When contemplating locations to see in Utah you most likely have the highest Utah points of interest like Zion Nationwide Park, Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park, Canyonlands Nationwide Park, and Arches Nationwide Park in your listing.
We expect it’s best to. 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 you could not have even heard of.
They’re simply as spectacular as the principle points of interest in Utah and infrequently contain larger 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 choose to put in writing from expertise – not desk analysis or collabs – we solely suggest what we’ve accomplished, so we solely have Southern Utah suggestions on this put up. Hopefully we are able to 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 points of interest)
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 under. Click on every hyperlink to learn the put up and the Utah Hidden Gem Locations video playlist is on the finish of the put up.
Podcast: Adventures & Locations to See in Southern Utah
We additionally recorded this info in podcast kind, in case you choose to listen to us chatting about it and sharing our tales! Don’t overlook to share it with your folks.
With house, purple dust and loads of recent air, Utah is likely one of the most tasty locations within the US throughout these present difficult instances.
The truth is, we expect 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 purple dust, aqua blue lake.
It’s important to see it to imagine it, and there’s no higher manner than through the journey of an ATV journey up and down the sand dunes, and out and in dinosaur carved rock formations. The sundown tour is a dream!
It’s an exciting Utah journey for households and one among our favourite locations to see in Utah that completely nobody instructed 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 number 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 purple, burnt orange, yellow and white sandstone cliffs, and twisted layers of rock.
It’s additionally a preferred place in Utah for mountaineering.
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3. Purple Reef Path, St George
The Purple Reef Recreation Space might be one of many locations to see in Utah you’ve got by no means heard of.
I feel I discovered somewhat paragraph about it in a brochure and thought it seemed cool. Fortunately, it was throughout the highway from our campsite in Hurricane so we determined to pop over and test it out.
The Purple Reef mountain climbing path was the women first introduction to adventurous mountain climbing. They fell in love. I’ll always remember the worry 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 beautiful hike will take you thru
Learn extra: Hike the Thrilling Purple Reef Path in St George, Utah
4. Spooky and Peek-a-Boo, Grand Escalante
We fee this Utah journey as our favourite hike on our USA highway journey (thus far). 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 – full of holes to climb up and crawl by means of. The journey solely will get higher with a 12 inch slim house to slip by means of on the very finish.
Learn Extra: Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons – a tremendous 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 purple, pink, orange and yellow – that’s oh so typical of Utah, essentially the most colourful place on the earth.
It then passes by means of a shady low scrub and bamboo forest sandy observe beside a shallow creek earlier than opening as much as this beautiful 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 among my favourite nationwide parks within the nation and made our listing of US nationwide parks you could not have heard of listing.
Inside this nationwide park is likely one of the few pure arches in Utah you possibly can stroll on prime of. Capitol Reef can be full of 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
If you happen to’re searching for cool locations to see in Utah, you don’t want to overlook Goblin Valley State Park, particularly in case you are visiting Utah with youngsters.
You solely want an hour or two to discover this land full of mushroom, gnome, and goblin formed orange and yellow rocks.
It’s good for video games of disguise and search and tag. You too can do just a few brief hikes right here. It’s a enjoyable factor to see in Utah.
Learn extra: Goblin Valley State Park Utah – one 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 likely one of the greatest issues to do in Utah.
This can be a nice Moab hike with youngsters because it’s comparatively simple, 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 car 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 toes, 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 attention-grabbing shapes.Â
Darkish purple sandstone has been carved into spires, minarets, hovering fins, gargoyles and unusual rock formations. Rock climbers find it irresistible 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 have been greater than glad with the dramatic surroundings and out of doors journey.
The beautiful U-128 Scenic Byway takes you there and again. Be sure you 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.
Imagine it or not, consuming wine in Utah is a novel factor to do because the state has strict consuming 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 very best Utah adventures you will discover? I feel by now you’re getting that Moab is a fairly 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 over vertical rock faces that had us squealing, screaming and laughing on the similar time.
What a enjoyable household exercise to do in Utah! The ever altering Purple 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 purple rocks and big 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 scary switchbacks of the Shafer path in Canyonlands Nationwide Park in Moab.
Driving down the Shafer Path switchbacks into the quiet of the canyon flooring was an unimaginable expertise.
Verify circumstances on the Customer Heart as you could want a 4WD. You can not less than drive the switchbacks in a 2WD right 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 Useless Horse Bend the place solely a few days earlier than we sat above watching the sundown right here. It’s a powerful spot.
It could get fairly tough.
Learn Extra: Issues to do in Canyonlands Nationwide Park (consists of The Needles)
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12. Sundown at Useless Horse Level State Park
A Utah spotlight so as to add to your Utah bucket listing. Truly we expect it’s probably the greatest sundown expertise within the USA.
Useless Horse Level is likely one of the most photographed scenic vistas within the USA. The overlook towers 2,000 toes 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’ll be able to even camp there or spend extra time exploring the state park and the numerous hikes and biking trails that are supposed to 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 beautiful views.
We extremely suggest you free camp on this space It’s fairly and beautiful. Our views of Monument Valley within the distance have been spectacular.
It’s additionally near Pure Bridges Monument, which is simple to discover in a day. You’ll be able to take brief trails right 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 most likely essentially the most enjoyable hike to do particularly with youngsters.
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?