Since there are so many beautiful national parks in Utah, it is really worth to get an annual National Parks Pass, called America the Beautiful. Costs about $ 85 for a car + 4 people.
It is easier to see (especially the south of) Utah by car, there are so many parks in which you can drive around and sightseeing is so much easier when driving around. But… If you have the choice, don’t drive at night in rural Utah. I’m serious: do not drive at night in rural Utah. There are lots of so called ‘Open Range’ fields, where the cows graze freely without any fences or gates. Meaning that they could just walk onto the dark road (there are no street lights in the vast stretches of open land) where you may not see them in time. They won’t be wearing reflecting jackets with bells and whistles to warn you. I almost crashed into some cows who where slowly crossing the road, not minding any traffic rules and regulations. It is not worth getting ‘The cow did not get out of the way’ on your tombstone…
When hiking around in the national parks, be prepared for the weather. Make sure you wear some sort of hat and lots of sun protection for sunny weather, and bring a warm jacket for the colder days. Wear comfortable, closed footwear and bring plenty of water and food with you. And stay (close) to the trails, you don’t want to get lost here. The trails are not signposted with big neon lettering, but rather more naturally by small piles of rocks, called cairns, so look out for those and make sure you preserve them. Use caution when the walking trails are wet, icey or snowy. I know it’s fun to get out of your comfort zone, but when it comes to choosing hiking trails, don’t go do the steep hikes when you can barely walk up the stairs. Stay within your limits of hiking, and have fun on the trails that you can do, rather than getting stuck on the strenuous hikes.
Moab, not a cheap place to stay, but great to explore the National Parks Arches and Canyonlands. There is a great bakery / cafe called Moab Coffee Roasters, which is run by a couple of friendly, old hippies. The place is very popular, have some of their pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or freshly made ice cream. Arches, see Balanced Rock, the Windows, do the moderately streneous walk to Delicate Arch (1.5 miles / 2,4 km each way), and also Devil’s Garden Trail is a great walk of about 12 km / 8 miles. Canyonlands, see the Dead Horse Point, and Island in the Sky. The last one doesn’t have much to show when you are on it, but when you see it from the viewpoints around it, you can see how why it is called what it is.
Natural Bridges Monument, a nice, smaller park with not so many other tourists, where you can do hikes to the three main bridges carved out by nature over time.
Zion N.P. Plenty of different hikes to do, including the Narrows. Book a trip for the Narrows, since you most likely need to get a dry-suit to get through the icey cold creeks to get into the Narrows. Observation Point trail is about 4 miles (6 km) each way and takes you all the way up to a great look out point over the canyon of Zion. The Angels Landing hike is more tricky with some very narrow parts over steep drops. Lower Emerald Pools have some nice waterfalls.
Escalante N.P. Hike at Devil’s Garden at Grand Staircase.
Bryce Canyon, amazing at sunrise or sunset. Easy to drive around the park and stop at different look out points. You can do several hikes as well from those points. The pine trees in the park give it a great smell.
Capitol Reef N.P. Petroglyphs, rock art from native Americans. Hike at Grand Wash and the path to Pioneers Register and Tanks.
