Are you looking for must see destinations in Utah for your next family vacation? Do you love nature, hiking, dinosaurs or adrenaline-filled adventures? If yes, then this post is for you.
Utah is an absolutely spectacular state to visit. From impressive towering arches to bizarre-looking hoodoos to stunning panoramic vistas, Utah is simply bursting with amazing sites and activities for the entire family. But with limited travel time, it can be really hard to narrow down where to go and what the best things are to do. This is where I’d like to help.
Listed below are our absolute favorite sites and activities in Utah for families. These are places that not only seriously impressed our own family, but that we also feel would be an incredible addition to any Utah trip. I hope that this list helps you in your own trip planning for Utah and that maybe you even discover something new that you would like to see or do.
Come Discover 10 Must-See Sites in Utah for Families!
(In Alphabetical Order)
1. ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Arches National Park is a spectacular destination that is simply bursting with an insane number of gorgeous sandstone arches. Over 2,000 arches dominate the landscape here, making this the greatest concentration of rock arches in the world! From the enormous Double Arch (shown above) to the picturesque Landscape Arch (shown below), this is one national park that you won’t want to miss!
2. BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Bryce Canyon National Park is an absolutely breath-taking destination where gorgeous hoodoo filled amphitheaters completely dominate the landscape. These incredible columns of rock (called hoodoos) can be easily viewed from above at numerous panoramic vistas (as shown above) or by taking a phenomenal hike down into the canyon to walk among them (as shown below.) This is the largest concentration of hoodoos in the entire world and to me, Bryce Canyon is one of the most gorgeous places on Earth!
3. CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Canyonlands National Park is a fantastic landscape filled with countless picturesque canyons and numerous towering buttes, that were all formed by the mighty Colorado River and its tributaries.
Three distinct sections make up Canyonlands. The Island in the Sky is the most accessible and most popular to visit (shown above). With numerous stunning panoramic overlooks and short hikes along its 34 mile roundtrip mesa top drive, Island in the Sky is the perfect place to start for first time visitors. The Needles section offers more of a back country experience. And The Maze is the most remote and rugged, requiring 4-wheel drive and considerably more time. With no roads directly linking these three districts most people choose just one of these areas to visit on a trip.
Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah and its diverse beauty is absolutely staggering. Whether you only have a few hours to visit or you’re visiting for a few days, Canyonlands is sure to provide an unforgettable experience.
4. CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK
Capitol Reef National Park is a true treasure in Utah. Gorgeous cliffs, impressive canyons, magnificent arches (see above) and stunning scenic drives (see below) fill the landscape everywhere you look. Created from a 100 mile long waterpocket fold (a geologic wrinkle) in the Earth’s crust, this landscape is fantastically ancient-looking and is just begging to be explored.
Capitol Reef has incredible hikes for all skill levels, ancient petroglyphs located right off the main road, an early Mormon Settlement (located at the Fruita District) with fresh homemade pies, and stunning scenic drives on both smooth, paved roads that follow the waterpocket fold and on dirt, spur roads that lead into the heart of its incredible gorges.
And yet, Capitol Reef is not crowded like some of the other impressive national parks in Utah. But to me, this makes Capitol Reef even more appealing, and it only adds to the beauty of this incredible landscape.
5. DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
Dinosaur National Monument straddles the boarder between northeast Utah and northwest Colorado, but it is the jaw-dropping Quarry Exhibit Hall near Jensen, UT that completely blew us away.
The Quarry Exhibit Hall is a massive air-conditioned building set around an enormous 80 foot wall of rock (see below) that showcases over 1,500 bones from numerous species of dinosaurs (including the Allosaurus, Apatosaurus and the Stegosaurus) along with several other species. These bones are from over 100 individuals that lived approximately 149 million years ago. And here you can see them still encased in the rock where they were found! On top of this, there are several places where you can touch a few of these real 149 million year old dinosaur fossils as well!
Dinosaur National Monument is a must-see sight for all dinosaur lovers and also for anyone taking a road trip through northeast Utah.
6. GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK
Goblin Valley State Park is an absolutely spectacular rock wonderland that is a must-see road trip stop while traveling in Utah. Here, fantastic looking hoodoos dominate this valley everywhere you look. Each being so unique and so bizarre. It’s almost overwhelming when you try and take it all in.
To me, these hoodoos almost looked like little mushroom houses, think the Smurfs. You could also think this looks like a valley of little goblins. The hoodoos here are unlike any others I’ve ever come across and just thinking about them makes me smile. Goblin Valley State Park is an amazing destination to visit even if you only have an hour or two to explore, which makes this the perfect road trip stop while traveling across Utah.
7. GOOSENECK STATE PARK
Gooseneck State Park is a quick road trip stop with absolutely spectacular scenery! Located in the southeast corner of Utah (near Monument Valley), this is one destination in the area that you won’t want to miss. Here, the San Juan River carved a 1,000 foot deep gorge, in a series of incredible “Goosenecks.” And in just 1.5 miles (as the crow flies) the San Juan River flows more than 6 miles through these incredible loops!
8. MOAB OFF-ROADING (HELL’S REVENGE)
Off-roading at Hell’s Revenge is one of the most exciting adventures we’ve had in the entire United States! Here in Moab, there are numerous tours offered where you can drive yourself in a UTV across this gorgeous, yet extremely rugged terrain, with the comfort of a guide leading the way.
(We saw several vehicles, not on tours, that were stuck in holes or broken down and needing a tow truck to get home. Tour guides here will keep you out of this kind of trouble and make your experience a blast!)
Our family chose the Hell’s Revenge sunset tour and it was absolutely thrilling! The scenery was breath-taking (see above), driving across fins was nail-biting, driving down steep hills was nerve racking and quickly zipping across the sand was an absolute blast! Off-roading at Moab was a completely spectacular experience and I’m already looking forward to the day when we can do this again!
9. VALLEY OF THE GODS
Valley of the Gods is a fantastic site in southeast Utah that is like a mini Monument Valley but it doesn’t have the crowds! Here you drive down a 17 mile dirt road (not a loop) and find yourself completely surrounded by stunning geologic formations like “Seven Sailors,” “Battleship Rock” and “Rooster Butte.”
Our family absolutely loved driving through Valley of the Gods, but please be aware that this drive will definitely give your car’s suspension a good workout. For our children though, this made the adventure even more exciting. Just make sure your vehicle has some clearance and that it hasn’t rained recently. (Our Honda Pilot made it fine.) The views along this drive are completely gorgeous and it is definitely a highlight if you are traveling in the area near Monument Valley!
10. ZION NATIONAL PARK
Zion National Park is a completely breath-taking destination filled with majestic views (see above) and incredible hikes. It’s one of the top national parks in the entire country and a must see destination when visiting Utah. Due to its popularity, cars are not allowed into the main area of this park for most of the year, but a free shuttle will get you to wherever you need to go. And don’t miss the insane beauty of driving UT-9 between the East Entrance and the 1 mile long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (this section is not closed to cars during the year.) It’s absolutely spectacular! (See below)
Read More About Hiking in Zion:
Scout Lookout Hike in Zion with Kids (+ Hidden Gems along the Trail)
So, now you are all set to begin your adventure in Utah. I hope you found this list useful for planning your future trip, and that you even discovered several new sites you’d like to visit.
Have a Great Trip in Utah with Your Traveling Feet!
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2 comments
Which company did you use for off-roaring? We will also be traveling with kids when we visit Utah next summer :))
Sorry for the delayed response, your message went to my spam section for some reason. Our family used Moab Tour Company for our off-roading in Utah. We did the Hell’s Revenge Fins and Things 3 hour tour and it was fantastic!! As a side note, we booked 1 vehicle for 4 people that my husband drove and since we are a family of 5 and I didn’t want to drive, I rode with the guide. We could have booked a vehicle for 6 but the guides said it wouldn’t be as much fun since it’s so much larger. We had a blast and highly recommend it! I hope you have a great trip! Jenny