The University of Utah has many very outdoorsy students. The best downhill skiing in the world is within 30 mins drive, while in spring, summer and fall a typical Sunday or weekend trip is to the nearby lakes, hot springs or national parks for hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, climbing, rafting, etc. Within 4 hours drive you have 6 national parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Grand Teton) and it’s very common to go to those for a day or overnight trip (my D has been to all of them this year, several on multiple occasions, including for class trips). But hiking is big part of the attraction so few students would say “mountains aren’t necessary”.