Utah’s national parks are an iconic part of the classic American road trip, but their increased popularity has also made them more crowded and, at times, a threat to the environment. In Zion National Park, famed for its purple-pink slot canyons and brilliant red landscape, 4.3 million people visited in 2018, up from 2.7 million in 2008. While down slightly from 2017 that’s still a 60% increase over a decade and enough to force the park to require permits for many areas.

However, Utah is big, and there’s more than just Zion and Arches to explore. When Jon and I joined the throngs of RVs, minivans, and mid-sized sedans on a summer road trip from Park City to Las Vegas, we plotted our road trip itinerary to see Utah’s less-crowded rock arches, slot canyons, and alpine forests, camping along the way.

To explore the best of Utah’s parks and monuments, without the crowds, outdoor-lovers will love this off-the-beaten-path, 7-day road trip itinerary through Utah.

Itinerary Overview: 7-Day Road Trip in Utah

Day 1	Arrive in Park City, Utah
Day 2	Drive from Park City to Moab
Day 3	Full day in Moab
Day 4	Drive from Moab to Escalante via Goblin Valley State Park
Day 5	Full day in Escalante
Day 6	Drive from Escalante to Zion
Day 7	Full day in Zion
Day 8	Drive back to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas Airport

Day 1: Arrive in Park City

Distance: 32 miles from SLC airport
Hours: 40 minutes

Park City / Photo by Olivia Hutcherson on Unsplash — Park City / Photo by Olivia Hutcherson on Unsplash

Start your trip in Park City, a quick 45-minute drive from Salt Lake City’s airport. Although the town is most famous for its ski slopes and playing host to the Sundance festival each winter, visitors will find plenty to do in warmer months as well. Once the snow thaws, many of Park City’s ski slopes turn into mountain bike trails.

If you have time, grab a mountain bike or your hiking sneakers and hit the trails to shake out those airplane legs. Then, treat yourself to dinner and drinks at one of Park City’s many restaurants. Go ahead, get fancy. You’re about to live off camp food and BLTs for a few days, so treat yourself to that wood-fired pizza and charcuterie plate.

Where to stay in Park City

Start your trip comfortably with a stay at the Washington Schoolhouse Hotel, located in a repurposed historic landmark originally built in 1889. Both architecturally interesting and filled with luxurious details—a pool and spa tucked into the hillside, marble baths, fireside cocktails—it’s the perfect spot to relax and recharge before a week camping in the desert.

Day 2: Park City to Moab

Distance: 240 miles
Hours: 4 hours

Start your day with a healthy breakfast and coffee at Harvest, a bright and airy cafe on the edge of Park City’s main strip. Before leaving town, stock up on a few healthy snacks, then hit the highway to drive straight to Moab. You could make a pit stop or two, but the main attraction is Moab and you’ll pass plenty of scenic vistas—from spruce forests to rolling deserts—along the way.

For a lunch stop, set your sights on Green River, a town 3 hours south of Park City, where you’ll find healthy fare in a scenic setting at riverside cafe Tamarisk.

Arrive in Moab in the late afternoon. If you’re fully stocked on groceries and beers, you can skip the town and head straight to your campground along the Colorado river. These campgrounds are also close to one of the area’s best kept secrets: a free hike to the stunning Corona Arch, which actually sits outside of Arches National Park (re: no fee). Set up camp, then lace up your shoes for a moderate, 3-mile round trip hike to the arch to watch the sun set and illuminate the desert in dramatic hues of pink and red.

Where to camp in Moab

There are several campgrounds along the Colorado River outside of Moab. Gold Bar Campground is the closest to Corona Arch (right across the street). Note that online reservations for Gold Bar are for the large group camping site, but individual sites for up to 10 people and two cars are first-come, first-serve. You do not need, and cannot make, advance reservations. Sites are $15 per night, which you can pay for in cash in a drop-box.

Day 3: Spend the Day in Moab

Although most people go to Moab to visit Arches National Park, we actually never entered it. As an avid mountain biker, Jon was more excited about hitting the bike trails; most of which sit outside the national park.

There are many options for mountain bike rentals in Moab. Moab MTB rental offers bikes for $55/day, guided tours, and showers you can use after you return your bike. However, we ended up renting from Chili Pepper Bikes which has high-end and premium rentals for $75-$100/day (fun story: I went to high school with the guy working there. Small world.)

If you’ve opted for the self-guided route, head to Slickrock for Moab’s original and most famous mountain bike trails. It’s an advanced and exposed trail best ridden during cooler months (which we learned the hard way). For easier mountain bike trails, explore one of the scenic options in Dead Horse State Park or Klondike Bluffs.

After a morning on the bike, grab a fresh wrap, burrito, or salad at the quirky Eklecticafe in downtown Moab. Then, stock up on cold beers from Moab Brewery and drive to Mill Creek Swimming Hole to cool down with a dip in the natural pools.

Day 4: Moab to Escalante via Goblin Valley State Park

Distance: 260 miles
Hours: 5 hours

Get up early because next up on the itinerary is a long, but beautiful drive to the town of Escalante, which sits on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 and is the jumping off point for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. After leaving Moab, you’ll backtrack a little bit and pass through the town of Green River again. This time, stop for breakfast and coffee at the cozy Green River Coffee Co, right off the main highway.

Stock up on a few snacks, gas, and plenty of water as well, because you’re about to head into a long stretch of desert. Along the way, stop at Goblin Valley State Park, which is famous for its valley full of mushroom-shaped, sandstone pinnacles known as hoodoos, locally called goblins. This unique, geological feature is well worth the hour detour.

After saying hello to the goblins, you’ll continue along some of Utah’s most scenic backroads and pass one of its many national parks, Capitol Reef, before arriving at the small, sleepy town of Escalante. Along the way, the road will take you across deserts, up and over mountains, and through cool, spruce tree forests. In the middle of it all, make time to stop for lunch at Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, nestled in a breezy grove of trees. Using ingredients from their farm, the James Beard Award winning restaurant serves a blend of fresh Western and Southwestern cuisine. Just be sure to time your arrival right—they’re closed between 2-5pm each day.

Where to eat in Escalante

Escalante Mercantile and Natural Grocery is the perfect spot to buy local produce and eggs, grab a good cup of coffee and fresh pastry, or hang out and listen to live music during the summer months.

Because of Utah’s strict alcohol laws, you won’t find beer and wine in grocery stores. Instead, head to Escalante Outfitters for a great selection of craft beer and wine to go. Or, stick around and order a pizza with your beer to eat in.

Where to camp in Escalante

Calf Creek campground, a BLM campground that you’ll pass before entering Escalante, has sites on a first-come first-serve basis. However, if you’re traveling during the summer months and want to escape the heat and dust, Posey Lake, which is a half-hour drive along a dirt road north of Escalante, sits at a higher elevation and is a cool, lakeside respite from the nearby desert.

Day 5: Full Day in Escalante

Zion may get all the attention for its slot canyons, but did you know that these iconic, wavy, rock formations exist all over the state? To explore slot canyons without the crowds, you can find a few off-the-beaten-path hikes around Escalante. In fact, much of the large Grand Staircase region is remote and few trailheads can be reached on paved roads, leaving most of them to be explored only by the most dedicated hikers.

If you’re an experienced hiker, leave your campground and spend the day with a hike to Zebra Slot Canyon. It’s a mostly exposed, 5-mile out-and-back hike, so it’s best to set out early and bring several liters of water with you. It’s also not very well marked so not the best trail for hikers with no outdoor experience. But for those with experience and drive, the end of the trail will lead you to an incredible maze of slot canyons you can scramble around.

Day 6: Escalante to Zion

Distance: 116 miles
Hours: 2 hours

The most scenic road out of Escalante will also take you through Utah’s most popular national park, Zion. But even in Zion, there are ways to avoid crowded trails and scenic overlooks.

Start your day with one last coffee and pastry at Escalante Mercantile before making the roughly two-hour drive to Zion National Park. You’ll enter through the east side of the park (you have to pay the national park fee or present a national park pass even if you’re just driving through), before coming out the other side to Zion’s main hub, Springdale.

Stop in town for a bite to eat before driving on to your campsite (or should I say, glamp-site?) for the night: Under Canvas. Check in, then stretch your legs with a nearby hike in a lesser-visited region of the (very large) Zion National Park.

Where to eat in Zion National Park

For cheap, simple sandwiches and salads, head to Park House Cafe for lunch. They also have an outdoor patio if the weather is nice. For dinner or more substantial fare, The Bit and Spur, a southwest grill in Springdale, is a great option. Across the street, Jack’s Sports Grill has one of the best beer selections in town.

Where to glamp in Zion National Park

Under Canvas was one of the main reasons Jon and I decided to add Zion National Park to our itinerary despite the crowds. This glamping resort, which sits on a remote, 196-acres of land 20 miles outside of Zion National Park, combines the best of a comfortable hotel and sleeping outdoors. Far from town, we were able to gaze out on vast, open skies at night, and wake up to an unobstructed view of the desert right outside of our tent.

Day 7: Full Day in Zion

Most people come to Zion to hike The Narrows, the famed slot-canyon trail that takes you through Zion Canyon and wading through rivers.

However, Zion and the area around it also has incredible rock climbing and canyoning. If you’re up for it, both of these sports offer a more unique, yet still canyon-filled, way of experiencing the park.

Experienced climbers can rent gear from Zion Mountaineering School in Springdale before climbing in Zion or the nearby and less crowded, St. George.

Since we were short on time and I’m a bit rusty on my outdoor climbing skills, Jon and I signed up for a guided, half-day canyoning tour through Under Canvas. Our guide, who had lived outside of Zion National Park for over 15 years, took us to a fun, beginner-friendly canyon that we would never have visited on our own.

After a full day of getting hot, sweaty, and dusty in the desert, we were ready for a cool shower and beer back at camp. As the sun set, the staff at Under Canvas lit a campfire and set out the s’mores so we could chat and roast marshmallows under a star-dotted sky.

Day 8: Zion to Las Vegas or Salt Lake City

From Zion National Park you can easily end your trip in Las Vegas or Salt Lake City and fly home from either airport. Las Vegas is an easy 2.5 hour drive and Salt Lake City is 4.5 hours via I-15.

What to pack for your Utah road trip

Driving through Utah will take you to a lot of remote spots. To prepare for your trip, be sure to pack:

Water bottles. Opt for something like the Hydro Flask 20oz ($38) water bottle that will let you hold a lot of water and keep it cold for hours—no desert-warmed water for this prepared adventurer.
Hiking shoes. For warm weather hikes, I prefer an agile trail runner over a boot, since they ‘re more breathable and less clunky.
Wet wipes. Pack wet wipes for emergency showers or a mid-day refresh from the dusty trails and roads. Personally, I like Acure’s Organic, Soothing Water Towelettes ($7) since they’re more gentle on my face.
Healthy car snacks. Pack some healthy car snacks to avoid relying on fast food and gas station snacks too much.
Car charger for your phone. Make sure you keep your phone charged with a car charger. For rentals, I like to pack a USB vehicle charger ($9) just in case.
Day bag for hikes. Bring a small, comfortable day bag to carry your snacks, water, and sunscreen in while hiking or biking around Utah’s parks. If you don’t already have one, Osprey makes some of my favorite backpacks, like their Hikelite 18L day bag ($85).
Sunscreen. Between high altitudes and desert heat, you’ll want to pack plenty of sunscreen.
Cooler. Many campervan rentals will have a cooler or fridge, but if you’re driving your own car or renting from a traditional rental car agency, grab a cooler to keep food fresh in the heat. If you’re flying, consider bringing a more portable, backpack cooler. I travel with the Monti Travel Cooler ($99-129) which packs down super small though Yeti also has a high-quality, portable cooler, the Hopper BackFlip ($299).
Bathing suit. Even amid Utah’s vast deserts, there are still swimming holes and rivers to splash around in. Be prepared and pack your bathing suit.
Camping towel. A small camping towel is good for campground showers or days spent by a river. If you rent a campervan, you’ll also need to bring your own towel.

Should you rent an RV, campervan, or regular car for your Utah road trip?

Posey Lake Campground outside of Escalante, Utah

Utah is a great state to explore with an RV but it’s very expensive if you don’t start and stop your trip in the same place. If you want to start in Salt Lake City and end in Las Vegas (or vice versa), it’s much cheaper to pack a tent and rent a car from a standard rental car agency, like Alamo. Jon and I ended up going this route.

If you rent a campervan or RV, start and end your trip in Salt Lake City, where you’ll find plenty of options for campervan rentals:

Outdoorsy. Outdoorsy is a peer-to-peer RV rental service (similar to Airbnb) with a range of campervan, RV, and trailer rentals across the U.S. You will have to start and end your trip in the same place, but if you’re looking for a variety of options and prices, Outdoorsy is a great choice.
Wandervans. This small campervan company operates in Boise and Salt Lake City and has vans that can sleep up to five people. Each van comes with a bed and small kitchen area, but no bathroom.
Native Campervans. Like Wandervans, Native has a fleet of small and large campervans complete with bedding and cooking equipment. They have locations in SLC and Las Vegas, so you do have the option to pick up and drop off in different locations—but for a $300 fee.
Basecamper Vans. Another small, SLC-based campervan rental company, Basecamper vans have fully equipped vans with bike racks, rooftop storage boxes, and easy-to-drive automatic transmission.

Also, keep in mind that you may encounter some dirt roads. We ended up driving on a couple of dirt roads to get to hiking trails and campgrounds, but had no problem in our rental sedan. We also saw a few campervans on these roads, but no large, traditional RVs.

When is the best time to visit Utah’s national parks?

The best time to visit Utah’s national parks is spring (April-May) or fall (September-October), when there are milder temperatures and fewer crowds. You can also catch wildflower blooms in the springtime.

Summertime is a more popular time to visit, but be prepared for hot temperatures at lower elevations and in Utah’s deserts.

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A 7-Day Utah Road Trip Itinerary for Outdoor Lovers

Itinerary Overview: 7-Day Road Trip in Utah