Utah's Mighty 5: The Complete 7-Day National Parks Road Trip

Drive east on I-15 and drop into Springdale, the gateway town pressed against Zion Canyon's south entrance. The Zion Canyon shuttle system operates March through November — personal vehicles cannot enter the main canyon during this window. Park at the Visitor Center and board the shuttle.

• Zion Canyon Shuttle — mandatory March–November; runs every 5–7 min from the Visitor Center to Temple of Sinawava
• The Narrows (bottom-up day hike) — wade upstream from the Temple of Sinawava; no permit needed for day hiking, stick to the main channel
• Angels Landing permit lottery — apply on recreation.gov 3 months before your trip date; $6/person if drawn

Springdale has limited lodging and it books out weeks in advance for spring and fall weekends. Book before you leave for this trip.

Use the full second day to hike Zion's two best trails without the crowds of a single rushed visit. Canyon Overlook Trail needs no shuttle and delivers the most dramatic photography light at sunrise. Observation Point via the East Mesa Trail is the quieter, equal-view alternative to Angels Landing.

• Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mi, 30 min) — best sunrise viewpoint in the park, accessible without the shuttle, no permit required
• Observation Point via East Mesa Trail (7 mi round trip, moderate) — approaches the summit from the east rim, far less crowded than the Angels Landing route, equal views over Zion Canyon
• Pa'rus Trail (3.5 mi, flat, paved) — riverside walk connecting the campgrounds; good for late-afternoon decompression before dinner in Springdale

Depart Springdale late afternoon — the drive to Bryce Canyon City is 84 miles and under 1.5 hours, easy even after a full hiking day.

Drive east on UT-9 through the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel (fee for RVs and oversized vehicles, free for standard cars), then north on US-89 to Bryce Canyon City. Bryce sits on a high plateau — the rim elevation is 8,000–9,000 ft, making it noticeably cooler than Zion's canyon bottom.

• Sunrise Point at dawn — the single most photogenic moment on the entire Mighty 5 circuit; the amphitheater hoodoos catch the first orange light from the east
• Navajo Loop + Queen's Garden combo trail (2.9 mi, 2 hrs) — the must-do hike; descends into the hoodoo formations and loops back via different terrain; start from Sunset Point
• Bryce Point overlook — best panoramic view of the full amphitheater; accessible by car and a short walk from the parking area

Altitude sickness is real at Bryce — the rim sits at 8,000–9,000 ft. If you're arriving from sea level, hydrate aggressively on Day 3 and go slower than you think you need to on the first hike.

Drive south on US-89, then east on UT-12 — one of the most beautiful two-lane highways in the United States. UT-12 crosses the Hogsback ridge (no guardrails, narrow — drive it slowly and pull over for photos), descends into the red-rock canyon of Escalante, and climbs through Grand Staircase before delivering you to Torrey and the Capitol Reef entrance.

• UT-12 Scenic Byway — budget an extra 60–90 minutes for stops; the Hogsback section and the Escalante overlooks are reason enough to drive this highway slowly
• Capitol Reef Scenic Drive (8 mi, paved, no additional fee beyond park entrance) — follows the Waterpocket Fold; drive the full length to the Capitol Gorge trailhead
• Fruita Orchards — pick free fruit in season (cherries June, peaches August, apples September–October); the orchards are maintained by the NPS and this is completely legal

Capitol Reef is the least visited of the Mighty 5 and the most underrated. No timed entry reservation is required — you can pull in at any time.

Drive east on UT-24 to I-70 East, then south on US-191 into Moab. Arches requires a timed entry reservation April through October — book on recreation.gov when reservations open in January for spring and fall dates. The fee is $2 per reservation (separate from the park entrance fee).

• Delicate Arch hike (3 mi round trip, 480 ft gain) — go 90 minutes before sunset; the arch catches perfect orange-red light and the crowd is smaller than the midday rush
• Windows Section — short paved paths to Double Arch, North Window, and South Window; the best option for non-hikers or as a morning warmup before Delicate Arch
• Balanced Rock — a 5-minute roadside stop that photographs well from the parking area

Moab has the best restaurant selection on the entire loop — this is your best dinner night. Book a table before you arrive.

Island in the Sky is the most accessible of Canyonlands' three districts and delivers the most expansive viewpoint of any US national park. No timed entry reservation is required. Important: fill your tank, water bottles, and food supplies in Moab before driving in — Canyonlands has no gas, no food, and no potable water inside the park.

• Mesa Arch at sunrise (0.6 mi trail, 15 min) — the iconic arch-over-canyon photograph; arrive 30 minutes before sunrise to claim a position at the arch's edge; the arch glows orange as the sun rises through it
• Grand View Point overlook (1.8 mi out-and-back to the end) — arguably the single most expansive viewpoint in any US national park; the trail follows the mesa rim 1,000 ft above the White Rim
• Upheaval Dome overlook (0.8 mi round trip) — a geologically bizarre circular crater, either a collapsed salt dome or a meteor impact; the first overlook is worth the 10-minute walk

Canyonlands has no services inside the park — no water, no food, no fuel. Fill everything in Moab before driving the 32 miles to the Island in the Sky entrance.

This is a long drive day — 460 miles via I-70 West and I-15 South. Break it at Richfield, UT (approximately 3.5 hours from Moab) for lunch. The I-70 stretch west of Green River crosses the San Rafael Swell — dramatic canyon scenery at 75 mph, a fitting final view of Utah's geology before the interstate straightens out toward Las Vegas.

• Richfield, UT — fuel and lunch break at the midpoint (3.5 hrs from Moab, 3 hrs from Las Vegas)
• Green River, UT — an alternative lunch stop 1.5 hours from Moab with views over the Green River canyon; shorter break if you want to push the drive
• I-70 San Rafael Swell viewpoints — pull over at signed viewpoints between Green River and Salina for a final look at Utah's canyon geology from the highway

There is no gas between Torrey and Green River (110 miles). If you're returning through Torrey, fill up before leaving. This applies on any loop direction.