Utah National Parks
Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.
All five of Utah's national parks are within a sandstone’s throw of each other — in fact, you could drive through them all in a single overstimulated afternoon. (You could, but you shouldn’t. That’d be like sprinting through the Louvre.)
Map of National Parks in Utah
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Park Details
Arches →
The Holey Land (See: Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, Fiery Furnace)
Canyonlands →
The slow work of merciless rivers (See: Grand View Point, Horseshoe Canyon, how tough you are)
Capitol Reef →
A snag in the earth’s crust, 100 miles long (See: Waterpocket Fold, historic Fruita)
Bryce Canyon →
Sometimes-snowy erosions, elevated (See: Navajo Loop, Fairyland Point/Loop)
Zion →
The oldest, the most visited (See: Subway, Angels Landing, your life flash before your eyes)
A California CondoR Beds in Zion
(That’s not only true (they’re not extinct after all!), it’s a helpful mnemonic for remembering the Utah national parks from east to west)
Museums of Ancient Art
Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion: Five sculptural interpretations of the Colorado Plateau, cut with a big, slow chisel.
Over 150 million years the soft-ish stone sediments in these five spots relented in weird, beautiful ways, cutting open a color spectrum of reds, pinks, yellows, grays and whites, all dappled with green. It’s called the Grand Staircase, but you could think of it as a peeling painting, a dozen layers on display from Bryce to the Grand Canyon.
Places to Stay Near Utah National Parks
National Parks Nearby
Though we think our national parks are pretty hard to beat, three more parks in neighboring states deserve attention too.
Map of Nearby National Parks
Grand Canyon →
Arizona
Great Basin →
Nevada