8 Amazing Places To Visit In Utah (2024)

Utah is one of the top outdoor states in the United States, known for its incredible national and state parks, ski resorts, and natural wonders that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. In fact, many tourists go back from Utah with once in a lifetime experience of having visited a landscape that comes very close to that of our neighboring planet, Mars. The state of Utah is every outdoor lover’s dream. There are not only many opportunities to reconnect with nature, but there is no dearth of outdoor activities to indulge in.

Utah is made up of many historic cities and towns and is surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty.

8 Amazing Places To Visit In Utah

To help you decide what attractions to visit when you are in Utah, here is a list of the top places you must visit in Utah.

1. Bryce Canyon

The Bryce Canyon is perhaps the most famous tourist attraction of Utah. Home to the biggest collection of hoodoos in the world, the Bryce Canyon is a must-visit. Hoodoos are a term used to describe unique rock formations that have formed due to uneven erosion and weathering. These hoodoos have lent the Bryce Canyon a distinctive appearance. Here, you will find many caves, wildlife, and woodland that have made it a hiker’s paradise. If you visit the canyon at night, it is the perfect location for stargazing as you get to get a glimpse of an unparalleled clear and starry sky.

2. Zion National Park

The Zion National Park is the first place to visit to catch sight of the stunning scenery of Utah’s natural landscape. Barely a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, the Zion National Park is known for its beautiful red rock cliffs, mesmerizing waterfalls, and stunning vistas all around. You will find many of the most impressive sites sitting in the Zion Canyon, located along the Zion Canyon scenic drive, a route that follows the valley floor. There is a sightseeing bus that takes visitors through the park on this route and stops at all the major attractions and trailheads. But, this bus only runs from spring to fall. If you are visiting the park during this time, taking this tour bus is the easiest way to see the park. In the winter, visitors are allowed to drive this route in their own vehicles.

Owing to the sheer vertical walls of the Zion National Park, this park is sometimes also called a vertical park. The Zion National Park is also a hiker’s paradise as there are many popular trails that take you through the park. The most popular routes can be accessed off the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. You can find simple walking trails along the valley floor to trails that take you through the cliff-side, for example, the famous Angel’s Landing trail. Remember, though, these trails are not for those who have a fear of heights.

3. Monument Valley

You will be forgiven if you assume that this is a scene from an old western film or a Martian landscape. With red rock, buttes rising up from the orange desert floor and a few riders wandering by on their horse, the Monument Valley, or Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, is one of the most scenic areas in Utah. Several films and commercials have been shot on this beautiful site, famously known throughout the US for its stunning red mesas and stone pinnacles.

If you want to explore the park better, there is a one-way 17-mile self-drive dirt road you can take that runs between the buttes and takes you through this spectacular and dramatic landscape.

4. Salt Lake City and the Mormon Temple

Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah, mostly known for many popular winter activities and skiing. Many of the best ski resorts in Utah are located in and around Salt Lake City. This city is worth visiting at any time of year, regardless of the season.

The first place to check out here in the late 19th century Mormon Temple, which is the biggest Latter-day Saints temple in the US, and one of the main tourist attractions in the city. While the temple only allows entry to Mormons, but tourists can take a look around. This beautiful temple is located on Temple Square.

5. Arches National Park

The Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches and a variety of other unique, strange, and captivating rock formations like balanced rocks. The stone present here is of a rich red color that is typically associated with natural America and the Old West. You will also chance upon the famous Wolfe Ranch here, which is a one-room cabin that was constructed in 1898 and remains almost unchanged even today. Visit the Ranch to get a look at how the harsh desert life used to be for early 20th century Americans in Utah.

6. Escalante National Monument

The Escalante National Monument is millions of years old. Over these many years, the monument has transformed into a stunning rock formation. There are three main areas here, with the most popular one being the Grand Staircase or Escalante. The Staircase is made up of several plateaus that descend down like steps that take you down from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon. This place is also perfect for hikers and history lovers as the monument is home to the fossil-filled Kaiparowits Plateau.

7. Buckskin Gulch

Considered to be the longest slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch is known for the maze of twisting narrow corridors that have been formed from towering red stone. This is one of the best challenges for any hiking and climbing enthusiast, and you will find many adventurous tourists and locals trying their luck on various corridors here.

There are certain points along this route that are very dark and narrow, leaving you in a fix, wondering if you can pass through or not. At the same time, others are full of waist-deep water. If you want to explore a truly unique location in Utah, this is the best place to head to. Many movies have been filmed at this location.

8. Mirror Lake

This is a beautiful 22-acre lake that is known for its amazingly clear waters. The Mirror Lake is located at the base of the magnificent towering 12,000 feet tall Bald Mountain. The lake is a popular picnic spot in Utah, and visitors often come here for fishing, kayaking, and camping. The lake is surrounded by lush green forests, making it the perfect spot for both bird and wildlife watching. There are several hiking trails out here, and you will find many hikers resting near the lake after a long hike.

Apart from these major attractions, there are various other places that one must visit when in Utah. Some of them include:

• Antelope Island
• Canyonlands National Park
• Red Cliffs
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Dead Horse Point State Park
• Toquerville Falls, LaVerkin Creek
• Lake Powell
• Alpine Loop
• Four Corners
• Goblin Valley State Park
• Timpanogos Cave National Monument
• Golden Spike National Historic Site

So gear up in your adventure clothes and set off on a trip of a lifetime across Utah.