Home to the mighty 5, along with some of the most well-known national parks in our country, Utah is host to some of the most unique landscapes in the entirety of the US.
You might have asked the question ,how many Utah National Parks are there?
Well, here’s the mighty 5 Utah national parks:

In this post we’ll cover all the information you need to plan a fantastic road trip to these parks, including the most exciting hikes, places to stay, and when to visit. It will be an all inclusive road trip guide showing you what to do on a road trip,and I’ll try to draw a road map of utah national parks.
This post will provide a 7 day road trip itinerary for the Mighty 5, and along the way, I’ll list some of my favourite spots to visit that aren’t in the parks, as well as some that are under the radar let’s say.
This is how you embark on a road trip. The 5 utah national parks road trip map.

If you’ve decided on a road trip and you don’t live in Utah or one of the neighbouring states, you’ll need to hop on a flight to start your adventure. Salt Lake City and Denver are the easiest cities to fly into, including Las Vegas.
I always use Google flights cuz i feel it has the best deals on the internet. 
You’ll be exploring the parks on this itinerary, setting out from Moab and heading west to Zion and Springdale.

Arches National Park

On your first day, you’re going to travel to Moab, which is home to Arches National Park in Canyonlands National Park.
If you’re driving from Denver, it’s well worth it to add 20 minutes to your trip and take the scenic Route 128 that passes by Fisher Towers, Castle Valley, and the Dewey suspension bridge. If you’re already travelling for five or six hours, the extra 20 minutes will be well worth it to add to your trip because this part of Moab is so stunning and a great addition to the parks.
Once you arrive in Moab, drive directly to Double Arch, one of the most famous locations in the Arches, which is just half a mile hike with 95 feet of elevation gain. The views are breathtaking and the area feels like a huge playground.

Canyonlands National Park

Then, if you’re looking for a long hiking day in Candyland, I’d suggest adding a day and visiting Druid Arch. You can also drive down Park Road and visit Candlestick Tower Overlook in Whale Rock.
However, since this trailhead is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Moab, you’ll need to have an extra day for the nearly ten-mile hike.
Anyway, after your drive, you’ll return to your Moab or Green River hotel to rest up for the following day and grab a bite to eat.

On the morning of your Third day in Moab, you should also visit Dead Horse State Park, a gorgeous state park that overlooks parts of Canyonlands.
If you have a 4-wheel drive car, you should definitely check out Marlborough Point aswell, which is a stunning location between Dead Horse and Canyonlands Island in the sky. Even though I’ve probably visited the Arches and Canyonlands area a dozen times, it wasn’t until one of my most recent visits ,thanks to the Toyota 4Runner we had, that we were able to reach Marlboro Point.

Related: Best Camping Oregon Coast Sites

Capitol Reef National Park

After a stunning morning in Moab, it’s time to head to Capitol Reef National Park.
However, before you get to the next park, you’ll drive right through a town called Hanksville, which is one of the most underappreciated locations in the entire state. The town itself isn’t very special, but there are a tonne of breathtaking, surreal landscapes to be found here, like Factory Butte Goblin Valley State Park and the Bentonite Hills.
In addition to being one of the few places to stay near Capitol Reef National Park, the Hanksville area is a great place to spend a few days if you have the time.

Now Capitol Reef is known as the most remote of the Mighty Five parks, so Hanksville is the best place to stay on the east side unless you plan to camp. If you don’t stay in Hanksville, you can also stay in Torrey or Fruita on the west side of Capitol Reef. However, I think the best places to stay in this area are wild camping close to Factory Butte. If you have trouble finding accommodation or if all the hotels are full, you should consider visiting Capitol Reef as a drive-through day trip rather than a multi-day excursion.

If you had the luck to stay in one of those towns,Day Four would begin with an early drive to Temple of the Moon and Sun in Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley.
The long Dirt Road must be driven in the dark if you want to see this location at its most picturesque time, sunrise.
The majority of cars can make it, but having some clearance near the end is definitely helpful. Cathedral Valley is such an underappreciated place, but the sunrise makes the early morning worthwhile.
On top of that, you can check out Glass Mountain, a neat and unusual Pit Stop that is only a minute’s drive from Temple of the Moon and Sun, once the sun has emerged.

Next, drive along Capitol Reef’s main Park Road. Depending on how much time you have available or how far you want to hike, my top picks for hikes in the park are Cassidy Arch, Navajo Knobs, and Hickman Natural Bridge.
But if I could only make it in one hike, I would choose the 1.7 mile, 416 foot-gaining Hickman Bridge trail.
Afterwards, head west on Park Road and take in the lovely scenery as you drive through what’s left of Capitol Reef, passing by Panorama Point and the fluted wall Chimney Rock.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Day four begins in the gorgeous drive to Bryce Canyon National Park, which is the next stop.
There are a few Epic hikes in Escalante, so if you have time, it’s worth driving through. However, for Bryce, you’ll need to stay somewhere, and Bryce Canyon City is a great place to do so.
Now this is the most touristy area, and probably the most expensive, but fortunately you can also stay in Panguitch which has a few restaurants and other amenities.
If you don’t want to stay here, accommodations such as the Quality Inn and Roadway Inn are both excellent choices and reasonably priced.

It’s time to kick off day five with a full day of exploring Bryce Canyon National Park after getting a good night’s sleep.
Spend no more than a day at Bryce, it should be plenty of time. Of course, you could spend more time hiking a few trails, but driving the scenic Park Road will show you 90% of the park.
While visiting, you should definitely check out Sunset Point, Wall Street, Natural Bridge, Navajo Loop to Queen’s Garden, Mossy cave, and Inspiration Point. These are the best and most iconic places.
Also, Ruby’s Inn in Bryce Canyon City offers scenic flights for those who wish to view the area from above.
This is one of the cheapest Scenic flights I’ve ever taken, and it’s a fantastic way to get a unique viewpoint of the park.
After spending the entire day exploring this area, you’ll leave and head through Losee Canyon, one of the mighty five’s most beautiful rock formations and home to more hoodoos. You’ll then head towards Zion National Park, my favorite out of all five.

Zion National Park

Springdale is going to be the ideal town in which to book a hotel for Zion.
It’s expensive, so if you don’t mind making the extra drive and would rather stay somewhere cheaper, consider St. George Hurricane or Mount Carmel Junction.
While all of these are great choices, St. George is my top pick simply because of the variety of activities.
There are a few glamping sites nearby in addition to Zion. Our favourite is the Hilldale Glamping Experience.

On the sixth day, you will wake up and hit the park right away.If you visit Zion during the summer, you will need to park and use the shuttle. Fortunately though, this one is not as horrible as it sounds and it pretty easy.
Usually I consider National Park shuttles to be a nightmare, but this one seems to be fairly simple. The park offers plenty of places to see and activities to partake in, but a visit wouldn’t be complete without hiking Angel’s Landing and The Narrows.

So on the first day of your trip to the Narrows, you will stop at the Court of the Patriarchs, hike to the Emerald Pools and then hike the Narrows to complete the day. Why this way ?
Hiking other Trails when your shoes are wet is a miserable experience, so it’s best to end your day with a walk through the Narrows.
It’s nice that you can walk as much or as little as you want in the Narrows. After the first half mile, you’ll pass 90% of the parked visitors, so you can enjoy the canyon in peace and quiet without the crowds.

The 7th day, you’re going to hike Angel’s Landing, which is regarded as one of the riskiest hikes in the nation, though it’s actually not that bad in my opinion. This is a fabulous hike that covers 4.3 miles total and gains 1,827 feet of elevation.
The views are phenomenal once you reach the top, which requires you to pass through a few tight, chained sections near the end. These days you do need a permit to hike this trail, so you’ll need to apply online at recreation.gov or at the last minute lottery held in the park.

These parks are most enjoyable in the spring and autumn, in my opinion. The parks are open all year round, however certain trails may not be passable in the winter as a result of snow, or may be more risky. It is possible for certain park areas to be closed. For instance, due to excessive snowfall, over two-thirds of Bryce Canyon is closed during the winter. That because Bryce sits on a high Plateau, rising 7664 feet above sea level.
Although the summer months can be extremely hot and muggy (with highs of 115 degrees Fahrenheit), they are also very beautiful.
Be aware of the big crowds in the summer though.