Best Utah Attractions · Bryce Canyon National Park · Arches National Park · Moab · Park City · Zion National Park · Capitol Reef National Park · Salt Lake City . Utah is home to spectacular stone arches, deep gorges, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. Admire the red rock formations in Arches National Park, explore the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, watch a majestic sunrise in Monument Valley, see the waterfalls in Zion National Park, and see the extraordinary landscapes of Canyonlands National Park. Here are the best places to visit in Utah.
We recommend that you call attractions and restaurants before you visit to confirm current opening hours.. The Arches National Park has more than 2,000 stone arches, ranging from thin cracks in the rock to the magnificent 300 foot long landscape arch. They are the result of millions of years of erosion, deposition, and other geological events that have affected soft sandstone. Located on the Utah and Idaho border, Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake with an area of approximately 109 square miles and is one of Utah’s top attractions..
The lake, originally called “Black Bear Lake,” was discovered in 1819 by an explorer from the North West Fur Company and is now a popular spot for fishing, jet skiing and sailing.. Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwestern Utah.. Although it is called a gorge, it is not a gorge but a series of huge natural amphitheaters located along the east side of the Pausaumunt Plateau.. Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River on the Arizona and Utah border and is the second largest artificial reservoir in the United States..
The lake attracts around 2 million visitors a year and offers a range of attractions, including Rainbow Bridge, one of the largest natural bridges in the world. Numerous other features can also be found here, including numerous canyons that house the ruins of Anasazi. The lake also served as a filming location for dozens of television series and movies, including the 1968 and 2001 versions of Planet of the Apes.. Located in the southeastern part of Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park is open all year round and offers limitless recreation opportunities.
Visitors will find a rich wildlife population in the park, including one of the largest free-range bison herds in the country.. The park is also home to mule deer, bighorn sheep, and a variety of waterfowl. While Antelope Island is particularly known for its wildlife, there are also plenty of events and activities, including an annual balloon festival. Cycling and hiking are also popular activities in the park..
Moab is located in eastern Utah and is one of the most popular cities in Utah and attracts numerous tourists every year.. Most visitors who come to Moab also make their way to nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.. Moab also serves as a starting point for the many mountain bikers who travel to the area to take advantage of the numerous network of nearby hiking trails.. Park City is located in northern Utah..
This former mining town recovered in the 1980s and has quickly become a popular tourist destination thanks to the presence of three major ski areas nearby.. Deer Valley Resort, Canyons Resort and Park City Mountain Resort Park offer excellent snowboarding and skiing opportunities. Park City has also become an important hub for the largest independent film festival in the United States, the Sundance Film Festival.. Park City visitors can also visit numerous factory outlet stores, restaurants, bars, and clubs.
Just outside the city, there are reservoirs, forests, hot springs, and cycling and hiking trails.. Salt Lake City is not only the largest city in Utah, but also the capital.. It is probably best known as the home of the Mormon Church and the 2002 Winter Olympics.. Salt Lake City is nestled between the Oquirrh Mountains and the Wastach Range and offers incredible beauty.
Other popular attractions in Salt Lake City include the Living Planet Aquarium, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Temple Square, and a variety of parks.. Capitol Reef National Park is located in southern Utah and is less crowded than the other national parks in the state, but just as scenic.. While the park is 100 miles (160 km) long, it is quite narrow. With colorful gorges, monoliths, buttes and ridges, the park is known for the particularly rugged series of white cliffs and domes, which were a significant obstacle to travel until the early 1960s.
This national park is located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. Visitors to the Canyonlands can enjoy preserving a vast, colorful landscape of countless canyons, buttes, and mesas along the Green River and Colorado River. Bryce Canyon was originally built in the mid-19th. It was settled by Mormon pioneers at the end of the 19th century and was declared a national monument in 1923 and later as a national park.. The park is characterized by enormous biodiversity and is home to more than 400 native plant species in three living zones, based on altitude..
Visitors to the park can enjoy 13 viewpoints with views of the amphitheaters and various hiking trails.. If your feet are begging for a break, hop on the shuttle (which can be cumbersome to arrange in the Zion NP app) and follow Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which is approximately 25 miles long. About 30 miles from the Arches National Park border, Canyonlands in this area of Utah is fairly easy to visit. About 20 to 30 miles north of Monument Valley, Goosenecks State Park is a great little stop on your trip through Utah..
As you can see, there is a 17-mile dirt road that runs through Monument Valley to see some of the key points. Watch out for the Three Sisters, the North Window, the Totem Pole, and more along the way. It’s all very easy to navigate (which means you can fully focus on having the best time). And finally, the big cities you’ll find in Utah are way beyond their weight class: The Wasatch Front offers things to do, see, and eat that are comparable to the much larger, much less convenient metropolises in the world..
The Hovenweep National Monument is a site on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado.. Once in the park, travelers can ride the 17-mile Tribal Park Loop, which includes the most popular spots in Monument Valley. The salt pans created after the last ice age are a unique part of Utah and stretch for miles.. Just a few hundred meters across the border in Arizona, you can’t miss the wave when you visit the southern points of Utah..
You don’t have to travel to Bolivia to experience salt pans anymore — it’s just a short drive west of downtown Salt Lake City.. The FBI found five different places in Utah’s quadrants, weird and wild enough to identify and protect them.. If your map only shows the big, obvious attractions in Utah, get a new map as overwhelming things can’t be categorized. Less than an hour from Salt Lake City, the charming town of Midway in Utah is transformed into a winter wonderland from January to March.
Arches National Park, another piece of natural art found in Utah, is known for its inspiring natural arches.. With so many varied landscapes, the park is considered one of the most unique places in Utah. Mystic Hot Springs is one of Monroe’s hot springs and a destination that should be added to any road trip in Utah.. These Utah destinations show you a corner of the state without sacrificing luxury, the kind of all-inclusive experiences that make getting off campus optional..
Breathtaking canyons, beautiful views and fantastically shaped buttes — these are canyonlands — the largest national park in Utah. If you’re visiting Utah, a visit to the park is highly recommended for its incredible views and to learn more about its importance to the Navajo people.