Utah Mighty Five - National Parks trip

We recently vacationed with our 2 teenagers in Utah, at the 5 National Parks in Utah.

• Zion National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Arches National Park
• Canyonlands National Park

We also added on a few other stops:

• Dead Horse Point State Park
• Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
• Antelope Canyon
• Horseshoe Bend
• Glen Canyon Dam

We started our trip on March 29, 2018 and flew in and out of the Las Vegas airport. Here is our itinerary in brief. More details on all the hikes we did, as well as descriptions/reviews will follow.

Day 1 

Arrive in Las Vegas and drive 2.75 hours to Zion. Stay overnight at Springhill Suites Zion

Day 2

Hike all day at Zion. Stay at Springhill Suites Zion

Day 3

Hike at Zion in morning, drive 1.75 hours to Bryce Canyon. Stay at Best Western Grand Hotel

Day 4

Hike at Bryce Canyon all day, drive 2.5 hours to Capitol Reef (Torrey, UT). Stay at Capitol Reef Resort

Day 5

Hike at Capitol Reef until mid-afternoon. Drive 2.25 hours to Moab, UT (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks). Hike at Arches. Stay at Springhill Suites Moab

Day 6

Hike at Arches. Drive 30 minutes to Canyonlands to hike. Drive to Dead Horse Point State Park for photo. Stay at Springhill Suites Moab

Day 7 

Hike at Arches in the morning. Drive 3 hours to Monument Valley. Stop at visitor center. Drive 2 hours to Page, Arizona for Antelope Canyon Slot tour at 4:30. Stay at Marriott Courtyard in Page

Day 8

Hike to Horseshoe Bend overlook. Drive to Glen Canyon Dam overlook. Drive 4.5 hours to Las Vegas for flight home (the next day)

Zion National Park

Canyon Overlook Trail

Zion is a popular park, so it is recommended you arrive early. There is parking by the Visitor Center, and it is recommended to arrive within an hour of opening to get a parking spot. This also helps you avoid the car line at the entrance.  The park uses a bus/shuttle system, which works well, and helps a lot.  However, later in the day, there are long lines for the shuttle at the Visitor Center. A few cars can park at the Museum stop, and get on the shuttle there, but there is not much parking at the Museum.

When you arrive, this is the Information Sheet they give you with all 9 stops on a map, and a Hiking Guide.

We hiked a mix of "Family Friendly", moderate, and difficult trails at Zion. 2 of the easier hikes we did are: Emerald Pools (2-3 miles depending on which loop you take...we did a variation that ended at the Grotto) and Weeping Rock Trail (.5 mile). I thought the Emerald Pools trail had some difficult rocks to navigate, and is not as easy as Weeping Rock Trail. We also hiked most of the Angels Landing trail (5 miles round trip). We stopped at Scouts Landing (4 miles round trip) and did not do the final .5 mile harrowing climb. Angels Landing has a large elevation change with many (21) switchbacks, and is a popular hike. It is for fit people, and can be scary for those with a fear of heights.  Another hike with some elevation change and awesome views is the Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mile round trip). You first drive through a tunnel in the mountain, and park on the other side before hiking. I recommend going here early to get a parking spot. We also did the Riverside Walk up to the Narrows (2.2 miles round trip).

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

This park is at a higher elevation, and temperatures are cooler here. Since the air is thinner and dryer, make sure you drink lots of water. We arrived in the afternoon, and started out by driving the 18 mile scenic drive with 14 overlooks you can stop at. When we were there the shuttles were not yet in service, and we had no trouble parking at the overlooks (late March). Here is the information sheet they provide at the entrance.

We hiked the Queens Garden Trail (1.8 mile round trip) with the Navajo Loop (1.3 miles), which as a combo is 2.9 miles, and the most popular trail at Bryce. You will see Thors Hammer and the bottom of Wall Street. We also hiked the Tower Bridge trail (3 miles round trip). 

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Gorge Trail

The drive to Capitol Reef from Bryce is a scenic and stunning drive, but you need to take the southern route that goes through Escalante, Utah on highway 12. You can see the Capitol Reef Park information sheet and trail guide here. Capitol Reef is much less crowded than Zion and Bryce.

We hiked the easy Capitol Gorge (2 mile round trip) to see pioneer rock inscriptions (registry), and a water "tank" or pool. There were a few petroglyphs as well, however you can see better petroglyphs from the main drive. (Note- to get to Capitol Gorge trailhead, there are 2 miles of gravel road) We ate pie at Gifford House (highly recommended) and drove to Gooseneck Overlook trail (.2 mile round trip).

Arches National Park

Hiking up to Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch

This is a very busy park with a lot of visitors. Arrive early! The park information sheet has a map and trail guide here. We arrived around 3:30 and went to Visitor Center before doing the short Balanced Rock trail (.3 miles round trip). The next day we got to park early, and had no lines at the entrance since it was before they opened. If you don't have a National Park Pass and arrive before the gates are staffed, you will need to stop at Visitor Center to pay. We drove to Delicate Arch trailhead. This is a fantastic hike, and a must for those that are able. It is a difficult trail, 3 miles round trip, with elevation change and drop offs, but worth it.

We also hiked part of Devils Garden Trail, and saw Landscape Arch (1.6 miles round trip). We did not hike Fiery Furnace, as you need to signup well in advance for this guided hike. We also hiked The Windows (1 mile round trip) and Park Avenue (2 miles round trip).

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is not busy and is 35 minutes drive from Arches. It is a very large park with 4 different sections.  We visited the "Islands in the Sky" area. Check out their information sheet here.

We started by driving to Grand View Point to see the convergence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. We then drove to the Mesa Arch trailhead and hiked to this awesome arch with a view of the canyon and La Sal mountains (.5 mile round trip).

Mesa Arch at Canyonlands National Park

Our Add-On Stops

After Canyonlands we made the short drive to Dead Horse Point State Park. There is a great view here, but there is a $15 fee to enter the park.

Dead Horse Point

Monument Valley

After leaving Moab, we drove to Monument Valley, followed by Page, Arizona. Several weeks before our trip we made reservations for a Antelope Canyon slot tour. We highly recommend Antelope Canyon. Our tour was late in the day, which we do not recommend. Try to reserve as close to noon as possible, so you get the most light deep inside this unique and beautiful slot canyon.  I suggest you book this online as many months in advance as you can.

Antelope Canyon

15 Minute Truck ride (on road and off road) to the Canyon

We also saw Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Dam while in Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona

General Tips

The parks do not have food or restaurants, so you will want to bring a lunch. I recommend bringing a cooler, and grocery shopping in St. George (or earlier).  The parks are pretty remote with limited shopping (except for Moab, which has everything).

Book hotels early, even if traveling early in the season, as these parks are popular. If you want to stay at a lodge located within the park (at Zion and Bryce) you should book this many months in advance (as soon as you know you are going).

Consider purchasing an American the Beautiful National Parks Annual pass ($80). We purchased ours at the Zion gate.