Can you do the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 days? If you do so, will you actually be able to enjoy the time and see enough of the parks to feel like it was worthwhile? Simply put, Yes! One of the hardest aspects of travel planning for me is prioritizing what to see and what can be missed.
I will not lie to you – you will make compromises in seeing these parks in seven days. But, you will see enough to feel like you had a good time and were able to get out and active in the parks.
Without further delay – here is our itinerary for seeing the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks (Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion) in seven days! We flew in and out of Las Vegas, which was both convenient to southern Utah and had economical flight options from most markets.
Note that day “0” on this trip is the flight in to Las Vegas, but depending on where you are traveling from you could possibly combine that with day 1 (if you are really close), get a jump on the day 1 drive by staying in Mesquite, NV or St. George, UT, or enjoy a night in Vegas before heading off in the morning!
Day 1: The Long Drive – Las Vegas to Moab
This was definitely the hardest day in the car, which was why we chose to get it out of the way first. If you are pressed for time, take I-15 and in about 7 hours you will get to Moab with enough time to spare to grab dinner and get settled in.
If, however, you are a bit more adventurous (and patient!) you can take a detour off the Interstate and drift along Northern Arizona before coming up through scenic Monument Valley as you head back into Utah.
We chose to stop at Pipe Spring National Monument (a quick monument to visit) in Kanab, which you could bypass to avoid a 45 minute stop. We decided since we were here to complete the Junior Ranger book and do a condensed visit without the tour. Continuing along, you face another choice – Highway 89 or 89A.
We chose 89A and were not disappointed! This route, which is also the access road to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which was still snow covered in April, brought us through beautiful ponderosa pines and gave us fantastic views of the Vermillion Cliffs. To top it off, we saw a California Condor at House Rock Canyon!
Near Page, AZ (where 89 and 89A come back together) is Horseshoe Bend and the primary reason I chose this longer drive over the Interstate. There is a hike involved, and if it is hot outside you will definitely want to bring water. Parking is a mess! It appeared while we were there that the National Park Service may be building a new trail and viewing platform. The new trail bypasses the hill and trades a slightly longer walk to avoid a hill you climb just to descend so it seems like a worthwhile trade.
There are pit toilets at the parking lot for Horseshoe Canyon and yes, it gets far busier here than we anticipated.
Leaving Horseshoe Bend you also have the opportunity to view Antelope Canyon, which we will save for a future trip. We then set our sights on Monument Vally and again, this is a place you could stop and explore further including the scenic drive as this is a Navajo National Park. We continued on toward Moab with the intent of getting to dinner in town and picking up some supplies for the time ahead. Starting tomorrow, we start checking off the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks!
Day 2: Arches National Park
One day in Arches is plenty of time to see the highlights! Get into the park early and head straight for Delicate Arch. We recommend the hike to the Arch – it is memorable, beautiful, and fun! After the hike, head to Devils Garden Trailhead and to Landscape Arch.
From there, stop at the Fiery Furnace Overlook and of course see Balanced Rock before heading to the Windows section. Finally, stop at Courthouse Towers and head into Moab for dinner! We loved the Banh Mi sandwich and salad at 98 Center and the ice cream at Moab Garage Company was unique and fun! For more on Arches, see our dedicated post here.
Day 3: Canyonlands National Park – Islands in the Sky
Canyonlands requires a choice as there are 3 distinct sections of the park, but for a quick day visit from Moab we recommend Islands in the Sky. You will not be able to visit multiple sections if your goal is to complete the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in just 7 days, but if you have more time you should use it here! If you choose Islands in the Sky, this is a great rest day as most of what you do in this park section is look out over the canyons through different viewpoints.
Mesa Arch is a must see and the earlier in the day you do it the better as the bottom of the arch glows orange at sunrise and for a few hours after. Following that head down and do the easy Grand View Point Overlook trail before stopping at the other viewpoints in the park. For more on Canyonlands see our dedicated post here.
Day 4: Capitol Reef National Park
This day is a combo day with travel between Moab and the western side of the state. We stayed in Orderville, which is a small town located about perfectly halfway between Bryce Canyon and Zion. We rented a home here and found it to be a good compromise and retreat from the busyness of Springdale, which is directly next to Zion. If you want to be in the middle of the action, Springdale is the place to stay, however.
In one day by taking the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef you will get a good park overview and be able to enjoy a drive and hike at either Capitol Gorge or Grand Wash. We chose Capitol Gorge and enjoyed the opportunity to both hike and drive in the Gorge. Leaving the park, be sure to continue on Highway 12 as I consider it a “must see” part of Utah. Sure, you could perhaps save some time using a different road but you will have missed out on one of the most unique drives in the United States!
For more on Capitol Reef see our dedicated post here.
Day 5: Bryce Canyon National Park
The unfortunate part of choosing Orderville to stay in was that we had driven an hour on Day 4 to get here, just to turn around and drive that hour back the next day to get to Bryce Canyon. Springdale would be far worse. In the midst of all of the driving a couple hours does add up, but we felt it was the right choice to be able to settle into one home for these last few nights of the trip. If your family is more flexible or you are camping, you can save some time here in your quest for the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks!
At Bryce, we did the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden trails, which are iconic Bryce hikes and capture everything you will remember later on. You will want to see both Sunrise and Sunset Points, and then stop at as many of the “Points” as you can all the way out to Rainbow Point. We stopped at nearly all of them, and I often jumped out to snap a photo and tell Kim and the kids if it was worth it to see. Bryce Point is a must do, as is Inspiration Point. For more on Bryce Canyon see our dedicated post here.
Day 6: Zion
By staying in Orderville we had about a 45 minute drive to Springdale, where the shuttles run from. The best part of this was that while yes, we had a 45 minute drive in the morning, about half of that time was in the Park in an area the shuttle doesn’t run.
So, if you stay in Springdale you may miss out on the beautiful east side of the park through the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. We saw bighorn sheep on this section of road, enjoyed the tunnel, and hiked the Canyon Overlook trail, which is a must see! We ate lunch in Springdale and walked the downtown, so you can still enjoy the nightlife and restaurants before heading back to Orderville for the night.
For more on Zion see our dedicated post here.
Day 7: Zion / Home!
On our final day we left Orderville and again headed north on Highway 89, away from Las Vegas. We then turned west on Highway 14 and enjoyed the drive through this mountain area before finally turning south onto I-15. Why do all this jogging around to get back to Las Vegas? Kolob Canyon.
The drive into Kolob Canyon was a highlight of Zion for us because there were very few people here, the drive and hike we did was beautiful (Timber Creek Overlook Trail), and redeemed the Disney feeling of riding a bus to each stop in the other section of Zion. Just a few hours of time here was just what we needed before returning to Las Vegas that same day!
Whew! Doing the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 days is a lot, but you will have so many memories to look back on! It is very doable, especially if your kids are good in the car. At the end of our trip we spent a couple nights at the Cosmopolitan and experienced the Strip and some hours at the pool!
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