Have you ever been to Utah? Yes?.... No?
Well, even if you have I’ve got some places for you to explore!
National Parks have been my thing since I was a kid. The euphoria of getting a junior ranger badge was the highlight of most of my childhood trips. My curiosity was encouraged and my legs could explore for themselves! Now in my 20s national parks still give me a high like no other. My brain sponges up all the views and all the words on all the information boards. I still make it a point to go to the visitor’s center of every park, ask for the junior ranger coloring book, and, yes, I still to this day stand there with my right hand raised and swear an oath to keep the parks safe for future generations.
Since national parks seem to be my jam it would only be right that I start off with a few of my favorites!
Arches National Park is one of the most visited and well-known parks in the country. It's even on the state license plate. Delicate arch (the arch that looks a man’s lower half) is not as delicate as the landscape arch which is the second most famous arch in the park. Both of these are a long but easy walk to get to. The cool thing about Arches is that once you are inside the park all the dirt is sandy and some shade of orange.
If you are already headed to Arches just across the road is Canyonlands National Park. This park, hands down, has some of the best birds-eye views I have ever seen. There are 3 ways into this enormous park but the entrance near the town of Moab is the most popular. Like all national parks BRING A CAMERA!!
National park visitors centers have a plethora of different swag to remember each park by. I would suggest checking out all the different options so that you can keep the collection going at each park. Personally I love the WPA inspired postcards of each park.
Next on my list of must-see national parks are the other 3 parks in the “Mighty Five”. Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef National Parks are all on their way to each other in a sort of loop with a lot of cool places to check out in between. When I went through them I gave myself one day and night in each park at least before moving on to the next park. For Zion National Park I felt I needed an extra day because the bus system limits the time for exploring. I would definitely get into the park before sunrise to find a parking spot and be on the first bus in. Angel’s Landing is one of the most beautiful hikes in the park and gives you a birds-eye view of the canyon. There are plenty of trails to explore though so just make friends with a ranger and tell them what you want to see.
Bryce Canyon takes the cake for being the most surprising park. Unless you know what you are looking for when you drive into the park its hard to see why this place is so packed… Then you find a lookout and BAM it hits you! The neverending orange dreamsicles pop into view! I felt like I had just landed on Mars. It was sunset and I looked down to see the most foreign pillars of hardened orange sand I had ever seen! I asked a lady how to get down and she said it was a beautiful hike I should attempt first thing in the morning. She wasn’t wrong! Definitely the highlight of that park was walking amongst the hoodoos.
On your way to Capitol Reef Park, you pass through the Grand Staircase/ Escalante National Monument. This area is absolutely jaw-dropping. Once in Capitol Reef, you will find amazing petroglyphs and stunning views.
Of course, there are plenty of other parks and monuments along the way for you to definitely check out but now I want to talk about hot water. That’s right! Hot springs in Utah.
Mystic hot spring is probably one of the most interesting places to check out because of the old tubs sunken into the orange sediment. It is located in Monroe. Another good one is right outside of Salt Lake called Saratoga Hot Springs. I like this one because there is no bump road to drive in on and its barely a five-minute walk.
One of the most well known and beautiful hot springs is Fifth Water Hot Springs right outside of Spanish Fork. I attempted to check this one out but chose the wrong day of the week for sure! With all places, I mention its a good rule of thumb that whenever possible visit these places during the week unless you enjoy crowds then go for it!
Last but DEFINITELY not least on my list is Valley of the Gods. Just a little down the road from Monument Valley you can explore and camp in Valley of the Gods for free! I have camped in some amazing places for free all around Utah and remember this camp as one that blew my socks off!
As always I wish you safe travels on your adventures and endless curiosity!
-Karli
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