5 Utah National Parks in 5 Days

By Chad Taylor & Jake Wilhelmsen

April 12, 2017

They’re so tightly packed you could sleep till noon and still drive through all Utah’s national parks before sunset.

(You could, but you shouldn’t. That’d be like sprinting through the Louvre.)

Here’s a more reasonable itinerary to get you from Salt Lake to/through each park and back again in five days. Along the way, there’s about two months’ worth of things that need seeing, food that needs eating and places that need staying, but here’s a rundown of the highlights for those of us who don’t have that kind of time.

Day One: Salt Lake → Zion

308 miles (4:25)

1. Take I-15 south to Toquerville (280 miles)

2. Take exit 27 for UT-17 toward Toquerville/Hurricane

3. Turn left onto UT-17 S (6.1 miles)

4. Turn left onto UT-9 E (20.2 miles) toward Springdale until you reach the park entrance.

Must-stops along the way

Rowley’s Red Barn in Santaquin: fresh produce (the apples and cherries are magnificent) and ice cream (try Brownies on the Moon).

Beaver: The best tasting water in the United States (according to the National Rural Water Association's Great American Water Taste Test), fresh cheese curds and a service station that has both a Dairy Queen and one of the largest rocking chairs you’ll ever see.

Kolob Canyon: Less crowded section of Zion National Park with great hikes and spectacular views.

If you only have time for one thing at the park

Canyon Overlook: Drive through the park and its famous tunnel to the east side. Just after the tunnel you’ll find a parking lot and the trailhead. Short but sweet, with a view.

Recommended hotels

Day Two: Zion → Bryce

84 miles (1:47)

1. Take UT-9 east through the park to US-89 (24.4 miles)

2. Turn left onto US-89 North (43.1 miles)

3. Turn right onto UT-12 East (13.6 miles)

4. Turn right onto UT-63 South and follow it to the park entrance (2.7 miles).

Must-stops along the way

Mount Carmel Junction: Grab a slice of Ho-made pie (that’s their spelling, not ours) at Thunderbird Restaurant. Try the strawberry rhubarb.

Orderville Mine Rock Shop: Right off US-89 in Orderville. Great selection of indigenous minerals, stones and gems.

Red Canyon: Get out, stretch your legs and explore the pre-Bryce hoodoos.

If you only have time for one thing at the park

Navajo Loop: One of the most iconic hikes in Bryce. Five trails for one. Bring a park map and get un-irretrievably lost.

Recommended hotels

Day Three: Bryce → Capitol Reef

116 miles (2:26)

1. Head north on UT-63 (2.6 miles)

2. Turn right onto UT-12 East (110 miles)

3. Turn right onto UT-24 East (3.7 miles) until you reach the park entrance

Must-stops along the way

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park: Petrified wood, petrified dinosaur bones, ammonite and shell fossils.

Calf Creek Falls: Gorgeous and refreshing hike. Six miles to the lower falls, another two to the upper falls.

If you only have time for one thing at the park

Cassidy Arch: Come for the towering arch, stay for the bricks of buried outlaw gold. Just kidding. Or are we?! No but seriously, don’t go digging around the arch or you’ll go to prison. A moderately difficult 3.4-mile hike.

Recommended hotel

Red Sands Hotel and Spa: Located in Torrey. Awesome pool with a view and spa treatments specifically designed for hikers. Aromatic foot treatment, anyone?