Regions of Utah

Explore the 11 regions of our state

Oh, the places you’ll go in Utah! If only you knew how to get there. But wait, here you are on this super accessible and friendly web page featuring maps of Utah. What luck! Click on each region to see key places to visit, things to do and camping and lodging options not to be missed.

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WASATCH FRONT

Four percent of the state, 66% of its population - but This Is(n't Just) the Place for people-watching. The Wasatch Front transitions gracefully from skiable, bikeable mountains to big-city accommodations to the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

Key Locations

Great Salt Lake
Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance Resorts
Temple Square
SLC Int'l Airport
Antelope Island

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MONUMENT CORNER

Nine percent of the state, 0.5% of its population - but that's due to a shortage of water, not scenery. You've seen San Juan County in John Ford/John Wayne westerns - monuments rising godlike from the valley floor - but the home of Monument Valley and Bears Ears looks a lot bigger in person.

Key Locations

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UTAH'S OUTBACK REGION

Vying with its neighbors to the north and east for Remotest in Utah™. Kanab (pop. 5k) is the biggest city and the hub for all the state and national parks, monuments, etc. The area is also known for its concentration of drop-your-jaw, suck-in-your-gut slot canyons.

Key Locations

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RED ROCK

Utah's bottom left (aka the Persian Golf, aka Virtuous Vegas) sits at the nexus of the Great Basin, the Colorado Plateau, and the Mojave Desert. It ranges from hot and low (Beaver Dam Wash is 2,180') to snowy Brian Head Peak (11,300'). Oh, and there's a national park you might have heard of.

Key Locations

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THE HOLEY LAND

Sacred ground for hikers, bikers, off-roaders, and river rats. This is where the Colorado Plateau really goes for it, from weird bumps and bulges in the Swell to implausible sandstone sculptures around the Green and Colorado Rivers. Don't tell anyone about it. They wouldn't believe you anyway.

Key Locations

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ATV COUNTRY

Is it the heart of Utah or the gut? Doesn't matter, because pristine forestland like this is the kind of thing you love so much it makes you hungry. The Arapeen and Paiute ATV trail networks wander for nearly 1,000 miles through evergreen and aspen wonderland. Bring your fishing pole.

Key Locations

Yuba State Park
Arapeen Trail
Sevier River
Marysvale
Fishlake & Manti-La Sal National Forests

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WEST DESERT

Sometimes you just want to load your truck with water, gasoline, and sandwiches and put a little distance between yourself and the rest of humanity. Satisfy your soul's itch for solitude in the mettle-testing mountains of the West Desert (and pop over to Great Basin National Park while you're out).

Key Locations

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UNDER THE NOTCH

Where the blues and greens of the Rocky Mountains meet the reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows of the Colorado Plateau - Flaming Gorge isn't even trying not to show off - plus the oil, canyons, and fossils of Dinosaurland. No wonder John Wesley Powell wanted to visit.

Key Locations

Kings Peak (Utah's high point)
Flaming Gorge
Dinosaur National Monument
Green River
Starvation, Steinaker & Red Fleet Reservoirs

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WASATCH BACK

This is what rich people from Hollywood think Utah looks like. Move east from Park City's resorts and celebrity interlopers and you'll see the region stays beautifully green and blue in Wasatch Back reservoirs and on the north face of the Uintas. Hike, bike, boat, fish, 4x4 or (watch someone else) ride a bull in northern Utah's version of the wild west.

Key Locations

Park City Mountain & Deer Valley Resorts
Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Rockport & Strawberry Reservoirs
Heber Valley Railroad
Sundance Film Festival
Uinta Mountains

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WASATCH NORTH

Everything here feels tucked away. Just like you hide the good cookies on the top shelf, Utah keeps some of its best alpine adventures hidden all the way up north. Expect bucolic farmland around Logan, uncrowded locals-only ski resorts, and a giant secret freshwater Caribbean.

Key Locations

Bear Lake
Beaver Mountain, Cherry Peak, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Nordic Valley Resorts
East Canyon State Park
WSU, USU

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LAKE BONNEVILLE

The top left corner of Utah was underwater until about 14,000 years ago. When Lake Bonneville drained, it left behind the Great Salt Lake and the even saltier Bonneville Salt Flats surrounded by the Great Basin's characteristic mountain fins jutting out of a rolling, rugged landscape.

Key Locations

There are a butte-load of places to visit in Utah. So we’ve broken down the state into 11 regions to help you know what’s what. From the tippy top of the state down to its bootylicious bottom, you can view and interact with our maps to learn about all the multitudinous things to do in Utah.

Or spend some coin and buy a real-life Utah map for the street cred. Whatever you need to help plan your trip to national parks and monuments, state parks, and major cities in Utah

Lake Bonneville Region

The northwest corner of Utah was once under more than 5 trillion tons of saltwater. An inland ocean, Lake Bonneville’s bloated body reached across state borders with its gangly arms before spilling into the Snake River roughly 14,000 years ago.

It left behind the Great Salt Lake and the even saltier Bonneville Salt Flats. Once the water weight was gone, the earth’s crust rebounded like a springy mattress, creating mountain ranges with jagged, shark-like fins circling the ancient lakebed.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Wasatch North Region

Everything here feels tucked away. Just like you hide the good cookies on the top shelf, Utah keeps some of its best alpine adventures hidden all the way up north.

Expect bucolic farmland around Logan, uncrowded locals-only ski resorts, and a giant secret freshwater Caribbean.

Key Locations

Bear Lake
Logan
Beaver Mountain, Cherry Peak, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Nordic Valley Ski Resorts
Hyrum Lake State Park
East Canyon State Park
Weber State University & Utah State University

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Wasatch Front Region

Three counties. Four percent of the state. Two-thirds of its population. But “this is(n’t just) the place” for people watching.

The Wasatch Front transitions gracefully from skiable, bikeable mountains to metropolitan conveniences. One minute you’re carb-loading at a restaurant on Main Street. A few minutes later, you’re literally on a mountain trail or sailing on the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

Key Locations

Great Salt Lake State Park
Salt Lake City
Provo
Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance Ski Resorts
Temple Square
SLC International Airport
Antelope Island State Park

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Wasatch Back Region

This is what rich people from Hollywood think Utah looks like.

Move east from Park City’s resorts and celebrity interlopers and you’ll see the region stays beautifully green and blue in Wasatch Back reservoirs and on the north face of the Uintas.

Hike, bike, ski, boat, fish, 4x4, or (watch someone else) ride a bull in northern Utah’s version of the wild west.

Key Locations

Park City Mountain & Deer Valley Ski Resorts
Park City
Heber City
Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Rockport, Echo & Strawberry Reservoirs
Heber Valley Railroad
Utah Olympic Park
Uinta Mountains

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Under the Notch Region

Where the blues and greens of the Rocky Mountains meet the reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows of the Colorado Plateau — Flaming Gorge isn't even trying not to show off — plus the oil, canyons, and fossils of Dinosaurland just outside Vernal. It's no wonder John Wesley Powell wanted to visit.

Key Locations

Flaming Gorge
Vernal
Dinosaur National Monument
Green River
Starvation, Steinaker & Red Fleet Reservoirs

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

The Holey Land

Welcome to The Holey Land, sacred ground for hikers, bikers, off-roaders and river rats. This is where the Colorado Plateau really goes for it, from weird bumps and bulges in the Swell to implausible sandstone sculptures around the Green and Colorado Rivers.

Don’t tell anyone about it. They wouldn’t believe you anyway.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

ATV Country

Is ATV Country the heart of Utah or the gut? We think it’s the heart, pumping adrenaline through its labyrinthine veins.

The Arapeen and Paiute ATV trail system twists and turns its way across hundreds of thousands of acres of national forests, over mountains and through meadows. Alpine lakes and natural hot springs freckle the evergreen and aspen face.

Bring your fishing pole and your bathing suit.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

West Desert Region

Sometimes you just want to load your truck with water, gasoline, and sandwiches and put a little distance between yourself and the rest of humanity.

Satisfy your soul’s itch for solitude in the mettle-testing mountains of the West Desert (and pop over to Great Basin National Park while you’re out … even though it technically sits across the Utah border).

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Red Rock Region

Utah’s bottom-left (aka the Persian Golf, aka Retirement Desert, aka Virtuous Vegas) sits at the nexus of the Great Basin, the Colorado Plateau, and the Mojave Desert.

It ranges from hot and low (Beaver Dam Wash is 2,180’) to snowy Brian Head Peak (11,300’). Oh, and Zion National Park. You may have heard of it.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Utah's Outback Region

Vying with its neighbors to the north and east for Remotest in Utah^TM. Kanab (pop. 5k) is the biggest city and the hub for all the state and national parks, monuments, etc.

The area is also known for its concentration of drop-your-jaw, suck-in-your-gut slot canyons.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Monument Corner Region

Monument Corner covers nine percent of the state, 0.5% of its population — but that’s due to a shortage of water, not scenery.

Residents are almost outnumbered by four national monuments, a national park, and a handful of state parks and museums. And it’s all within a few hours’ drive of the historic city of Blanding.

Key Locations

Find out how to get there, what to see, and where to stay. ->

Views to Expect in Utah

Bear Lake in Utah's Wasatch North Region

Bear Lake is known for a lot of things. Like turquoise-blue water caused by limestone deposits. And delicious raspberries caused by raspberry bushes. So much to do all-year-round.

Beary Good Shakes This Way

Antelope Island

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake and is the perfect place to view the Great Salt Lake. You can even take a swim in the salty waters and watch yourself float on the surface. Plus...see the Bison that are found everywhere on Antelope Island.

Take Me There