National Parks in Utah

Tips and road trips along the Mighty 5: These prime national parks should be among the most beautiful highlights of your vacation in Utah.

Utah - known for its endless red landscapes, abstract rock formations, and gigantic canyons. The iconic red sandstone and brilliant arches against the blue sky are well-known from photographs. The most beautiful corners of the state have been designated as national parks and are commonly referred to as the Mighty 5. A road trip along the Mighty 5 takes you through all five national parks: Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Zion National Park.

Which one is the most beautiful? This decision is probably as personal as choosing an outfit. It's best to visit them all and form your own opinion!

In Utah, there are five national parks, eight national monuments, one national recreation area, one national historic park, four national historic trails, and more than 40 state parks. Just from this list, you can see the wealth of attractions the state offers.

The national parks are often summarized under the term 'Mighty 5', which means 'The Mighty 5'. This places Utah in third rank for natural attractions - only California and Alaska have more national parks.

A road trip along the Mighty 5 is legendary, taking you past the most beautiful canyons, rock spires, and stone arches. There are plenty of activities available from hiking, climbing, canoeing, to jeep tours.

Below you will get an initial overview of the five national parks and learn what makes them special. Especially in the summer months, you must be aware that you will need reservations for some of the Mighty 5.

Zion National Park: The most visited and oldest national park in Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park: The smallest national park and home to the hoodoos

Capitol Reef National Park: A historic Mormon settlement known for its play of colors on the rocks

Arches National Park: Home to 2,000 arches, including Utah's trademark

Canyonlands National Park: The largest national park with the most wilderness potential

All national parks have basic campgrounds that you should reserve in advance. For detailed information on national parks and overnight accommodations, check the official national park website. You can also make reservations there.

Otherwise, you will find more accommodations and hotels in nearby towns. For example, Springdale is suitable for Zion National Park, Escalante for Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, and Moab for Arches and Canyonlands National Park.

Zion National Park is the oldest national park in Utah. It also differs the most from the other four parks. Its landscape can almost be compared to the German Alps. It is relatively forested and thus green. The most famous areas are Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyon, both formed 170 million years ago.

Known for: photogenic canyons, mountains, long hikes

Size: 596 sq km

Visitors: 4.5 million

Reservation needed: yes

The most popular hike in the park leads 425 meters up to the Angels Landing viewpoint - where a gigantic panorama of Zion Canyon awaits you. Alternatively, you can hike through the riverbed of the Narrows - an unforgettable, though definitely very wet experience. Depending on the season, you may not be able to drive through the park yourself and must rely on the park's organized shuttles, preparing for large crowds of visitors. Zion National Park is not without reason the most popular national park in Utah - its beauty is almost unreal.

Bryce Canyon National Park is home to the so-called hoodoos - pointed rock formations that can reach heights of up to 60 meters. You can see them most densely and impressively in the so-called 'Amphitheater'. Especially when the colors of the sunset are cast upon the red peaks and you can see the snow-capped mountains glowing in the background, a fantastic spectacle unfolds.

Known for: abstract hoodoos, gigantic amphitheater

Size: 145 sq km

Visitors: 2.6 million

Reservation needed: no

The absolute highlight of Bryce Canyon National Park is the impressive amphitheater immediately at the beginning of the scenic road. Here you will also find the Sunset Point, which offers a fantastic view over the countless narrow towers, peaks, and rock needles. If you want to see the bizarre rock formations up close, I highly recommend taking a hike down into the amphitheater: popular choices include the Navajo Loop and the Queens Garden Trail.

Along the 29-kilometer scenic road, there are numerous viewpoints, each offering a different perspective on the upturned rock layers. The drive to the southernmost point of the national park, Rainbow Point, is definitely worthwhile!

Check out my detailed report on Bryce Canyon National Park here.

Capitol Reef is the second-largest national park in Utah - it stretches a proud 160 kilometers long, but is very narrow. Most visitors only focus on the easily accessible area around the Fruita District. Mormons settled here in the 19th century and cultivated the area until the 1960s. The remnants of the homes and the orchards along the Fremont River still testify to that today.

Known for: impressive color play, Mormon settlement

Size: 979 sq km

Visitors: 1.3 million

Reservation needed: no

Definitely make sure to drive the 10-kilometer scenic road from Fruita southward. It offers you a fascinating insight into the world of red sandstone rocks. You can enhance the drive with one of the many hikes, such as to Cassidy Arch or Capital Gorge. If you have more time and don't mind unpaved roads, I also recommend the less-visited parts in the north and south: The Notom-Bullfrog Road runs through the elongated southern part of the national park and is accessible for regular cars - while the area around Cathedral Valley in the north is reserved for all-wheel-drive vehicles.

You can round out your visit at the Sunset Point located in the far west of the park: nowhere else offers a better panorama for sunset. The interplay of colors of the sun on the already colorful rocks left me speechless.

Read all the highlights and tips for Capitol Reef National Park in Utah here.

Arches National Park is primarily characterized by one thing: the arches. And even though one might suspect a certain monotony given the roughly 2,000 specimens, it does not diminish the fascination. Each arch seems different and, particularly, the frequency with which they occur in this relatively small national park is simply astonishing.

Known for: the largest number of natural stone arches in the world

Size: 310 sq km

Visitors: 1.7 million

Reservation needed: yes

The Delicate Arch is the trademark of Utah. Although the trail can often be crowded, and you may have to wait in line during the peak visitor months to get your photo, hiking to the Delicate Arch is nonetheless highly recommended. Along the scenic road through the park, there are numerous worthwhile viewpoints, including the Park Avenue Viewpoint or the Double Arch.

If you have more time, you can also explore the northern part of the national park and undertake various hikes in Devils Garden, including one to the Landscape Arch, one of the largest and narrowest stone arches in the world.

Here you will find all the highlights for Arches National Park with useful tips.

Canyonlands National Park is the largest national park in Utah - and at the same time the least visited one. I find this quite astonishing, as the view of the seemingly endless wilderness of Canyonlands is truly impressive. Additionally, the northern part of the park is located not far from the small town of Moab, making it relatively easy to reach.

The Colorado River and the Green River divide the national park into three areas: the aforementioned northern part called Island in the Sky, The Needles in the southeast, and the hard-to-access The Maze in the west.

Known for: deep insights into canyons, needle-like rocks

Size: 1,366 sq km

Visitors: 800,000

Reservation needed: no

The easiest way to access the northern part of the park: The Island of the Sky segment consists of a 19-kilometer-long scenic road that takes you to fascinating viewpoints over the plateau and the canyons of the Colorado River. I highly recommend the short hike to the Mesa Arch, which provides the perfect frame for the giant panorama in the background.

The southern section 'The Needles' is notable for its rock needles - you can see these best on a hike through Chesler Park. 'The Maze' is a paradise for climbers, but very remote and only accessible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Read my tips for Canyonlands National Park in Utah here.

Are you excited to explore the national parks yourself and wondering how to best plan your road trip? Depending on how much time you have available and how you wish to structure your trip, various options present themselves.

You can start your journey in Las Vegas and begin your exploration of the national parks in the west with the gigantic Zion National Park. Route 12 then leads you to the fascinating Bryce Canyon and continues through Escalante and Boulder through the picturesque landscape of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. At Torrey, you turn onto Route 24 to head towards Capitol Reef National Park. From here, you continue to the bustling Moab - right at the city limits is the Arches National Park. To reach the Needles section of the Canyonlands National Park, you will need to drive the 191 route from Moab about 65 kilometers south until you reach the turn-off to the national park.

Then you can turn back and head north to Salt Lake City - Utah's capital. There you can conclude your road trip along the Mighty 5, the most beautiful national parks in Utah, before flying home.

The route can, of course, be done in reverse as well.

Alternatively, you can start your road trip in Denver and drive through the Grand Mesa area to Arches National Park. This way, you would be approaching the Mighty 5 from the east - starting with Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. From Moab, you will then head northwest to reach Capitol Reef National Park.

At Torrey, you will leave Route 24 and follow the Scenic Route 12 to Bryce Canyon National Park. The last national park would be the Zion National Park, which is a real highlight. From there, it's just a 2-hour drive back to Las Vegas, where you can fly home.

The most beautiful option is certainly to complement your visit to the Mighty 5 in Utah with a trip through Arizona. This way, you can take a proper circular trip that is often advertised as the 'Grand Circle'.

The ideal starting point is Las Vegas - you start with Zion National Park and drive through Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef to Arches National Park. From there, you head south to visit Canyonlands National Park before leaving Utah at Monument Valley (Forrest Gump vibes). Through Arizona, you will continue to Grand Canyon National Park. From here, you can drive back to Las Vegas to complete an epic road trip.

I would recommend planning at least a week for your road trip to Utah's national parks. You shouldn't underestimate the distances. For a circular trip starting from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City to all five national parks, you will need about 17 hours of pure driving time and cover roughly 1,500 kilometers.

If you want to add a drive through Arizona to the Grand Canyon and complete the entire 'Grand Circle', the driving time increases to 24 hours and you're looking at a 2,200-kilometer road trip. All of this, of course, doesn't take into account additional detours that often come up while traveling. And through all of this, there should still be time to discover the uniqueness of the landscape.

I spent a total of two months traveling through Utah, spending about 2-3 days in nearly all national parks. If you want to travel leisurely and have time for hikes, 10 days for a road trip along the Mighty 5 would probably be ideal, whereas 14 days would be suitable for a grand circle trip including the Grand Canyon.

The national parks in Utah are located in the southern part of the state on a high plateau - summers can be very hot and dry, while winters are usually cold with sunshine.

The hottest months are July and August, when temperatures easily reach 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Since there is often little shade available in the national parks, a visit or a long hike can quickly become uncomfortable.

In December and January, temperatures hover around freezing in Zion National Park, while in Bryce Canyon (which is significantly higher), they average around 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

I visited the national parks in Utah in October and November. For me, it was the perfect time as both temperatures and the number of visitors to the Mighty 5 are moderate. During the day, I could usually hike comfortably in a t-shirt, but for the evening, you definitely need layered clothing. What you shouldn't underestimate is that parts of Utah are at over 6,600 feet above sea level. By late October, temperatures in the Bryce Canyon National Park dropped to -12 degrees Fahrenheit in one night!

Another advantage of timing your road trip through Utah for early spring or late fall is that you will encounter significantly fewer people in the national parks. In the summer months, or especially around American holidays (Memorial Day May 27, Independence Day July 4, Labor Day September 4), it can get crowded, and you will need a reservation during such times.

There are many German-language travel guides for the USA. I like to work with the books from Lonely Planet, as I find them very detailed and entertaining. You can choose between the general 'USA' edition or the specific version 'USA West', depending on which regions you plan to travel.

If you want more pictures in your travel guide, there is also a German-language edition from 360° media that focuses exclusively on the sights and scenic roads in Utah.

In general, you will receive a brochure with a map and additional useful information at the ticket counter of the respective national park. It's always worth stopping by the visitor center located in the national park.

Here you can find out about current road conditions, get advice on hiking trails, and receive plenty of informative and interesting details about the formation and geology of the national park. And you can also make an obligatory souvenir purchase right there.

To enter the USA, you need an ESTA visa. You apply for this online before your trip. Usually, you receive confirmation within a few hours.Katrin has written an article with instructions on how to fill out the ESTA form for the USA.

Alternatively, you can also apply for the so-called B-visa at the embassy, which allows you to stay in the country for 6 months. This is particularly advisable if you plan to travel the Pan Americana like I do.

The Mighty 5, like all other national parks in the USA, are managed by the National Park Service, which means there are entrance fees. Currently (as of 2023), this is $20-$35 per vehicle.

If you plan to stay longer in the USA or visit all five national parks in Utah, it is definitely worth purchasing the 'America the Beautiful' pass. This pass is valid for all national parks and national historic sites across the country - so instead of having to pay admission each time, all entries are included in one pass.

Cost: $80, valid for 12 months

This grants you access to more than 2,000 national parks and recreation areas in the USA.

You can purchase the pass on-site at any national park. It is also possible to buy it online, but you will need an American address. For more information, visit https://store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes

I hope my tips have helped you to perfectly prepare for your road trip through Utah.

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