Here's a quick snapshot:
- Down south: Soaring sandstone arches and trails carving through canyons and up canyon walls. Awesome monoliths and fragile pillars of red rock. Blue water among rolling slickrock. Profound indigenous heritage. Moab, Boulder, St. George. The All-American Road Scenic Byway 12.
- In the north: Towering mountain peaks with deep powder in winter and backyard adventure all summer. Ogden, Salt Lake City, the Great Salt Lake. In the east: the ancient bones of Dinosaur National Monument and the pursuit of trophies in Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Green River.
To start planning your first trip to Utah, read about our most-visited parks, then see how they fit together in itineraries on Utah's Road to Mighty for an unforgettable Utah family vacation trip. To combine the urban lifestyle of Utah's cities with adventures in the Wasatch Mountains and beyond, look around Mountain and Metro. If you're still looking for ideas and maybe a good story, why not start in our Inspiration section? Here, regional authors and local experts share travel narratives sure to get you excited about your Utah adventure vacation.
Most Visited Parks
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Arches National Park
Arches National Park is one of the top national parks in America: it’s a 73,234-acre wonderland of eroded sandstone fins, towers, ribs, gargoyles, hoodoos, balanced rocks, and, of course, arches northwest of Moab.
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Bryce Canyon National Park
An alpine forest with as many red rock hoodoos as trees. At dawn and dusk, mule deer graze the forested plateau along the road into Bryce Canyon.
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Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch.
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Capitol Reef National Park
Even considering Utah’s many impressive national parks and monuments, it is difficult to rival Capitol Reef National Park’s sense of expansiveness, of broad, sweeping vistas, of a tortured, twisted, seemingly endless landscape, or of limitless sky and desert rock.
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Flaming Gorge NRA
With more than 200,000 acres of land and water, Flaming Gorge is a scenic playground for boating, waterskiing, windsurfing, camping and backpacking in addition to some of the best fishing in the west.
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Glen Canyon and Lake Powell
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers more than 1.2 million acres of unparalleled opportunities for land- and water-based recreation.
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Grand Staircase-Escalante
The allure of the Grand Staircase region — the bulk of which is contained in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument — is phenomenal. Sun-drenched Utah backcountry spreads out well beyond the visible horizon from the road, whether you’re traveling along the The All-American Road: Scenic Byway 12, or on Highway 89.
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Guides and Outfitters
Guides and outfitters allow you to deeply experience the outdoors, without any planning or wayfinding stressors.
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley, Utah, an iconic symbol of the American West, is the sacred heart of the Navajo Nation and the ideal setting for your next adventure in the warm, high desert climate of southeastern Utah.
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Zion National Park
Whether you are trying to catch your breath while climbing the trail to Observation Point or watching the shadows constantly change the mood of the Court of the Patriarchs, Zion National Park is always ready to quench your appetite for outdoor wonder.
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Iconic Classics
Looking to spend a week on the open roads of Southern Utah? Spend your Utah destinations vacation at The Mighty 5 — our iconic national parks — and at the equally majestic national monuments and state parks in between.
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The Best Week of Your Life
What makes up The Best Week of Your Life? Let’s run the numbers for this one: five national parks, two national monuments, five scenic drives including one All-American Road, two national forests and up to six state parks, including the photogenic Dead Horse Point and Kodachrome Basin.
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The Mighty 5: Ultimate Journey
Grab a national parks annual pass for best access to The Mighty 5®.
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Antelope Island State Park
Antelope Island State Park is 25 miles north of Salt Lake City. Accessed by a causeway, the island sits in Great Salt Lake and features free-roaming bison and antelope herds.
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Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats are a 30,000 acre expanse of hard, white salt crust on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake basin in Utah.
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Ogden
Ogden is an outdoor recreation mecca. It has also worked to restore its historic art deco architecture and buildings and blend in new development toward a charming and vibrant downtown.
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Park City
Park City is the perfect mountain town. The winter slopes were once featured in the Olympics, and in summer the mountains and nearby state parks and reservoirs transform into a hiking, mountain biking, fishing and camping mecca.
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Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City makes a great gateway for travelers making a trip to Utah's ski resorts or southward to Utah’s renowned red rock country
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Ski Resorts
The quality and quantity of Utah's snow, ski resorts and winter experiences means you truly can have the ski or snowboard vacation of your dreams.
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Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (UWCNF) encompasses Utah's Wasatch Mountains adjacent to the state's northern metropolitan area, and the north slope of the High Uintas Wilderness.
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More Planning Tools
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5 Expert Tips to Prepare for Your Utah National Parks Adventure
If you’re planning to visit Utah national parks for a hike, learn important tips to maximize your experience and keep you and your family safe. Plan a Utah trip.
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Traveling to Utah
Whether you fly into the Salt Lake City airport, drive or ride to Utah, you’ll find an adventure when you get here.
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Traveling With Children
Utah is one of the top family vacation destinations.
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Traveling with Dogs: The Mighty 5 National Parks
At all of The Mighty 5® national parks, activities with pets are extremely limited, and every time your dog is out of your vehicle, it must be restrained in a crate, cage, or on a leash (of no more than 6 feet).