Utah is a seriously epic and otherworldly place. It boasts a grand 13 National and State Parks! With so much to do and see, it’s very hard to jam pack everything into one trip. We had an epic road trip through Southern Utah to Moab so here are some of my Top Sights to see.

Stop by the UTAH SIGN

Life Elevated! Utah has some of the prettiest state signs so regardless of where you drive in from, feel free to stop by the sign!

Dusk Hike to CORONA ARCH

Corona Arch is a 15 minute drive from Moab’s city center, past some killer rock climbing spots, on the Colorado River (Yes the same Colorado Rover!) We made it just in time to go eat dinner and then head off to this spot for sunset! The hike itself was very manageable. Its almost 3 miles in&out and the trail was marked well since you are traversing along big slabs of rock. There is one point where you have to navigate up a makeshift ladder but that is the only point. One you are there, the view is incredible. It’s like you are sitting up on a big bowl over the valley.

SUNRISE IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

DELICATE ARCH

Delicate Arch is by far the most popular arch in Arches National Park, and for good reason. It may attract the most amount of tourists but it’s simply one of the most impressive arch formations in the park. I recommend going at sunrise. There will still be a fairly large group at sunrise so just prepare yourself that you will still have to wait in line but it is by far the crown jewel of arches in the park.

DEVILS GARDEN & LANDSCAPE ARCH

Devils Garden is a massive part of the park with several arches and formations. The full loop is about a 7.2mile hike and you get to see such incredible locations. We did the shorter route as it was so hot and we were out of water but at about 2 miles in you get to Landscape Arch. It is one of the largest arches in the park. The arch has actually be eroding and breaking away over the decades. As you can see all the boulders underneath it. Someone was able to capture the a massive break in 1991 on video tape! you can watch here!

CANYONEERING IN ENTRAJO CANYON

You don’t want to skip out on Canyoneering or Rock Climbing Tour! Moab boasts some of the best rock climbing and canyoneering adventures in the whole state! We did sacrifice going to Canyonlands for this but it was worth it. We booked through Desert Highlights, which happens to be one of the oldest companies in Moab who pioneered a lot of the canyoneering trailers. Their founder even founded the Entrajo Canyon hike!

SUNSET AT DEAD HORSE POINT

I knew I wanted to drive up to Dead Horse Point for Sunset. We were so tired from canyoneering and we had to leave the next morning and we had such limited time. The dark stormy clouds and the weather wasn’t looking great especially after the lightning and thunder started rolling in… To get to Dead Horse Point from Moab, you drive up the canyon to the top of the plateau which you know, is a flat plains at the top. The idea of driving our jeep through a lightning storm at the top of a high flat service wasn’t great. I wouldn’t let Joel turn us around though. As soon as we parked the car, it started pouring. At this point, I was bummed, but it was then that Joel wouldn’t let me give up. We ended up waiting around and before we knew it the clouds started passing over us and we were treated to the most spectacular sunset.

DRIVE THROUGH CAPITOL REEF

My only regret is that we didn’t get to do more in Capitol Reef. It was a long driving day so we mostly just stopped at the scenic lookouts but some of the hikes looked really cool. Next time I want to try the Hickman Bridge Trail or the Cassidy Arch Trail.

Quick Detour Through PANDO ASPEN GROVE

The Pando Aspen Grove is a little off the beaten path here. Aspen Trees reproduce by cloning themselves and therefore the Pando aspen grove is considered one of the largest single organism of Aspen Trees in the US. I had to drive through it on my way to Mystic Hot Springs.

Morning Soak at MYSTIC HOT SPRINGS

Mystic Hot Springs is a place I had wanted to visit for a long time! It can be a little out of the way but it was something I didn’t want to miss. We ended up camping on their grounds the night before and woke up early to do the morning soak session. There is a main pool and several tubs to enjoy

EVERYTHING IN BRYCE CANYON

Bryce Canyon is so unique, I would say its my favorite Utah Park. From Thor’s Hammer to the Hoodoos formations- there is so much to see.

END OF LOOP

If you have the time to drive to the End of the Loop, I highly recommend it. The park is very big but this end of the Loop has some amazing scenery.

SUNRISE POINT

It gets its name for, you guessed it, being one of the best spots to watch Sunrise! The way the lighting lights up all the rock formations is an incredible sight.

SUNSET POINT

Much like Sunrise Point, Sunset has the incredible views of Sunset. We found this amazing viewpoint and watched the sunset and it was all perfect.

NAVAJO LOOP

The Navajo Loop is short, 1.5 mile, but intense loop in the park. It is easily accessible at either Sunrise or Sunset Point. The biggest draw to it is the switchback section that drops straight into the middle of the park. It connects to other trail loops if you want to explore more of the park.

Drive Through ZION

Zion is deserving of its own trip. There is so much to do in the park but it also has to be pre-planned because Zion is buttoned up as tight as Disneyland. It sees so much foot traffic a year that to preserve the beautiful trails, no personal cars can go to anything in the north side of the park (which is most of the main sights). You have to take a shuttle and you have to organize the shuttle tickets ahead of time. We wanted to drive through Zion this trip because we had the America the Beautiful Pass but we are going to schedule a trip to go back and dedicate the trip just to Zion next time!