"Utah's national parks are variations on a theme – petrified Jurassic sediments sculpted by wind, water, and time – but each one exhilarates in its own way."
After spending the week in Lander, WY (Jordan had been helping with the COVID-19 response team at the Tribe's hospital), we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were both still working remotely for the foreseeable future. Road-tripping through Utah to visit "The Mighty 5" had been on our list since moving out West, but the opportunity to do so just hadn't come along – until now. Everything seemed to be lining up to make this trip a possibility – we were already 5 hours in the right direction, it was the May long weekend (meaning a paid day off to explore-bonus!!), and we were both still working remotely for at least the rest of the month.
So, while Jordan was working at the hospital, I spent my days in the hotel room splitting my time between working (zoom call after zoom call after zoom call…) and drafting up the ultimate 7-day Utah road trip. The main items on the itinerary of course were The Mighty 5 National Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands – five sculptural interpretations of the Colorado Plateau, cut with a big, slow chisel. In addition, I had planned a few side trips along the way, to pay visits to Meadow Hot Springs, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Goblin Valley State Park.
The plan was to spend Friday night in the hotel room (so we could have one more night in a real bed), and then hit the road bright and early Saturday morning. Since we were beginning our road trip in the unconventional location of Lander (most road-trippers start in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, or Moab), we were able to make a pit stop that most people don’t come across in their travels – Meadow Hot Springs.
DAY 1
Bonus: Meadow Hot Springs
Driving Time: 6 ½ hours (from Lander)
Why Visit: Just south of Fillmore, Utah, Meadow Hot Springs is located on private property, but the owner allows anyone to come and take a dip. The open field consists of three soaking areas, with the first pool being the deepest and warmest, hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Zion National Park
Driving Time: 2 ½ hours (from Meadow)
Why Visit: Utah’s oldest and most visited park, Zion is known for its towering cliffs and narrow
canyons, which are carved out by the Virgin River.
DAY 2
Bryce Canyon National Park
Driving Time: 2 hours (from Zion)
Why Visit: Bryce Canyon is known for its irregular sandstone towers known as hoodoos and is home to the largest collection of hoodoos anywhere in the world. Containing red rocks, pink cliffs, and endless vistas, Bryce Canyon is full of geological wonders that defy description.
DAY 3
Bonus: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Driving Time: 1 hour (from Bryce Canyon)
Why Visit: Spanning approximately one million acres of public lands, Grand Staircase-Escalante contains a diverse geology of natural bridges, slot canyons, arches, and monoliths. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the monument was one of the last places to be mapped in the continental U.S., due to its rugged landscape and remote location.
DAY 4
Capitol Reef National Park
Driving Time: 1 ½ hours (from Escalante)
Why Visit: Possibly the most overlooked park in Utah, Capitol Reef is a hidden treasure located in the heart of red rock country. The park is filled with canyons, cliffs, bridges, ancient petroglyphs, and domes in the Waterpocket Fold, which is essentially a wrinkle in the earth that extends almost 100 miles.
Bonus: Goblin Valley State Park
Driving Time: 1 ½ hours (from Capitol Reef)
Why Visit: Unlike anything else in Utah, this strange and colorful valley will have you feeling as though you’ve left planet Earth and wandered onto Mars. The unique landscape is a showcase of geologic history, covered with sandstone formations and “goblins”.
DAY 5
Bonus: Moab
Driving Time: 1 ½ hours (from Goblin Valley)
Why Visit: Conveniently located near two of The Mighty 5 National Parks, Moab is the perfect place to set up camp for a few days. With access to thousands of square miles of stunning red rock landscapes, along with the refreshing waters of the raging Colorado River, this town has become one of the most popular destinations in the Southwestern United States.
DAY 6
Arches National Park
Driving Time: 10 minutes (from Moab)
Why Visit: Also known as “The Holey Land”, Arches is famous for its… you guessed it, sandstone arches! According to the NPS, this red-rock wonderland contains over 2,000 natural stone arches and “will amaze you with its formations, refresh you with its trails, and inspire you with its sunsets”.
DAY 7
Canyonlands National Park
Driving Time: 40 minutes (from Moab, to Island in the Sky Visitor Center)
Why Visit: As the name implies, Canyonlands is known for its countless canyons and buttes, which are carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. The park is divided into four districts by the river: Island in the Sky (which we visited), The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves.
Our week-long road trip treated us to some of Utah’s inspiring and unequivocal beauty, as well as plenty of outdoor adventure. Nowhere else will you find such varied desert terrain in such a concentrated area, and I would highly recommend any part of this trip to everyone!
Loved this!! Keep it up!