Utah Mighty Five Road Trip: The Complete 10-Day Itinerary

Why Ten Days

The Utah Mighty Five — Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches — can technically be driven in 5 days. People do it. They see the highlights, check five parks off a list, and leave having experienced about 30% of what each park actually offers.

Ten days lets you actually be in these places: the predawn hike to Zion Narrows before the crowds arrive, the 6am scramble to Bryce’s Sunrise Point, the solitude of Capitol Reef’s Waterpocket Fold, the sunrise at Canyonlands’ Mesa Arch, and the late afternoon light on Delicate Arch. These experiences require unhurried time. Ten days provides it.

This itinerary is designed for two to four people with a rental car, camping optional (but recommended for certain parks), and a flexible mindset.

What You Need Before You Leave

America the Beautiful Pass ($80/year) — covers all five parks’ entrance fees ($35/vehicle each). Buy it at the first park entrance or in advance at recreation.gov. This is the single best travel purchase you’ll make.

Angels Landing Permit (Zion) — required for the summit section. Apply via the seasonal lottery on Recreation.gov months in advance. Also check day-before lotteries. Without a permit, you can hike to Scout Lookout but not the chains section.

Arches Timed Entry (April 1–October 31) — required for entry 7am–4pm. Reserve on Recreation.gov as soon as it opens (typically a few weeks ahead). Without a reservation, arrive before 7am or after 4pm.

Havasupai Permit (optional extension) — if adding Havasupai Falls, permits open February 1 for the year via lottery at havasupaisales.com. Plan this separately.

Lodging reservations — Zion Lodge and Bryce Canyon Lodge book 6+ months in advance. Springdale fills up. Book before this trip or have a campsite plan.

The Route

The classic Mighty Five loop from Las Vegas (or Salt Lake City in reverse):

Las Vegas → Zion (2.5 hrs) → Bryce Canyon (1.5 hrs from Zion) → Capitol Reef (2 hrs from Bryce) → Moab/Arches/Canyonlands (2.5 hrs from Capitol Reef) → Salt Lake City (3.5 hrs from Moab) or back to Las Vegas via I-70 and I-15.

Total driving: approximately 700-800 miles over 10 days.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Springdale / Zion

Fly into Las Vegas and drive to Springdale (2.5 hours). Arrive late afternoon. Walk the Zion Canyon Trail (paved, easy, runs along the river under the canyon walls). Dinner in Springdale. Early sleep — tomorrow starts at 5am.

Where to stay: Springdale (30+ hotel and vacation rental options along the main road). Zion Lodge (in-park, book months ahead).

Day 2: Zion — Angels Landing and the Narrows

5am: Wake and take the shuttle (or walk the Kayenta Trail) toward Angels Landing. Start hiking by 6am to be near the summit chains before the heat builds and before the crowds.

8am–9am: At the summit (permit required). Return to the valley by 10am.

11am–2pm: Lunch and rest in Springdale.

3pm–7pm: Begin the Narrows bottom-up. Enter the Virgin River and hike upstream for 1-2 hours (turnaround is your choice). The afternoon light in the narrows is golden and beautiful.

Evening: Dinner in Springdale. Most restaurants close by 9pm — book ahead.

Note: If you don’t have an Angels Landing permit, substitute Observation Point (8 miles RT, strenuous) — the view down onto Angels Landing is arguably better than from the top.

Day 3: Zion — Kolob Canyons and Drive to Bryce

7am–10am: Drive 40 miles north on I-15 to Kolob Canyons (the northwest section of Zion). The Timber Creek Overlook Trail (1 mile) and Taylor Creek Trail (5 miles RT) are both excellent. Far fewer crowds than the main canyon.

Noon: Drive to Bryce Canyon (1.5 hours from Zion via Highway 9 and US-89). Check in. Afternoon rim walk from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point (1.8 miles, easy, spectacular).

Evening: Sunset at Sunset Point. If skies are clear, this is one of Utah’s premier sunset viewing experiences.

Where to stay: Bryce Canyon Lodge (in-park, book far ahead) or Ruby’s Inn outside the entrance.

Day 4: Bryce Canyon — Full Day

5am: Drive to Sunrise Point for dawn. The amphitheater at first light, with the hoodoos catching pink and orange, is one of the most otherworldly landscapes you’ll see.

6am–10am: Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail (2.9 miles, combines both for the best below-rim experience). Navajo Loop descends through Wall Street — a narrow slot between towering hoodoo walls. Queens Garden returns you to the rim.

Afternoon: Drive the full Rim Road (17 miles to Rainbow Point at 9,115 feet). Stop at every overlook. Farview Point, Ponderosa Canyon, and Yovimpa Point all reward the stop.

Late afternoon: Hike the Bristlecone Loop (1 mile) near Rainbow Point — 1,700-year-old trees at the rim.

Day 5: Bryce to Capitol Reef

Morning: Drive to Capitol Reef (2 hours via Highway 12 — one of the most scenic roads in the American West). Highway 12 climbs over Boulder Mountain, crosses the Grand Staircase, and provides views that rival any national park.

Afternoon: Arrive Capitol Reef. Drive the Scenic Drive ($10, cash only). Walk Grand Wash (4.4 miles RT into the canyon narrows) or Capitol Gorge (2 miles RT, excellent petroglyphs).

If in season: Stop at the Fruita orchards. The park allows free fruit picking — cherries in June, peaches in August, apples in September–October.

Evening: Dinner at Torrey’s Café Diablo (excellent, book ahead) or Capitol Reef Resort restaurant.

Where to stay: Capitol Reef Resort or Torrey lodging options (7 miles from park).

Day 6: Capitol Reef — Deep Day

Morning: Hickman Bridge Trail (2 miles RT, 400 ft elevation gain) — a natural sandstone bridge with the Waterpocket Fold panorama.

Afternoon: Cathedral Valley (40-mile dirt road requiring high-clearance vehicle) OR Cohab Canyon Trail (3.4 miles RT) from the Fruita campground. Cathedral Valley is extraordinary if you have the right vehicle — the Temple of the Sun and Moon formations are worth it.

Late afternoon/evening: Petroglyphs along Highway 24 near the visitor center. These are Fremont culture rock art dating 700-1,300 years old.

Day 7: Capitol Reef to Moab

Morning: Drive to Moab (2.5 hours via I-70 and US-191 — passing through canyon country and the San Rafael Swell).

Stop: Dead Horse Point State Park (30 minutes off the Moab highway). The overlook — a 2,000-foot drop to the Colorado River gorge — is one of Utah’s best single viewpoints. $20 entry.

Afternoon: Arrive Moab. Rest. Walk Arches National Park main road by car (late afternoon light on the formations is excellent) or check into camp.

Evening: Dinner at Moab Brewery or Tag-a-Long BBQ.

Where to stay: Moab hotels, Under Canvas Moab (glamping), or campsite at Arches or Canyonlands.

Day 8: Arches National Park

6am: Enter Arches before timed entry begins (if April–October). Head directly to Delicate Arch trailhead.

6:30am–9am: Hike Delicate Arch (3 miles RT, 480 ft elevation gain). Arrive before sunrise for the best light and before the crowds build.

9:30am–11am: Drive to Devils Garden. Hike Landscape Arch (1.6 miles RT) and Partition Arch (2 miles RT). The Devils Garden area has the densest concentration of arches in the park.

Afternoon: Return to Moab. Rest. Rent a mountain bike or book a Colorado River rafting half-day.

Evening: Arches Sunset. The Balanced Rock area (0.3 miles, flat) at sunset is spectacular and accessible even in the late afternoon heat.

Day 9: Canyonlands — Island in the Sky

Sunrise: Mesa Arch (0.5 miles RT, flat). This is the shot — the Colorado River gorge framed through a stone arch at first light. Arrive 45 minutes before sunrise and expect other photographers.

Morning: Grand View Point Trail (1.8 miles RT from the overlook parking). The view of the junction of the Green and Colorado Rivers from 1,400 feet above is astonishing.

Midday: Upheaval Dome (1.5 miles RT) — either a meteor impact crater or a salt dome intrusion, geologists still debate. Unusual and worth the short hike.

Afternoon: Optional: drive to Needles district (75 miles from Island in the Sky) if you have a second Canyonlands day planned. Otherwise, relax in Moab.

Day 10: Drive to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas

Morning: One last stop in Moab — the Morning Glory Natural Bridge (10-mile round trip if time allows) or a loop drive through Corona Arch area (3 miles RT).

Drive: Moab to Salt Lake City (3.5 hours via US-191 north and I-15 north), or Moab to Las Vegas (4.5 hours via I-70 west and I-15 south).

Camping vs. Hotels

Camping benefits: Earlier access before crowds, better morning light, more flexibility, significantly lower cost, and the experience of sleeping under Utah’s extraordinary night sky.

Best campsites:

• Watchman Campground, Zion — reservations required, book early
• North Campground, Bryce Canyon — near the rim
• Fruita Campground, Capitol Reef — in the orchards
• Devils Garden Campground, Arches — deepest in the park, reservations required

Hotels for comfort: Springdale (Zion area), Bryce Canyon area (Ruby’s Inn), Torrey (Capitol Reef area), and Moab all have solid hotel options. Book 3+ months ahead for spring peak.

Budget Estimate

For two people, 10 days:

Per person, this runs approximately $1,150–1,700 — reasonable for 10 days of extraordinary experiences.

The One Rule

Start everything early. Dawn at the trailhead, not 9am. The Utah national parks in peak season (April–October) are crowded by mid-morning. The landscapes are more beautiful in the first two hours of light. The temperatures are more manageable. The parking lots are not yet full.

Early rising is the single habit that separates a great Mighty Five trip from a miserable, hot, crowded one.

Related: Zion guide | Arches guide | Moab guide | Capitol Reef guide