Welcome to Utah, the Beehive State. This is where you will find all of our Utah Travel Guides!
Utah is located in the mountain west subregion of the United States, bordered by Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona and Nevada.
This is the 13th largest state by area and it’s considered to be one of the greatest outdoor regions in the United States.
Capital City: Salt Lake City
Population: About 3.2 million
Time Zone: Mountain Standard Time (MST)
Utah Travel Highlights
If you are looking for adventure travel, magnificent landscapes and one of the best US road trip destinations, look no farther than beautiful Utah.
At each Utah National Park you can hike amazing trails, stargaze, spot wildlife and take incredible photographs. Salt Lake City and Las Vegas are both excellent cities to begin or end your journey.
Here are the 25 best hikes in Utah to get you started.
National Parks In Utah:
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Zion National Park
Want more National Park content? Visit our US National Park Travel Guides.
Popular Places To Travel In Utah:
- Moab
- Kanab
- Park City
- St. George
- Salt Lake City
- Bonneville Salt Flats
- Monument Valley
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
- Dead Horse Point State Park
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Keep in mind this small list just scratches the surface, but you can read about more amazing things to do in Utah here.
Arches And Canyonlands National Park
Arches and Canyonlands National Park can be visited in one day. Below you will find the easiest way to see the best areas of both parks in our Utah National Park travel guides:
- Arches and Canyonlands in one day – A whirlwind itinerary featuring two stunning National Parks.
- Best hikes in Arches National Park – The 3 best hikes in Arches plus a perfect hiking itinerary.
- Guide to hiking Delicate Arch – One of the most popular scenic vistas in Arches National Park.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Hiking at Bryce Canyon is unforgettable because you will descend into a gorgeous sandstone amphitheater surrounded by intriguing hoodoos and spires.
- Queen’s Garden Navajo Loop Trail – The best hike at Bryce Canyon National Park.
- Bryce Canyon photography Spots – Everything you need to know for sunrise, sunset, hikes and amazing viewpoints.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef offers something a bit different than the other National Parks in Utah. This is a lesser visited park so it makes a great option if you are looking to get away from the large crowds.
- 22 best things to do in Capitol Reef – A guide to the best attractions in all 3 regions of the park.
- Capitol Reef photography locations – One of Utah’s best kept secrets featuring incredible backdrops, stunning fall foliage and unique historical buildings.
Zion National Park
Zion is an incredibly popular National Park in southern Utah. We have visited Zion twice now to explore each of the four different regions of this park in depth.
Our detailed Utah travel guides below will help you plan an epic trip to Zion.
- 20 best hikes in Zion National Park – Easy, moderate and hard trails for each region of the park.
- Where to stay in Zion National Park – The best hotels near Springdale.
- One day in Zion National Park Itinerary – Five amazing day trip ideas.
- Best time to visit Zion – This guide will show you exactly what to expect for each month and season.
- Zion National Park in Winter – Ten important things you should know before visiting in winter.
- Closest airports to Zion National Park – The best four options if flying into the park.
Need a hand organizing your visit to Zion?
Our popular 40+ page Zion National Park Guidebook can help you with planning every aspect of your trip.
Zion Hiking Trail Guides
While the Zion Canyon is home to iconic hikes such as Angels Landing and the Narrows, there are many other hiking trails to consider.
Zion Canyon
We like trails in Zion Canyon because there is a good range of hikes for everyone featuring everything from hard death defying hikes to easy riverside trails.
- Angels Landing Hike – One of the most exhilarating, terrifying and adventurous trails in the US, but keep in mind you will need a permit for this hike.
- Hiking the Narrows – Everything you need to know when hiking the narrows from bottom up.
- Guide to Emerald Pools Trail – A hike to lower, upper and middle pool.
- How to hike Pa’rus Trail – An easy, flat and picturesque riverside hike.
Kolob Canyon
This area is a great alternative for hiking if your are looking to get away from the crowds in Zion.
- Best Kolob Canyon hikes – Four trails to hike in the quieter section of Zion National Park.
- Timber Creek Overlook Trail – An easy hiking with big views.
- Taylor Creek Trail – A hike to a hidden double arch alcove.
The Subway
This hike requires a permit which can be difficult to obtain and there are two ways to complete this hike, top down or bottom up.
We hiked the subway from bottom up which required no specialized climbing gear.But you will need climbing gear to hike to Subway top down.
- Hiking the Subway in Zion – An epic left fork bottom up day hike with everything you need to know before hitting the trail.
More Zion Hikes
There are a few more hikes in Zion National Park worth mentioning, but these trails are not found in either Zion of Kolob Canyon.
- The Watchman Trail – A perfect sunrise or sunset hike.
- Canyon Overlook – This trail makes for a perfect sunset hike and features epic views of Zion.
When hiking in Utah’s National Parks, we always use Gaia GPS. You can use our special link to receive 20% off a Gaia GPS subscription.
Or want a different app? Be sure to check out the best apps for hiking trails to help you conquer those bucket list hikes in Utah.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
This is a hugely underrated, immensely entertaining and incredibly sandy stop featuring hiking, sandboarding, driving ATV, camping and even hunting for Bigfoot.
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park – How to visit the coolest State Park in Utah.
Kanab, Utah Travel Planning
Kanab is an adventure destination in southern Utah with stunning photography locations and unique landscapes. We extended our visit to this region because we enjoyed the area so much.
- Best things to do in Kanab, Utah – Amazing things to do when you visit Kanab, Utah.
- Hiking Buckskin Gulch – How to hike wire pass trailhead to find Buckskin Gulch, the longest and deepest slot canyon in the US.
- Belly of the Dragon – How to find Belly of the Dragon near Kanab.
- Dinosaur Tracks Trail – A short easy hike featuring a summit plateau with hidden dinosaur tracks.
- Moqui Cave – Tourist trap or worth a visit?
- Moqui Caverns – Not to be confused with Moqui Cave, this is an easy hike leading to gorgeous sand caves.
- Toadstool Hoodoos – A quick hike to intriguing mushroom shaped rock formations.
Want more hiking content? Head over to our Hiking Guides featuring trails from around the world.
Hiking The Wave
The Wave is located in Arizona, but the trailhead actually begins in Utah. You will cross the state border during your hike and this trail is easily one of our most memorable experiences to date.
But you can not just turn up and hike the Wave. You will need a permit and just a word of warning, rangers are usually on the trail checking permits.
Until March 2022, there was a very elusive lottery permit process which used to take place at a gymnasium in Kanab. This was how we won a permit to hike the wave at the end of 2021.
We were one of the last groups to score a permit through this in-person process. We stood with many other groups patiently waiting to see if our name was drawn. It was incredibly nerve racking and you could cut the tension with a knife.
But the wave permit process is now held online and we have written a very detailed guide to help you understand the process. Read about the wave permit process here.
Then read our very popular post about hiking the Wave in Arizona. We will cover everything from the updated permit process, to packing, preparation and photography along with a full walk through of the hike.
Utah Road Trip Travel Guides
The Utah Mighty 5 National Park road trip circuit consists of Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. This is about as close to the perfect adventure vacation as you can get.
- Zion to Bryce Canyon road trip – The ultimate 3 day road trip itinerary.
- Utah road trips – Ten unique itineraries to plan your dream trip with interactive maps.
Want more US road trip inspiration? Don’t miss the best scenic drives in America.
Planning Your Utah Road Trip Itinerary
Planning a Utah road trip itinerary is fairly straightforward with many of the top attractions located in the south of the state and just a few around Salt Lake City.
Most visitors will lean towards starting and ending in Las Vegas, with a loop road trip taking in the Mighty 5 national parks.
However, if you want to experience the best of Utah, we recommend you start in Las Vegas and end in Salt Lake City or vice versa. You can drive a wonderful anti clockwise loop through the south before taking I-15 north to SLC.
Hiring a car at one airport and dropping off at the other won’t be a problem, plus you’ll be able to find cheap airlines flying into and out of both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City domestically and internationally.
Utah Road Trip Example Itinerary
Let’s take a brief look at an example 16 day Utah road trip itinerary featuring most of the fun things to do in the Beehive State.
Snow Canyon and St George – Day 1
- Drive early from Las Vegas to St George via both Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada and Snow Canyon State Park in Utah
- Stay in St George or drive further and stay one of the best hotels in Springdale near Zion
Zion – Days 2 to 3
- Hike Angels Landing, Emerald Pools and other smaller trails on day two
- Spend day three hiking The Narrows and Canyon Overlook
Kanab – Days 4 to 5
- Drive to Kanab via Coral Pink Sand Dunes in the morning
- Spend the afternoon hiking Belly of the Dragon, Dinosaur Tracks and Moqui Caverns
- Spend day five hiking either Buckskin Gulch or the incredible The Wave in Arizona
Moab – Days 6 to 8
- Day six is a driving day to Moab via Toadstool Hoodoos, Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley
- Spend day seven in Arches National Park hiking Devils Garden, Windows and Delicate Arch
- Day eight is an early start to see Mesa Arch at sunrise, followed by the rest of Canyonlands
Capitol Reef – Day 9
- Leave Moab and drive to Capitol Reef via spending the morning at Goblin Valley
- Use the afternoon to see the best of Capitol Reef National Park
- Stay somewhere near Torrey
Grand Staircase Escalante and Glen Canyon – Day 10
- Early start to drive scenic byway 12 as far as Escalante
- Rent a Jeep in Escalante to explore the best of Grand Staircase and Glen Canyon
- Stay in Escalante
Bryce Canyon – Day 11
- Drive to Bryce Canyon and spend the morning hiking Queens Garden Navajo Loop
- Drive the scenic road to all vistas
- Watch sunset from the rim
- Stay in Bryce Canyon City
Cedar Breaks – Day 12
- Wake up to watch an amazing sunrise over Bryce Canyon amphitheater
- Drive higher in elevation to Cedar Breaks for a similar but quieter experience
- Hike and photograph the landscape all afternoon
- Stay in Cedar City
Park City – Days 13 to 14
- Drive to Park City via I-15 and stop at either Timpanogos Cave or Homestead Crater
- Spend day eighteen exploring Park City
Salt Lake City – Days 15 to 16
- Day nineteen is all about exploring SLC
- Take a drive over to Bonneville Salt Flats for your final day
- Drop the car off and fly home
If you are planning to combine Utah and Wyoming on a longer road trip, you can continue north out of SLC to Grand Teton via Bear Lake.
Best Time To Visit Utah
Spring and Fall are the most comfortable seasons to visit Utah, but both peak seasons in the area result in higher hotel prices and overcrowding issues at the most famous tourist spots.
April, May, September and October are the busiest months in Utah’s popular natural landscapes. You will find every thing to do in this list will be crowded or hard to book, plus hotel prices will be inflated.
Summer months are hot and winter months are cold in these places, which does reduce the crowds and costs a little. However, the trade off for fewer crowds and cheaper prices is extreme weather conditions.
Top 20 Fun Things To Do In Utah
- Hike and photograph the best of Arches
- Swim and water sports at Bear Lake
- Create fun perspective photos at Bonneville Salt Flats
- Photograph and hike in Bryce Canyon
- Hike into narrow slot canyon Buckskin Gulch
- Watch sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands
- Take the family to easy going Capitol Reef
- Photograph the colorful hoodoos at Cedar Breaks
- Sandboard at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
- Find arches and take a boat on Glen Canyon
- Photograph the intriguing Goblin Valley
- Enjoy solitude in Grand Staircase Escalante
- Scuba dive in Homestead Crater
- Spend a few days exploring the best of Kanab
- Drive the scenic loop in Monument Valley
- Ski and hike in Park City
- Explore the best of Salt Lake City
- Take the kids on petrified dunes at Snow Canyon
- Take a ranger led tour of Timpanogos Cave
- Hike the top adventure trails in Zion
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