This paper describes the principal features of a meteorological field campaign that took place in the Salt Lake Valley in October 2000. The campaign was carried out to study processes affecting vertical transport and mixing (VTMX) in an urban basin, with an emphasis on nocturnal and morning and evening transition periods. The field campaign is presented in the context of the VTMX program, which is being sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Meteorology Program. The science questions and issues driving the program are outlined, the measurement strategy designed to address some of these questions is given, and the locations of the various instruments used in the campaign in the Salt Lake Valley are shown. Results from the measurements that illustrate the range of conditions encountered in the experiment are provided, as are some results from individual instruments that illustrate some of the problems that will be addressed in the VTMX program. Options for future field campaigns are also given.