Mighty 5 Utah From Salt Lake City

By going on one of our most popular tours, Southwest Adventure Tours will show you Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks in 8 days. Those parks are Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Each park will enable you to see spectacular scenery and unique geological formations all within the southern half of Utah.

We love to show off our home State of Utah, so guiding your tour in these parks and the other scenic areas we cover is our specialty. All of our tour guides have been to these places many, many times. We know all these places like the backs of our hands. We’ll show you all the places that other people don’t know about!

This tour is purposely designed to have a day on each end of the tour to plan travel into and out of Salt Lake City. Our tour is also customizable. It can include more physical and adventurous activities, more leisurely sightseeing, or more days to do both! It can also be modified to spend more time in specific places. Contact us for further details.

Our Mighty 5 tours consist of small groups of no more than 13 guests and a private guide. Hiking, scenic viewpoints, local eateries, hidden gems, and other fantastic experiences await anyone joining us on this tour. It will be a week of adventure that you won’t soon forget!

Tour Highlights:

  • See all of Utah’s 5 national parks
  • Overnight stays in the towns of Moab, Torey, and Springdale
  • Goblin Valley State Park
  • Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument
  • Scenic Highway 12, All-American Road
  • Those booked on the August 6th departure will enjoy a complimentary concert by the Utah Symphony. To learn more click here.

Inclusions:

  • Services of a Southwest Adventure Tours tour director – a professional tour guide
  • Comfortable transportation
  • 7 nights hotel accommodations at 3-star hotels
  • 7 breakfasts
  • 6 lunches
  • 2 dinners
  • Park entrance fees
  • Water
  • Applicable taxes and fees

Daily Breakdown:

  • Day 1: Arrive Salt Lake City, UT
  • Day 2: Salt Lake City to Canyonlands National Park (Overnight Moab)
  • Day 3: Arches National Park & Surrounding Areas (Overnight Moab)
  • Day 4: Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef (Overnight Torrey)
  • Day 5: Highway 12, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bryce Canyon (Overnight Bryce Canyon City)
  • Day 6: Bryce Canyon National Park & Zion National Park (Overnight Springdale)
  • Day 7: Explore Zion National Park & Return to Salt Lake City (Overnight Salt Lake City)
  • Day 8: Salt Lake Airport & Home

Some of the Mighty 5's Highlights:

Itinerary:

  • 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

Visual Itinerary Video:

Tour Details:

Not Included:

  • Items of a personal nature (alcohol, room service, etc.)
  • Meals (both lunch and dinner)
  • Optional activities
  • Airfare
  • Gratuities for the tour director

Arrival / Departure Info:

  • Arrival Location: Salt Lake City Airport (SLC)
  • Arrival Time: Any time on day 1
  • Departure Location: Salt Lake City Airport (SLC)
  • Departure Time: Any time on day 8

Similar Tours:

Note:

Southwest Adventure Tours is an authorized permittee of the following parks:

  • Arches National Park
  • Bryce Canyon National Park
  • Capitol Reef National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Goblin Valley State Park
  • Zion National Park

Pricing:

Peak Season (May 1 - Oct 15)
  • $3,499.00 USD Per Person Double Occupancy
  • $3,899.00 USD Per person Single Occupancy
  • $3,299.00 USD Per Person Triple Occupancy
  • $3,199.00 USD Per Person Quad Occupancy 
Off Season (Oct 16 - Apr 30)
  • $2,999.00 USD Per Person Double Occupancy 
  • $3,399.00 USD Per Person Single Occupancy 
  • $2,849.00 USD Per Person Triple Occupancy
  • $2,799.00 USD Per Person Quad Occupancy

2023 Departure Dates:

October 1, 2023 October 8, 2023
October 15, 2023 October 22, 2023
   

 

October 29, 2023 (Sold Out) November 5, 2023
November 12, 2023 November 19, 2023
   

2024 Departure Dates:

January 7, 2024 January 14, 2024
January 21, 2024 January 28, 2024
February 4, 2024 February 11, 2024
February 18, 2024 February 25, 2024
March 3, 2024 March 10, 2024
March 17, 2024 March 24, 2024
March 31, 2024 April 7, 2024
April 14, 2024 April 21, 2024
April 28, 2024 May 5, 2024
May 12, 2024 May 19, 2024
May 26, 2024 June 2, 2024
June 9, 2024 June 16, 2024
June 23, 2024 June 30, 2024

 

July 7, 2024 July 14, 2024
July 21, 2024 July 28, 2024
August 4, 2024 August 11, 2024
August 18, 2024 August 25, 2024
September 1, 2024 September 8, 2024
September 15, 2024 September 22, 2024
September 29, 2024 October 6, 2024
October 13, 2024 October 20, 2024
October 27, 2024 November 3, 2024
November 10, 2024 November 17, 2024
November 24, 2024 December 1, 2024
December 8, 2024 December 15, 2024
December 22, 2024 December 29, 2024

Day Tours From Salt Lake City

Since your tour begins and ends in Salt Lake City, why not spend one or two more days and go on one of our day tours? We have multiple options to explore this unique metropolitan area. Options include a trip out to the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island where you can experience a unique biosphere and body of water that impacts millions of people and is essential to the habitat for thousands of species of animals and birds. Or enjoy exploring downtown Salt Lake City with a historic walking tour or driving tour. You will have the opportunity to learn about the settling of the region, the mixture of different cultures and religions that call Salt Lake Home, and the beautiful and eclectic combination of architecture and history that continues to influence this area even today.

Come enjoy one of these experiences. Your Adventure Awaits!

From the Blog