Need more info - like how much time do you have? Capitol reef is my favorite park mostly because it’s usually the least crowded. If I had one week to spend in Utah I would do the following:
Day 1: arrive in Las Vegas (often cheaper, closest to Zion). Drive to Springdale, stay for 1 night at motel or Airbnb, possibly in LaVerkin (cheaper). Eat dinner at Bit & Spur in Springdale.
Day 2: hike in Zion. Emerald Pools, Angels landing, or if you are really go-getters, hike the west rim trail. Full day, long difficult hike but spectacular. Stay same place night 2.
Day 3: drive to escalante via hwy 12. Drive through Zion to my Carmel junction, stop at Bryce Canyon, hike Navajo loop. Visit some scenic viewpoints. Drive north from Bryce to Widtsoe, take old Escalante highway over the Aquarius plateau to Escalante. In Escalante, stay in motel or airbnb.
Day 4: Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons. 6 hr round trip from Escalante. Then continue on highway 12 to Boulder. Early dinner at hells backbone grill. You want to leave Boulder with at least 1 hour of sunlight left so you can see the views from Boulder mountain as you drive to Torrey. Motel in Torrey.
Day 5: tons of different hikes to do in Capitol reef. I would hit Hickman bridge, Capitol gorge, salt creek, or one of the hikes on the scenic drive. Stay in Torrey again.
Day 6: drive back to boulder via the bottom-bullfrog road and burr trail, stop to hike Muley twist canyon. From Boulder, drive the hells backbone road to Escalante, stay in Escalante at motel or Airbnb.
Day 7: drive back to Las Vegas via Kanab.
If you have another week add Moab, canyonlands and arches.
Edited some typos. Was drunk redditing last night.
This comment is excellent advice for this part of the state.
One word of caution, pay close attention to flash flood warning when hiking slot canyons. Any park ranger can help with this. People die every year by not following this advice.
Always carry plenty of water in your car and remember that there are many areas without cell access.
You could easily do a whole week in Moab for the second week. Be aware that it is very touristy, good for restaurants and the like, bad for crowds.
You could also split your time.between Moab with a couple of days in Blanding/Monticello, especially if you like the idea of exploring early native American cultures and ruins. Just be aware that these areas are much higher in elevation, so April, especially early is hit and miss depending on the amount of snow.
No mainly when salt lake region or Vegas region have spring break…. It will get extra crowded. But the US finally stopped sleeping on Utah. If you go to Zion, hiking the narrows is a must. Also Zion is pronounced “Zi—-in “ not “Zi—-on”… welcome and enjoy! Northern Utah in the Uintas is breathtaking. Mirror lake has fun cliff jumping. Just check weather and snow depending how strong the winter was. Bryce is epic. Really they all are.
Yeh, I’ve done alot of research looks great. I even had a browse on the “Hiking Utah” Facebook group what someone suggested, WOW. Such a beautiful place man! Haha you don’t wanna hear my Northern English accent trying to pronounce places, it’ll sound gibberish. Big fan of the US, been quite a few times, Florida mostly but looking to broaden my horizon and visit a lot of different states in the coming year or so.
If you want to see the National Parks, the best time to visit Utah would be April to May or September to October due to the mild temperatures alone (and you will see peak fall colors or everything blooming if you fly to Salt Lake City). Summer will be hot (Southern Utah regularly gets to 110 degrees F) and busy. The first week of March and April will be busy due to the universities and public schools spring break.
I think seeing all of the national parks in Utah would be worth it, but it would be a long drive. So I'd recommend going on Google Maps and looking up the distance between all of them to fully grasp the distance and time of such a trip. It could definitely help narrow down what to see if you don't have the time or desire to drive that much.
Again, if you fly to Salt Lake City you can see the flooded Salt Flats if you come in April, and Antelope Island which has wild animals including Buffalo (just don't be stupid with them). Summit county is very scenic with tons of hikes (the entire state has hiking trails) that have unique views. Park City is pretty and they host the Sundance Film festival every year. All of which aren't near the national parks in Southern Utah.
Yeh, that’s when we were looking at, April. We’re looking at about 10-14 days in Utah, so time should be on our side and as for the driving I don’t see long distance being an issue, as long as it’s worth it. So in your opinion, where would be the best to stay?
I have always done hotels/motels. But I know some Airbnb near the parks offer really unique experiences, I think switching off between them and hotels would be ideal. But Airbnb is definitely not essential to a good trip.
Stick with the national parks and don't go to antelope Island, salt lake city, or park city. The national parks are what makes Utah unique. Goblin Valley is worth a stop but don't plan around it. You can stay in hotels in moab or just outside zion.
I mean if they are spending 10-14 days in Utah that would be plenty of time to see all or some of the parks with extra time, especially if they fly to SLC. I do agree though, the parks deserve priority between them and fun northern Utah things.
Remember to pace yourself. I had friends visit from the Midlands and didn't realize how much the altitude would affect them. They overdid it and had to spend a day or so recovering. Most of Utah is over 1200 meters above sea level and parts of Bryce Canyon are close to 2800 meters ASL. If you feel tired or out of breath, take a break and don't be afraid to change plans. Also, you will lose more moisture than you are used to (it's a dessert after all). To be on the safe side, if you don't have to pee every hour or two, you need to drink more water.
You definitely will need to rent/hire a car.
Over two weeks a visit to all National Parks is totally possible. They are all very different and beautiful.
Don't sleep on State Parks and National Monuments, especially if you start growing tired of crowds. There are plenty of them around/between the National Parks.
80% of Utah is on public lands and you can hike and explore anywhere in public lands.
Similarly, once you get about an hour away from the trailhead, crowds diminish appreciably.
There’s ton of public land, so if you’re able to bring camping gear, you can cut out any rental costs and disperse camp throughout most of the state for free. Idk if that may help in costs, but something to consider!
Costs ain’t an issue to be fair, but appreciate the suggestion it’s more of trying to find best place to stay, a middle ground, a hotel or is air b n b best option.
Well if you plan on staying in one area, St. George/Zion area will have airbnbs in the park or close enough by, but you’ll want to book them asap bc when you said you’ll go in April, it’ll start to get busy. I know Zion has small cabins you can rent out. Moab would be the same thing, as well staying near SLC. Do you want more nature or activities or both?
St George has you close to Vegas and gambling but also to Zion, could be your best bet. SLC also has a lot, and it’s more mountains rather than red rock, but gorgeous. I’d recommend downloading the All Trails app if you don’t have it, it’ll have maps and trials in every state and national park for everything, which might also help on planning your trip!
Thanks appreciate it, don’t think I’ll be heading to Vegas as I’m a recovering gambling addict but I thank you for taking your time to let me know! Big help.
Need more info - like how much time do you have? Capitol reef is my favorite park mostly because it’s usually the least crowded. If I had one week to spend in Utah I would do the following: Day 1: arrive in Las Vegas (often cheaper, closest to Zion). Drive to Springdale, stay for 1 night at motel or Airbnb, possibly in LaVerkin (cheaper). Eat dinner at Bit & Spur in Springdale. Day 2: hike in Zion. Emerald Pools, Angels landing, or if you are really go-getters, hike the west rim trail. Full day, long difficult hike but spectacular. Stay same place night 2. Day 3: drive to escalante via hwy 12. Drive through Zion to my Carmel junction, stop at Bryce Canyon, hike Navajo loop. Visit some scenic viewpoints. Drive north from Bryce to Widtsoe, take old Escalante highway over the Aquarius plateau to Escalante. In Escalante, stay in motel or airbnb. Day 4: Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons. 6 hr round trip from Escalante. Then continue on highway 12 to Boulder. Early dinner at hells backbone grill. You want to leave Boulder with at least 1 hour of sunlight left so you can see the views from Boulder mountain as you drive to Torrey. Motel in Torrey. Day 5: tons of different hikes to do in Capitol reef. I would hit Hickman bridge, Capitol gorge, salt creek, or one of the hikes on the scenic drive. Stay in Torrey again. Day 6: drive back to boulder via the bottom-bullfrog road and burr trail, stop to hike Muley twist canyon. From Boulder, drive the hells backbone road to Escalante, stay in Escalante at motel or Airbnb. Day 7: drive back to Las Vegas via Kanab. If you have another week add Moab, canyonlands and arches. Edited some typos. Was drunk redditing last night.
Hey, thanks for the reply. Around 10-14 days. I will look into what you’ve suggested. Appreciate it.
This comment is excellent advice for this part of the state. One word of caution, pay close attention to flash flood warning when hiking slot canyons. Any park ranger can help with this. People die every year by not following this advice. Always carry plenty of water in your car and remember that there are many areas without cell access. You could easily do a whole week in Moab for the second week. Be aware that it is very touristy, good for restaurants and the like, bad for crowds. You could also split your time.between Moab with a couple of days in Blanding/Monticello, especially if you like the idea of exploring early native American cultures and ruins. Just be aware that these areas are much higher in elevation, so April, especially early is hit and miss depending on the amount of snow.
If you’re going to Zion you MUST find a way to hike a ways into the narrows.
Get ready for some crowds, it’s ridiculous
All year round?
No mainly when salt lake region or Vegas region have spring break…. It will get extra crowded. But the US finally stopped sleeping on Utah. If you go to Zion, hiking the narrows is a must. Also Zion is pronounced “Zi—-in “ not “Zi—-on”… welcome and enjoy! Northern Utah in the Uintas is breathtaking. Mirror lake has fun cliff jumping. Just check weather and snow depending how strong the winter was. Bryce is epic. Really they all are.
Yeh, I’ve done alot of research looks great. I even had a browse on the “Hiking Utah” Facebook group what someone suggested, WOW. Such a beautiful place man! Haha you don’t wanna hear my Northern English accent trying to pronounce places, it’ll sound gibberish. Big fan of the US, been quite a few times, Florida mostly but looking to broaden my horizon and visit a lot of different states in the coming year or so.
If you want to see the National Parks, the best time to visit Utah would be April to May or September to October due to the mild temperatures alone (and you will see peak fall colors or everything blooming if you fly to Salt Lake City). Summer will be hot (Southern Utah regularly gets to 110 degrees F) and busy. The first week of March and April will be busy due to the universities and public schools spring break. I think seeing all of the national parks in Utah would be worth it, but it would be a long drive. So I'd recommend going on Google Maps and looking up the distance between all of them to fully grasp the distance and time of such a trip. It could definitely help narrow down what to see if you don't have the time or desire to drive that much. Again, if you fly to Salt Lake City you can see the flooded Salt Flats if you come in April, and Antelope Island which has wild animals including Buffalo (just don't be stupid with them). Summit county is very scenic with tons of hikes (the entire state has hiking trails) that have unique views. Park City is pretty and they host the Sundance Film festival every year. All of which aren't near the national parks in Southern Utah.
Yeh, that’s when we were looking at, April. We’re looking at about 10-14 days in Utah, so time should be on our side and as for the driving I don’t see long distance being an issue, as long as it’s worth it. So in your opinion, where would be the best to stay?
I have always done hotels/motels. But I know some Airbnb near the parks offer really unique experiences, I think switching off between them and hotels would be ideal. But Airbnb is definitely not essential to a good trip.
Look for KOAs , sometimes you’ll save money. Do the camper cabin thing.
Stick with the national parks and don't go to antelope Island, salt lake city, or park city. The national parks are what makes Utah unique. Goblin Valley is worth a stop but don't plan around it. You can stay in hotels in moab or just outside zion.
I mean if they are spending 10-14 days in Utah that would be plenty of time to see all or some of the parks with extra time, especially if they fly to SLC. I do agree though, the parks deserve priority between them and fun northern Utah things.
Airbnb in Moab.
Remember to pace yourself. I had friends visit from the Midlands and didn't realize how much the altitude would affect them. They overdid it and had to spend a day or so recovering. Most of Utah is over 1200 meters above sea level and parts of Bryce Canyon are close to 2800 meters ASL. If you feel tired or out of breath, take a break and don't be afraid to change plans. Also, you will lose more moisture than you are used to (it's a dessert after all). To be on the safe side, if you don't have to pee every hour or two, you need to drink more water.
Are you on Facebook? “Hiking Utah” is a great page to look at.
I’m not but my friend is, cheers!
You definitely will need to rent/hire a car. Over two weeks a visit to all National Parks is totally possible. They are all very different and beautiful. Don't sleep on State Parks and National Monuments, especially if you start growing tired of crowds. There are plenty of them around/between the National Parks. 80% of Utah is on public lands and you can hike and explore anywhere in public lands. Similarly, once you get about an hour away from the trailhead, crowds diminish appreciably.
Thanks for the suggestions!
You can hike Mount timpanogos, it's a sun up to sun down hike but it's beautiful if you go during the summer
Thanks man I’ll look into it!
There’s ton of public land, so if you’re able to bring camping gear, you can cut out any rental costs and disperse camp throughout most of the state for free. Idk if that may help in costs, but something to consider!
Costs ain’t an issue to be fair, but appreciate the suggestion it’s more of trying to find best place to stay, a middle ground, a hotel or is air b n b best option.
Well if you plan on staying in one area, St. George/Zion area will have airbnbs in the park or close enough by, but you’ll want to book them asap bc when you said you’ll go in April, it’ll start to get busy. I know Zion has small cabins you can rent out. Moab would be the same thing, as well staying near SLC. Do you want more nature or activities or both?
Bit of both tbf, probably 65% nature 35% activities.
St George has you close to Vegas and gambling but also to Zion, could be your best bet. SLC also has a lot, and it’s more mountains rather than red rock, but gorgeous. I’d recommend downloading the All Trails app if you don’t have it, it’ll have maps and trials in every state and national park for everything, which might also help on planning your trip!
Thanks appreciate it, don’t think I’ll be heading to Vegas as I’m a recovering gambling addict but I thank you for taking your time to let me know! Big help.