Public tours begin this week for the Ephraim Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
From Sept. 2 through Sept. 19, excluding Sundays, the temple’s open house welcomes anyone to see inside the sacred edifice prior to its October dedication. The open-house phase starts with an Aug. 31 media day and Sept. 1 invited-guest tours.
Leading news representatives on Monday’s media-day tours are three General Authority Seventies: Elder John A. McCune, a member of the Utah Area presidency; and Elder K. Brett Nattress and Elder Taylor G. Godoy, both assistant executive directors of the Temple Department.
Interior and exterior photos of the temple were released Aug. 31 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org as the media day began.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is planned to dedicate the temple on Oct. 11 in a single 10 a.m. session. It will be broadcast to all units in the temple district and rebroadcast at 2 p.m.
The Ephraim temple — to be the 26th temple dedicated in Utah and the second in Sanpete County — is scheduled to be dedicated the same day as the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple’s dedication.
It will also be the second temple dedicated in Utah this year, following the May 3 dedication of the Lindon Utah Temple.
Design and features
The Ephraim temple’s design motifs honor the heritage of the valley, which was settled in the mid-1800s largely by Scandinavian pioneers. The forget-me-not and oxeye daisy, for example, are flowers long cherished in Scandinavia and integrated into the design of the Ephraim temple. Wheat motifs are also prevalent through the building, a nod to the historic Ephraim Relief Society Granary.
A 41,680-square-foot structure standing on a 9.2-acre site, the Ephraim temple was built with a structural steel frame on a reinforced concrete foundation. Art-glass windows feature shades of white, orange, yellow, green, blue and pink.
Interior and exterior doors were crafted from sapele wood, with a stipple-textured finish and fluted handles. Millwork consists of quarter-cut sapele, used in both solid wood and veneer form. Decorative light fixtures combine elements of crystal, brass, cast metal and faux alabaster.
The stone of the temple, mainly Botticino Classico and BS Beige, add warm tones of beige, cream and gold, with green, blue and gold accents. Custom broadloom carpet brings a gold-beige tone, with Scandinavian-style area rugs featuring predominant blues, greens and golds.
About the Ephraim temple
The late President Russell M. Nelson announced the Ephraim temple May 1, 2021, in a prerecorded video that was played at a press conference inside the Manti Tabernacle. This was the only temple that President Nelson announced outside of general conference.
He later recounted that shortly after the April 2021 general conference, he “received very clear instruction” from the Lord that a new temple should be built in Ephraim.
President Nelson — whose mother was born in Ephraim — dedicated the site at the temple’s groundbreaking on Aug. 27, 2022. When he concluded his prayer, rain began to fall. One attendee called out to President Nelson, “These are the tears of joy of our ancestors.”
The Church in Utah
The first Latter-day Saints entered the greater Sanpete Valley, where Ephraim is located, in the fall of 1849. They established the first stake in the valley in 1877.
The Beehive State currently has 32 temples operating, under construction, announced or undergoing renovation.
The following 25 temples have been dedicated in Utah: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Deseret Peak, Draper, Jordan River, Layton, Lindon, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo City Center, Provo Rock Canyon, Red Cliffs, Salt Lake, Saratoga Springs, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville and Vernal.
Of note, two of those temples are undergoing extensive renovations and reconstruction: the Salt Lake Temple, closed Dec. 29, 2019, and the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, closed Feb. 24, 2024.
With the Ephraim temple now built, two temples are still in their construction phase in Utah: the Smithfield temple, since June 2022, and Heber Valley temple, since October 2022.
That leaves four temples in planning and design stages — in West Jordan (announced 2024), Lehi (2024), Price (2024) and Spanish Fork (2025).
The first wagons of Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Utah Territory on July 24, 1847. Almost 180 years later, Utah is now home to more than 2.2 million Church members across nearly 5,400 wards and branches.
Ephraim Utah Temple
Address: 200 N. 400 E., Ephraim, Utah 84627
Announced: May 1, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: Aug. 27, 2022, presided over by President Nelson, Church President
Public open house: Sept. 2-19, 2026, excluding Sundays
To be dedicated: Oct. 11, 2026, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 9.2 acres
Building size: 41,680 square feet
Building height: 156.67 feet (including the spire)
