Planning a trip to Utah's National Parks

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Utah hit the jackpot when it comes to National Parks…Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef…but how can one see them all? Allison from Tips for Family Trips shares her sample itinerary for seeing all the parks in 10 days and her top tips for visiting Utah’s National Parks.

ON THE PODCAST

:30 Kim is in Edmunton

6:10 Allison Laypath from Tips for Family Trips

8:38 Allison’s top 5 parks in Utah

9:35 How long to spend in Utah

12:33 One week itinerary in Utah

13:02 Zion National Park

13:40 Bryce National Park

15:27 Capitol Reef National Park

17:27 Arches National Park

18:55 Canyonlands National Park

21:47 Lesser known gems to squeeze in if you have time

25:30 Best time to go to Utah

29:30 Best place to take a family photo

31:15 Allison’s favorite travel gear

33:50 App of the week

36:30 Next week — traveling with allergies

ABOUT ALLISON LAYPATH

Allison Laypath is the founder and co-editor of the family travel blog Tips for Family Trips at www.tipsforfamilytrips.com. She believes that travel makes families stronger, smarter and happier and strives to provide information and tools to help families become just that. Allison lives near Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and two children – a twelve-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. They enjoy traveling just about anywhere, but national parks, road trips and adventures throughout their home state of Utah are what they do most. Allison has an MBA from the University of Utah. Follow Tips for Family Trips on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

PLANNING A TRIP TO UTAH’S NATIONAL PARKS

Plan on staying at least 7-10 days if you want to hit all the National Parks (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef), at least two weeks if you want to hit the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley
Salt Lake City is the main airport hub to fly in and out of, but you can also fly out of St. George or Moab
There is a 5-6 hour drive between the three triangle corners of Salt Lake City, Moab and St. George
You could do Arches and Canyonlands OR Zion and Bryce on individual weekends
For a one week itinerary, start in Salt Lake City and spend the first day driving.
- Day 2: Zion National Park
- Day 3: Bryce National Park (can do it in a ½ day)
- Day 4: Capitol Reef National Park (very diverse and not as crowded)
- Day 5: Arches National Park (the hike to the delicate arch is short but uphill and crowded so going off season is best)
- Day 6: Canyonlands National Park — this park is in three different sections and the Island in the Sky district is perfect for families, especially the White Rim Overlook
- Day 7: Drive back to Salt Lake City
If you are just spending one day per park, you will just see the highlights and do one bigger hike
Stargazing tourism is popular in Bryce and Capitol Reef National Parks
Some lesser-known gems include Goblin Valley State Park, Snow Canyon State Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Zion and Arches can get very crowded during the high season and it is best to go early. Those parks also get over 100 degrees in the late spring and summer
January and February are great times to go to Canyonlands because they are dry and in the 40s during that time
Fall break in Utah is in October on a Thursday and Friday so the parks will be very busy during those days
Spring break is usually the last week of March or first week of April
Parks are crowded from April – August
If you want to camp inside the park, you should book at least a few months in advance

BEST PLACE TO TAKE FAMILY PHOTO

The most iconic spot is at the end of the trail in Arches National Park that overlooks the Delicate Arch. Another great spot would be Bryce Canyon at sunrise.

FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR

When traveling in the National Parks, Allison uses a comfortable hiking boot and the EcoVessel water bottle. Allison also likes Dansko walking shoes for her other vacations.

APP OF THE WEEK

Kim and Tamara both rely on Waze to navigate around traffic jams and other obstacles along the route.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Things to do in Utah

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