Mighty 5 Utah From Salt Lake City

Arrive at the SLC Airport. Please use Uber, taxi, or an airport shuttle to get you to the hotel on your own. The rest of the day you are free to explore or relax. There are many activities to enjoy in this unique metropolis. Either use the many resources on the Internet to plan your day or feel free to contact us to help you plan your free day here. You might even think about arriving a day earlier or leaving a day later to see and enjoy everything there is in Salt Lake City.

Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Salt Lake City, UT or similar

Depart Salt Lake City at 7:00am and soon you’ll be climbing into the Wasatch Mountains over Soldier Summit and down into the northern edge of the San Rafael Swell. Looking to the south, you’ll see one of the most remote and uninhabited sections of Utah. Looking the other direction, you’ll pass by the golden Book Cliffs.

After stopping for lunch along the way, you’ll enjoy the rest of the day in Canyonlands National Park Island in the Sky District, stopping at various overlooks and peering down into a seemingly endless labyrinth of canyons. You’ll see why Mesa Arch is one of the most photographed arches in all of the Western U.S. Along with Mesa Arch, we’ll show you other overlooks, such as Grand Viewpoint, that will make it a full afternoon of sightseeing. Afterwards, we’ll head down to and enjoy some time at the adventure-resort town of Moab with its collection of restaurants, microbreweries, shops, and galleries.

Homewood Suites by Hilton, Moab, UT or similar | Meals: B, L

Today we get an early start so that we can enter Arches National Park to beat the crowds. We’ll spend the morning exploring these timeless landscapes of unusual rock formations, most notably, arches eroded out of solid sandstone. Depending on time and parking availability, stops might include the Courthouse Towers and Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, Double Arch, the Windows Section including Turret Arch, North and South Window, and the hike to Delicate Arch. It will be a morning full of seeing amazing geologic features that you won’t see anywhere else.

After returning to Moab for lunch, you’ll take an afternoon scenic drive or hike along the Colorado River that will showcase ancient petroglyphs depicting animals, humans, and geometric patterns carved onto red-rock walls. Plus, the scenery from the river level will be much different than the previous day up in Canyonlands. Afterwards, what you didn’t see in Moab yesterday evening, you’ll have another chance this evening!

Homewood Suites by Hilton, Moab, UT or similar | Meals: B, L

Another morning starts another day loaded with spectacular scenery. This time it’s off to Goblin Valley State Park for a fun visit to a unique and little-known State Park with yet more unusual rock formations just outside of Capitol Reef. We’ll take some time to walk around these unusual creations of Mother Nature and wonder what movies we may have seen that were filmed here.

Afterwards, we cruise along the Fremont River and pass by the unique monolith of Factory Butte before reaching Capital Reef National Park. Time permitting, we’ll explore the Grand Wash Narrows, a deep chasm carved out of sandstone, or Hickman Bridge, a 133-foot natural bridge, before a stop at Panoramic Point. We then continue the short distance and retire for the evening in Torrey.

Capitol Reef Resort, Torrey, UT or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Spend the morning visiting more of Capitol Reef with stops and short hiking opportunities at Cohab Canyon, Cassidy Arch, Chimney Rock, or Sulphur Creek, before continuing over Scenic Highway 12. Highway 12 has been rated one of the top-10 most scenic drives in the United States, and we’ll traverse its entire 123 mile (197 km) length.

And the reason for much of the beauty of Hwy 12? It passes mostly through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We’ll pass over the narrow Hoggs Back, where we may need to blindfold some guests, pass through the canyons of Calf Creek, take a short side trip that ends at one of our surprises, then weave through the Escalante Canyons region. Further down the road, we’ll pass by the Gray Cliffs and the Kaiparowits Plateau where paleontologists have recently been making many exciting dinosaur fossil discoveries. Afterwards, we continue our journey to Bryce Canyon National Park for a short hike to Mossy Cave. Finally, at the end of the day, you will enjoy some good 'ol fashioned western hospitality at the classic Ruby’s Inn.

Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, Bryce Cyn City, UT or similar | Meals: B, L, D

Before starting the day, everybody must see the view from atop Bryce Point, preferably at sunrise. It’s a crowd-pleaser and simply breathtaking! Then, our morning will be filled with hiking and sightseeing opportunities. For the heartier, we offer a long or longer hike through the Bryce Amphitheater, using either the Queen’s Garden Trail or the Peekaboo Loop. For our guests that prefer to relax and take a leisurely stroll, we recommend walking between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. Like Zion, there’s also a shuttle bus available here during certain times of the year that our guests can take and see different viewpoints. Whether you’re hiking or sightseeing, you will have plenty of time to explore this fairytale land of unique hoodoos, arches, windows and spires.

Later in the day, you’ll drive past Red Canyon, down scenic Highway 89 then lastly passing through the east section of Zion National Park, where you’ll pass through Zion's famous wild swirling sandstone formations and possibly hike the East Canyon Overlook Trail for a bird’s-eye view of the canyon. Continue the short drive to the charming town of Springdale.

Springhill Suites by Marriott, Springdale, UT or similar | Meals: B, L

Inside Zion Canyon, consider hiking and traversing the 3-mile Emerald Pools loop to see a series of pools and waterfalls. Other possible hikes include climbing up to Scouts Lookout with jaw-dropping views of Angels Landing above and Zion Canyon below, a longer hike through Zion Canyon Narrows or, for those that prefer easy walking, try the Pa’rus Trail. All hikes are subject to time and weather permitting. Return to Salt Lake City by 6:00pm (4.5 hour drive from Zion).

Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Salt Lake City, UT or similar | Meals: B, L

Transfer to the Salt Lake Airport on own by hotel shuttle for your departure flight home.

Meals: B