Utah is one of the great outdoor states in the country, with incredible national and state parks, top-rated ski resorts, and natural wonders like yours you won’t find anywhere else in the world. A road trip through Utah is the best way to see the site, Places to visit in Utah and scenic drives are everywhere throughout the state. For cultural highlights or skiing nearby, head to Salt Lake City. If you’re looking for outdoor adventures, be sure to check out Moab and St. George for hiking, mountain biking, and camping, including ATV motorcycle rides and off-road activities. Keep in mind, Utah’s elevation varies greatly, and while it is warm and sunny in some areas, it can be snowy in others. Some parks have only limited access in winter, and some are nearly closed during this season. But the best places to visit are open year-round.
1 Zion National Park Tourism
Zion National Park, less than a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, has some of Utah’s most outstanding scenery, with red rock cliffs, waterfalls, and beautiful vistas. Many of the park’s most impressive sites are found at Zion Canyon on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive , which follows the canyon floor. From spring to fall, Best Places to visit in Utah a sightseeing tour takes visitors through the park along this route, stopping at all the major sites and trailheads, making getting to the park very easy. In winter, you can drive this route in your own vehicle. The Zion–Mount Carmel Highway runs east–west through the park and is also a must-drive. This self-drive route takes you up the valley and offers incredible vistas from the lookout.
Sometimes referred to as a vertical park because of its vertical walls, Zion is a hiker’s paradise. The most popular hikes in Zion are done off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Here, you’ll find everything from simple unique places to visit in Utah walks along the canyon floor to cliff-side trails, like the famous Angel’s Landing Trail, that aren’t for the faint of heart or for the fear of heights. If you’re here to really experience it, you’ll find quality campgrounds and RV parks in and near Zion National Park.
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2 Most Beautiful Arch in Arches National Park
The stunning stone arches and rolling petrified dunes, backed by the often snow-capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains, make it one of the most beautiful parks in Utah. Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches. The most famous of these, and most photographed, is the Fragile Arch , standing like a horseshoe rising out of the ground, framing the distant mountains. Many walking trails and hikes lead to the most popular arches and other interesting rock formations. But many of the fun places to go in Utah with friends main highlights can be seen directly from the scenic drive through the park and are easily accessed from the parking areas. Top attractions in the park are Devil’s Garden, Delicate Arch, Fire Furnace, Double Arch, Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, Windows, Broken Arch, and Sandstone Arch.
Arches National Park is located outside of Moab, a city famous by mountain bikers and outdoor adventurers. The park is high above the city and is accessed via a winding road with impressive views. You’ll find many other natural parks nearby and a number of good campgrounds in the area.
3 Most beautiful Valley in the world Monument
Like a scene from an old western movie, red rock buttes rise from the floor of the orange desert, and sometimes a horse and rider walk around. This is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in southeast Utah, unique places to visit in Utah near the Arizona border. Many movies and commercials have been shot in this beautiful area, which is famous for its spectacular red mesa and stone plinths. Within the park is Canyon Drive , a one-way, 17-mile, self-drive dirt road running through buttes and dramatic landscapes. All the pullouts along the route provide great opportunities for photography and soaking up the scenery.
If you want to go further down this road to explore the park more fully, you’ll need to use a guide, which can be arranged at the visitor center. If you don’t have time for a drive, which is usually done at a snail’s pace due to the curve and sightseeing, the view from the Monument Valley Visitor Center is spectacular, and one of the best viewpoints in Monument Valley.
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4 Famous valleys in the World Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is Utah’s version of the Grand Canyon without the crowds. The park has three sections, but the main part, which attracts most of the sightseeing, is the island in the sky . The region offers incredible vistas beyond the carved valleys and snow-capped mountains. It is arguably as impressive in its own unique way as the Grand Canyon, and is far less visited. The other two sections of the park, The Needle District and The Tangle , offer slightly different types of landscape but are also impressive. These areas are more remote.
One of the main attractions in Island in the Sky is the Mesa Arch . This graceful stone arch, especially stunning in the early morning hours or late afternoon, creates a window to the canyons, buttes, and broken landscape below. Also of note best places to visit in Utah and Arizona in this section is White Rim Road, a ridge of rock walls. Following the dirt road along the switchback goes down from the park to the canyon. This road is only for the brave. Visitors can catch a glimpse of White Rim Road across the road from the island at the Sky Visitor Center.
Canyonlands Island in the Sky section is located not far from downtown Moab. The highway continues north along Highway 191 beyond the National Park to the main access point. The Suisse District is located on the opposite side of Highway 191 heading south from Moab and takes approximately two hours to reach.
5 Tourist Attractions in Utah Bryce Canyon National Park
The brightly colored and tightly packed hoodoos that dominate the landscape at Bryce Canyon set this national park apart from the rest of Utah’s spectacular sights. These stone pillars, gleaming in shades of orange, pink, cream, and cinnamon, best places to visit in Utah for families emerge from the floor of a vast natural amphitheater, creating a magical landscape that is almost worth exploring. A scenic drive runs through the park and offers a number of lookouts along the canyon. However, it is worth venturing into the forest of hoodoos on one of the many hiking trails in the park, to fully appreciate the size and unique shapes of these formations. Bristlecone pine trees are another surprise attraction in Bryce.
Bryce Canyon National Park is located at an altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet and receives snowfall in the winter months and early spring. Even in summer the temperature can be very cold. The best time to visit is from April to October, especially if you plan to stay at campgrounds in the area.
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6 Salt Lake City and the Mormon Temple
Salt Lake City is often associated with skiing and winter activities, and certainly many of Utah’s best ski hills can be reached within an hour’s drive here. But it is a city worth visiting, regardless of the season, and offers many attractions and things to do. Standing on Temple Square is a late 19th-century Mormon Temple , the largest Latter-day Saints temple and one of Salt Lake City’s major sites. The temple can only be entered by Mormons but is definitely worth a walk to see. Other sites in the city include the Mormon Tabernacle and the State Capitol.
7 Places to visit in Utah Park City and Nearby Ski Resorts
Park City is a fun mountain town, about 45 minutes southeast of Salt Lake City, and home to two awesome ski resorts. At the door of town is Park City Mountain Resort , with lifts operating directly from downtown, and just down the road is Deer Valley Resort , one of Utah’s highest ski resorts. Both of these offer outstanding terrain for all levels of skiers.
Utah Olympic Park , located in the vicinity, was used as a venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Today, it offers year-round activities for kids and adults alike, from ziplining and hiking in the summer to bobsledding in the winter. Also note that one of Park City’s best-known events is the annual Sundance Film Festival , held in late January.
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8 Unique Places to visit in Utah Moab
For outdoor adventures in the Southwest, the city of Moab is hard to beat. As the nearest city to Arches National Park , Canyonlands National Park , and Dead Horse Point State Park , the area offers endless opportunities for hiking, biking, rafting, tourist attraction Utah valley off-road adventures, and more. The rolling petrified dunes and surrounding mountains provide breathtaking views and a playground for all kinds of outdoor pursuits.
Mountain bikers come here in heaps in spring and fall for outstanding rides. Although the city is known for being home to the famous and challenging Slickrock Trail among bikers , you can find trails for all levels of bikers here. When it comes to hiking, trails in nearby parks offer amazing views, including Utah’s famous Delicate Arch . You’ll also find some incredible campgrounds near Moab.
In winter, the region receives snow, and adventure opportunities are reduced. The best time to visit is in spring (March to May) and fall (September to October). In summer you can still enjoy yourself, but the day temperature gets very hot.
9 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a large area of valley terrain, with a landscape of canyons, arches, hills, waterfalls, forests and scrubland. It provides a sense of remoteness that is hard to find in other parks. Monument valley Utah Dirt roads, where you can drive great distances without ever passing another vehicle, are part of the experience. Covering 1.9 million acres, it is the largest national monument in the United States, and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, not the National Park Service.
Hiking is a popular way to explore the area. The Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail offers some spectacular views and is one of the most photographed spots in Grand Staircase-Escalante. To the south of the monument is Paria , a town near the Paria River founded in 1865, but abandoned by 1920. The remains of the city and surrounding areas have been used in many Western films.
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10 Things to do in Utah Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park, just outside Moab , delivers one of the best lookouts of any state park in Utah . The main viewpoint looks out over a gooseneck into the Colorado River through the colorful landscape. The cliff walls are rising 2,000 feet and plateau at various levels spread in the distance.
On the shelf of land below the approach, the Potash Road runs along a ledge. Looking to the left along this road, you can see Thelma and Lewis Point , where the final scene of the motion picture Thelma and Lewis was filmed. The best way to see the sights at Dead Horse Point State Park is by taking a walk along the walking trail along the rim.
11 Amazing Things to Do in Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is another great place to explore Utah’s interesting landscape. Located directly west of Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef reveals a massive wall of banded sandstone rising above the Fremont River. Canyons, cliffs, rock walls, arches, and gorges dominate the scenery and are an inspiration for anyone monument valley, Utah or Arizona interested in photography. In the distance, the wall dominates the landscape and glows an almost purple hue in the late sun.
Most people come here for sightseeing, but you’ll also find a variety of hiking trails in the area. The park sees far fewer visitors than the other large parks in Utah, which can be a refreshing treat.
The closest town to Capitol Reef is Torrey, west of the park, where you can find accommodation and camping options. The park’s visitor center is 15 minutes from downtown and is located at the start of scenic Capitol Reef Scenic Drive , one of the highlights of a visit to the park.
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12 Best places to visit in Utah for families St. George
George’s location in southern Utah, close to some incredible parks, makes it a convenient city to base yourself on if you’re interested in outdoor biggest tourist attraction in Utah activities. But, if you’re not, the city has its own attractions and is well worth a visit. Zion National Park is just an hour away, and one of Utah’s great undiscovered natural areas, Snow Valley State Park , is less than 20 minutes away. Within a half-hour drive of St. George, you’ll find outstanding hiking trails, as well as beautiful areas for camping.
The city of St. George has many attractions related to its Mormon history, including St. George’s Temple and the Brigham Young Winter Home Historic Site . Pioneer Park and the surrounding Red Hills Desert Garden are also must-see sites.
13 Beautiful Places Cedar Breaks National Monument
The same forces of nature were at work in Cedar Brake, the size of Bryce Canyon, creating a smaller but equally dynamic-looking amphitheater. Dominated by colorful hoodoos, the amphitheater is 2,000 feet deep and three miles in best places to visit in Utah in summer diameter. Perched at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the park looks complete on winter conditions, with snow covering the snow from spring until fall. Cedar Break is open year-round, but the scenic drive through the park (Highway 148) is closed from approximately mid-November until late May or June.
The best views can be seen from Rim Drive . Several short hikes along the rim and through alpine meadows and forest provide good views of the valley and access to some bristlecone pine.
Look at Spectra Point and the Ramparts Trail is a popular four-mile route along the edge of the plateau that leads to the viewpoint of the spectacular Cedar Break Amphitheater. Less spectacular, but interesting nonetheless, is the Alpine Pond Trail, a circular, two-mile hike to a salubrious forest glide and a pond at the end of the trail.
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14 Places to visit in Utah Natural Bridges National Monument
South Canyonlands National Park is, but somewhat outside, Natural Bridges National Monument, protecting some outstanding structures. If you’re once in a lifetime things to do in Utah in the vicinity, or if you haven’t had the opportunity to see the natural bridge before, this park is definitely worth a stop. The main tourist attractions are the three natural bridges; Kachina, Owachamo, and Sipapu, all of which are accessible by short hikes.
If you’re only going to visit one, make it to Sipapu , the largest and most impressive of the three. The walk is a moderately strenuous, 1.2-mile round-trip hike, and involves navigating steep sections and climbing some stairs and stairs. The Kachina Bridge is reached by a 1.5-mile round-trip hike, but the trail is easy, although it still has some standing sections. The Owachamo Bridge is the easiest to reach, requiring a half-mile walk. It is the smallest of the three but still worth a visit.
Also of interest in the park are Horsecollar Ruins , revealing the remains of ancient Native American buildings inhabited 700 years ago.
15 Places to visit in Utah Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is known not only for the large number of Jurassic period fossils that have been discovered here, but also for the surrounding area. The main attraction is the collection of more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils, which can adventurous things to do in Utah be found in the rock of Carnegie Quarry. Can be seen embedded in the wall. The new Quarry Hall is built on top of a section of cliff, allowing close access and comfortable conditions for visitors. Hiking, rafting, and camping are also popular activities at Dinosaur National Monument.
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16 Places to visit in Utah Great Salt Lake
A half-hour drive northwest of Salt Lake City is the Great Salt Lake, the largest inland lake west of the Mississippi, measuring 72 miles long, 34 miles wide, and 50 feet deep. It is the remnant of Lake Bonneville, a very large freshwater lake.
Following a drop in the water table, the lake was left without an outlet and collapsed as a result of evaporation, leaving the Great Salt Lake Desert. The combination of evaporation with the influx of things to do in Utah for adults surface water rich in minerals caused the salt content of the lake to rise steadily, and at one level it reached 27 percent (eight times as much as the world’s oceans). At the south end of the lake are bathing beaches and an amusement park. Like the Dead Sea in Israel, the Great Salt Lake is salty enough to allow baths to float without drowning.
17 Best places to visit in Utah Bonneville Salt Flats
Near Wendover, about 90 minutes west of Salt Lake City along I-80 is an uninterrupted area of flat land that stretches as far as the eye can see. But during certain times of the year, the area becomes the world’s fastest race course . This natural salt flat is Best Things to Do in Utah completely flat, devoid of all vegetation, and most of the time has a hard surface, making it perfect for high speeds. Speed Week is held every year in August and World of Speed is held in September. These races have run world land speed records.
Most of the time it is completely empty, and you can try it for yourself. If you haven’t been to an event here, you’ll find little more than a sign on the side of the road and endless miles of salt flats. Take exit 4 from I-80, turn right, and drive past Best Things to Do in Utah the truck stop. There is nothing else here. Eventually, you will come across a sign and an area where you can drive on the flats at your own risk. In winter, some areas of the salt flats are covered in a thin layer of water.