Top Things to do in Utah
Top Hotels in Utah
- 1. Best Western Plus Zion Canyon Inn & Suites
- 2. Best Western Plus Abbey Inn
- 3. Abbey Inn & Suites
- 4. Best Western Plus Ruby'S Inn
- 5. Hyatt Place Moab
- 6. Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel
- 7. Goulding's Lodge & Campground
- 8. Desert Pearl Inn
- 9. Bowen Motel
- 10. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham at Zion Park/Springdale
The 10 Best Hiking Trails in Utah, United States
Welcome to “The Greatest Snow on Earth” – Utah’s paradise for all outdoor enthusiasts! As host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Park City knows how to entertain winter fun seekers. Snowboarders and skiers head for miles of spectacular slopes with deep fluffy powder and breathtaking mountain views. The Olympic Park provides family-friendly ski programs, rides and shows. Alta, Sundance, Snowbird and Brighton are other popular destinations for cross country and Alpine skiers. Those alluring snowy slopes turn to rolling wildflower fields in the summer. Golfing, fishing, horseback riding and water sports replace chilly outdoor sports adventures. Corral the family, pack a picnic and catch one of the ski lifts for an afternoon of hiking or mountain biking along scenic trails. Head to Salt Lake City, where Temple Square hosts millions of visitors a year. Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park are famous for surreal landscapes from horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters to unusual rock formations and hundreds of natural sandstone arches. Closer to home, wander along the quaint main streets of mountain villages to browse, shop and enjoy lunch at an outdoor café. At the end of the day, head home for an outdoor barbecue and an evening of games. Home rentals blend privacy, space and comfort with the cost-saving advantage of eating some meals at home.
Restaurants in Utah
1. The Narrows
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3,489 reviews
Zion's most popular hiking trail is also its most dangerous due to occasional flash floods.
Reviewed By erinmarina - Sioux Falls, United States
Awesome hike!!! Definitely spend the extra $25 to rent the wooden hiking stick and water shoes/neoprene socks from Zion Outfitters (located right outside the pedestrian entrance to the park). The stick actually provided a lot of stability when hiking through the water and the water shoes were NOT waterproof by any means, but helped support my ankles and give me better grip than my hiking shoes or tennis shoes would have. We went on October 1st, VERY EARLY in the day and we didn't encounter many people until our way back around 11. We hiked through Wall Street and then returned, Definitely recommend this hike!!
2. Angel's Landing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,899 reviews
Angel's Landing is one of Zion's most spectular scenic outlooks; it can be reached only by a very demanding hike on the West Rim Trail.
Reviewed By 322bobg - North Carolina, United States
The final ascent to Angels Landing is quite the thrill and a little scary - don't attempt if you are afraid of heights. It is also an amazing view of the Zion valley. I am over the hill age wise but I did the hike from start to finish in three hours and fifteen minutes so it is not a large investment of time but it is worth every minute. Walters Wiggle (the series of 20 some steep switchbacks) is a good cardio workout. The best part of the hike is from Scout Lookout to Angels Landing. There are numerous sections where you really need the chains that are installed. When I visited in October there was a waiting line at the base of the West Rim Trail that you need to take to get to Angels Landing and the rangers were handing out passes that you needed to ascend Angels Landing from Scout Lookout. The rangers only allowed about 10 hikers at a time to start the hike in order to control the crowds at Angels Landing.
3. Navajo/Queens Garden Loop
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,703 reviews
2.9-mile hiking trail that leads to rock formations shaped like Queen Victoria and her garden.
Reviewed By JayG2720 - Frisco, United States
My wife and I Hike the combined Navajo/Queens Garden loop at Bryce Natl Park and really enjoyed it. Definitely would recommend it for anyone visiting the park as it was an easy to moderate hike that allows you to experience the hoo doo amphitheater up close and provides a great perspective looking up through them up to the ridge. Would agree with the recommendation to start at sunrise point and proceed clockwise as it gives you a much more gradual descent and leaves you a ascent to sunset point that provides great views of Thor’s Hammer and the overall amphitheater. Definitely a highlight of our four park circle tour this fall!
4. Fiery Furnace
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 469 reviews
Excellent hike, especially with a guide, and a wonderful opportunity for sunset photos.
Reviewed By Jane_A60 - Socorro, United States
First make sure you sign up for this hike as early as you can at the Visitor's Center. It takes a couple of days to get into the ranger led hike. $16 for adults, and senior pass holders and children $8. You can also get a self guided permit. I hike a lot and we had hiked a lot in Arches and Canyonlands and thought I was prepared for this hike. I went with my husband and if it hadn't been for his helping hand I'm not sure I could have managed some of the rock climbs. The good part is all of us taking part in this ranger guided tour in Fiery Furnace helped each other get through the difficult parts. There was a total of 14 people in our group including a family with two younger children, maybe 7 and 9. We were slowed down a bit by two people who probably shouldn't have taken this trail but it didn't take away from the experience and the guide told us we still were able to do 80% of the regular tour. He said that finishing only a partial tour was not that unusual depending on the group and how easily they can rock climb and hike through the trail. Just know that there was a lot more rock climbing than I anticipated. Travis was our guide and he was fantastic showing us the foot holds to navigate the rocks. I am glad I did this hike and in no way am discouraging anyone from taking this hike, just know going in how much rock scrambling that there will be. I consider this hike requiring a little bit of canyoneering as a moderate strenuous hike.
5. Navajo Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 769 reviews
The 2.2-mile trail takes hikers down 521 feet into the magnificent canyon, so make sure you bring lots of film.
Reviewed By 919cherylj - Bloomington, United States
We started at Sunset Point (very steep and easier to descend than ascend), hiked down Wall Street, and then completed the Navajo Loop. The amazing rock formations, Thor's Hammer and the 3 Sisters, can be viewed at the end of this loop.
6. Canyon Overlook Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 911 reviews
This one-mile hiking trail starts just outside the east entrance to the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel, and leads to a dramatic observation point that provides impressive views of Zion's rugged landscape.
Reviewed By W2076UIrhondam - Richmond, United States
This was our first hike of our trip. Definitely a great one. The end view of the canyon will take your breath away. We saw mountain goats and mule deer along the trail as well. Very nice!
7. Alstrom Point
8. Arches National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10,354 reviews
Reviewed By WC-Travelers-75
We had a great day in Arches driving our 23 ft. RV. We got to the entrance before opening and the double line each was about 50 to 75 vehicles ahead of us. Hint: If in an RV, Get to the Devils Garden Parking Area immediately and claim an RV space. Our experience was that all the spaces went to cars and trucks that double parked in the RV spaces. We tried to park there twice during the day - late morning and mid-afternoon and were shut out both times. If you are staying at Devils Garden campground, this is not an issue for you. Nonetheless, we had a fabulous day touring the viewpoints and hiking.We did all the hikes in the Windows section, the Delicate Arch Trail (difficult) , both Delicate Arch viewpoint, Sand Dune Arch and Skyline Arch. We also hiked the Broken Arch/ Tapestry Arch loop in a clock-wise direction leaving from the Sand Dune Arch Parking Area. We went partway to the Tapestry Arch but stopped because it became difficult. It definitely was more than moderate scrambling for us. The section from the hike from the Campground to the Sand Dune Parking Area had some sections with more than moderate scrambling. In a day, we saw a large section of the NP. Only the Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches escaped us.
9. Lee Cly Trail
10. Paria River Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 108 reviews
The Paria River has cut deep into the soft sandstone, hundreds of feet deep, and the walls of the canyon are striated in bands of pink and red and ocher and copper and gold, smoothed by water into intricate rippled patterns and glazed by the sun.
Reviewed By JamesArseneau - Belfast, United States
We drove to the location of where the movie set once was. The colors of hills as we descended on the road were awesome. Worth the time and effort. The ground has a interesting hard surface but spongy feel.
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