The Best of Utah: The Mighty 5 Ranked (and what to see in each one)
Utah is home to some of the most stunning national parks in the entire country.
As I write this, I am reflecting back with a grateful heart to a time when I dreamt of coming to Utah to visit all 5 of its national parks and its stunning scenery.
And now here I am, writing a blog post about it in the hopes that it sparks the same wanderlust and courage in you to plan your own trip to this beautiful and diverse state.
Utah has 13 national park sites total but 5 of them are the major national parks that you’ve probably heard of the most – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.
I’ve ranked them each based on 5 things – hiking, scenery, history, things to do, and overall experience – with a low score being 1 and a high score being 5.
Now, as someone who has visited all 5 parks, I wanted to share my insights and reviews and what makes them worth a visit with the hope that this approach allows for easy comparison and helps you prioritize the parks based on what matters most to you.
The other cool thing is that all the national parks in Utah are in close proximity to each other and can easily be visited in one well-planned trip!
Let’s dive in.
5. ZION
HIKING – 5
SCENERY – 3
HISTORY – 3
THINGS TO DO – 4
OVERALL EXPERIENCE – 1
I know, I know – how is it possible that Zion could be last on this list? It’s the most popular national park out of the 5 and it’s probably the one you’ve heard about the most.
But, unfortunately, I think that’s exactly why it ranks lowest on my list.
When we first arrived, I was instantly overwhelmed with the amount of commercialization and traffic that was here. The town just outside the park boundary, Springdale, is full of tourist-catering stops that draw a lot of visitors.
There are gas stations and small grocery stores, souvenir shops, AirBNBs, bike rentals, and lots of different restaurants from quick service to fancy, but all expensive…
It gives off a very bougee vibe and that is personally just not what I want from a national park.
In my opinion, the whole point of being in a national park is to enjoy the incredible scenery and peacefulness but it was just so overcrowded and overdone that I felt like it ruined the entire experience for me.
The park uses a shuttle system that starts at the visitor center and runs along the entirety of the park for different viewpoints and trailheads.
The shuttle is free to use but I thought it to be a weird system that wasn’t very straightforward, adding to the confusion and overwhelming feeling of the place.
For example, certain stops in the beginning of the route could only go one direction – back to the visitor center. And then other stops could go both directions – to the visitor center or to the other end of the park.
Because of this, it made stopping at certain viewpoints really inconvenient and time-consuming, making it feel like a very inefficient process for the amount of people that were there.
So, naturally, the lines were SO. LONG.
We waited for about 45 minutes for the initial shuttle from the visitor center and every trail we went on had tons of people and it felt more like herding cattle than hiking.
Overall, it was one of the worst national park experiences I’ve had.
That being said, it does get points for beautiful scenery. I totally understand how it got the name Zion because as you enter the valley, the views are heavenly.
We enjoyed the Emerald Pools hike and got to see bighorn sheep on the scenic drive on our way out of the park, brightening the experience.
I still think it’s worth a visit to see it for yourself and as part of completing all 5 national parks in Utah if you can find ways to separate from the crowds a little bit.
NOTABLE PLACES
ANGEL'S LANDING
If you’re not afraid of heights, one of the craziest and most sought-after hikes is the Angel’s Landing trail.
This hike is considered very strenuous and is about 5 miles roundtrip.
You will need to enter into a lottery system at recreation.gov and be “chosen” for a permit in order to be granted access to the trail.
It’s $6 per person to apply and you don’t get that money back if you don’t get picked.
You can apply the day before you plan on hiking up until 3pm for a next day permit. If you don’t get picked, you can apply again as many times as you want thereafter.
THE NARROWS
This hike takes you through a narrow section of slot canyons through the Virgin River. It’s a great choice for adventure if you couldn’t hike Angel’s Landing, as it doesn’t require a permit for a day hike.
It starts out on a gravel trail and then after about 1 mile it drops into the river where the hike continues for another 15 miles.
You can go as far as you want or obtain a free permit for an overnight camping trip to complete the whole distance if you wish.
There are gear rental shops throughout Springdale and in the national park visitor center if you don’t want to get your own clothes and shoes wet.
The Narrows are prone to flash floods and also considered a strenuous hike, so plan your day accordingly by keeping an eye on the weather.
EMERALD POOLS
There is a beautiful section of Zion that hosts watering holes known as the Emerald Pools and they lead to stunning waterfalls at the bottom of a canyon.
Considered a moderate hike, you’ll hike along a cliffside and stagger through different layers of rock formations while getting amazing views overlooking the park throughout the hike.
This trail is definitely worth checking out and it’s shorter than the other more strenuous hikes at about 2 miles roundtrip with no permit required.
THE ZION-MOUNT CARMEL TUNNEL
Be sure to take the scenic drive that takes you through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.
Either way you go, heading east or west, once you pass through the tunnel it will feel like you’re in a different park entirely.
We took it going west to east, starting off the main strip of Zion national park and heading toward Mt. Carmel, and were awestruck by the vastly different geological features on the other side of the tunnel.
There are numerous pull-offs for gorgeous viewpoints of both the Zion side and the Mt. Carmel side. This is also where we saw bighorn sheep right next to the road!
4. CAPITOL REEF
HIKING – 2
SCENERY – 4
HISTORY – 5
THINGS TO DO – 3
OVERALL EXPERIENCE – 4
Capitol Reef National Park really surprised me – in a good way!
I know it probably seems weird, then, that it sits in 4th place on my list, but I can explain…
I didn’t know much about Capitol Reef, nor had I heard of anybody who’d been there before, so we didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived.
The park was discovered by early Mormon settlers who grew orchards and lived communally as homesteaders.
To this day, you can enjoy fresh fruit pies made from the still-remaining orchards that are planted just beyond the park’s visitor center at the Gifford House.
The other really cool thing about the park’s history is that it preserves the oldest and most exposed waterpocket fold – a rare geologic monocline 100 miles long.
And if that isn’t enough, the drive to the park along route 24 is absolutely amazing! I’ve never taken so many pictures of rock formations before!
It was one of the most scenic drives we’ve done, making it well worth a trip to Capitol Reef.
Overall, it wasn’t crowded and we had a very pleasant and peaceful experience with beautiful scenery and unique rock formations – like the one that looks like the Capitol Building, where the park got its name.
That being said, it sits at #4 only because the last 3 parks have a wow factor that’s hard to beat, but this national park is certainly worth a visit.
NOTABLE PLACES
GIFFORD HOMESTEAD
This area includes the beautiful orchard grounds as well as the Gifford House where you can get the famous pies. They also sell a variety of other homemade goods like jams, cinnamon rolls, and ice cream!
Watch a short video about it here.
HICKMAN NATURAL BRIDGE
Jonlee and I hiked to this one and it was really cool! If you haven’t seen many natural arches, this is a neat thing to see.
Along the way, you’ll get great views of Capitol Dome – the rock formation that looks like the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
Before getting to Hickman Bridge from the visitor center, you’ll get a glimpse of petroglyphs off to your left side. Pull in the parking lot just before the natural bridge trailhead to get a closer look!
SCENIC DRIVE
Capitol Reef has an out-and-back scenic drive that’s about 8 miles long one way.
As you drive, you’ll see a series of unique geological features that will wow you in their differences, despite their close proximity.
At the end of the paved scenic road is an unpaved gravel road that will wind you through some of the canyons along the fold. This part really wowed us and I would say it’s one of the parks hidden gems!
CASSIDY ARCH TRAIL
If you’re up for more hiking, try heading to Cassidy Arch.
This strenuous trail is about 3.5 miles roundtrip with 1,000 feet in elevation gain along the way with rewarding views of Cassidy Arch that sits 400 feet above the scenic drive.
3. ARCHES
HIKING – 3
SCENERY – 4
HISTORY – 5
THINGS TO DO – 4
OVERALL EXPERIENCE – 4
Arches National Park is an incredible place. It’s home to the largest concentration of natural arches in the world, with over 2,000 documented arches.
Starting at the visitor center right off the highway, you cross over a mountain ridge into an awe-inspiring landscape that feels truly otherworldly.
When we were here, we experienced a bit of rain and dreary weather in the first half of our day but that didn’t stop the arches from stunning!
Despite the gray weather, we still got some incredible pictures and got to hike to some amazing arches – including the famous Delicate Arch.
We filmed this park for our Patreon members in The Caravan. Join and watch here!
There are lots of trails here and the drive around the park was easy and scenic every mile of the way – snowcapped mountains can be seen in almost every direction behind the arches.
In my opinion, Arches National Park was the most colorful park of the five. I was in awe of all the natural minerals and how they showed up together in the rugged, desert terrain.
It makes for a truly unique and remarkable landscape.
Even if you do nothing other than drive the main road through the park, you’ll leave feeling renewed.
NOTABLE PLACES
DOUBLE ARCH
The Double Arch can be found just off the main drive through the park after Balanced Rock.
It’s a short 0.3 mile hike from the parking lot to stand under this incredible geologic formation.
It’s truly unbelievable that such a thing was created entirely by nature. The Double Arch is an amazing sight and you should definitely have this stop on your list!
DELICATE ARCH
Delicate Arch is the park’s most famous arch. It’s actually the one featured on the Utah license plate!
To see it requires a 4 mile roundtrip hike on a moderate trail that scales boulders and cliff edges.
There is a viewpoint of the arch from a farther distance that doesn’t require a hike but I assure you, this hike is worth the sweat – and the view is wayyy better from here!
LANDSCAPE ARCH
This arch, funny enough, couldn’t be more opposite from it’s famous sister, Delicate Arch.
Landscape Arch is very skinny and is the longest arch in the park at 290 feet across.
It’s an easy 2 mile hike to see this beautiful sandstone structure that differs greatly from the rest.
2. BRYCE CANYON
HIKING – 5
SCENERY – 5
HISTORY – 4
THINGS TO DO – 4
OVERALL EXPERIENCE – 5
Upon entering Bryce Canyon National Park, I instantly felt like it was a magical place.
This park has incredible landscape that can be seen far and wide from every angle of the park.
It quickly became one of my favorites. It has the largest concentration of hoodoos in the world – the tall, skinny-looking spires that jut out from the desert floor in large clusters.
Bryce Canyon has tons of hiking trails of all different lengths and skill levels, one of which came to be one of our all-time faves – Wall Street.
The park was kind of crowded in late March but nothing compared to Zion. This park is completely self-drivable, allowing you to move at your own pace.
We always found a parking spot and had space on the trails.
Overall, the breath-taking scenery combined with the unique hiking trails made for a very memorable and awesome national park visit.
Maybe it’s partially because my mom was with us for this one that added a specialness to it, along with great memories!
Despite being in second place here, it rivals Canyonlands for first place. They are basically equal in my mind!
NOTABLE PLACES
SUNRISE TO SUNSET POINT
This is more of a region rather than one site in particular, but, not far from the visitor center, Sunrise and Sunset Points host some of the most popular trailheads in the park.
You’ll find the trailhead for unique natural landmarks like The Cathedral, Peek-a-boo Arch, and Hindu Temples.
This is also where you can get on the Wall Street trail that winds you down a series of switchbacks through a canyon where a lone, super-tall tree is growing at the bottom.
In my opinion, it’s easily the coolest stretch of hiking in the park and not to be missed!
It’s incredibly peaceful down in the canyon and the colors and various geologic formations are some of the most unique and beautiful we’ve seen.
The series of trails here connects you to multiple different routes that you can take according to how many miles you want to do.
From Wall Street, Jonlee and I did about 3.5 miles roundtrip and that took us past the Queen’s Garden, Thor’s Hammer (the star attraction for Bryce Canyon National Park), and Sunrise Point to finish.
But as I mentioned, there are numerous trails here and you can customize based on whatever highlights you want to see in this area, so be sure to grab a park map for a complete list!
BRYCE POINT
If scaling a canyonside isn’t really your thing due to a fear of heights, a great alternative is taking a walk along the rim trail to Bryce Point.
My mom opted to do this one instead while Jonlee and I hiked Wall Street because she’s afraid of heights!
She said it was a beautiful hike and a great alternate route for anyone who feels the trails within Sunset Point are too intense.
You will actually get on the rim trail near Sunset Point and walk south, away from Sunset Point, to get to the lookout. It’s about 3 miles roundtrip on a paved path with stunning views all around.
RAINBOW POINT
Be sure to drive the main road through the park all the way to the end where you’ll find Rainbow Point.
Here, you’ll get a gorgeous panoramic view of Bryce Canyon from a slightly different angle that allows you to see the whole park in its entirety.
Take in the colors and the variations of mountain peaks in the distance.
On a clear day, you can see the Kaibab Plateau (north rim of the Grand Canyon), the colorful layered mountains that make up the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and of course, lots of hoodoos in all their glory.
This spot is not to be missed!
1. CANYONLANDS
HIKING – 4
SCENERY – 5
HISTORY – 4
THINGS TO DO – 4
OVERALL EXPERIENCE – 5
This national park takes the top spot on my list because of its incredible scenery and the ability to have amazing views of the park without hiking super far.
In addition to that, it’s a very chill national park – not overcrowded and they have great ranger programs throughout the day talking about the diverse geology of the park.
Snowcapped mountains, needles (hoodoo-like structures), canyons, rivers, arches, and rugged desert terrain that look like you’re on another planet are just some of the things you’ll see here.
We filmed a long-form video of this park for our YouTube channel. Check out the views for yourself here!
Canyonlands is divided into 4 distinct sections: The Needles, Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Rivers.
The Needles are in the lower southeast corner of the park and have the hoodoo-like structures that give it its name.
It has a visitor center and there are several longer hikes in this section that have great views of mountains and mesas.
Jonlee and I started our Canyonlands trip in this area and are glad we did because it’s smaller than the other sections and not quite as scenic as the northern part.
Island in the Sky is the northern part of the park with a larger visitor center and a bit more to do.
There’s a scenic drive you can take with numerous overlooks and lots of additional hiking, though not as long and strenuous as those in The Needles section.
Island in the Sky is a great place to catch a ranger program to learn more in-depth about the millions-of-years-old geological formations you see around the park.
The Rivers section refers to the intersection of the Green River, starting in Wyoming, merging with the Colorado River, that eventually runs through the Grand Canyon and to the Hoover Dam.
The Maze section is a 4×4 only trail system that requires durable off-road-driving-capable vehicles to access.
The roads are designated to the southwestern area of the park and are super remote.
NOTABLE PLACES
WHITE RIM ROAD
Similar to the roads in The Maze, White Rim Road is a rugged 100-mile unpaved road that basically surrounds the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park.
It is a 4WD and high clearance vehicle only road that requires a free day use permit from recreation.gov.
While Jonlee and I cannot go on roads like this, it sounds like a really killer experience if you have a Jeep or truck.
That being said, be sure to pack accordingly, as these roads can take hours to complete but camping is encouraged for a quiet one-of-a-kind experience in the park.
MESA ARCH
Despite Arches National Park being like right across the street, this arch blew my mind!
Looking through the arch to the desert landscape below is truly breathtaking. It’s hard to even put into words. It really reminds you how incredible nature is and the power it has.
You’ll see a little bit of everything laid out in front of you – snowcapped mountains, mesas and buttes, canyons, wildlife, and a glimpse at some of the winding off-road trails.
It’s absolutely stunning and Jonlee even coined it as one of the best views he’s ever seen, and I have to agree!
RIVER OVERLOOKS
Coming to Canyonlands National Park and not seeing the rivers converge feels wrong.
Be sure to check out the Green River overlook toward the south end of the scenic drive, as well as a view of the end of the Island of the Sky section at the Grand View Point overlook.
Both of these overlooks will give you a birdseye view of the rivers below.
You can also get an up close and personal look at the rivers via the Confluence Overlook Trail.
This is an 11-mile strenuous hike starting in The Needles section of the park that will take you to where the two rivers meet.
Unfortunately, at the time of our visit in April, the water levels were very low and we couldn’t see much in the rivers. Apparently, Utah had a very mild winter and that was the reason for the water shortage.
Thank you so much for reading my ranking of Utah’s 5 national parks!
I hope you found this helpful whether it’s your first trip to Utah or you’ve seen a few parks already.
All 5 are amazing and worth a visit despite the personal ranking I gave them here. Honestly, it was really hard to decide!
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Utah national park is or which one you’re most looking forward to!
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