I never had a goal to explore all the National Parks, it sort of just happened. The more I traveled, the more I realized each state had something unique to offer, in this case it was National Parks. Flashback to 2015, I’m in Zion for a day and after hiking Angel’s Landing I’m exhausted, but so in love with Utah. I make it a goal of mine to go back and explore all the National Parks Utah has to offer. In 2021, I was able to do just that so I created this Utah 5 National Parks road trip post to help you make the most of your adventure.
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The Mighty 5 Utah National Parks Road Trip Itinerary
A few years back, my brother and I had a four day weekend where we decided to embark on an adventure and explore 4 states in 4 days! Insanity, I know, but we were determined to make it happen, and we did. First stop, Utah, where we came across Zion and fell IN LOVE with all it had to offer. It wasn’t until after that trip that I realized Utah had a total of five National Parks, known as the Mighty 5! Naturally, a new adventure was added to my explore list, the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks road trip.
The Mighty 5 aren’t so far away from one another. Zion and Arches are the furthest parks from one another, but are only about 5 hours away. While the closets parks are Zion and Bryce, about an hour away. As you can see from this map, the parks are relatively close to one another, which makes for a perfect one week Utah National Parks road trip vacation.
Zion National Park
In my head, I see Zion as the main attraction amongst the five National Parks, and for good reason too. It can challenge you in ways you can’t even imagine or it can be a simple walk in the park; the choice is yours. Regardless of what trail you take, rest assured the park will always take your breath away. Below are the main attractions in the park I highly recommend first time visitors. However, if you want more of a detailed guide for a longer stay make sure and check out my Zion post.
- Observation Point
- Canyon Overlook Trail
- Angel’s Landing
- The Narrows
- The Subway
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is the more laid back sibling compared to its “bigger brother” Zion. It’s the perfect place to star gaze and to witness both the sunrise and sunset (after all they have designated points for both, haha). It’s dramatic, mesmerizing and riveting. Top places to see in Bryce Canyon National Park are as follows. However, make sure to check out my latest Bryce Canyon post to learn how to make the most of your next visit.
- Bryce Point
- Inspiration Point
- Sunset Point
- Sunrise Point
- Navajo and Queen’s Trail
- Thor’s Hammer
- Wall Street
- Bryce Amphitheater
- Two Bridges
Capitol Reef National Park
This National Park is a geologist’s dream! The park does a great job of preserving geological features and important archeological evidence, which in itself makes Capitol Reef unique. Depending on how much time you have I recommend you do the following:
- Capitol Gorge Trail
- The Hickman Bridge
- Cassidy Arch
- Fruita
- Capitol Dome
- Drive the Scenic Drive
- Gifford House
If I can recommend one thing to do in this park it would be to check out the historic inscriptions on the Capitol Gorge Trail. It was sort of unreal to see the markings made by native people from so long ago! Kinda puts things into perspective how far we’ve come as a species. You can also check out more info on my Capitol Reef post to see where else you can see more petroglyphs.
Arches National Park
Arches is another one of my favorite National Parks in Utah, and it’s great for the entire family. It’s definitely one to visit on your next Utah big 5 road trip. Of course, you can see a lot of the sites from the comfort of your own vehicle, but where’s the fun in that? Luckily for you, you can walk to many of the points of interest with ease. Now, I will say Arches has so many beautiful sites to see, but for now I will list my top attractions to check out:
- Delicate Arch
- Landscape Arch
- Double Arch
- The Windows
- Balanced Rock
Honestly, I can go on about the beauty that is Arches so if you’re looking for a more detailed guide on this National Park make sure and check out my Arches National Park post.
Canyonlands National Park
I didn’t know what to expect when we stopped by Canyonlands, but when I got there I couldn’t believe I was still on the same planet. This place is utterly breathtaking! I literally had to pause to take it all in a few times. It’s something you’d see in movies based on Mars! I know our planet is a beautiful masterpiece and visiting this national park reminded me of that. Learn more about our day trip at Canyonlonds here! In the meantime, here are my top things I’d recommend anyone to see on their visit:
- Mesa Arch
- Shafer Canyon Overlook
- Upheavel Dome
- Whale Rock
- Grand View Point Overlook
- Green River Overlook
Dead Horse State Park
So this is more of a bonus location, because technically it’s not a National Park, but definitely not one to overlook. Dead Horse State Park can be found outside of Canyonlands; You can actually see the back side of it from inside Canyonlands, specifically Gooseneck Overlook point off of Shafer Trail Road. It has many hiking trails with beautiful overlooks of the park and Colorado river:
Hiking Trails
- Big Horn Overlook Trail – easy, 3 miles
- West Rim Trail – moderate, 3 miles
- You can access the Rim, Shafer Canyon and Meander Overlooks from this trail
- East Rim Trail – easy, 1.5 miles
- You can access the Basin Overlook from the East Rim trail
- Dead Horse Point Overlook Trail – easy, less than half a mile to the overlook
- Colorado River Overlook Trail – easy, 1.2 miles
There is a $20 entrance fee to enter the park, which is not covered by the America the Beautiful National Park pass. Honestly, I wish we would have had more time and better weather for our visit. During our entire time in Utah, the weather kept changing on us. We got delayed on our visit to Dead Horse, because we got caught in a snowstorm, and then once we arrived to Dead Horse State Park, it was raining. According to Utah natives, this quick change in weather is normal, so be prepared.
On a Time Crunch?
If you don’t have the luxury of time but still want to be able to see some of the beauty of Utah, here are my top recommendations:
- Zion
- Angel’s Landing
- Canyon Overlook
- The Narrows
- Bryce Canyon
- Navajo and Queen’s Trail
- Wall Street
- Sunrise/Sunset Point
- Arches
- Delicate Arch
- Double Arch
- Devil’s Garden
Map of Attractions
More Travel Tips
These are what I consider housekeeping items needed to be done before the fun begins:
- Download that map! I recommend you download the map for the entire Southeastern part of Utah since reception is spotty. You can find maps for each of the park’s mentioned in my respective posts
- There isn’t typically any gasoline inside the parks – so get gas before entering the parks
- If you’re road tripping, I recommend packing a cooler with extra waters, lunch and snacks. The park has a convenient store, but does charge a hefty price for the convenience.
- Don’t forget that phone charger!
- And most importantly, download that road trip playlist!
Entrance Fees
One last thing, to enter the parks, there will be a fee to cover at the entrance station. You can either purchase this online or in person once you arrive. The fees are as followed just to give you a feel of what you can expect:
- 7-day vehicle pass for $35
- Individual Entry Pass for $20 (valid for 7 days) – only applies if entering the park by foot or bike
- America the Beautiful National Park and Federal Land Pass $80 – I highly recommend getting this pass for this road trip. After the third park it basically pays for itself.
I’m not done with Utah, not by a long shot! However, I’m so glad I was able to spend more than a day in this beautiful state this time. I’m definitely coming back! Until then stay safe and happy adventuring!
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