7-Day Utah’s National Parks Tour

USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum
After we pick you up from the Salt Lake City International Airport, the tour heads south to the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price. Inside you’ll come face to face with real dinosaur bones and full-body mounts, along with artifacts left by the Fremont people and skeletons of Ice Age mammals. It’s a great introduction to the deep history of the land you’re about to explore.

Dead Horse Point State Park
Just a few miles from Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point sits 2,000 feet above a sweeping bend in the Colorado River. The view from the overlook is one of the best in the state, and your guide will share the strange story behind the park’s name.

Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is split into three districts: the Maze, the Needles, and Island in the Sky. We’ll spend our time in Island in the Sky, a high mesa known for its sweeping panoramic overlooks and dark, star-filled skies. From the rim you’ll look down thousands of feet to the canyons and rivers below.

Moab
We’ll finish the day in Moab, the lively town that sits between Arches and Canyonlands. Walk the downtown shops and restaurants and settle into your hotel before tomorrow’s adventure.

Accommodations: Hotel in or near Moab

Meals: N/A

Arches National Park
With more than 2,000 arches, Arches National Park has the densest concentration of natural stone arches anywhere in the world. Short, easy trails lead right up to famous formations like Landscape Arch and Double Arch, and the more adventurous can take the longer hike out to Delicate Arch. This is one park you won’t want to miss!

Potash Road
Just outside of Moab, Potash Road follows the Colorado River with the water on one side and towering rock cliffs on the other. Your guide will point out ancient petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, and a few more arches you can reach on foot.

Adventure in Moab
The rest of the day is yours. Choose from activities like river rafting, speed boating, or a scenic helicopter ride (included in the price of your tour). Prefer something slower? Explore the town, hit a trail, or just soak in the Moab atmosphere before dinner.

Accommodations: Hotel in Moab

Meals: Breakfast

Goosenecks State Park
At Goosenecks, the San Juan River has carved a series of tight horseshoe bends deep into the rock over millions of years. We’ll take in views that stretch for miles and catch a look at Mexican Hat, a sombrero-shaped rock formation nearby.

Four Corners Monument
This is the only spot in the country where four states meet at once: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also marks the boundary between the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. Navajo vendors set up nearby selling handmade goods and local food.

Monument Valley
After driving the 17-mile scenic loop, we’ll stretch our legs on a short hike among towering buttes that rise more than 1,000 feet from the valley floor. You’ll recognize this landscape from countless films, including the cross-country running scene in Forrest Gump. Keep your camera ready, as this is one of the most photographed landscapes in the American West.

Accommodations: Hotel near Monument Valley

Meals: Breakfast

Goblin Valley State Park
Our first stop is Goblin Valley, named for the thousands of strange hoodoos, or columns of weathered stone, scattered across the park. There are no marked trails here, so you’re free to wander right up to the formations and take photos. If time allows, your guide will lead a short hike to Goblins Lair, a surprisingly tall hidden cave.

Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef is known for its white sandstone domes and the Waterpocket Fold, a wrinkle in the Earth’s crust that runs for nearly 100 miles where ancient tectonic forces buckled the rock. The Fremont people left pictographs throughout the area, and we’ll visit the historic orchards of Fruita, where you may even get to pick some fruit in season.

Highway 12 Scenic Byway
Highway 12 is one of the most scenic drives in the country. This 124-mile route winds through steep sandstone canyons and over narrow ridges, passing several national and state parks along the way, including Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Covering nearly 1.9 million acres, Grand Staircase-Escalante is some of the most remote country in the lower 48. We won’t be stopping, but you’ll take in the sheer scale and beauty of the region as we pass through.

Accommodations: Hotel near Grand Staircase

Meals: Breakfast

Bryce Canyon National Park
From its pink and white cliffs to its endless hoodoos, Bryce Canyon leaves a lasting impression. The rim has many easy-to-reach viewpoints that are perfect for photography. For a closer look, your guide can lead you down into the canyon on the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trail, winding past rock formations thousands of years in the making.

Zion National Park
Zion’s wind-sculpted canyons and trails have something for everyone. If you’d rather stay in the car, you’ll love the intricate patterns of Checkerboard Mesa along the park’s eastern road. If you’re up for a walk, the Canyon Overlook Trail, the Riverside Walk, and the short path to Weeping Rock all offer stunning views.

Kanab
We’ll end the day in Kanab. With its dramatic red sandstone cliffs, the town has stood in for the Old West in dozens of Hollywood films and shows, from the Lone Ranger to Planet of the Apes. Kanab is our base for the next two nights.

Accommodations: Hotel in Kanab

Meals: Breakfast

Horseshoe Bend
Today we visit one of the Southwest’s most iconic sights. A short, scenic walk of about 1.5 miles round trip leads to the overlook at Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado River carves a dramatic 270-degree curve through vibrant red sandstone cliffs. The panoramic views are unforgettable, especially at sunrise or sunset, and your guide will share the geology and history behind this natural marvel. Wear sturdy shoes, bring water, and be ready for plenty of sun.

Moqui Cave
Tucked into a sandstone hillside just north of Kanab, Moqui Cave stays a cool 65°F even on the hottest days. Once used for shelter by the area’s earliest peoples and later run as a Prohibition-era speakeasy, it was purchased by the Chamberlain family in 1951 and turned into the quirky natural history museum it is today. Inside you’ll find Native American artifacts, dinosaur tracks, and one of the largest fluorescent mineral displays in the country.

Accessibility Note
The Horseshoe Bend trail is not fully wheelchair accessible, but those with limited mobility may still be able to enjoy parts of the path with assistance.

Accommodations: Hotel near Kanab

Meals: Breakfast

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
We’ll start the morning at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, where rolling dunes of soft pink and coral colored sand stretch toward red cliffs in the distance. Formed over thousands of years from eroded Navajo sandstone, the dunes are a favorite for photography and sandboarding. You’ll fall in love with this one-of-a-kind landscape.

Mystic Hot Springs*
Following Coral Pink Sand Dunes, we’ll make our way to Mystic Hot Springs, a rustic soaking spot in the small town of Monroe. The mineral-rich water is the perfect place to relax and unwind after a week on the road.

Salt Lake City
If you’re departing from Salt Lake City, your guide will drop you at the airport or a hotel of your choosing. Settled in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, Salt Lake City has grown into Utah’s capital and a gateway to the West. Time permitting, your guide can show you the twin hearts of the city: Temple Square and the State Capitol.

Las Vegas
If you’d prefer to end your trip in Las Vegas, note that this route skips Mystic Hot Springs. Your guide will drop you at the airport or a Las Vegas hotel around midday.

Accommodations: N/A

Meals: Breakfast