The Salt Lake Tribune’s best photos of 2016

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Canada geese collect snow on their backs as the float in the pond at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City Friday December 16, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah State Aggies run onto the field before the game at Maverik Stadium Thursday September 1, 2016.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Sun light illuminates Mount Timpanogos as a cold front crosses the Wasatch Front Wednesday October 5, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Members of the Riverton softball team celebrate as Taylor Eakle (14) crosses home plate after hitting the game winning home-run in the bottom of the seventh inning during the 5A championship game at Valley Regional Softball Complex Thursday May 26, 2016. Riverton defeated West 13-11.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Hikers climb a ladder made from a tree at the first falls of the Kanarraville Falls hike in Kanarraville Wednesday July 6, 2016.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Conference attendees moved about near the waterfall prior to the afternoon session of 186th Semiannual General Conference of the LDS church, Sunday, October 2, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune An aerial view of Antelope Island, showing the scope of the damage caused by a fire that burned up much of the island. Wednesday July 27, 2016, Axiom Aviation.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune My TiaÕs Cafe owner Sylvia Sandoval makes sopapillas at her restaurant in Cerro, New Mexico Friday September 30, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Ballet West Academy dancers perform during the Utah Arts Festival Friday June 24, 2016.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Tour of the Eccles Theater currently under construction with an expected open date in the Fall of 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Visitors look at Christmas Lights on Temple Square Friday November 25, 2016. The Christmas lights will turn on every night at dusk until January 3, 2016.

Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune A blanket of fog covers the Salt Lake Valley as the State Capitol dome sticks out of the clouds in Salt Lake City, Thursday, January 7, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City resident Chris Sveiven, holding his son Weston, expresses his displeasure over the announced homeless shelter at 653 E. Simpson Avenue to Councilwoman Lisa Adams, Wednesday December 14, 2016. "This is a nightmare," Sveiven said. Adams went door-to-door in the area to hear from and explain to residents what they should expect from the planned homeless shelter at that address. Adams was accompanied by a police officer after receiving threatening emails.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune The Dois Irm‹nos, or Two Brothers in english, loom in the back ground as Surfers ride the waves at Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, August 4, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Orem senior Junior Hallam hangs upside down in a hammock during the UHSAA State Cross Country Championships at Sugar House Park Wednesday October 19, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Donad Trump accepts his party's nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, OH, Thursday July 21, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Juab's Taylei Williams practices pitching at her home in Mona Tuesday June 7, 2016. Williams has been named The Tribune's 2016 softball Player of the Year after leading the Wasps to their runner-up finish.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune JP Price with "The Wild Thing" hot air balloon will follow his crew in the even they need assistance from the support vehicle. Hot air balloons took to the skies early Friday, August 19, 2016 to kick off the Ogden Valley Balloon Festival, today through Sunday in Eden Park. The event features approximately 15 hot air balloons which are the focus for 5 launches and one balloon glow throughout the weekend.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Kaylee Michaelson, 18, has spent years trying to track down proof that her mother's ancestors were part of the Cherokee tribe, but she's been unsuccessful. Michaelson is enrolled at the University of Utah this fall to study nursing.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Jeff Brotherson stands with his son Braydon Brotherson as they place flowers on the casket of their son and brother, West Valley City police Officer Cody Brotherson, during graveside funeral services at the Valley View Cemetery in West Valley City Monday November 14, 2016. Brotherson was hit and killed by a car he was trying to stop with tire spikes November 4, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune A family looks at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park Saturday March 5, 2016.

Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Maintainence worker on lift removes Christmas lights in the dense fog in front of Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City Thursday morning Jan 7.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune Mountain goats meander near the summit of Mount Timpanogos on Sunday morning, July 24, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Craftsman Thomas Larsen poses for a portrait with custom banjos he has built in his basement workshop in American Fork Thursday May 12, 2016. Larsen started Blackberry Banjo Co. in 2009 and says about making banjos, "My favorite part is the hands-on experience. I get to take pieces of wood and turn it into something that sounds good and makes somebody happy. It brings me joy to make it and then it makes me happy when other people are playing them."

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune American Fork High School defeated Lone Peak High School 13-9 to win the 5A State Baseball Championship, May 27, 2016 at Utah Valley University's Brent Brown Ballpark.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Jess Mikel cleans a rainbow edged window that looks out to the north with a view of the Provo LDS Temple during a work / cleanup day at the old Victorian home being renovated to house "Encircle House" which will be Provo's first LGBT resource center, Saturday November 19, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Officers fold a flag at the graveside service for Officer Douglas Scott Barney, at the Orem Cemetery, Monday January 25, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin swept the podium in the womenÕs 100-meter hurdles on Wednesday at Olympic Stadium. Rollins won gold with a time of 12.48. Ali ran a 12.59 to win silver. Castlin was right behind at 12.61 to win bronze. This is the first time ever the U.S. has swept the podium in womenÕs 100-meter hurdles, which was introduced at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Wednesday, August 17, 2016.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune l-r Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Perry escorts Janica Ellsworth and her sons Ian and Bennett at the start of the funeral service for Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Ellsworth Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at the Dee Event Center in Ogden on the campus of Weber State. Ellsworth was hit by a car on the night of November 18, 2016Êwhile trying to alert the driver of a semitrailer truck to go around a downed power line in Box Elder County. He died four days later.

Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Firefighters put out hot spots in the black, burned area just below the Corner Canyon horse trail and Highland Drive in Draper. Wed. Aug. 3. The fast moving grass fire burned 45 acres last night and forced 39 families from their homes. They returned Wednesday afternoon.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Interior Secretary Sally Jewell gives a wry look to San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, left, when he mentioned that he hoped that decisions weren't being made in Washington D.C. by "people looking at Google Maps" in a public meeting in Monticello, Thursday, July 14, 2016. Jewell assured him that's not how decisions get made.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City, Friday March 18, 2016.

Jeremy Harmon | The Salt Lake Tribune Fireworks explode above the State Capitol during centennial celebrations for the building on Saturday October 8, 2016.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune University of Utah Army ROTC Cadet Corinne Galland salutes as Donna Mecham is honored during the University of Utah Veteran's Day Ceremony in the ballroom of the Union Building on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City Friday November 11, 2016. First Lieutenant Mecham grew up in rural Michigan and began her Army nursing career in 1943 in North Africa.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Looking closely at the wing, biologists can determine the age of a bat by the development of cartilage as seen here in the district Townsend Bat which is distinguished by its large ears.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Brianna Rollins reacts at the finish line, after winning the gold in the womenÕs 100-meter hurdles, Wednesday at Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, August 17, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Russia's Ekaterina Katnikova competes in the FIL Luge World Cup at Utah Olympic Sports Park Saturday December 17, 2016.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune BYU sophomore Madi Barney used to find solace in her off-campus apartment, until she was raped by a man there. BYU is allowing her to finish the semester, but they put a hold on any future class registration, requiring her to comply with an Honor Code investigation into her rape allegations, which have resulted in criminal charges against her alleged assailant. Barney is shown in her room, Tuesday, April 12, 2016. Brigham Young University is under scrutiny amidst allegations that students who are victims of sex crimes are routinely investigated, under the auspices of the school's famously-strict code of conduct, known as the "honor code," and face disciplinary action as a result of reporting their abuse.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune A family poses for a picture under Delicate Arch in Arches National Park Saturday March 5, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune The Lone Peak Knights celebrate their State title win over the Pleasant Grove Vikings in 5A championship volleyball game, in Orem, November 5, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Anti-Trump protestors rally at the Utah State Capitol during the 'Salt Lake City Protests Trump' event Saturday November 12, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Robert Burr rests in his room at The Inn Between Tuesday June 28, 2016.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune Emergency crews respond to a 5-alarm fire at a commercial scrap yard in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 8, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Richard Larson and friends from Stockholm Sweden, dance at sunrise, at the Burning Man Festival, in the Black Rock Desert 100 miles north of Reno Nevada, Saturday, September 3, 2016.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Three lion cubs born at Utah's Hogle Zoo in February hang out with the male lions as they are introduced to the public for the first time Monday May 16, 2016. Born at roughly two pounds each, the cubs now tip the scales at 20-26 pounds each! (Brutus - 26; Titus - 24 and Calliope - 20.) The cubs bonded great with mom, Nabu, who has been a perfect first-time mother: attentive, protective and loving. The cubs live with the rest of the pride - father Baron, 'auntie' Seyla and 'uncle' Vulcan at Lions' Hill.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Protesters march to the Public Safety Building to protest the police shooting of 17-year-old Abdi Mohamed on Saturday night, Monday February 29, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune A riderless horse leads a procession following the funeral for Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, in Kanab, Friday February 5, 2016. Finicum was shot and killed by police during a January 26 traffic stop. Finicum was part of the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune A fresh dusting of snow covers the mountain tops in Little Cottonwood Canyon merging fall and winter as the fall leaves cling to the trees after a storm whipped across the Wasatch Front. Friday September 23, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune The moon hangs over the Parker Mountains, near Loa, Utah, Friday, April 22, 2016.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Lockhart Basin, seen south of the Colorado River, falls within the boundary of the proposed Bears Ears region in southeastern Utah, which is subject to a possible National Monument designation by President Obama under the Antiquities Act for protection. EcoFlight recently flew journalists, tribal people and activists over the northern portion of the proposed 1.9 million acre site in an effort to push for permanent protection from impacts caused by resource extraction and high-impact public use.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Micki Martinez, as butterfly, performs for students from Mill Creek and North Star Elementary schools during Salt Lake Acting Company's annual children's play "Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly," in Salt Lake City Thursday December 8, 2016.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Crystal Evans reacts to developments in the Presidential election at the Utah Democrats Election Night Party at the Sheraton Hotel in Salt Lake City, Tuesday November 8, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Boats float in the late afternoon sun in Enseada de Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, August 4, 2016.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tylie Smith,13, tosses a snowball at her dad Claine, as Tessa Smith, 8, jumps in to the arms of Angela, her mother, as the Smith family from Tremonton, enjoy the cold winter weather at Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, Wednesday, December 14, 2016.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Destiny Westman pleads with her mother for her cell phone to watch cartoons while her mother Kimberly Gross is on a call. Kimberly Gross and her two daughters live in a two-bedroom basement apartment in Taylorsville, through The Road Home's rapid rehousing program. Gross received assistance for rent for three months, but now complications with her health and lack of ability to hold a job due to poor health has her fearing that she might be evicted and heading back to live at a shelter.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune The Autumn Aloft Hot Air Balloon Festival returns for its third flight at the North 40 Fields in Park City, Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune A protesters and supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump argue outside of the Infinity Event Center Friday March 18, 2016.

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune Roy High School cheerleader Libbie Miles looks to the field as the Royals crowd roars at the gain of yards on the field. Roy High School defeated Fremont High School 27-20 during their Region 1 game, Friday, September 16, 2016 in Roy.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Cyclists race along the scenic Byway 12 above Calf Creek and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument beyond on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, as part of stage 2 of the Tour of Utah cycling race.

Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Tean Finicum rounds up cattle on the range near Tuweep, Arizona , Saturday May 21, 2016.

Jeremy Harmon | The Salt Lake Tribune A couple walk their dogs near the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.

Lennie Mahler | The Salt Lake Tribune Police stop Selam Rasta as the 19-year-old walked away from a crowd that formed after an officer-involved shooting at 200 South Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune The acre-sized Midway Ice Castles as seen during a sneak preview at Soldier Hollow Thursday January 7, 2016. The Midway Ice Castles open Friday, Jan. 8, featuring giant archways, tunnels, slot canyons, an ice slide, caverns, glacial waterfalls and a frozen throne.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Salem Hills' Lauren Gustin (12) shoots past Maple Mountain's MiKayla Hubbard (34) and Maple Mountain's Nicole Heyn (3) during the game at Salem Hills High School Tuesday January 12, 2016. Salem Hills won the game 82-63.

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Discolored water in Utah Lake, near the Lindon Marina. Crews took samples of a mile-long algal bloom at Utah Lake on Wednesday evening. They'll know today if it's toxic and if they'll need to enforce closures. Thursday, July 14, 2016.

Steve Griffin / The Salt Lake Tribune Pigeons perch on a power line as the try to keep warms as Salt Lake City woke to a blanket of fresh show on Christmas Day Sunday December 25, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune The sun sets over the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico Friday September 30, 2016.

Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune East's Lachlan Zuchetto (13) and East's Julian Chavez (3) pour a cooler of ice water on head coach Brandon Matich after winning the 4A football championship at Rice-Eccles Stadium Friday November 18, 2016. East defeated Springville 48-20.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Jason Dunn of Draper seeks higher, cleaner air as he rides his bike to a peak overlooking the obscured Utah county as air quality continues to deteriorate with inversion conditions trapping cold air on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.