Utah's Mighty 5 Road Trip - Native Campervans

Utah’s Mighty 5 Road Trip

Salt Lake City Campervans - Utah's Mighty 5

Rent a Campervan to experience Utah’s Mighty 5 via the ultimate road trip. Sound fun? Yes! Sound a little intimidating? ALSO yes…. 

Trying to plan a road trip is logistically challenging, but we’re here to make all that easier! 

Now, this itinerary is not for the faint of heart. Starting in Denver, Colorado, and ending in Las Vegas, you’ll get to see flat plains, the Rocky Mountains, red dirt deserts, and everything the Mighty 5 National Parks have to offer! 

You’ll pick up your campervan rental from the Native Campervan Denver location. After picking up the van, stop and explore the city or some of the Colorado state or national parks. If you need some itinerary ideas for Colorado, check out this link

However you decide to spend your time in Colorado, you’ll eventually want to hit i-70 west. You’ll be engulfed in mountainous peaks as you move west toward your first official stop on this itinerary: Moab, Utah! 

Yay! You’ve arrived in Moab! A fun tourist town that offers unlimited outdoor recreation all year round. Moab is also home to 2 out of the 5 Mighty 5 National Parks, Arches, and Canyonlands. Arches will be your first stop since it’s right on the edge of downtown. 

Utah's Mighty 5

Arches National Park: 

You’ll want to start your day early and enter the park right when it opens since entry lines can be long. However, once in the park, the opportunities are endless. 

Must-Sees:

Drive the entire Park Road
You can’t go wrong with any pull-off when driving the park road. There are so many arches scattered around the park, with almost every pull-off offering you a chance to see one.

Delicate Arch 
An iconic feature for the state of Utah, so much so that they put it on their license plate. This is a 3.2-mile moderate hike. The hike offers almost no shade, so bring lots of water and start early in the warmer months. 

Campsite: 

Spend the night either camping in Arches National Park or on public land closer to Canyonlands National Park.


Canyonlands National Park

Must-Sees

 Mesa Arch

This short easy hike to one of the most iconic features of Canyonlands offers you canyons descending into canyons through an up-close arch. 

White Rim Overlook

This easy 1.8-mile hike leads you to the edge of a more than 180-degree view of the canyon below you. With views of canyons almost the entire time, you might even be able to spot the Colorado river. 

Campsite

Fruita Campground (Captial Reef)

After your full day of exploring, hop in your van and make your way to Capitol Reef NP. Only a 2.5-hour drive, you’ll be able to get to your campsite in time to make dinner! 

Utah's Mighty 5 Canyonlads

Capitol Reef

Wake up surrounded by towering red mountains as you take in the fruit trees and greeny oasis. 

Must-Sees:

Gifford Homestead

This historical house also serves as a pie shop. Nothing like picking up a freshly made fruit pie from the capital reef fruit trees in the middle of the desert. Make sure you go early because the pies run out fast! 

Hickman Bridge Trail 

Don’t let “bridge” deceive you; the bridge is really a 133-foot arch that towers into the sky. This moderate 1.7-mile hike offers you an amazing view of the red mountains in Capitol Reef with a huge arch that lines the sky.

Park Road 

Capitol Reef offers tons of history scattered along the road, from petroglyphs to old structures and even a small fruit farm.

Campsite

Only a bit over 2 hours; Bryce Canyon isn’t that far. If you leave early enough, you just might be able to catch the sunset over the hoodoos! If you cant secure a campsite, there is tons of public land right outside the park. 

Utah's Mighty 5 Capitol Reef

Bryce Canyon 

Must-Sees

The Park Road

The first stop is driving the entire park road! Traveling up thousands of feet and driving past countless pull-offs, there are tons of hoodoos and arches to see, as well as forest and rolling hills. 

Bryce Amphitheater 

There are tons of places to hike down into the picturesque hoodoo theatre. Navajo Loop is a moderate 3.1-mile loop that brings you through the whole floor of the amphitheater, where you’ll be able to look up as the hoodoos tower over you. 

Campsite

Just under 2 hours to Zion NP, we highly recommend you travel to the park that evening. That way, you can start your day as early as possible to beat some of the crowds. 

Utah's Mighty 5 Bryce Canyon

Zion

The last National Park on the itinerary but certainly not the least. Zion is a slim canyon that offers some of the most iconic attractions in Utah’s mighty 5 National Parks.

Must-Sees

The Narrows

Wade through however many miles of water you would like as 2,000ft walls of the red stone tower over you. 

Angels Landing 

Permits are required for this hike, but it is truly iconic. This hard 4.4-mile hike has jarring cliffs and a gorgeous view of Zion Valley. 

Emeralds Pool Trail 

A water oasis can be found even on days when the temperatures reach 105. This moderate 3-mile hike leads you up to a hidden pool with towering red walls surrounding you. 

You can either spend another night in Zion, explore one of the other state parks or national monuments close by, or drive three hours to Las Vegas and spend a night exploring the famous strip. 

Utah's Mighty 5 Zion

There you have it, Utah’s Mighty 5 in a Campervan! After five action-packed days (or more if you spend more time at each park), you’re guaranteed to cross 5 National Parks from the long list of 63! 

*National Park offers campsites that usually require a reservation; more information can be found here. There you can find out about campsites within the park, timed entry information, and more! 

If you are looking to camp on public land, Utah offers thousands of acres. To find free dispersed campsites, try looking on freecampsites.net or TheDryt.

 

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