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
Things to do in Utah, United States: The Best Canyons
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. Zion's Main Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,414 reviews
The most popular route through Zion, which includes the famous top-to-bottom Narrows Hike, Weeping Rock, Emerald Pools, and Hidden Canyon.
Reviewed By Hermes_NL - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The main Canyon of Zion is otherwordly beautiful, with its towering red shear cliffs, meandering Virgin river and ethereal vegetation. About half of it is car-free but can be visited by the excellent shuttle which comes every 5 minutes or so. A number of key hikes were closed due to recent rockfall -erosion is going on at a high pace- but we enjoyed ourselves hugely on the Kayenta trail to Upper Emerald Pool, and likewise on The Riverside walk to the Narrows. Exceptional if not unique in the world.
2. Buckskin Gulch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 146 reviews
Gorgeous canyon whose stone walls shimmer with hundreds of different shades of pink and red: a truly aesthetic experience.
Reviewed By thelightexplorer - Los Angeles, United States
I did Buckskin Gulch on Jan 10, 2021. I started the hike a little after sunrise and did around 10 miles round trip. They currently have a nice ladder to continue on the trail once you enter the Wire Pass slot canyon. I encountered no water puddles at all - it was completely dry. It was around 20F when I started the hike and I just had a sweater and a light down jacket, which was sufficient (in fact I had to take my jacket off after a while, as I started to feel a little hot). The winter light reflecting off the canyon walls was just gorgeous - and to top it all, I was alone on the hike for the first two hours (until I headed back to the parking lot, when I saw a few folks heading in). Absolutely stunning hike!
3. Horseshoe Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 59 reviews
One of four areas of Canyonlands National Parks - each named for its outstanding geological characteristic.
Reviewed By 451pn
Fun trip to this part of Canyonlands NP! The dirt road into horseshoe Canyon was no problem - no 4 WD or high clearance vehicle needed. The volunteer rangers did an outstanding job of explaining the different panels in the canyon. We camped out by the trailhead and there were plenty of camping sites available. It was a eight (8) mile round trip (out and back) and the hike out of the canyon wasn't that difficult. The trail is well marked.
4. Sunset Point
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 794 reviews
See the canyon spread out below you, and the hoodoos rise up.
Reviewed By richardsM2843GS - Maricopa, United States
Stunning views and each is different from each view point. Take the time to stop inhale the fresh mountain air, you will be at about 7,000 feet so if your not in shape you will get out of breath walking around.
5. Little Wild Horse Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 156 reviews
Sandstone walls rise on either side of this slot canyon.
Reviewed By Brilleto - Annapolis, United States
Goblin Valley is located in a state park and on BLM land. The state park is noted for its hoodoos and weird balanced-rock formations and is extremely popular with the people of Utah who come from far and wide to play amidst the odd assortment of rock formations. Goblin Valley was in the news last year when some yuckapuck decided to push one of the precariously perched rocks off its base. And rather than own it, and just admit that he was an idiot, he claimed that he was performing a public service by knocking over the rock before it fell on some unsuspecting hiker. The authorities didn’t buy his story and he went to jail and was subsequently convicted of being a jerk. Our destination was on BLM land in a place called Little Wildhorse Canyon where we would be hiking through what is arguably the coolest slot canyon in the Southwest that is easily accessible without ropes. We didn’t get on the trail until noon, so it was already cooking. The first half-mile of the hike was along a wide open dry wash with the occasional cottonwood tree providing some much-needed shade. The temperature was already pushing 100 degrees. When the canyon started to tighten up we avoided the first narrow section which I remembered from past hikes was a dead end that turned into a slimy red mud bog ending in a slippery rock wall. I spotted a well worn trail to the left that led up onto a sandstone ledge. We followed the ledge for a few hundred feet until it dropped back down into the narrow canyon beyond the mud trap. We were now at the intersection of Bell Canyon and Little Wild Horse Canyon. There was a very hard-to-see directional sign post on the sand bench in front of us, indicating that we should take the canyon on the right. Bell was the larger canyon to the left. Once we entered Little Wildhorse the narrows began almost immediately and ran pretty much continuously for the next two miles. It was slow going but there was nothing too difficult or challenging. We just took our time and stopped frequently to take in the amazing spectacle of one of the Southwest’s premier slot canyons. The first time I had hiked the isolated canyon, back in the early eighties, I had the place completely to myself. Little Wild Horse had yet to be discovered. But now it’s on everybody’s bucket list, and this was a holiday weekend, so there were lots of hikers – mostly smiling Mormon families with small children. And given how narrow the trail was, we had to stop periodically to let people coming back down the canyon pass by because there wasn’t enough room for more than one person at a time. You are probably wondering: What’s the difference between a slot canyon and a narrows? Well, as we would learn the following evening during the evening ranger talk entitled “Slot Canyons” in the lovely moon-lit Amphitheater at Capitol Reef National Park, the terms are not interchangeable. Ranger Adam explained how he had tried to research the topic and “hit a wall” because there really was no standard definition for the term. So, Adam started asking his canyoneer friends for their definition and they collectively narrowed it down to this: a slot canyon is where you can touch both canyon walls with your arms. Narrows can only be called slot canyons if they are really narrow. Jimmy and I came up with another defining factor for slot canyons: if you are in a slot canyon when a flash flood comes barreling through, you’re toast; whereas in a narrows, you might be able to find some high ground. As an example, the photo above is of Jimmy standing in the Little Wildhorse slot canyon. While the photo below is of me posing casually in Capitol Gorge narrows, where we would hike the next day, and it’s pretty narrow, but it’s still too wide to be called a slot canyon. The Wingate and Navajo Sandstone geologic formations are where you will find a slot canyon. Nobody has any idea how many slot canyons there are in the Colorado Plateau, but there are more than in any place else on earth. Little Wildhorse is so narrow that in some places the walls of the canyon come together and there is no ground to stand on. So, we had to walk sideways on the canyon walls. The smooth rock faces were polished and fluted like magnificent sculptures that would put any man-made piece of art to shame. The scale was immense and the colors psychedelic. It was like hiking on acid. At the two mile mark the canyon opened up for a quarter mile and then came to a large stagnant pool. This was as far as we were going. We could have taken the canyon a few more miles to where it intersected the Bell Canyon, and then hiked back to where we started. But I knew from past experience that once the narrows ended, the rest of the trail was wide open and would be dangerously hot. So, we stopped at the end of the narrow section and drank some water and relaxed in the shade with a happy family from Salt Lake City on vacation. We started back down the canyon at about three and took our time. We were in no hurry. By now, most people had finished their hike, so the canyon was a lot less busy and the silence was refreshing. But the hike back is never as fun as going up because there is no sense of exploration. But novelty is a relative term in a place like Little Wildhorse, and we kept stopping to prolong our visit because we didn’t want to break the spell. (4 miles – 3 hrs) For more travel tips, please check out my popular travel blog.
6. U-Dig Fossils
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 125 reviews
You can collect your own Trilobite fossils at U-dig Fossils. Come see us during our open times and we will provide you with tools, directions and 40 acres of the best trilobite shale in the world. U-Dig Fossils is located in an area where there are no addresses.
Reviewed By pgarding - North Bend, United States
My wife and I loved our time at U-Dig fossils and left with some great trilobite fossils. U-Dig provides all the equipment you need, and their quarry has multiple pits for hunting. This area is absolutely loaded with fossils, and nearly every rock we picked up had a fossil of some kind. The staff was very friendly and helpful to get us going, and then we spent four hours splitting rocks. We came away with 6-7 very nice pieces and 20 smaller ones, after discarding a hundred partial or tiny fossils. It is a drive to get there, but it is well worth it.
7. Little Cottonwood Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 60 reviews
Scenic area located in Utah's Wasatch Mountains where visitors enjoy year-round activities such as skiing, hiking, rock climbing and camping.
Reviewed By JennScents - Clermont, United States
We stumbled upon this beautiful drive, that led us to some incredible scenery and photo ops, with off-the-beaten path hiking trails. We stopped off on the side of the road at a little parking area. We could hear water flowing so we hiked the trail until we found a gorgeous creek with flowing water. We sat there taking in the fresh air, beautiful weather and enjoyed a snack. Traffic was a little congested heading to Alta, so we turned around and headed back. Still worth the trip.
8. Big Cottonwood Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,149 reviews
Located in the Wasactch Mountains, this wilderness region offers a limitless range of recreation for outdoor enthusiasts.
Reviewed By Francophile84108 - Salt Lake City, United States
When the temp hits triple digits in the city, that's when I head for the canyons. I love Big Cottonwood. It's a great place to hike, has beautiful scenery and if you have little kids or elderly friends and family, there's a nice gentle walk at the top, by Brighton Ski resort, around Silver Lake. If you go at dusk, you're likely to see Moose as you stroll the boardwalk around the lake. There are interpretive signs along the way, restrooms and a small information center. If you're hungry, stop at Silver Fork Lodge for a bite to eat, just minutes from the lake as you descend the canyon.
9. Provo Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 205 reviews
Reviewed By G8769FVdougc - Powell, United States
Mere words don't begin to describe the incredible beauty my family and I enjoyed during our visit today. From the deer to the coyotes to the snow-capped mountains to the beautiful mountain falls, my family and I highly recommend taking the Alpine Scenic Highway. It was a day to take in some of God's greatest creations.
10. Cedar Breaks National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,226 reviews
A smaller version of Bryce Canyon, this 2,500-foot deep basin filled with strange limestone formations in a vivid array of colors and hues offers breathtaking views on a five-mile drive along the rim. This naturally formed amphitheater has guided walks in the summer and a few designated hiking trails.
Reviewed By UtahGeologyTours
It's like a little mini version of Bryce National Park. Love hiking to alpine pond, or just doing their little paved trail between viewpoints. For the most spectacular view, come during sunset.
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