A Guide to National Parks in Utah

Utah is home to five national parks, from the delicate sandstone monuments of Arches National Park to the geological wonders of Capitol Reef National Park.
Written by R.E. Fulton
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Towering rock spires, plunging canyons, glittering night skies—Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks have it all. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks are all located in southern Utah. 
National parks are among the most popular road trip destinations, but not every state has them.
Utah
is the state with the third most national parks, right behind
California
and
Alaska
, and each one offers its own unique beauty and excitement. 
Here to guide you through the sandstone labyrinths of Utah’s five national parks is car insurance comparison super app
Jerry
. We’ll cover everything you need to know to plan a road trip to these incredible destinations—including how to find the right insurance to protect your expedition. 

Arches National Park

Location:
Moab
, Utah
Hours of operation: 24 hours, year-round (
timed daytime entry
April 3, 2022 through October 3, 2022)
Admission price: $15 per person, $30 per vehicle (good for seven days)

What makes Arches National Park special

Located in southeastern Utah,
Arches National Park
is one of the state’s greatest landmarks. Its natural sandstone arches—over 2,000 of them—have become a state symbol. 
  • Landscape Arch
    , located in the popular
    Devils Garden
    hiking area, is the longest natural arch in the United States and the fifth-longest in the world, at 290.1 feet!
  • This 73,000-acre sandstone wonderland is home to countless animals, including kangaroo rats and desert bighorn sheep

What to do in Arches National Park

From casual strolls through some of the country’s most striking landscapes to rugged rock climbing adventures, Arches has something for everyone! 
  • Hiking: Arches’
    hiking trails
    range from a 20-minute wheelchair-accessible around the base of the gravity-defying Balanced Rock to a nearly 8-mile trek along the Primitive Trail in Devils Garden. 
  • Stargazing: The arches aren’t the only stunning part of this landscape—the night sky is another major draw. Head into the park on your own, or catch a ranger-led
    stargazing event
  • Junior Ranger Program: Visiting with kids? Be sure to pick up a
    Junior Ranger
    booklet and an Explorer Pack. 
  • Scenic drives: Opt for one of the popular
    auto touring routes
    past Delicate Arch and The Windows—or, if you’ve got a 4WD vehicle with high clearance, strike out on one of the park’s unpaved roads. 

When to visit Arches National Park

May and September are the best months to visit Arches National Park. Why? It’s all about the thermometer: with average mean temperatures of 66.6 F and 72.7 F respectively, these two months show you Arches at its best. 
If you’re hoping to skip the crowds, however, consider
visiting Arches in the winter
. You’ll see a different side of the park when the sandstone’s dusted in snow. 
Pro Tip If you travel with pets, be aware that they’re not allowed in most areas of Arches National Park, including any hiking trails or buildings. 
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Bryce Canyon National Park

Location: Bryce, Utah
Hours of operation: 24 hours, year-round (visitors center and fee booths closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Admission price: $20 per person, $35 per vehicle (good for seven days)

What makes Bryce Canyon National Park special

Steep sandstone cliffs eroded into bizarre, almost lifelike figures make Bryce Canyon stand out among Utah’s spectacular national parks. 
  • The park has the largest concentration of hoodoos—irregular rock spires—anywhere on earth
  • Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon! It’s named for Mormon homesteader Ebenezer Bryce, who lived in the area in the late 1800s. 

What to do in Bryce Canyon National Park

Driving
is the primary way to see Bryce Canyon’s incredible natural scenery, but it’s not the only thing to do in the park. 

When to visit Bryce Canyon National Park

If you’re hoping to hike through the hoodoos, visit in the spring or autumn to avoid dangerously hot temperatures. For bird enthusiasts, however, the perfect time to visit Bryce Canyon is December, when the annual
Christmas Bird Count
takes place. 

Canyonlands National Park 

Location: Moab, Utah
Hours of operation: 24 hours, year-round
Admission price: $15 per person, $30 per vehicle

What makes Canyonlands National Park special

Canyonlands is Utah’s least-visited national park—but it’s got as much to offer as others! The Colorado and Green Rivers divide Canyonlands into three districts: 
  • The Island in the Sky: Named for a mesa that rises 1,000 feet above the desert, this area is the most accessible part of the park. 
  • The Needles: Look no farther than the sharp sandstone spires in the park’s southeast corner to understand where this rugged district gets its name. 
  • The Maze: For self-sufficient adventurers, the Maze is Canyonlands’ most remote area. 

What to do in Canyonlands National Park

Whether you’re looking for a rugged backcountry experience or a place to take vacation pics that will make your friends jealous, you’ll have a full itinerary at Canyonlands. 
  • Hiking and backpacking: In addition to a healthy crop of
    hiking trails
    for every difficulty level, Canyonlands permits
    backpacking
    in all three districts. 
  • Boating: The rivers are what make Canyonlands what it is—and you can explore them up close with
    a private permit
  • Auto touring: Offroading is not permitted, but if you’ve got a 4WD vehicle with high clearance, you can tackle Canyonlands’ hundreds of miles of
    unpaved roads.
     

When to visit Canyonlands National Park

Like most high desert regions, Canyonlands experiences its most temperate weather in spring and fall, which are the most popular seasons to visit the park. If you’re hoping for 60 to 80-degree temperatures, aim for May or September. 
Visitor services are reduced in
winter
, but it’s the best time to visit if you want to avoid crowds and save money on lodging. 
Pro Tip Keep in mind that there are no places to get food inside the park. Visit a restaurant in nearby
Moab
for provisions. 

Capitol Reef National Park

Location: Torrey, Utah
Hours of operation: 24 hours, year-round
Admission price: $10 for bicycles and pedestrians, $20 for vehicles

What makes Capitol Reef National Park special

Capitol Reef Park is a monumental chapter in prehistoric geology frozen in rock. The
Waterpocket Fold
, the heart of Capitol Reef Park, is a dramatic hundred-mile crease in the earth’s crust formed approximately 65 million years ago. 
  • Capitol Reef Park was originally known as “Wayne Wonderland” for the county where it’s partially located, but it was renamed for a series of white sandstone domes that resemble the US capitol rotunda
  • The word “reef” in the park’s name comes from early European pioneers, who saw the vast barrier of the Fold as a kind of reef on land
  • In
    2015
    , Capitol Reef Park was officially designated as an International Dark Sky Park

What to do in Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef Park is a great place to visit with both
pets
and
kids
  • Fruita Historic District: From scenic drives, hiking, and camping to ancient petroglyphs and a preserved homestead,
    Fruita
    truly has everything.  
  • Remote driving tours: If your vehicle has high clearance, you can take a drive through the beautiful wilderness of
    Cathedral Valley
    or the
    Waterpocket District
    —no four-wheel drive required!
  • Orchards: If you come at the right time of year, you could pick
    heirloom fruits from orchards
    planted over a hundred years ago by Mormon settlers.  

When to visit Capitol Reef National Park

You may want to avoid the park from July to September, when monsoon season means
frequent flash flood warnings
and lots of rainy days. April and May are among the best months to visit Capitol Reef. 
Pro Tip If you do visit during the rainy season, be sure to check local forecasts daily to avoid dangerous conditions! 

Zion National Park

Location: Springdale, Utah
Hours of operation: 24 hours, year-round (shuttle and facility schedules change seasonally)
Admission price: $20 per person, $35 per vehicle

What makes Zion National Park special

Zion Canyon, a yawning sandstone gorge cut by the Virgin River tributary of the Colorado River, is the heart of Zion—but it’s not the only thing that sets this park apart. 
  • In 2009, Barack Obama signed a bill designating 124,406 acres of the park as the
    Zion Wilderness
  • Zion’s steep cliffs, along with those of Bryce Canyon National Park, form part of the
    Grand Staircase
    , a colossal sequence of rock formations stretching south to the Grand Canyon. 

What to do in Zion National Park

  • Hiking: The park’s
    most popular hiking trails
    are in Zion Canyon, but you can also find gorgeous and challenging hikes in Kolob Canyons and in the low-lying southwestern desert area. 
  • Birding: There are
    291 distinct bird species
    in Zion National Park, from the adorable Mexican Spotted Owl to the critically-endangered California Condor. 
  • Canyoneering and rock climbing: Get a
    Wilderness Permit
    or an
    Overnight Climbing Permit
    to explore the canyon in the most hands-on way possible. 

When to visit Zion National Park

There’s
no wrong time of year to visit Zion
, but if you want to skip the crowds, avoid the worst of the heat, and still enjoy the peak of Zion’s natural beauty, visit in September or October

How to prepare to visit Utah’s national parks

Before you head to any of Utah’s breathtaking national parks, start off on the right foot with these tips from car insurance super app Jerry: 
Jerry can help with that last step. In 45 seconds, Jerry searches for customized insurance quotes from the nation’s top providers to find you the definitive lowest rate on the coverage you need. Want to upgrade your policy with a
towing and labor
provision in case you run into trouble in the backcountry? Jerry can help with that. 
On average, Jerry users save $887 a year on car insurance. That’s over 10 times the cost of an annual pass to all 63 national parks—including Utah’s Mighty Five. 
“I was nervous to buy insurance for my first car because I had heard horror stories about insurance prices. After not even two minutes, I found four quotes from
Jerry
under $125/month. By the end of the night, I was on the road safe and insured!” —Reuben R.
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