When
Apr + May 2019
Utah's Mighty 5,
two trips, one year.
All five Utah national parks in 2019, split across two long weekends — Zion in April from Las Vegas, then Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and Arches in May from Salt Lake City. The May trip is a four-day, four-park sprint through the desert heart of southern Utah; the April Zion run was a focused side-trip with a single big hike (Angel's Landing) at its center.
01 / Trip One · Zion
Zion — three days, Angel's Landing.
April 2019 · Vegas → Hurricane → Springdale · Angel's Landing · Narrows · Kolob
Zion is the gateway to Utah's parks but worth its own trip — the shuttle system in the main canyon means you're not driving all day, and Angel's Landing eats half a day on its own. We flew into Vegas, drove up via Hurricane, and used Springdale as the base for the canyon and Kolob.
Stay
Hurricane (Night 1) · Springhill Suites Springdale (Nights 2–3)
Hurricane is the cheaper Zion-adjacent town; Springdale puts you walking-distance to the shuttle.
~$150/night avg
Day 01
Thursday
Arrival
Vegas → Hurricane.
- Late evening flight into LAS, pick up rental
- Drive Vegas → Hurricane (~2.5 hrs, mostly I-15)
- Sleep in Hurricane to position for an early Zion start
Day 02
Friday
Zion canyon
Angel's Landing, Emerald Pools, Milky Way.
- 6 AM start — Visitor Center, first shuttle of the day
- Angel's Landing — 7:30 AM start, the chains section is no joke (5 hrs round trip)
- Lunch at Zion Lodge restaurant — 12:30 PM
- Emerald Pools — 3 PM (Lower, Middle, Upper if energy holds)
- Weeping Rock — 4 PM (closed in recent years from rockfall, verify before)
- Big Bend Viewpoint, Temple of Sinawava, Riverside Walk — 5 PM
- Canyon Junction Bridge — 8 PM, Milky Way and the classic Watchman shot
- Springhill Suites for the night
Angel's Landing now requires a permit lottery (added in April 2022, post-our trip) — book ahead via recreation.gov.
Day 03
Saturday
East canyon + Kolob
Checkerboard Mesa and Kolob Canyons.
- 9 AM start — east side via the Mt. Carmel Highway
- Checkerboard Mesa pullout (east entrance, ~10 AM)
- Canyon Overlook Trail — 1 mile round trip, dramatic east-canyon views
- Drive north to Kolob Canyons via I-15 (separate park section, ~1 hr)
- Kolob Canyons Visitor Center, viewpoint at end of 5-mile scenic drive
- Optional: cottonwood canyon road on the way back
- Evening drive back to Las Vegas via Cedar City
Zion — top spots.
Angel's Landing
5 hrs · permit required (post-2022)
Tier 1The Narrows
River walk · gear rental in Springdale
Tier 1Canyon Overlook Trail
1 mi · east side · big payoff
Tier 1Emerald Pools
Lower easy · upper steeper
Tier 1Riverside Walk
Paved · gateway to Narrows
Tier 1Canyon Junction Bridge
Watchman + Milky Way at night
Tier 1Kolob Canyons
Quieter · 5-mi scenic drive
Tier 2Checkerboard Mesa
East side · roadside pullout
Tier 2The Watchman Trail
3 mi · sunset viewpoint
Tier 2Court of the Patriarchs
Easy viewpoint · short walk
Tier 202 / Trip Two · Capitol Reef
Capitol Reef — half day, scenic drive.
May 2019 · Friday · Orem → Torrey · 8-mile scenic drive · Gifford House pie
Capitol Reef is the quietest of Utah's five parks and the easiest to underestimate. The 8-mile scenic drive is the best half-day you can carve out of a four-park sprint — fruit orchards in spring, the Gifford House for cash-only pie and ice cream, slot canyons hiding off side roads. We did it Friday afternoon as the bridge between flying in to SLC and the heavier Bryce / Arches days that followed.
Stay
Orem (Thursday) · Torrey (Friday)
Orem after late SLC arrival; Torrey is the closest base to Capitol Reef's western entrance.
~$110/night avg
Day 01
Thursday
Arrival
SLC → Orem.
- Late evening flight into SLC, pick up rental
- Drive ~45 min south to Orem, sleep there to shorten the next day's drive
- Pack food and water for the next day — Capitol Reef has minimal services in the park
Day 02
Friday
Capitol Reef
Orem → Capitol Reef, scenic drive, sleep in Torrey.
- 9 AM leave Orem — drive ~3.5 hrs to Capitol Reef (Hwy 24)
- Quick stop: Hickman Bridge trail (2 mi round trip, natural arch)
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes if doing the south route in
- Capitol Reef Visitor Center — noon
- Fremont Petroglyphs — quick roadside stop
- Gifford House — pie + ice cream + cash. Closes around 4:30 PM
- Scenic Drive — 8 miles, ~2 hours with stops
- Capitol Gorge Trail head → pioneer register (1 mi each way)
- Sliprock Divide on the way back from Capitol Gorge
- Panorama Point, Goosenecks Overlook, Sunset Point (0.5 mi) for evening light
- Dinner in Torrey, sleep there
Gifford House is cash-only. Hit it before you do the scenic drive — once you're past the visitor center area, options drop to zero.
Capitol Reef — top spots.
Scenic Drive
8 mi paved · 2 hrs with stops
Tier 1Gifford House
Pie · ice cream · cash only
Tier 1Capitol Gorge Trail
1 mi to pioneer register
Tier 1Hickman Bridge
2 mi RT · natural arch
Tier 1Fremont Petroglyphs
Roadside · 5 min stop
Tier 2Panorama Point
Drive-up viewpoint
Tier 2Goosenecks Overlook
Drive-up · river bends
Tier 2Sunset Point
0.5 mi · evening light
Tier 203 / Bryce Canyon
Bryce — sunrise to sunset, the rim.
Saturday · Torrey → Bryce → Panguitch · Yovimpa to Sunrise Point · Queens Garden + Navajo
Bryce is small but dense — the rim drive from Yovimpa Point at the south end back up to Sunrise at the north hits every hoodoo amphitheater the park is famous for, and the Queens Garden + Navajo loop is the single best 3-mile hike in Utah. We did the full sunrise-to-sunset run from Torrey, ending in Panguitch for the night.
Stay
Panguitch (Saturday night)
Cheap motel town ~25 min from Bryce, well-positioned for the next day's Canyonlands push.
~$90/night
Day 03
Saturday
Bryce, all day
Bryce — sunrise at Inspiration Point, hoodoo loop.
- 4:45 AM leave Torrey to make Inspiration Point for sunrise (6:12 AM)
- Stop at Bryce Visitor Center on the way in
- Bryce Point and Paria View — early light, first thing
- Sunrise Point (8 AM) — different angle, different light
- Queens Garden + Navajo Loop combined (1.5 mi each, 3 mi total) — the best hike in Bryce, ~3 hours
- Wall Street section is often closed for rockfall — start from Queens Garden if so
- Yovimpa and Rainbow Point — bristlecone loop trail, 1 mi (south end of park)
- Drive the rim back: Black Birch, Ponderosa, Agua Canyon, Natural Bridge, Fairview, Swamp Canyon
- Late afternoon: Kiva Coffee House on the way back from Bryce — closes 4:30 PM
- Optional add-on: Kodachrome Basin State Park + Willis Creek slot canyon (south of Bryce, dirt road)
- Cedar Breaks National Monument is a fallback if the road's closed (similar amphitheater, much smaller)
- Sleep in Panguitch — early start tomorrow
If you only have time for one hike at Bryce, do Queens Garden + Navajo. Sunrise Point is the better-known sunrise spot but Inspiration Point's amphitheater is wider — easier to compose.
Bryce — top spots.
Queens Garden + Navajo loop
3 mi · the must-do hike
Tier 1Inspiration Point
Sunrise · widest amphitheater
Tier 1Sunrise Point
North end · classic shot
Tier 1Sunset Point
Thor's hammer · stargazing
Tier 1Bryce Point
Peekaboo trail start
Tier 1Yovimpa & Rainbow Point
South end · bristlecone loop
Tier 1Paria View
Quietest viewpoint
Tier 2Natural Bridge
Drive-up arch viewpoint
Tier 2Agua Canyon Overlook
"The Hunter" hoodoo
Tier 2Kodachrome Basin SP
Side trip · sandstone spires
Tier 204 / Canyonlands
Canyonlands — Island in the Sky, half day.
Sunday · Panguitch → Canyonlands → Moab · Mesa Arch · Grand View · Dead Horse Point
Canyonlands is three districts; Island in the Sky is the one most visitors see. It's a 2,000-foot mesa with viewpoints in every direction. The Needles and the Maze are separate trips (Needles is 1.5 hrs south, the Maze is a 4WD-only backcountry zone). We did Island in the Sky as a half day, then crossed over to Dead Horse Point State Park for sunset before driving into Moab.
Stay
Moab (Sunday + Monday nights)
Base for Canyonlands, Arches, and Dead Horse Point — book ahead, fills up fast in May.
~$160/night
Day 04
Sunday
Canyonlands + Dead Horse
Panguitch → Island in the Sky, sunset at Dead Horse.
- 7:30 AM leave Panguitch for the long drive to Canyonlands (~5 hrs via I-70)
- Island in the Sky Visitor Center — 11:30 AM
- Mesa Arch — 0.5 mi loop, the iconic Canyonlands shot (better at sunrise but visit-able anytime)
- Grand View Point — 2 mi out and back, the southernmost viewpoint of the mesa
- Green River Overlook — best afternoon light
- Buck Canyon Overlook, Candlestick Tower
- Upheaval Dome / Crater View Trail (1.5 mi) — odd geologic anomaly
- Shafer Canyon Overlook on the way out
- Dead Horse Point State Park — 4 PM, 30 min drive from CL
- Sunset at Dead Horse Point (the U-shaped Colorado River bend)
- Drive into Moab, dinner — Moab Brewery, Eddie McStiff's, or Zax's Pizza
- Stock up at Village Market for tomorrow
Mesa Arch is technically a sunrise shot — the underside glows orange. We went mid-day; if you can arrange a Canyonlands sunrise, do it instead of an Arches sunrise.
Canyonlands — top spots (Island in the Sky).
Mesa Arch
0.5 mi · sunrise glow
Tier 1Grand View Point
2 mi RT · southernmost view
Tier 1Dead Horse Point SP
Sunset · Colorado U-bend
Tier 1Green River Overlook
Afternoon light
Tier 1Shafer Canyon Overlook
Switchback drive views
Tier 1Upheaval Dome
1.5 mi · weird crater
Tier 2White Rim Overlook
Easy spur trail
Tier 2Buck Canyon Overlook
Drive-up · canyon depth
Tier 2Necks Spring Loop
5 mi · less-visited loop
Tier 2The Needles district
Separate trip · 1.5 hrs south
Tier 305 / Arches
Arches — full day, Delicate at sunset.
Monday · Moab base · Devil's Garden · Windows · Delicate Arch sunset · night sky
Arches packs more than 2,000 named arches into 119 square miles. The hits — Delicate, Landscape, the Windows — are all reachable in a single full day if you start early and time Delicate for sunset. Moab is the only base; everything's 30 minutes away. Bring water, the park has fillers only at the visitor center and Devil's Garden trailhead.
Stay
Moab (Monday night, second of two)
Same Moab base as Canyonlands night — easy access to Arches' main entrance just north of town.
~$160/night
Day 05
Monday
Arches, full day
Devil's Garden, the Windows, Delicate at sunset.
- 8:30 AM start — Arches Visitor Center, fill water before going up
- Devil's Garden trail — fill water at trailhead, 1.7 mi to Landscape Arch (2-3 hrs round trip)
- Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch on the way to Landscape (300+ ft span, longest in the park)
- Optional extension: Partition, Navajo, Double O Arch (6.5 mi total)
- Skyline Arch — 0.4 mi, easy roadside
- Sand Dune Arch — 0.5 mi, kid-friendly, narrow slot
- Broken Arch + Sand Dune Arch combined trail — 2 mi flat loop
- The Windows section — North & South Windows, Turret Arch, Double Arch (1 mi total, easy walking)
- Balanced Rock — 0.3 mi loop
- Garden of Eden, Park Avenue Viewpoint, Courthouse Towers Viewpoint
- Fiery Furnace Overlook (the maze itself requires a permit or ranger tour)
- Delicate Arch — 3 mi strenuous, 500 ft elevation, narrow cliffs near the top, sunset shot
- Stay for Milky Way — North Window framing the galactic core is the night-sky shot
- Late dinner at Moab Brewery or Eddie McStiff's
Delicate Arch is the single most photographed feature in Utah and crowded at sunset. Start the hike up no later than 90 minutes before sunset; the bowl below the arch fills with photographers.
Day 06
Tuesday
Departure
Moab → SLC, fly home.
- Breakfast at Jailhouse Cafe or Moab Diner
- Sweet Cravings Bakery for road sandwiches if needed
- Drive Moab → SLC (~4 hrs via I-70 + I-15)
- Optional: Antelope Island State Park if you have time before the flight (causeway off I-15 north of SLC)
- Return rental, fly home from SLC
Arches — top spots.
Delicate Arch
3 mi · strenuous · sunset shot
Tier 1Landscape Arch
1.7 mi · longest in park
Tier 1The Windows + Turret
1 mi · easy walking
Tier 1Double Arch
Adjacent to Windows · easy
Tier 1North Window night sky
Milky Way frame
Tier 1Devil's Garden full
6.5 mi · Double O Arch end
Tier 1Sand Dune + Broken Arch
2 mi · flat loop
Tier 2Balanced Rock
0.3 mi · iconic balance
Tier 2Skyline Arch
0.4 mi · roadside
Tier 2Park Avenue VP
Drive-up · vertical fins
Tier 2Fiery Furnace VP
Permit needed for the maze
Tier 2Courthouse Towers
Drive-up · classic mesa view
Tier 2Moab — eat where.
Moab Brewery
Solid bar food · post-hike beer
Eddie McStiff's
Bar food · Main Street
Zax's Pizza
Wood-fired · Main Street
Milt's Shake Shack
Burgers + shakes · classic
Peace Tree Café
Smoothies · breakfast
Jailhouse Cafe
Pancakes · last-day breakfast
Moab Diner
Post-sunrise hike fuel
Sweet Cravings Bakery
Sandwiches · road snacks
Village Market
Stock up for the parks
06 / Logistics
Drive times & essentials.
Utah's parks are far apart but well-connected by good highways. The May trip is essentially a counter-clockwise loop from SLC: south to Capitol Reef, west to Bryce, east to Canyonlands/Arches, then north back to SLC. Distances are deceptive — the Bryce → Canyonlands stretch is the longest single drive day.
| Leg | Distance | Drive time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLC → Orem | 40 mi | 45 min | I-15, easy first-night positioning |
| Orem → Capitol Reef | 200 mi | 3.5 hrs | US-89 + Hwy 24 |
| Capitol Reef → Bryce | 120 mi | 2.5 hrs | Scenic Byway 12 — this drive itself is a highlight |
| Bryce → Canyonlands ISKY | 320 mi | 5 hrs | Longest single drive — start early |
| Canyonlands → Arches | 30 mi | 40 min | Both off Hwy 191, Moab is the bridge |
| Moab → SLC | 235 mi | 4 hrs | I-70 west, then I-15 north |
| LAS → Hurricane (Zion) | 120 mi | 2.5 hrs | I-15 — the Zion-trip starting leg |
| Hurricane → Springdale | 25 mi | 30 min | Hwy 9 — into the south Zion gateway |
Pack list.
NPS America the Beautiful pass
$80, pays back at park 3
Hiking shoes
Slick rock + sand mix
Water bottles + fillers
Park taps are scarce
Layers (20–80°F swing)
Desert nights drop hard
Sunscreen + hat + sunglasses
Sun is brutal at altitude
Cash for Gifford House
Card not accepted
Tripod + camera
Milky Way at Arches
Offline maps downloaded
No cell in most parks
Bug spray
Streamside in May
Rain jacket / poncho
Walgreens-grade is fine
07 / Lessons
What I'd change.
Honest notes from 2019 — what worked, what I'd reroute, what I'd give more time. The May trip was tight; the April Zion run was about right.
Pacing
Capitol Reef deserves a full day.
We treated it as a half-day pass-through to position for Bryce. The scenic drive is fine in 2 hours but the slot canyons off Notom-Bullfrog Road and Cathedral Valley demand more time and ideally a high-clearance vehicle. If I redid it, I'd add a full day in Torrey.
Best of trip
Mesa Arch at sunrise is the single shot.
We hit it mid-day. The sunrise glow under the arch — the underside lighting up orange before the sun clears the rim — is the iconic Canyonlands moment. Worth a 5 AM Moab departure on a separate day.
Skip
Bryce → Canyonlands in one day is too much.
Five hours of driving plus a half-day in Canyonlands plus sunset at Dead Horse plus the Moab arrival was 14+ hours awake. A night somewhere near Hanksville or Capitol Reef would have broken it cleanly.
Add
Scenic Byway 12 is its own attraction.
Capitol Reef → Bryce via Hwy 12 (through Boulder, Escalante, Grand Staircase) is one of the great American drives. We didn't budget time to stop. Next time: a half-day on the byway with stops at Calf Creek Falls and the Hogback.
Lock in early
Angel's Landing now requires a permit.
Added April 2022, after our trip. If you're going post-2022, enter the seasonal lottery on recreation.gov 2 months before, or the day-before lottery if you missed the seasonal. The chains hike is the trip without it.
Stay
Moab is the best Utah base.
You can sleep there for both Canyonlands and Arches — and the food/coffee scene is genuinely good. Panguitch is fine for one night but feels like a motel town. Springdale (Zion) is the second-best base.