On August 9th we ventured farther west to begin our tour of Utah’s famous National Parks…nicknamed The Mighty 5. It was exciting to finally get to Utah and see the parks we’ve heard so much about. We spent roughly 3-4 days at each park, which isn’t nearly enough to see everything but does give you time to do quite a bit if you plan well. Our game plan began first at each Visitor Center to see the overview video and get maps and hiking information. Of course, we also got our Passport Book stamped and purchased postcards for each park. I haven’t bought postcards in a long time but decided to send them to our two grown children so they can follow along with us as we travel the country.
Our first stop was Moab Utah, where we stayed at Spanish Trail RV Park. There was a gorgeous view from our coach each evening as the sun set over some of the amazing red rock formations. We got up early for the visit to Arches National Park to avoid the crowds, arriving there about 7:30 am. August is a very busy month for tourists, especially from other countries: we heard at least 7 different languages that we could identify! Another benefit of going early is that you can beat some of the desert heat—temperatures were in the high 90s and 100s every day.
Arches National Park:
Arches National Park has over 2000 amazing arches, ranging in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum to be considered an arch) to the longest, Landscape Arch, which is 306 feet from base to base. Erosion over time from water, ice, wind, extreme temperatures, and shifting faults deep in the Earth are responsible for the beautiful sandstone arches in the park. You can drive along the main road and stop at the attractions, either at pullovers or parking lots. To get the best views, we hiked out to the Double Arch, Balanced Rock, and Landscape Arch. You could spend days doing all the hikes, so you just have to plan out how much you have time ( and energy) for.
There are many other options in Moab as well. Canyonlands Sound and Light Show was recommended by a fellow RVer. Our ticket included a cowboy style buffet dinner followed by a slow cruise along the Colorado River with historical narration and lights. We also did a fun whitewater kayaking trip with Canyon Voyages Adventure Company. Our guide, Constance, was great and we met fellow kayakers from Switzerland, Gean Phillippe and Stephane. Afterwards we enjoyed awesome brick oven pizza at Antica Forma, and Nutella pizza for dessert!
Canyonlands National Park:
Another great thing about staying in Moab is that you can visit two national parks in the same trip. Canyonlands National Park is about 30 miles from Arches, so we also got in park #2 while at Moab. While Arches has formations that stick up from the ground, Canyonlands has deep canyons that have been carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. The most visited part of the park is the Island in the Sky area, as the other two areas are more remote and primitive. It is a broad mesa wedged between the two rivers that allows you to look down into the sheer canyons below. We hiked to Upheaval Dome which included areas of “slick rock” where we followed cairns that marked the path. Mesa Arch was so beautiful, and Buck Canyon Overlook was cool because, well we are Bucks, of course!
We also met new friend Dan Billek at our campground in Moab. We discovered that we had the same itinerary and even the same campgrounds planned for our Utah park route! It was nice seeing a familiar face at each place😊 We had dinner together in Torrey and happy hour at Bryce Canyon, as well as comparing notes about what to see and do in the parks. Happy travels, Dan!
Capitol Reef National Park:
On to park #3: Capitol Reef National Park. A funny thing happened as we filled up with gas before parking at the campground. We met a group of about 25 deaf bikers from Switzerland who wanted to know all about our coach. What are the odds that we meet people from Switzerland two days in a row?! We stayed at Wonderland RV Park in Torrey Utah, which was one of the prettiest and well-maintained campgrounds we have visited. They also had the largest and best dog area…with actual grass! We enjoyed a great dinner at The The Saddlery Cowboy Bar and Steakhouse, which is a huge restaurant for such a small town.
The town of Torrey is VERY small, and we found Capitol Reef National Park the least crowded of them all. We hiked to Cassidy Arch one day and did the Capitol Gorge trail another day. One road had a Marmot Crossing sign—I had never seen one of those before—and as we drove by an actual marmot crossed the road! I wish I had had my camera ready, but we did go back and take a picture of the sign at least. Who knew the marmots were really going to cross there?!
Bryce Canyon National Park:
It was a climb in elevation as we headed next to Bryce Canyon National Park (park #4). How nice it was to experience 80-degree days and 50-degree nights after all the triple digit weather we had been experiencing! We stayed at Ruby’s Inn and RV Park, which is a large and well-appointed complex with a store, hotel, campground, and activities right outside of Bryce National Park. We rented an ATV and enjoyed a tour of the area, including encountering a herd of pronghorn. Our guide, John, was very informative and interesting. The live country music dinner show at Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill was fun and featured the Bryce Canyon Wranglers. You can book all activities through Ruby’s Inn.
Bryce Canyon was the first park where a shuttle bus carried visitors throughout the park. You could also drive your car, but since parking is limited the shuttle was an easy option. We rode all the way to Bryce Point and then hiked the rim trail for 5 miles past Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point. It was an easy trail along the rim which allowed views of the huge amphitheaters full of thousands of hoodoos. Hoodoos are limestone pillars that eroded out of the cliffs where rows of narrow walls formed. Frost-wedging enlarges the cracks creating holes that later collapse, leaving a column. I couldn’t stop looking at all of them!
We also ventured down the Navajo Loop Trail deep into Wall Street at the bottom of the canyon. It was great for a different perspective looking up at the hoodoos, but the hard part was the steep hike all the way back up! Finally, we did a short hike along the Mossy Cave trail to see the cave and waterfall. We even earned our “I hiked the Hoodoos” badge:)
Zion National Park:
The last park, Zion National Park, completed the circuit of the Mighty 5. We camped at WillowWind RV Park in Hurricane, Utah, which is about 20 minutes from Zion. Shade trees at the campground made the 102-degree days a little more bearable. It was nice to be in a bigger town where we could stock up on supplies and dog food. Zion also had the shuttle bus, which is mandatory at this park for most of the attractions. We encountered the most crowds here; in fact, if you weren’t in the parking lot by 8 am then you couldn’t get a spot. Shuttle service was also available from the town of Springdale just outside the park. Many of the trails in Zion require permits and are quite long. We also noticed that several trails were closed for maintenance during our visit.
Luckily, the Angel’s Landing trail opened back up right on our anniversary. This has got to be the craziest hike I have ever done with steep climbs and dozens of switchbacks right along the edge of the cliff! At the top the last section you have to use your hands and feet to work your way up along a rock ledge. There is a small section at the beginning with a chain to hold on to– I made it to the end of the chain and decided I was done there. Mike went on a little farther but realized there was still quite a bit of climbing left without any chain AND medics were working on evacuating an injured hiker. I liked his statement after coming down: “courage overcomes fear, but wisdom overcomes courage.” Good decision!
We also saw the Weeping Rock where, unfortunately, several days later they had a rockslide and some people were injured. On another day, we opted for a less crowded hike in Kolob Canyon, which is along the northern edge of the park. It was nice to have a flatter hike after doing the strenuous climb up Angel’s Landing! What better way to cool off after hiking than a relaxing tube float down the Virgin River.
So that was a quick recap of our tour of Utah’s Mighty 5. It’s hard to pick favorites, really, because all the parks had unique things about them. We really liked the town of Moab because there were so many things to do there. I liked Bryce because it was easy to get around and the hoodoos were awesome. We definitely learned that going early to the parks is best during busy and hot times. Taking lots of water and good walking shoes are also necessities. And if you do all the parks in 2 1/2 weeks time, you are going to be tired at the end!
Two other tidbits of info:
Everywhere in the mountains is hilly or curvy, and when you are hiking it all seems uphill!
Utah is the beehive state and all the state road signs have that picture on them. The early Mormon settlers used the symbol to represent hard work and industriousness. The beehive, where all the workers cooperated in the construction of something much bigger than themselves, was a model for a properly run society.
Great photography. It really is an amazing state of geologic formations. Keep up the good work.
The river video looked so cool and comforting.
Thanks Pam. I got a new camera so instead of using my iPhone, I now have a bridge camera. It is between a point and shoot type camera and a full up DSLR camera. I am learning more about how to use it every day and love the zoom especially. The river was extra refreshing because it was 102 that day! Thanks for following along with us on our journey:)
What a great post! Lots of stunning pictures that truly captured the brilliant views and scenery. I really want to visit Utah one day too. Looks and sounds like another exciting adventure times 5 🙂
Hey Sandi! You are exactly right–five times the fun and excitement for sure. It was amazing that each park was so beautiful but also so unique. I definitely recommend a visit to Utah if you get the chance!
It’s beautiful and amazing all the great places you’ve been to and such beautiful pictures that tell the story. I can enjoy them with you.
Wish you could have been there with us too–each place had such amazing beauty!
Absolutly loved looking at your photos. What a wonderful place to visit.
Thanks Cindy. I don’t feel like the pictures even come close to capturing the beauty we saw–it was amazing! We are having fun seeing so many new places:) Miss y’all!
Wow – Robin I absolutely LOVED reading about your adventures! What a perfect glimpse into the life of full-time RVers!! You truly show how fun it is to make the country your backyard! Loved all your pictures from Utah’s National Parks (my home state)! And then lets talk about Lake Powell…..one of my favorite places!! So fun to sleep under the stars on the top of house boat! You probably didn’t do that but kayaking through the slot canyons was probably a highlight for you!
So glad you had a nice visit to our Vegas location and that you had your Rettrobands installed! Peace of Mind and security to keep you Rving for the long haul!!
Thank you for sharing with me!!!
Angie
Thanks so much for the kind words, Angie. We did have a blast at the National Parks in Utah–so much beauty and so much variety! We are also very happy to have our RettroBands. I hope we will never need them, but it is definitely peace of mind:)
We just passed our one year anniversary being full-time travelers and are loving our adventures in our Entegra Anthem and our friends at NIRVC!
Beautiful pictures! such great information. Thank you for sharing. Hoping we can go there someday with our girls!
Hi Karishma– Thanks for the kind words. We really enjoyed seeing the 5 national parks of Utah and all of the beauty there. It was so different from anything in Texas where we live. I hope that you and your family will be able to visit someday–there is definitely something for everyone at these amazing parks!
I’m moving to the west coast soon (from Florida!) and Utah is super high on my list of things to see after I get settled. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks Stacia. I’m glad you liked the information. Utah is so beautiful–I know you will love it!
Wow. Those views look amazing! Utah is on my bucket list to visit, so I’m definitely adding some (if not all) of these spots to my itinerary. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Jaclyn–I’m glad you liked the pictures. All the Utah parks are so amazing and even better in person. I hope you are able to visit them one day–I think you will love it!
This is a dream trip for me! Last year for my anniversary with my fiance we were going to do Zion and Bryce Canyon because we were able to take a long weekend from California, but the highway out of California was iced over and closed overnight. Over 6 hours later we were finally allowed to pass through, so we lost a whole night and ended up just doing Zion, which we loved. Even though it was very cold and snowy, we still got to see and do a lot. Now I just can’t wait to check out all of the others!
Hi Eva. I’m sorry about your trip being cut short, but at least you did get to Zion. As pretty as that park is, I thought the others were even better (Arches and Bryce were my favorites). I’m sure you will love all the parks when you visit and hope you won’t have to wait too long to get there!
I’ve been to a 3 of these parks and loved seeing them. However, my kids haven’t been to any. You’ve inspired me to get them out west.
Leeanne–so glad you liked the post. I hope that you and your family will be able to visit these amazing parks–there is definitely something for everyone there!
I’ve only been to Zion which was incredible. I’d love to visit Arches and Bryce next!
Hi Julie! Thanks for visiting my blog:) I really enjoyed Zion, but I LOVED Arches and Bryce. I hope you will be able to visit those parks as well–the beauty is just breathtaking! The sights in Utah are so amazing and very different from other parts of the country.
I love all of your photos and information about the parks! My family loves to travel, hike, and explore new places so you have peaked my interest in a state that wasn’t even on my radar!
Hi Carey–thanks for the nice comments. You will love Utah and all of the national parks there. My husband and I like to enjoy the outdoors and hike too, and these parks offered so many options. Happy travels!
So beautiful! Utah is high on our list and this post is a great resource that I’ll be pinning for future reference to use toward our itinerary.
I’m so glad you found the post helpful. We really loved these parks–all of Utah is just so beautiful. We would have loved to be able to spend weeks there, but even with 3 or 4 days in each park you can see and do a lot.
Great post! We are planning a trip to Utah in the near future, and it was fun to see all the places we will be able to visit. I really enjoyed all your great pictures!
Hi Betsy–thanks for the nice comments. We just loved all the beautiful national parks in Utah. I hope you have a great trip!
Yes!!! I have been trying to convince my husband to add Utah to our upcoming vacation list! I already sent this to him 😂
Hi Jessica–I hope the post will help to convince your husband! We were amazed by all of the beauty in Utah and highly recommend these parks as bucket list spots to visit.
I live in Utah and am happy to say I’ve seen the Mighty 5 many times! I’m so glad you got to experience it for yourselves. Bryce is definitely my favorite – it feels so other-worldly! Your pictures are lovely, too.
Hi Cindy. You are indeed fortunate to live in such a beautiful state! We loved our time at the Mighty 5 and hope to visit again soon.
My favorite Utah park so far is Bryce, but I need to visit more. We rushed through Zion on our way to Arches, so I want to go back to give it more time. Great photos!
Hi Charlene–thanks for visiting my blog. We were only able to spend 3-4 days in each park, but we loved every minute of it and definitely hope to get back there soon. I think you can find new adventures and beauty with each visit. Happy travels!
Nice photos and there are a lot of National parks to visit. I have made it to some. The last one I visited was the one in South Dakota. It was Custer state park.
Hi Donna! We have hit about 10 national parks so far, but there are so many more to explore. We actually are planning on visiting South Dakota this summer and are looking forward to the ones there too!
We are going to spend a few weeks/ month in Texas. Our daughters live in Frisco and Wylie. Could you recommend a good place in your home state that would be somewhat close to these cities? We need elec/water and a safe place with possibly a lake and trees. We will be leaving about the end of March from Utah. Any spots along the way would also be helpful. Thanks for all the work you do on this blog. Love reading of your travels. As we live in Utah, now that you have visited you can see why we love camping!
Greetings…I am one of your followers and a RV enthusiast also. My husband and I live in Utah so we have lots of opportunities here. If ever you get to Minnesota let me know, as that is where our love of camping first began. We are taking a road trip soon to Texas. We have 2 daughter’s and 7 grands there. They live in Wylie and Frisco. Are you familiar with any good campsites nearby? We need elec and water. Thanks for starting this site.
Hi Pam–thanks for following along with us on our travels! You are definitely lucky to live in the beautiful state of Utah. I will have to say that we haven’t camped in the Dallas area much. The only park we visited there was called Sandy Lake RV Resort. It was a nice park, easy to get to, had a pool and laundry. I highly recommend the Good Sam app–we use it a lot to find campgrounds in a new area. I’m not sure about the route you would take from Utah to Texas, but you could check out my posts to see where we stayed in Albuquerque and Western Slope of Colorado. I think those might cross your route. Happy Travels!
Thanks for your prompt reply. Love your site. We are Good Sam members so I appreciate that idea!