When contemplating locations to see in Utah you in all probability have the highest Utah sights like Zion Nationwide Park, Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park, Canyonlands Nationwide Park, and Arches Nationwide Park in your listing.
We predict you must. They’re unimaginable nationwide parks in the US.
However, there are such a lot of different cool locations to go to in Utah off-the-beaten-path chances are you’ll not have even heard of.
They’re simply as spectacular as the principle sights in Utah and sometimes contain higher journey – principally as a result of there’s a vital much less quantity of individuals to share it with.
We spent six weeks on our current USA journey exploring Southern Utah.
As we all the time favor to put in writing from expertise – not desk analysis or collabs – we solely suggest what we’ve performed, so we solely have Southern Utah suggestions on this publish. Hopefully we will return to Utah to search out extra cool locations close to Salt Lake Metropolis. (Here’s a bucket listing of 43 issues to do in Utah that features some North Utah sights)
These are the hidden gems in Utah and lessor identified adventures.
We have now in-depth posts and movies on all of the locations to see in Utah talked about beneath. Click on every hyperlink to learn the publish and the Utah Hidden Gem Locations video playlist is on the finish of the publish.
Podcast: Adventures & Locations to See in Southern Utah
We additionally recorded this info in podcast type, should you favor to listen to us chatting about it and sharing our tales! Don’t overlook to share it with your folks.
With area, pink dust and loads of recent air, Utah is among the most engaging locations within the US throughout these present difficult instances.
In truth, we predict you’ll discover it enhances your bodily energy, immunity and psychological properly being.
1. ATV adventures in Sand Hole, St George
The colours of Sand Hole State Park are out of this world – snow peaked mountains, vivid orange and pink dust, aqua blue lake.
It’s a must to see it to consider it, and there’s no higher method than through the journey of an ATV trip up and down the sand dunes, and out and in dinosaur carved rock formations. The sundown tour is a dream!
It’s an exhilarating Utah journey for households and one in all our favourite locations to see in Utah that completely nobody advised us about!
Sand Hole State Park is simply exterior St George in Southern Utah and is the right leisure space for ATV adventures because it gives a few of the greatest Utah ATV trails round.
This 20,000 acre state park is Utah’s latest and properly famend for its 6,000 acres of ATV and OHV off-road trails that take you to three,500 ft in elevation. It’s WOW at each airborne flip!
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2. Snow Canyon State Park, St George
A beautiful different to close by Zion Nationwide Park, Snow Canyon is a a 7,400 acre scenic park positioned simply exterior of St George in Southwestern Utah.
Our hike took us on a various journey by means of a forested space, gorge space, petrified sand dunes, and lava tubes.
This park is comprised of volcanic cinder cone, sand dunes, deep pink, burnt orange, yellow and white sandstone cliffs, and twisted layers of rock.
It’s additionally a well-liked place in Utah for mountaineering.
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3. Crimson Reef Path, St George
The Crimson Reef Recreation Space might be one of many locations to see in Utah you’ve got by no means heard of.
I believe I discovered slightly paragraph about it in a brochure and thought it regarded cool. Fortunately, it was throughout the highway from our campsite in Hurricane so we determined to pop over and test it out.
The Crimson Reef mountain climbing path was the women first introduction to adventurous mountain climbing. They fell in love. I’ll always remember the concern and pleasure on their faces as they climbed up a steep rock face subsequent to a waterfall with solely a rope to carry on. Their bravery was superb
This gorgeous hike will take you thru
Learn extra: Hike the Thrilling Crimson Reef Path in St George, Utah
4. Spooky and Peek-a-Boo, Grand Escalante
We charge this Utah journey as our favourite hike on our USA highway journey (to date). The ladies nonetheless rave about how a lot enjoyable this was.
Peek-a-boo and Spooky Canyon are slot canyons deep inside Grand Staircase-Escalante Nationwide Monument.
It’s intense – crammed with holes to climb up and crawl by means of. The journey solely will get higher with a 12 inch slim area to slip by means of on the very finish.
Learn Extra: Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons – an incredible Utah Journey
5. Decrease Calf Creek Falls, Freeway Scenic 12, Utah
The Decrease Calf Creek Falls is within the Grand Staircase-Escalante Nationwide Monument in Southern Utah.
The path winds a valley enclosed by towering cliffs of pink, pink, orange and yellow – that’s oh so typical of Utah, probably the most colourful place on the earth.
It then passes by means of a shady low scrub and bamboo forest sandy monitor beside a shallow creek earlier than opening as much as this gorgeous waterfall – an iconic Utah attraction
Learn extra: The extraordinary Decrease Calf Creek Falls in Utah
Podcast mentions:
6. Capitol Reef Nationwide Park, Southern Utah
The one Utah nationwide park we’ve included on this hidden gems in Utah listing, as a result of it’s so a lot quieter and lessor identified than the opposite 4 nationwide parks in Utah.
It’s beautiful. Truly, its one in all my favourite nationwide parks within the nation and made our listing of US nationwide parks chances are you’ll not have heard of listing.
Inside this nationwide park is among the few pure arches in Utah you may stroll on high of. Capitol Reef can be crammed with scenic drives, verdant valleys, stunning views and adventurous mountain climbing trails.
Learn extra: 12 Don’t miss issues to do in Capitol Reef Nationwide Park, Utah
7. Goblin Valley State Park
When you’re in search of cool locations to see in Utah, you don’t want to overlook Goblin Valley State Park, particularly in case you are visiting Utah with children.
You solely want an hour or two to discover this land crammed with mushroom, gnome, and goblin formed orange and yellow rocks.
It’s excellent for video games of conceal and search and tag. You can too do just a few quick hikes right here. It’s a enjoyable factor to see in Utah.
Learn extra: Goblin Valley State Park Utah – some of the enjoyable locations to go in Utah
8. Corona Arch, Moab
The drive into the Corona Arch path is a sign of the pure magnificence forward. This hidden gem is among the greatest issues to do in Utah.
This can be a nice Moab hike with children because it’s comparatively straightforward, and with ladders to climb, slick rocks to maneuver with cables, caves to discover and cairns to construct they’ll be completely entertained.
The 3-mile spherical journey hike begins within the parking zone throughout from the Colorado River and goes up a brief hill, throughout the railroad tracks after which up into the canyon.
Corona Arch, with a gap of 140 by 105 ft, is often known as Little Rainbow due to its resemblance to Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell.
We loved this arch simply as a lot as, if no more than, the well-known arches in Arches Nationwide Park
9. Fisher Towers, Moab
The Fisher Towers are photogenic rock formations eroded into fascinating shapes.
Darkish pink sandstone has been carved into spires, minarets, hovering fins, gargoyles and unusual rock formations. Rock climbers like it right here.
It’s a 5.2 mile spherical journey path that does by means of canyons, beneath sheer vertical cliffs and thru the towers. We didn’t make it so far as the towers, however had been greater than glad with the dramatic surroundings and outside journey.
The gorgeous U-128 Scenic Byway takes you there and again. You should definitely cease in on the Vineyard on the drive again. You’ll take pleasure in that tumbler of wine with these views over the Colorado River and valley after your hike.
Consider it or not, ingesting wine in Utah is a novel factor to do because the state has strict ingesting legal guidelines.
Learn Extra: 16 Issues to do in Moab (consists of Fishers Towers and Corona Arch)
10. Jeep Off Roading in Moab
Are you prepared for one the most effective Utah adventures you could find? I believe by now you’re getting that Moab is a reasonably cool Utah vacation spot.
Rock crawling in a jeep takes it to a complete different stage. As talked about on the podcast, insane enjoyable was had taking up vertical rock faces that had us squealing, screaming and laughing on the identical time.
What a enjoyable household exercise to do in Utah! The ever altering Crimson Rock nation surroundings solely enhanced the expertise.
Our drive took us by means of the alpine forests of the La Sal Mountains, up and over the steep pink rocks and large boulders and completed with enjoyable driving up and down sand dunes.
Learn Extra: Jeep adventures in Moab
11. Shafer Path Drive, Canyonlands Nationwide Park
Prepare to carry on to your seat belts as you hit the horrifying switchbacks of the Shafer path in Canyonlands Nationwide Park in Moab.
Driving down the Shafer Path switchbacks into the quiet of the canyon ground was an unimaginable expertise.
Test situations on the Customer Heart as chances are you’ll want a 4WD. You possibly can at the very least drive the switchbacks in a 2WD all the way down to the underside. I wouldn’t suggest taking the remainder of the path again to Moab in a 2WD although.
I beloved driving this highway and popping out to Lifeless Horse Bend the place solely a few days earlier than we sat above watching the sundown right here. It’s a powerful spot.
It will possibly get fairly tough.
Learn Extra: Issues to do in Canyonlands Nationwide Park (consists of The Needles)
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12. Sundown at Lifeless Horse Level State Park
A Utah spotlight so as to add to your Utah bucket listing. Truly we predict it’s among the finest sundown expertise within the USA.
Lifeless Horse Level is among the most photographed scenic vistas within the USA. The overlook towers 2,000 ft above the Colorado River, offering a wide ranging panorama of Canyonlands’ sculpted pinnacles and buttes.
Pack a picnic and discover a spot on the sting of the mesa and benefit from the magic of the setting solar lighting up the spectacular horseshoe bend within the Colorado River because it carves out the encircling canyonlands.
Time your go to after a day exploring Islands of the Sky close by in Canyonlands.
You possibly can even camp there or spend extra time exploring the state park and the various hikes and biking trails that should be superior.
Podcast point out: Suggestions for visiting Horseshoe Bend in Arizona
13. Valley of the Gods + Pure Bridges Monument
One other cool place to go to in Utah is the Valley of the Gods. It’s extra of a serene journey because it’s principally only a scenic drive and gorgeous views.
We extremely suggest you free camp on this space It’s fairly and gorgeous. Our views of Monument Valley within the distance had been spectacular.
It’s additionally near Pure Bridges Monument, which is simple to discover in a day. You possibly can take quick trails all the way down to any of the three pure bridges, or do the longer 10 mile hike that passes by all three.
We hiked to Sepiku which was in all probability probably the most enjoyable hike to do particularly with children.
Learn Extra:
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Hidden Gems in Utah Video Playlist
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What different cool locations in Utah would you add to this listing?
