday, September 23, 2024. Those participating in the event included Elder Kevin W. Pearson, President of the Utah Area; Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy; and Primary General President, Susan H. Porter.

“For me, there’s always a sense of excitement and enthusiasm and anticipation, as I have the opportunity to explain what happens in these sacred houses of the Lord and why it’s so important to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said Elder Pearson.

“The meaning of the temple to us runs deep. It fills every fiber of our being. It informs our understanding of God, our Eternal Father, and our relationship to Him and our beloved Savior Jesus Christ,” added Elder Bangerter.

The location of this temple has special meaning for President Porter. "It was not far from here at Dugway Proving Ground, out in the desert, where my parents met," she said. She explained that the importance of families is emphasized inside temples. "You can receive healing and connection; connection with God, connection with family and connection with one another. I am grateful for the temple today here in Deseret Peak, providing those blessings for those in this valley."

Members of the Church in the valley are excited for this new temple. Reggie Jensen, a 13-year-old local member, attended the media day with a big smile on his face. "It's awesome because now it allows me to go to the temple more often," he said, "and it will bring the spirit of Jesus Christ more into the valley."

Public Open House 

Invited guests will tour the new house of the Lord on Tuesday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 25. The public open house will run from Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, October 19, 2024, excluding Sundays and Saturday, October 5, for general conference. 

"This is an open house for the public," Elder Person explained. "We want everyone, and the first and foremost in the Tooele Valley to feel this temple is a part of your community. Come and see. Come and see what's inside. Come and feel what we feel when we're in the house of the Lord. We want people to know why we build temples."

There is no cost to attend the Desert Peak Utah Temple public open house. Reservations to walk through the house of the Lord can be made online. 

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, November 10, 2024, and the dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to all congregations in the temple’s district. When dedicated, this house of the Lord will be the 200^th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

About the Deseret Peak Utah Temple 

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple was originally announced as the Tooele Valley Utah Temple in April 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The temple’s name became the Deseret Peak Utah Temple on January 19, 2021. 

Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Elder Brook P. Hales of the Quorum of the Seventy conducted the groundbreaking service and offered the dedicatory prayer. “There are accounts of people who say that it has blessed their lives, even though they may not be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, it is a lovely addition, we hope, irrespective of what one’s [religious] affiliation might be,” he said. 

This new house of the Lord is nearly 72,000 square feet and sits on a 15.5-acre site at 2400 North 400 West Tooele, Utah. A new 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse was also built on the site. 

To reflect the local area in its design, the temple features lupine, cliff rose and grasses native to the region in the stone, rugs, paint, lighting, millwork and glass. Dolomite from the Tooele Valley was used in the admixture during the construction of the structure. 

Utah, the Church’s world headquarters, is home to nearly 2.3 million Latter-day Saints, approximately two-thirds of the state’s population of 3.4 million people. The Deseret Peak Utah Temple is one of the Church of Jesus Christ’s 30 houses of the Lord dedicated or under construction or renovation in Utah. The others are the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Ephraim, Heber Valley, Jordan River, Layton,  Lehi, Lindon, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo City Center, Provo Utah Rock Canyon, Red Cliffs, Salt Lake, Saratoga Springs, Smithfield, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville, Vernal, and West Jordan temples. 

Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ are different from meetinghouses or chapels where members gather for Sunday worship services. A temple is considered a house of the Lord, where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other sacred agreements that unite families for eternity.