I totally get it—hitting up five parks in just five days might sound like a major slog, right? But trust me, if you map it out and do a bit of digging, you can totally make it happen and have a blast while you’re at it. So grab your friends or the kiddos and get ready for an unforgettable trip to Utah! You won’t believe how jaw-droppingly beautiful the scenery is—seriously, it’s one-of-a-kind! Check out the quick rundown of the parks below, and don’t forget to snag the full PDF travel itinerary at the end for all the travel times, restaurant and hotel stops.
First Stop: Arches
Getting to the parks really depends on where you’re coming from. Since I’m based in Seattle, a bunch of us ladies decided to hop a flight to Salt Lake City to kick things off. You could totally fly into Las Vegas and do the trip in reverse, but this route worked best for us. After a few hours’ drive, we finally made it to Arches National Park. Because this park needs timed entry, we totally lucked out getting there right at 4:30 pm when no reservations were needed! This meant we could explore the park on day one without all the lines and crowds!
Second Stop: Canyonlands
As Arches is right next to Canyonlands, it’s super easy to take a quick trip over. It was raining when we visited, but honestly, it was still incredible! There are a bunch of areas to check out, but since we didn’t have much time, we hit up the “Island in the Sky.” Driving through the clouds gave us some seriously magical views of the valley. There are lots of short trails just off the road. We picked a few and they definitely didn’t let us down. The terrain was very different from Arches, even though it’s so close!
Third Stop: Capital Reef
So, there is some distance between Canyonlands and Capital Reef, and let me tell you, it’s its worth the drive. The landscape totally shifts as you cruise through Utah. Capital Reef might not be the most well-known park—probably ’cause it’s a bit out of the way—but trust me, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Fourth Stop: Bryce Canyon
Now, this park is out of this world! As you’re cruising through the pine trees and what seems like any regular park, you suddenly stumble upon this alien-looking area that feels like it’s been excavated. When you head down into this amazing maze of hoodoos, it’s just jaw-dropping!
Fifth and Final Stop: Zion
Zion is definitely the most popular of all the parks, and it’s easy to see why. It’s absolutely stunning! The mountains are towering, and the trails are super unique — some are even a bit scary, like Angels Landing. Walking through the water on the Narrows hike was such an unforgettable experience. Ending our trip here was perfect. But honestly, is five days really enough? Not really! If you want to dig into each park and soak up everything they have to offer, you could easily spend five days at each place. But if you’re short on time, this five-day trip gives you a solid glimpse of the highlights. We even tacked on an extra half day at Zion since it’s so massive, and it was totally worth it. The drive back to Salt Lake City was filled with awesome memories from the trip and excitement about heading home!
Trip Itinerary
Whether you use this exact itinerary or modify it to fit your trip plans and preferences, take a look at this pdf. The restaurant options were great, though near Canyonlands, there are not many options. There is a lot of driving on this trip, but again, with some great music and a great group of people, it truly makes for an amazing trip.
