Planning on taking a Utah National Park road trip? So many people try to get it all done and spend one week in Utah’s Mighty Five. I really do not recommend it. You don’t get to actually experience anything. The parks blur together. You miss so much. I did it, and regret it.
The mission: Leave Friday evening. Drive over 800 miles. Most important: hit all five National Parks in Utah. Then, drive back home eight days later. Do you accept this mission?
The answer should be no. Without a doubt, do not accept. Abort mission. There is just not enough time!
Pick the two on the west side of the state, or maybe the 3 closer to the east side. Whatever you do though, don’t do all 5 in one week. By the end of it, your road trip partner will be particularly confused and have absolutely no idea where any of the photos you snapped were actually taken. Was that Arches? Canyonlands? Wait, that hike was in between… right? Oh was that at the end? Where did we sleep that night? What day is it?
Here is the exact itinerary I completed in a week, to illustrate why you should not do this.
I highly recommend you do not follow this itinerary.
Friday: Left Texas. Drove through a pretty bad thunderstorm. I ended up parking at a gas station outside Amarillo for a few hours because it was raining so hard I couldn’t see the road in front of me.
Give up somewhere around San Jon and to sum up the night, slept in a city park that allows overnights (GPS 35.1075, -103.3317).
Saturday: Your first stop should be for some amazing coffee in Gallup, NM at the Gallup Coffee Company.
After that, I drove until I was starving, and finally stopped for lunch at the Junction Restaurant in Chinle. In case you can’t find any food trucks slinging Navajo Tacos (which I suggest first), this might be your safest bet for lunch.
Finally, get to Monument Valley.
Spend a few hours driving through Monument Valley. Pull over at every stop, it really is worth it. Drive slow, especially at the beginning and end where you are taking the steep part in and out. This is when I was just hoping my van wouldn’t fall apart on the road with how bumpy it was hahaha.
As soon as we were driving out, we both realized it was going to be dark soon and we needed to hightail it to our next stop!
While driving north, point out all the cars pulled over and wonder what they’re doing. Then, turn around scream “OH OH IT’S THE FORREST GUMP SPOT” as you pull off the side of the road, hoping you don’t make the car behind you mad.
Take photo. Get back in car. Keep driving to camp.
Sleep on the edge of a freaking cliff(!!!) for $10 at Goosenecks State Park. (GPS 37.1746, -109.9271).
Sunday: Drive north to Moab.
Also, make sure you find a camping spot first, THEN moved on to explore the parks. (Kings Bottom Campground GPS 38.5577, -109.5843).
Spend the day in Arches National Park, while it rains on and off.
Take the second half of the day to wander down the streets of Moab once you’re sick of hiking in the rain. Find out about the Utah beer laws the hard way and realize the only way you’ll be allowed to do any breweries is if you also buy meals there. Womp womp.
Monday: Wake up, pack up, and head to Canyonlands National Park. Take the scenic drive. Stop at a few short hikes.
Get back in the van and drive to Capitol Reef National Park. Sit in the van for an hour in the visitors center parking lot waiting for the downpour to stop so you can at least get one hike in…
SUCCESS! One hike. Scenic drive through the park. Forget to stop for pie on the way out (awwww).
Take a massive pit stop and instead of driving to the next park, go north west and head to Mystic Hot Springs for the night.
Have I mentioned you should not visit all 5 National Parks in one week yet? This is the exception, go here.
This place was a little slice of awesome. It wasn’t cheap. For two people to just pull into a tent campsite for one night it was $65. They charge by the person, but that’s due to the hot springs soaking passes. I absolutely love hot springs so this place had my heart.
Did I mention the hot springs?
Tuesday: After a second hot springs soak first thing in the morning, pack up and head to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Make sure you take highway 12 through Escalante. I highly recommend lunch at Hells Backbone Grill in Boulder once you are hungry.
Drive through snow. YES SNOW, in May!
Pull into Bryce, and get lucky because there are still campsites in the park available!
Get in a short hike. Almost cry because you’re in your early 30s and there are 80 year olds who are passing you while hiking uphill.
Enjoy a relaxing evening.
Wednesday: Morning hike across the rim at Bryce. Make the most of the showers in the park before packing up halfway through the day and drive through Zion.
Explore Springdale. There is a brewery at the base of the park! Swear about the crowds and second guess how you always have to stop somewhere busy.
Set up camp in a boondocking area outside Virgin, UT on Kolob Terrace Rd (GPS 37.2203, -113.1616).
Thursday: Up early for a hike up Angel’s Landing. Ride the shuttle bus through the rest of Zion, taking a few other short hikes. Realize you’re exhausted, and head back to the same camp spot for the night.
Friday: Start driving back home. Stop off in Orderville to hike a small slot canyon there.
Turn down a shifty dirt road outside Kanab to explore the rainbow mountains of Paria. Drive as far as Albuquerque before splurging on a hotel room with a Jacuzzi tub for some muscles that are not used to hiking at altitude.
Saturday: Finish driving home.
Can you see why I do not recommend this?
There isn’t nearly enough time at each location to really, truly, enjoy them. Attempting it all in a week just sends you scatter brained around from place to place while you wonder what you’re missing as you rush to meet the next location deadline. This was one of the best trips I have ever taken, and now I’m left with a constant “is it time to go back yet?” feeling.
Just make sure you do stop at that hot spring though…
