Traveling to Utah, what to see?

Question

I'm taking my first road trip to Utah this Summer (coming from Wisconsin). We'll be camping in a few spots, Moab and Cannonville to be exact. Unfortunately we'll only have enough time to spend about 1 full day in most of the National Parks (there are so many). Any can't miss sights to see in the parks and any good advice on scenic highways? Thanks!

Answer 1

How many days total? Arches and Canyonlands aren't very far apart ... maybe 45 miles, so you can see both in one day. Bryce Canyon is a few hours away. If you have time, Four Corners doesn't have a lot of things to see, but it's the only place in the US where 4 states come together at one point, and is about 2 hours from Arches.

About 1 hour north of Salt Lake is a state park called Antelope Island. There's a herd of wild buffalo there roaming around freely ... you can drive right amongst them ... about 500 in total. The island is in the Great Salt Lake.

Although it's not excatly in Utah, you won't be too far away from North Rim of the Grand Canyon ... a definite MUST.

Answer 2

There's an area known as the Grand Circle, which makes up all of the big National Parks in the area. My dad and I did this trip in 5 days last year, coming from Salt Lake City. Here's our itinerary, which may give you an idea of what you can do.

On the first day, we drove from SLC and stopped in North Canyonlands and did some hiking and picture-taking, then we went to Arches and hiked until dark. I definitely recommend seeing Delicate Arch at sunset.

The next morning we returned to Arches for hiking, then drove to South Canyonlands for more hiking. South Canyonlands has great stuff to see, but it may only be worth it if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. We didn't and still had a good time, but you can't get close to the "good stuff" without it. However, the drive out there is quite lovely. That evening we drove to Cortez, Colorado.

The next day we went to Mesa Verde National Park, which is the only National Park dedicated to man-made structures [Anasazi ruins]. If your trip allows you to go here, do it. It was amazing.

That afternoon we drove through Hovenweep [more ruins] and up to Capitol Reef. Capitol Reef is *gorgeous* and is one of the least-visited parks in Utah due to its location. We hiked this park the next morning.

We then drove through Grand Staircase Escalante. This is an amazing scenic highway. We did not make any stops, however, until we reached Bryce. Bryce is a large park and there is a lot to do there. We did one hike and drove the entire road, then decided to go to Zions.

Zions is an amazing place and there is so much to see. We did one hike in the evening, stayed the night, and then several more hikes the next day. Then we drove back to SLC.

It was a quick itinerary and it won't work if you have kids. But if it's just you and some friends, you can probably make it work.

Extra tip: buy a National Parks pass. It's good for a year at any National Park or Monument in the US and will save you a ton of money on entrance fees.

Answer 3

Utah is the most underrated state in the nation, with a bunch of scenic spots. There are a bunch of pictures on the Web site below, so be sure to take a look there. I thought Zion National Park was the best, but it's tough to go wrong anywhere. Monument Valley, Bryce, Arches and Canyonlands are all musts. Salt Lake City is great too, at least in terms of scenery.

Answer 4

Sounds like you'll already be seeing Arches and Canyonlands.

Take highway 12 from Torrey to Bryce.

Unbelieveably beautiful, no so commercial.

Answer 5

yea. have fun. um...

looking at stuff....