Utah is amazing and you won't be short of places to visit. It is one of the most beautiful states in the United States, or so many say. For me, without a doubt, I include it in the list of essential places to see once in a lifetime. The vast majority of its appeal lies in its impressive National Parks, and it is no wonder, they will leave you speechless.
In this post I tell you about the 15 most impressive places to see in Utah, I leave you with some links to complete guides to visit some of its most important National parks and travel tips that will be useful to prepare your trip.
THE 15 MOST IMPRESSIVE PLACES TO SEE IN UTAH
1. Zion National Park
Utah has many national parks, all of them impressive and most considered some of the most beautiful in the United States. Zion is one of them. Full of landscapes that will leave you speechless, with many hiking trails and endless photogenic places. In it you will find all kinds of landscapes. More desert areas with the famous reddish rock formations and areas where you can appreciate rivers, valleys and vegetation.
To explain everything you need to know to visit Zion National Park, I leave you a complete guide:
2. Monument Valley
Monument Valley is one of the most impressive places to see in Utah, especially at sunset. This valley is located between two states, Utah and Arizona. The reddish rock formations are quite a spectacle at sunset. It is worth adding a night and a couple of days to this valley. You can do jeep routes, hiking, mountain bike routes and even horseback riding.
3. Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is another essential stop to make in Utah. It is a National Park full of geometric shapes, also known as hoodoos. Awesome!
There are several hiking trails although the most popular is the Navajo Loop. To see the sunset, a good place is Sunset Point, the place from where you start the Navajo Loop route and finish it. It is a simple and pleasant route that does not require much effort and with a beautiful landscape full of incredible places to photograph.
4. Canyonlands National Park, the Grand Canyon of Utah
Yes, I know what you're thinking... Another National Park? Well yes, in Utah the national parks point and each one of them has something special. Here you will find the Grand Canyon of Utah. An impressive place to visit.
The most popular part to visit is the Island in the Sky sector. From there you will have spectacular views of the canyons carved by the river and the mountains. Utah isn't as popular as Colorado, so you may be able to hike the trails without people, which adds to the appeal.
A place that you cannot forget to visit is Mesa Arch, a beautiful stone arch or the other two sectors, Needles and Maze.
You can cross the Park by road and approach the viewpoints. Like all National Parks in the United States, it is very well maintained and with indications so you don't get lost. One of the most spectacular things about this place are the views of the mountains at the end of the long road. If you're lucky, you won't find any cars and you'll be able to take some spectacular snapshots.
5. Arches National Park
This National Park is another of the wonders of Utah. In it is an arch that is the emblem of the state. And although Arch is the most popular arch in the park you will find more than 2,000 natural stone arches. You can do many routes, but if you decide to visit this popular arch, you will only have to walk about 5 km in total (round trip) and ascend about 150 meters. Don't worry if I don't tell you specifically, it's signposted everywhere.
Once you reach the famous arch, don't be left alone with this one, follow the path before turning around and continue enjoying this wonder. There are many routes, despite the heat we spent the day doing several routes and we were able to enjoy amazing landscapes for ourselves. By the way! The first photograph of the post is of this National Park.
6. Reflection Canyon
Reflection Canyon is a very beautiful place. It does not have easy access and that is why many tourists and travelers neglect to visit this place. But if you decide to visit it, you will not regret it.
You will have to walk along a path for about 30 kilometers round trip (remember to wear comfortable hiking shoes, a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water). It is not recommended to do it if you travel in the middle of summer, the heat can be tremendous and there is a danger of sunstroke and dehydration.
That canyon is very close to Lake Powell and is a real treasure. If you have a drone, don't forget to go with the battery fully charged!
7. Visit Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is the largest city in Utah. Although the biggest attractions of the State are the National Parks, you cannot leave visiting the capital out of your itinerary. The highlight is the Salt Lake City Temple. You also can't miss the capitol, the urban art trail and the wooded trails that are found around the city.
8. Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge
The Glen Canyon area is one of the most beautiful to see in Utah.
Glen Canyon Recreation Area stretches from Arizona to southern Utah, offering geological wonders and incredible scenery.
There you can also visit the Rainbow Bridge, which is considered the highest natural bridge in the world. It is a natural wonder that you cannot miss!
9. Bear Lake
Bear Lake offers a totally different landscape than what we have been seeing so far. We change the reddish sand deserts for a green landscape with a huge lake of crystalline blue water.
The lake sits right on the Idaho border. Here you can relax on the shore where there is a kind of beach created with fine sand, take a boat ride, rent kayaks, enjoy a year or just walk and admire the landscape.
10. Globin Valley State Park
In Utah you will find a lot of national parks and some are similar to each other. Globin Valley is especially characterized by having a surreal landscape. Here the Hodoos are everywhere. Hodoos are rock formations that resemble mushrooms.
Here you can go trekking along some of the marked routes that exist. Even renting a bicycle to make the ride more bearable. It's hot, don't forget to bring water, sun cream...
11. Bonneville Salt Flats
Very close to the capital, Salt Lake City, you can visit a huge salt flat. It has more than 260 square km. When it is dry and, thanks to its completely flat profile, large speed tests such as Speed Week are organized. When it rains and the water stagnates, a kind of thin layer of water is created in which it is reflected as if it were a mirror.
12. Coral Pink Sand Dunes
In Utah you will find a spectacular dune desert. They have an unusual pink color. Their color is due to the fact that they are formed from the erosion of the Navajo sandstone, which surrounds the park and is pink in color. These dunes are never in the same place, it is estimated that, with the wind, these sand dunes can move up to 15 meters per year.
The best time to visit them is at sunrise or sunset, where the color of the dunes with the sun intensifies and creates beautiful shadows on the sand.
13. Kanarra Falls
These waterfalls have become very popular on social networks. Therefore, to preserve the place, access is only allowed to 150 people per day. And you must ask for a special permit.
The waterfalls are spectacular and their great attraction lies in the fact that they are located inside a canyon. Keep in mind that you are going to get wet and you also need good shoes to get there.
To continue all the way to the waterfalls, you will go directly through the Del Río flow and ascend and descend through wooden stairs that are temporarily installed along the route.
14. Goosenecks State Park
In the south of the state of Utah you will find this beautiful state park. It is famous for the panoramic view that you can have of a meander of the San Juan River. From above you can see it from more than 300 meters high. It is a little-visited national park, which makes it much more attractive. Apart from enjoying the views you can do several routes on foot, by bike...
15. Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park
And last on this list of the 15 most impressive places to see in Utah is Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park.
Here you will find a landscape full of canyons, cliffs, bridges, routes...
The most spectacular section of the park and also the most difficult to access is Cathedral Valley. It is popular for its huge monoliths. The most famous are the so-called Temple of the Moon and the Sun.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Boston and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!