Utah's Mighty Five:
Family Road Trip (7–10 Days)
All five Utah national parks designed for families, easy canyon hikes, dramatic views, and short drives between parks.
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Five parks, easy hikes & short drives, built for families.
Utah's five national parks, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches, sit within 300 miles of each other and can be visited in a logical loop. Visiting all five with kids requires choosing the right hikes (there are plenty of easy ones) and timing your arrival at each park to avoid midday heat. Spring (March–May) and fall (September–October) are ideal.
This route mixes the most family-friendly trails in each park with the dramatic, easily reached overlooks: the paved Riverside Walk in Zion, the hoodoo descent of Queens Garden in Bryce, the Fruita orchards at Capitol Reef, the cliff-edge views of Island in the Sky, and the walk-through arches of the Windows section.
Plan for 7 days minimum and 10 days ideal. Buy the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass at your first park entrance, it covers all five parks (vs $175 if bought separately) and is a huge saving for a Mighty Five trip.
Arches requires advance timed entry April–October, reservations release 3 months ahead on recreation.gov and sell out within minutes, so set a reminder. The Fiery Furnace ranger walk also books months ahead. In Zion, private vehicles are banned on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in season; the free shuttle is efficient. Lodging in the gateway towns (Springdale, Bryce Canyon City, Torrey, Moab) fills fast in spring and fall, so reserve early.
Las Vegas arrival & drive to Zion
Fly into Las Vegas (2.5 hours from Zion) or Salt Lake City (4.5 hours from Zion). Drive through the Virgin River Gorge on I-15, a taste of canyon country before you even arrive. Pull off at any overlook.
Arrive in Springdale and walk the Riverwalk along the Virgin River, where kids can play in the river. Pick up groceries before you go in, restaurants inside the park are expensive. Stay in Springdale, just outside the park entrance.
- Drive the Virgin River Gorge on I-15Canyon country before you arrive · pull off at any overlook
- Springdale RiverwalkWalk along the Virgin River · kids play in the water
- Stock up on groceries in SpringdaleRestaurants inside the park are expensive
- Just outside the park entrance · walk to the shuttle
- Fly into Las Vegas (2.5 hours from Zion) for the shortest drive, or Salt Lake City (4.5 hours) if it fits your flights better.
- Pull off at any I-15 overlook in the Virgin River Gorge, it is a free preview of the canyon country ahead.
- Restaurants inside the park are expensive. Pick up groceries in Springdale before you go in.
Zion National Park
Zion is the most visited of the five parks, and it deserves it. The shuttle system eliminates traffic, making it surprisingly easy to navigate with kids.
Best family hikes: the paved Riverside Walk (2 miles round trip, strollers and wheelchairs manage it, kids wade in the river at the end), the Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mile round trip, 163 ft gain, best morning hike, some drop-offs so hold hands), and the Emerald Pools Lower Trail (1.2 miles to hanging-garden waterfalls, perfect for young kids). Don't miss the free Zion Human History Museum and its 22-minute geology film. On Day 3, older kids love the bottom-up Narrows (easy version), rent dry suits from Zion Adventure Company and wade upriver as far as you want.
- 2 mi RT · paved · strollers OK · kids wade at the end
- 1 mi RT · 163 ft gain · best morning hike · some drop-offs
- 1.2 mi · hanging-garden waterfalls · perfect for young kids
- Zion Human History MuseumFree with park entry · 22-min geology film · great for kids
- The Narrows bottom-up (Day 3, easy version)Rent dry suits from Zion Adventure Company · wade upriver
- Private vehicles are banned on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in season. The free shuttle is efficient and eliminates the traffic.
- The Canyon Overlook Trail has a few drop-offs, hold hands with younger kids. It is the best morning hike in the park.
- For the bottom-up Narrows with older kids, rent dry suits from Zion Adventure Company and wade upriver only as far as you are comfortable.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce isn't really a canyon, it's a series of natural amphitheaters filled with hoodoos, spires of red and orange limestone. The best family hike is down into the canyon floor.
Start with the flat Sunrise Point rim walk (1 mile, easy with any age). Then take the Queens Garden Trail (1.8 miles one-way, take the shuttle back, descends 320 ft into the hoodoo forest, the best trail in the park) or the steeper Navajo Loop via Thor's Hammer (1.3 miles, 521 ft descent through Wall Street's slot canyon, doable for kids 6+). At night, Bryce Astronomy has some of the darkest skies in America, with free ranger stargazing talks in summer. Stay in Bryce Canyon City or at Best Western Ruby's Inn.
- 1 mi · flat · hoodoo views · easy with any age
- 1.8 mi one-way · 320 ft descent · best trail in the park
- 1.3 mi · 521 ft descent · Wall Street slot · kids 6+
- Bryce Astronomy stargazingSome of the darkest skies in America · free ranger talks in summer
- Just outside the park · Best Western Ruby's Inn
- Queens Garden is best done as a one-way descent, take the shuttle back to the rim instead of climbing out.
- Navajo Loop's Thor's Hammer route drops steep stairs into Wall Street's slot canyon; it is doable for kids 6 and up.
- Bryce has some of the darkest skies in the country. In summer, rangers run free stargazing talks, kids often see the Milky Way for the first time here.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef is the least-visited of the five parks and arguably the most serene. The Fruita Historic District has a working orchard where you can pick fruit in season.
Let the kids loose in the Fruita Orchards (NPS-maintained heritage orchards, cherry, peach, apple, pear; in season June–October you can pick and eat fruit free). Hike the nearly flat Grand Wash (4.4 miles round trip through a canyon slot, no permit) and the Capitol Gorge Trail (2 miles to the "Pioneer Register," signatures carved into the canyon walls by 19th-century settlers). Stop at the Gifford Farmhouse for fresh pies and a cold drink. Stay in Torrey, UT.
- Heritage orchards · pick & eat fruit free June–October
- 4.4 mi RT · almost flat · no permit · dramatic narrows
- 2 mi · the Pioneer Register · history kids can touch
- Gifford FarmhouseFresh pies and a cold drink · delicious after a morning hike
- Good restaurants · quiet town with big sky views
- The Fruita orchards let you pick and eat fruit free in season (roughly June–October). Check which orchards are open at the visitor center.
- Grand Wash is almost flat and needs no permit, the narrows section in the middle is genuinely dramatic and great for kids.
- Stop at the Gifford Farmhouse for a fresh pie. It is a quiet, serene park, so Torrey makes a relaxed base with good restaurants.
Canyonlands: Island in the Sky
Island in the Sky is a 6,000-foot mesa with 1,000-foot cliffs dropping to the canyon floor. The views are vertigo-inducing and completely accessible from the car.
Walk the short path to Grand View Point Overlook (0.1 miles from parking, the most expansive view in the park, best at sunrise or sunset), the Mesa Arch loop (0.5 miles to a fragile sandstone arch perched at the cliff edge, where the sun rises through the arch), and Upheaval Dome (0.8 miles to the crater rim, where scientists still debate meteor impact vs salt dome). For views without crowds, drive to Murphy Point on the White Rim Road overlook. Stay in Moab, UT, 35 minutes from the park.
- 0.1 mi from parking · most expansive view · sunrise or sunset
- 0.5 mi loop · cliff-edge arch · sun rises through it
- 0.8 mi to the crater rim · meteor impact or salt dome?
- Murphy Point (White Rim Road overlook)Canyon views without the hiking crowds
- 35 minutes from the park · best dining and family lodging
- Grand View Point is just 0.1 miles from parking and gives the most expansive view in the park, best at sunrise or sunset.
- Mesa Arch is famous at sunrise when the sun lights up underneath the arch. It is a short 0.5-mile loop, popular but genuinely spectacular.
- Moab is 35 minutes from Island in the Sky and has the best dining and family lodging in the area, a good base for both Canyonlands and Arches.
Arches National Park
Arches has more natural arches than anywhere else on earth (over 2,000). The paved scenic drive visits the highlights; add two hikes to complete the experience.
The best family hike is the Windows Section (1-mile loop through North and South Windows, two massive arches you can walk through, with stunning Turret Arch views in afternoon light). Circle Balanced Rock (0.3-mile flat loop around the iconic 3,577-ton balancing rock). For older kids 8+, hike to Delicate Arch (3 miles round trip, 480 ft gain, the symbol of Utah; morning or evening only in summer). Book the ranger-guided Fiery Furnace walk months ahead on recreation.gov. Note: Arches requires advance timed entry April–October.
- 1 mi loop · North & South Windows · best family hike
- 0.3 mi flat loop · iconic 3,577-ton balancing rock
- 3 mi RT · 480 ft gain · kids 8+ · morning or evening in summer
- Fiery Furnace (ranger-guided)Maze of sandstone fins · book months ahead on recreation.gov · kids 6+
- Arches timed entry noteRequired April–October · book on recreation.gov, released 3 months ahead
- Arches requires advance timed entry April–October. Reservations release 3 months ahead on recreation.gov and sell out within minutes, set a reminder.
- Hike Delicate Arch in the morning or evening only in summer; sun exposure on the slickrock is serious. It is doable for kids 8 and up.
- The Fiery Furnace is a ranger-guided maze of sandstone fins and books months ahead on recreation.gov. Kids 6 and up handle it fine.
Now build your Utah Mighty 5 family trip.
You've seen all five parks. Open the free drag-and-drop planner and tune it for your dates, your kids' ages, and whether you base in Springdale, Bryce Canyon City, Torrey, or Moab.
What we actually learned in the Mighty Five.
Buy the America the Beautiful pass
The $80 annual pass covers all 5 parks (vs $175 if bought separately, or $35 per vehicle each park). Buy it at the first entrance, it is a huge saving on a Mighty Five trip.
Avoid July–August
Canyon floors hit 105°F. If you must go in summer, hike before 9am and after 5pm. Spring (March–May) and fall (September–October) are ideal.
Arches timed entry sells out fast
Arches requires advance timed entry April–October. Reservations release 3 months ahead on recreation.gov and sell out within minutes of release, so set a reminder.
Ride the Zion shuttle
Private vehicles are banned on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in season. The shuttle is free and efficient, and it makes the park surprisingly easy to navigate with kids.
Sunscreen, often
Red rock reflects UV. Reapply every 90 minutes on canyon hikes, and carry plenty of water for the kids.
Book gateway lodging early
Springdale (Zion), Bryce Canyon City, Torrey (Capitol Reef), and Moab (Arches & Canyonlands) fill fast in spring and fall. Reserve early, especially for weekends.
Everything you'll actually want to know.
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Utah Mighty 5 family route.
All five parks, the easiest family hikes, drive times between parks, the timed-entry and shuttle rules, and the gateway towns to base in, everything you need to do the Mighty Five with kids.
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