My own time in Utah began while traveling cross country in my beat-up old Astrovan, headed to the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail from my home in Florida. Spending four months as a nomad, my voyage spanned from the sandy shores of the East Coast to the craggy expanse of the American West. Yet, it was Utah that captivated my soul, and where I spent well over half my time on that trip.  

Since then, I’ve returned every spring season. Including later hiking the Hayduke Trail, a 700+ mile trek spanning the entirety of Utah from Arches to Zion, passing through every National Park and even detouring through the Grand Canyon. Here, I share my highlights and must-sees scattered throughout this grand “flyover” state.  

Choosing your route 

This is my ultimate Utah National parks road trip, refined by multiple seasons of poking around in the sand, but remember, it’s your adventure. For the sake of this route, I recommend kicking off the trip near Grand Junction, Colorado, and traveling linearly from east to west, finishing up near Zion National Park.

Utah Mighty Five National Parks Tour

While we have extensive articles on each of Utah’s National Parks and why you should visit, this guide fills in the blank spots on the map and highlights destinations around the heavy hitters of southern Utah.  Whether you’re out for a week seeking highlights or a season stopping at every pullout for “just one more photo,” feel free to mix and match, add and subtract. After all, the best road trips are about embracing spontaneity and following your heart. 

When to go

When are we taking this trip? A very important question.  

Winter and summer can be extreme in these harsh environments, so the best times to visit Utah are either spring or fall. While most people visit these National Parks in the heat of summer, I’d recommend the cool and vibrant spring time. The best time of year to enjoy this Utah National Parks road trip is March through May, although October through November is quite pleasant as well. Any earlier and we’ll be shivering in our sleeping bags and feeling snow on our toes. Any later and we’ll be hiding in the shade as the canyons turn into an oven around us.  

Pro tip: Try to avoid Moab during Easter Weekend as this is when Easter Jeep Safari, a massive off-roading event, takes place. Every camp within an hour of town is usually mobbed as the air thrums with the growl of off-road rigs day and night. 

Following Leave No Trace Principles

The desert environment is full of exceptionally fragile flora and fauna that can take hundreds of years to grow. It is paramount that visitors tread lightly, staying on established trails and roads to avoid damaging cryptobiotic living soil crusts.  

Cryptobiotic soil (crypto meaning “hidden” and “biota” meaning life) is a complex matrix of cyanobacteria, lichens, algae and fungus that help hold sand in place, preventing erosion and giving life a chance to grow.  

Appreciate wildlife and rock art from afar, and please refrain from touching either. Resist the urge to turn these delicate arches into your adult jungle gym, nature already undergoes significant transformation without our help. Consider future generations while visiting Utah, and help to preserve it.  

Leave No Trace principles are especially important in this delicate ecosystem. In the desert environment, human waste is a serious issue. Use toilet facilities whenever you can. When these are not available, all solid waste, including toilet paper, must be packed out in WAG bags. WAG bags are specially made solid waste disposal bags that are strongly encouraged and sometimes required while recreating in a desert environment.  

Visitors can find WAG bags at gear shops in town and visitor centers in the National Parks. It is our collective responsibility to keep these parks clean and to provide sustainable outdoor recreation – do your part!

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It’s a bitter cold morning in the depths of the Colorado winter. The sun is just starting to rise behind Hallet Peak as we enter Rocky Mountain National park. The pristine snow reflects light as the breeze lifts snowflakes up to dance in the golden glow. It’s a sight to behold.

As we drive toward our trailhead we see the mountains come to life as the sun comes up. We stop the vehicle for our first animal sighting of the morning, a couple of deer prancing through the trees. We wind up the road and get nearer to the trailhead. This is the point where we all begin to mentally prepare. Snowshoeing is fun, and yet I will admit the first fifteen minutes are often cold (and often a time you often question the life choices that lead you there). 

The car is parked and we all squeal as we get out. We know it will be worth it in the end but no one is going to pretend that it isn’t cold and early out here. We gather the rest of our things strap on the snowshoes. The magical journey begins.

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Because of all of the uncertainty around COVID, we actually didn’t pay much attention to the trip itinerary, focusing instead on making sure we had all our paperwork in order. Our Grand Canyon trip was a “Level 3” difficulty and was very doable after following Wildland’s training guide, so we followed a similar routine to train for this leveled up tour. 

After a missed connection in Frankfurt and over 7 hours spent on the train into Geneva—we opted to take the train rather than wait for a new connecting flight that wouldn’t take place until the next day…looking back, we should have just stayed at the airport—we made it to Les Houches, crossing the Switzerland/France border by taxi.  

I was expecting charming mountain towns with shutters on the windows and big views of the mountains from every vantage point. And frankly, the trip did not disappoint. It took our group a half hour to walk a few blocks on the first day because there were so many photo ops to be had.

There are luggage transfers throughout the trip, which means most nights we were packing up our bags and bringing them to a drop zone at our hotel, or when available, directly to the vans. What I didn’t realize about the itinerary though, is that most often we were hiking directly to the next village or town, and our luggage would meet us at our chalet for the evening. 

It was empowering to walk from village to village, being able to cover that kind of distance in a single day.

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A few years ago I traveled to Peru with my family. We were there for a 6-day guided tour with Wildland Trekking and the trip was truly magical. I’m excited to share a bit about my experience here. 

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Like a backcountry trail, it gives us all kinds of challenges with which to contend. Steep climbs. Dark storms. Confusing intersections. 

That’s why overcoming obstacles in the outdoors is such a learning opportunity. Only in testing your mettle can you see what you’re made of. While it’s a guide’s job to provide all the tools you need to reach the finish line, it’s on each hiker to realize their own resolve. With time on the trail come hard won lessons in resilience. 

Now who’s ready to see what they can do?

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The Wildland Trekking Company are long-time fans. For a guided hiking or backpacking experience, look no further. Wildland offers a variety of trips to this amazing National Park. While Death Valley has lots to love, this piece breaks them down into four categories worth your attention and affection. 

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My friend Mareya and I decided to try for the summit without knowledge of a route or a rope to help us. The ascent thus far had been what we jokingly refer to as “5th class grass”: steep ledges of grass and rock jutting from the otherwise vertical face characterized by knoblike rock towers. When I called it quits, Mareya continued on to try and find a path to the summit but returned just a few minutes later in defeat. 

Jagged was our second failed summit attempt in a row. The previous day we set out for Sunlight Peak, one of the popular 14ers in the Chicago Basin area, via the north ridge from our camp at Sunlight Lake. We gained the ridge from a steep grassy slope that funneled into the lakes below. The lower ridge had grippy rock and a clear route—an exhilarating but manageable class 3 scramble. But as we progressed, the ridge swept upward dizzily, forcing us to backtrack over and over again when we hit sheer rock walls. 

We eventually worked our way to the northeast side of the upper mountain, where a couple chimney-like scrambling moves near 14,000 feet left me rattled and wondering if I was in over my head. A common tip you’ll hear from seasoned scramblers is don’t go up what you can’t come down, and I wondered if I was ignoring good advice. 50 vertical feet below the summit, we ran out of safe route options and daylight. 

But we weren’t getting shut down due to a lack of experience. Mareya and our friend Hannah, who joined us for the first couple days of the trip, are experienced mountain guides with dozens of extended trips and technical climbs under their belts. They’ve tackled terrain from Indian Creek all the way up to Denali. Their proficiency mixed with my lack of experience and nerves left me constantly questioning my abilities and place in the mountains. So as I sat there on Jagged, gripped and disappointed in myself, I wondered if this was really for me.

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I’ve backpacked/ran the Rim-to-Rim- to-Rim route three times now, and am considering going back again this spring. The Grand Canyon is one of the most unique places I have ever been, and each trip left a lasting impression on me. It’s also where I experienced my proudest moment ever: collapsing on top of the South Rim after running R2R2R in one day for my 24th birthday. Recalling the moment brings tears to my eyes, as I remember how the stunning, challenging, harsh, and beautiful landscape has changed me. 

BACKPACK the Grand Canyon with Award Winning Guides

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