I've tried to explain this trip to a number of people, so I figured I'd better just write it down. The conversation usually starts with someone telling me they want to visit all 5 National Parks in Utah, or the "Big 5". Then I go on to suggest they might consider two different trips: One that covers the two parks closest to Moab in Eastern Utah, and another that covers the other three that are more readily accesses from Southwestern Utah, out of St. George. You can certainly do al 5 in one trip, but I feel like you lose a bit of wonder after seeing so much at the first 2 or 3 parks. And these places deserve your attention and time.
I wrote about the Eastern Parks, Arches and Canyonlands, in my prior post here: GT3 Road Trip to Moab and Telluride
So now I will tell you how we tackled the other three first: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef by starting with a rented Jeep Wrangler out of Las Vegas. It was a 7-day trip and covered lots of ground, so I hope it gives you a few ideas for your own adventure. And an adventure it is, as words can't really explain the beauty and drama of the region and these parks, which are a true National Treasure, So forgive the photo-heavy report, but hopefully at the end, you'll want to go strap on your hiking boots and get yourself there.
The route we chose was not a loop. We started in Las Vegas and ended in Salt Lake City. The reason being that once you're all the way out to the third park (Capitol Reef), you're about 8+ hours back to the Las Vegas Airport but only about 5 hours to Salt Lake City. plus it allows you to see some different roads and scenery than just doubling back to the start. Here's the total route, about 670 miles and 12 hours over a week. Note that most of the driving to see the Parks is about 8 hours of it.
We landed at the Las Vegas airport in the mid-morning and rented a Jeep from Avis. We could probably also have rented any SUV with decent clearance, but our goal was just to be prepared in case there was a rougher dirt road we might come across.
Day 1: Las Vega to Zion National Park
From the Vegas airport, it's just a 166 mile drive to the town of Springdale, which is the jumping off point for Zion. The drive only takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Heck, you could do this Zion part on a long weekend if you wanted to.
The drive through the Nevada desert is unremarkable to say the least. One might even say desolate. OK, I said it. Nothing to see here folks. You cross through the north-west corner of Arizona on I-15 and you get your first mountain views around the Virgin River Gorge, just East of Littlefield, AZ.
You start to get an idea that maybe you should have paid better attention in your Geology classes, because the terrain starts to get really interesting. This is where I would love to insert a comment about geologic stratification, deposition, Paleozoic sandstone and uplift... but I'd be wrong. It's still dry as a bone here and we have't yet found the red rocks we will see much of in Utah. But it beats that desert we just crossed.
You know you're getting close when you come across this gift shop fortress in Virgin, UT, about 20 minutes outside of Springdale. The rocks are looking proper now, and the tourism begins!
Springdale is a charming town, tucked into the canyon walls leading you into Zion. if you are a fan of the movie "Cars" (as I am), you'll definitely feel a "Radiator Springs " vibe to the town, but more active. We checked into the Springhill Suites by Marriott and we were pleased with its central location and the views!
With a good chunk of the afternoon available to us, we decided to get our bearings and drive through the valley a bit and take the first hike: Canyon Overlook. You drive through the Park entrance and pay your fee and eventually come to where the shuttle buses take you into the Park itself, but for this hike, you keep driving up Highway 9, aka Zion Park Blvd toward the Mount Carmel Tunnel. This road is really twisty and cool and takes you up quickly to get some great valley views. there are plenty of wide spots to pull over, park and take pics.
You pass through the tunnel (a cool feature, and can be busy) and on the far side of the tunnel you start to look for parking to find the Canyon Overlook trail. A Jeep or truck is helpful here to find parking on the roadside. The Canyon Overlook Trail is short and scenic, only about a mile round trip. Some people don't take this one because it seems short. That's a bad reason to miss it. It's a fantastic introduction to this amazing valley. We even hung out with some mountain goats on our short walk.
We drove back down, loving every turn, and then enjoyed the hospitality of Springdale, which has some good restaurant options. We headed to bed pretty early to get ready for the big hike coming up on Day 2.
Day 2: Zion's famous Angel's Landing hike
Note that these days you need a permit to hike this very popular trail. ABSOLUTELY worth it!! There is a seasonal lottery and there is a day-before lottery. Check it out at:
You take the Park shuttle from town and get off at Stop 6, The Grotto. The Angel's Landing Trailhead is right across the street. You take the Kayenta Trail to the West Rim Trail to Walters Wiggles (big switchbacks) and then the Angels Landing Trail. Note that you can go all the way to the Scout Lookout even if you don't have a permit. It's the last mile they control with the permits. Even the first parts of this prior to Scout Lookout are amazing, if you fail to get a permit.
That big rock in the background is Angel's Landing. You look up and think... "WTF am I doing here?!" But that feeling quickly fades as you marvel at the trail that has been developed into this solid rock and you try to catch your breath as you quickly gain elevation. The last pic below are "Walter's Wiggles" switchbacks before you get to the Scout Lookout.
This is the area of Scout Lookout, after which you start the narrow steps and chain hand-holds and you skirt along the narrow ledges. So much fun, unless your'e truly acrophobic. In which case, turn back! But we didn't. Jill was a trooper, she just figured... "when will we ever get this chance again". Truly YOLO.
WORTH THE CLIMB when you get to the top. Views in every direction. Hard to capture, but you get the idea.
And then you have to do it in reverse. Maybe more disconcerting because now your'e actually looking DOWN.
We were done early in the afternoon and then we finished this day with a short additional hike (as if the first was't enough) to the Emerald Pools Trail. While a pleasant trail with interesting water features, it was kind of anti-climactic after Angel's Landing. Still a beautiful walk. We then deserved a little refreshment, so we headed over to the Zion Canyon Brew Pub for some very tasty libations. At least I think they were tasty...maybe I was just happy to be alive. Unsure.
Day 3: The Narrows Hike in ZionThe Narrows is the big daddy of deep canyon hikes. It follows the Virgin River and can be hiked as a 3 mile, 5 mile,10 mile, or longer round trip. You can start from the North or from the South. There is some good info in the link below about water flows and gear required. No permit needed.
https://www.zionguru.com/rentals/narrows
We stopped in to the local shop and got outfitted with these cool water hiking boots and walking sticks. The time of year we were here wasn't going to have super high water but if you go early in the season, full waders are going to be your outfit of choice and you may have more points of chest-high water. The two of us? we're more like shin-high water kinda folks.
You take the shuttle to the last stop in the Park, the Temple of Sinawava stop. You follow a path along the river for a while before you start to get wet. Once you do, you'll be tramping through. the water for many miles. It's work, takes concentration, and is absolutely beautiful. Feels good on a warm day and even better when you're done and you get to dry those feet out!!
That was the hike for the day, and it took pretty much all day, make sure you get back for the shuttle before end of the schedule!! Then more good food in Springdale. I can recommend Oscar's Cafe or the Whiptail Grill Day 4: Zion to Bryce Canyon and Rainbow Point
The next day started beautiful and clear and we headed out Highway 9 through the tunnel again and started off with some great ribbons of road through idyllic scenery. The route to Bryce Canyon is just a couple hours and takes you past a few iconic spots. Make sure you stop near Hatch, UT at the Thunderbird Restaurant for a pic at least and at the Rock Stop for a coffee drink, ice cream, or "the best donuts in town". This is road trip gold here, people.
The road around and through Bryce Canyon gives you tons of amazing stops and viewpoints, and our final stop would be the end of the road at Rainbow Point. But the play here is doing one or more hikes down into the canyon. The sandstone spires and rock formations are otherworldly and fascinating around every turn. The hikes we took included the Navajo Loop Trail and The Queen's Garden trail, combining for about 4 miles in all. Not long but there are lots of hills and switchbacks. And it'll get warm mid-day!
After our hikes, we continued on to the end of the road/turnaround at Rainbow Point. Lots of turnouts and stops to pull over and appreciate this stunning canyon in all its glory.
Day 5: Bryce to Capitol Reef
I'm not sure I was ready for the expanse of Capitol Reef. It gets less press than many of the other parks but it is not only massive, but crazy-cool and full of so much to look at and hike that I'm glad we had some extra time here.The route was about 2 hours from Bryce Canyon and started out without much to look at, but once you get near Capitol Reef on Hwy 24, it becomes a very scenic drive. I recommend talking Hwy 24 as far East as you can toward Hanksville, whether that be before, during, or after you explore the park.
Our first day here we drove around much of the scenic highway but focused our hike on The Fremont Gorge. It was a 4.4 mile out-and back that gave us lots of vistas to gawk at and a terminal point looking over the dramatic Fremont Gorge.
After the Fremont Gorge hike, we decided to also hike the Grand Wash trail. Here's where I was glad to have the Jeep, not because the road was difficult, but at least I didn't worry about whether I could make it on the Grand Wash Road out to the trailhead. Great drive through the canyon and a stunning walk through the Grand Wash Trail.
We finished the day off by driving along the Capitol Reef Scenic Drive, an 8 mile "virtual geology tour" that I can't really explain. Just go.
We spent the night at a really fun spot, the Capitol Reef Resort, which gave the options of staying in a cabin, a covered wagon, or a tepee tent. We chose the cabins. I know your'e shocked. But hey, it was the only option with its own bathroom. So, yeah.
Day 6: Capitol Reef and Cassidy Arch
We spent the next day exploring more of the scenic drive and making our way to a couple hikes, primarily the Cassidy Arch hike (named after Butch Cassidy, as he is rumored to have hidden out here). Another hike and views that kind of defy description. The overarching sense you get is... BIG. Take note of the people in these photos to get a sense of scale. I must've taken 200 photos, but here are just a few.
It was a long day and we settled into the cabin with a cheap bottle of something white and vaguely wine-like that we got at the local store. Tasted damn good after a long day, though. And the Utah sky bid us farewell with another beautiful dusk.
Day 7: Drive from Capitol Reef to Salt Lake City.
I've got no photos on this day because we just woke up and headed to Salt Lake. But the drive was a treat in itself, passing scenery that only Utah can provide. We vowed to come back for more, which is what then got us back to the second trip a couple years later, when we visited Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks
Plan a trip here today. Pick one park or several. And if you try to do all 5, my advice is to make sure you have a good two weeks. And a great partner. And good hiking shoes.
