Best vacation in utah
If you have plans to visit Utah anytime soon, be it for a business trip, a vacation or a special occasion, it is important to make sure that you book yourself into a top Utah accommodation that suits your budget perfectly. With the right accommodation equipped with luxury facilities and amenities, such as BBQ grills in yard, shuttle service and swimming pool, your vacationing experience in Utah will be an unforgettable one every time. Whether you are planning on getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life or want a weekend holiday break in the mountains to relax and rejuvenate your senses, there is nothing like a getaway in Utah to give you the unique chance to explore its scenic beauty and splendid culture at its best.
Vacation planning has never been more fun or easier! With the help of this application, you can make your trip to Utah an unforgettable adventure.
The Beehive State offers some of the best recreational opportunities and affordable vacation spots in the country. Utah has become a big player in the ski tourism market and number two as a tourist destination in the United States, right behind Florida. Can’t make it to one of Utah’s top ski destinations, Park City or Snowbird? Or maybe you’re looking to mix sightseeing with some Utah snow. No matter the season, there is an abundance of great options for your next vacation within the state’s borders.
Utah is a state that is full of stunning natural beauty, from the red rocks of southern Utah to the snow-capped peaks of the Wasatch Range. Utah is also home to incredible cultural history, as well as a thriving population of artists and writers. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing getaway or an adventure-filled vacation, Utah has something for everyone.
For those looking for a relaxing vacation in Utah, there are many options available. Zion National Park has plenty of activities for those who want to spend time hiking and enjoying nature. The Grand Canyon is another spot that offers incredible scenery while still being accessible enough that anyone can enjoy it on foot.
Those who are searching for more action-packed vacations might consider visiting Bryce Canyon National Park or Lake Powell. Both of these locations offer scenic views and plenty of activities such as camping and boating on the lake’s calm waters.
Utah is a state rich in history and culture, as well as natural beauty. So whether you’re looking for a place to relax or an adventure, Utah has it all.
When you’re planning your vacation, here are some of the best places to visit in Utah:
-The Great Salt Lake: This lake is one of the largest in America, and offers amazing views from its shores. You can also enjoy activities like boating, fishing and swimming here.
-Mt. Timpanogos: For hikers, this is a great spot to explore! You can get there by car or on foot from Alpine Junction Trailhead (about 2 miles from Provo Canyon). The summit offers panoramic views of Utah Valley below. It’s also worth noting that the trail through this area was built by early pioneers who settled here after fleeing Nauvoo, Illinois in 1847.
-Zion National Park: With more than 400 square miles of stunning landscapes including slot canyons, towering cliffs and waterfalls; Zion is definitely worth visiting while in Utah! It’s also home to Angel’s Landing – one of the most popular hikes in America!
-Canyonlands National Park: This park offers visitors both scenic views from above (such as Island
1. Zion National Park
Zion National Park, less than a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, features some of Utah’s most outstanding scenery. Red rock cliffs, waterfalls, and stunning vistas are some of the key attractions.
Many of the park’s most impressive sites are found in Zion Canyon, along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which follows the valley floor. From spring until fall, a sightseeing bus takes visitors through the park along this route, stopping at all the major sites and trailheads. This makes touring the park very simple. In winter, you can drive this route in your own vehicle.
The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway runs east-west through the park and is also a must-do drive. This self-drive route takes you high above the valley and offers incredible views from the lookouts.
Sometimes referred to as a vertical park due to its sheer vertical walls, Zion is a hiker’s paradise. The most popular hikes in Zion are accessed off the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Here, you’ll find everything from simple walks along the valley floor to cliff-side trails, like the famous Angel’s Landing trail, which is not for the faint of heart or anyone with a fear of heights.
If you are here to truly experience the outdoors, you’ll find quality campgrounds and RV parks in and near Zion National Park.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Zion National Park
2. Arches National Park
Stunning stone arches and rolling petrified dunes, backed by the often snow-capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains, make this one of the most scenic parks in Utah. Arches National Park is home to more than 2,000 natural stone arches. The most famous of these, and the most photographed, is Delicate Arch, standing like a horseshoe jutting out of the ground, framing the distant mountains.
Numerous walking trails and hikes lead to the most popular arches and other interesting rock formations. But many of the main highlights can be seen right from the scenic drives through the park and easily accessed from the parking areas.
The best places to visit in the park are Devil’s Garden, Delicate Arch, Fiery Furnace, Double Arch, Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, the Windows, Broken Arch, and Sandstone Arch.
Arches National Park is located just outside Moab, a town well-known by mountain bikers and outdoor adventurers. The park is considerably higher than the town and reached via a winding road with impressive views. You’ll find several other scenic parks in the vicinity and a variety of good campgrounds in the area.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Arches National Park
3. Monument Valley
Like a scene from an old western film, red rock buttes rise up from the orange desert floor, and occasionally a horse and rider even wanders by. This is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, located on the Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah-Arizona border.
Numerous films and commercials have been shot in this scenic area, which is famous for its spectacular red mesas and stone pinnacles. Within the park is Valley Drive, a one-way, 17-mile, self-drive dirt road running between the buttes and through the dramatic landscape. Pullouts all along the route offer great opportunities for photography and soaking up the scenery.
If you want to go beyond this one road to explore the park more fully, you must use a guide, which can be arranged at the visitor center. If you don’t have time for the drive, which is usually done at a snail’s pace due to the curves and sightseeing stops, the view from the Monument Valley Visitor Center is spectacular, and one of the best viewpoints in Monument Valley.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Monument Valley
4. Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is Utah’s version of the Grand Canyon, without the crowds. The park has three sections, but the main portion, which attracts the majority of sightseers, is Island in the Sky. This area offers incredible vistas looking out over carved canyons and beyond to the snow-capped mountains. It is arguably as impressive as the Grand Canyon in its own unique way, and far less visited.
One of the main attractions in Island in the Sky is Mesa Arch. This beautiful stone arch, particularly stunning in the early morning hours or late afternoon, forms a window to the canyons, buttes, and torn landscape below. Also of note in this section is the White Rim Road, which runs down from the park to the valley below, following a dirt road of switchbacks along sheer cliff walls. This road is only for the brave. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the White Rim Road, across the road from the Island in the Sky Visitors Center.
Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky section is located not far from the town of Moab. The main access point is reached by heading north along Highway 191, beyond Arches National Park. The Needles District is located in the opposite direction, off Highway 191 heading south from Moab and takes about two hours to reach.
The other two sections of the park, the Needles District and The Maze, offer a slightly different type of landscape but are also impressive. These areas are more remote. The Needles area is one of the best places for hiking in the park, and The Maze is a popular place for 4×4 road trips.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Canyonlands National Park
5. Bryce Canyon National Park
The brightly colored and tightly packed hoodoos that dominate the landscape at Bryce Canyon are what set this national park apart from the rest of the spectacular sites in Utah. Stone pillars, glowing in shades of orange, pink, cream, and cinnamon, jut up from the floor of a huge natural amphitheater, creating a magical landscape that almost begs to be explored.
A scenic drive runs through the park and provides numerous lookouts all along the canyon. However, it’s worth venturing down into the forest of hoodoos on one of the numerous hiking trails in the park to fully appreciate the size and unique shapes of these formations. Bristlecone pine trees are another surprise attraction found in Bryce.
Bryce Canyon National Park is located at an elevation of 8,000 to over 9,000 feet and receives snowfall during the winter months and into spring. Temperatures up here, even in summer, can be cool to very cold. The best time to visit is from April to October, particularly if you are planning on staying at one of the campgrounds in the area.
This park might feel like it’s a long way from anywhere, but there are several options for visiting Bryce Canyon from Las Vegas.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Bryce Canyon National Park
6. Salt Lake City Temple
Salt Lake City is often associated with skiing and winter activities, and certainly many of the best ski resorts in the state can be reached within an hour’s drive of here. But this is a city worth visiting, regardless of the season, and offers numerous attractions and things to do.
Standing on Temple Square is the late 19th-century Temple, the largest Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of Salt Lake City’s principal sites. The temple may only be entered by church members, but it is definitely worth walking by to have a look. Another site in the area worth checking out is the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
The entire complex is in the midst of a massive multi-year renovation and revitalization, with different buildings under construction at different times. Be sure to check to see what is open before visiting to avoid disappointment.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Salt Lake City: Best Areas & Hotels
7. Utah’s Ski Resorts
If you’re a skier and haven’t been to Utah, it’s time to go. While other states like Colorado and California tend to steal the spotlight, Utah has some fantastic ski resorts.
Utah gets a surprisingly large amount of snow every year, and the snow that does fall is light and fluffy, making powder days especially amazing. Fun fact: The largest ski resort in the United States is located in Utah.
Many of the best resorts are located within an hour of Salt Lake City, either in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, where you’ll find Snowbird and Alta; or Big Cottonwood Canyon, where Solitude and Brighton call home; or up by the town of Park City, where Deer Valley and Park City Resort are located. Other popular ski resorts in Utah are Snowbird, Alta, Snowbasin, Sundance, and Powder Mountain.
8. Park City
Park City is a fun mountain town, about 45 minutes southeast of Salt Lake City, and home to some of Utah’s best ski resorts. Park City is an actual historical town not something artificially created for the skiing crowd. As a result, you’ll find an authentic main street with buildings, now full of restaurants and shops, dating from the town’s mining days.
One of Park City’s most famous events, the annual Sundance Film Festival, is held in late January. At this time, the town is buzzing with creative energy, and regular celebrity sightings are the norm.
On the town’s doorstep is Park City Mountain Resort, with lifts operating right from town, and just down the road is Deer Valley Resort, one of Utah’s poshest ski resorts. Both of these offer outstanding terrain for all levels of skiers.
Utah Olympic Park, also located in the vicinity, was used as a venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Today, it offers year-round activities for kids and adults, from ziplining and hiking in summer to bobsledding in winter.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Park City
9. Moab
For outdoor adventures in the Southwest, it’s hard to beat the town of Moab. As the closest community to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park, this area offers endless opportunities for hiking, biking, rafting, off-road adventures, and more. The rolling petrified dunes and surrounding mountains provide breathtaking scenery and offer a playground for numerous outdoor pursuits.
Mountain bikers come here in droves in the spring and fall for the outstanding riding. Although the town is known among mountain bikers for being the home of the famous and challenging Slickrock Trail, you can find trails here for all levels of bikers. When it comes to hiking, the trails in the nearby parks offer amazing scenery, including Utah’s famous Delicate Arch. You’ll also find some incredible campgrounds near Moab.
In winter, this area receives snow, and the adventure opportunities diminish. The best time to visit is in the spring (March to May) and fall (September to October). You can still enjoy yourself here in summer, but daytime temperatures get very hot.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Moab
10. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a huge area of rugged terrain, with a landscape of canyons, arches, hills, waterfalls, forest, and scrubland. It offers a sense of remoteness that is hard to find in other parks.
Dirt roads, where you can drive great distances without ever passing another vehicle, are all part of the experience. Covering 1.9 million acres, this is the largest national monument in the United States, and it’s managed by the Bureau of Land Management, not the National Park Service.
Hiking is a popular way to explore the region. Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail offers some fabulous scenery and is one of the most photographed locations in Grand Staircase-Escalante.
In the southern part of the monument is Paria, a town near the Paria River, founded in 1865, but abandoned by 1920. Remnants of the town and the nearby areas have been used in a number of western films.
The park offers camping, but if you’re looking for a little more luxury, one of the best resorts in Utah is right next to Grand Staircase-Escalante.
11. Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park, just outside of Moab, delivers one of the best lookouts of any state park in Utah. The main viewpoint looks over a gooseneck in the Colorado River carving through the colorful landscape. Cliff walls rising 2,000 feet and plateaus at various levels stretch out into the distance.
On a shelf of land below the viewpoint, the Potash Road runs along a ledge. Looking to the left along this road, you can see Thelma and Louise Point, where the final scene of the motion picture Thelma and Louise was filmed.
The best way to see the sights at Dead Horse Point State Park is to take a stroll on the walking trail along the rim.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Moab
12. Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is another great place to explore Utah’s interesting landscapes. Located directly west of Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef reveals a huge wall of banded sandstone rising above the Fremont River.
The canyons, rock spires, cliff walls, arches, and gorges are an inspiration for anyone with an interest in photography. From a distance, the wall dominates the landscape and glows an almost purple color in the late-day sun.
Most people come here for sightseeing, but you’ll also find a variety of hiking trails in the area. This park sees far fewer tourists than most of the other big parks in Utah, which can be a refreshing treat.
The nearest town to Capitol Reef is Torrey, to the west of the park, where you can find accommodation and camping options. The park’s visitor center is 15 minutes from town and located at the start of the beautiful Capitol Reef Scenic Drive, one of the main highlights of a visit to the park.
Accommodation: Where to Stay near Capitol Reef National Park
13. St. George
St. George’s position in southern Utah, near some incredible parks, makes it a convenient city to base yourself if you’re interested in outdoor activities. But, even if you’re not, the town has its own attractions and is worth a visit.
Zion National Park is just an hour away, and one of Utah’s great undiscovered natural areas, Snow Canyon State Park, is less than 20 minutes away. Within a half-hour drive of St. George, you’ll find outstanding hiking trails, as well as beautiful areas to camp.
The city of St. George has a number of attractions and things to do related to its Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history, including the St. George Temple and the Brigham Young Winter Home Historical Site. Pioneer Park and the adjoining Red Hills Desert Garden are also must-see sites.