National Parks near Salt Lake City. There’s so much more to Salt Lake City than the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountain Range. In this article, we’ll familiarize you with the incredible national parks that are within a day’s drive of Salt Lake City. This bustling metropolis has access to more incredible national parks than almost any other city in America. Now let’s go ahead and share those 5
reasons why you’ll want to make that day’s drive from Salt Lake City to one of these amazing places. You should probably know that we didn’t just make this list up out of thin air. We’ve spent our entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands. We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for
years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks. We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers. Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation. We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below! Distance from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 34 minutes My Favorite Resources: Things to Do /
Map / Guidebook / Where to Stay It’s 244 miles from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park down I-15 to I-70. From the Green River it’s a truly scenic trip. Arches National Park is perhaps the most interactive of all the Utah parks filled with scenery that brings out the child in all of us. Sandstone hallways and tunnels, rocks to climb on and over, sandy trails perfect for sandals or even bare feet at times, and red rock vistas that make for an unforgettable experience. It’s close proximity to Moab does make it a bit of a crowded park at times so be sure to take advantage of early mornings when visiting and consider going during the shoulder seasons.  Highlights At ArchesHighlights Include: Delicate Arch featured on the Utah license plate and the arch everyone plans their trip around. The hike up to Delicate Arch isn’t a walk in the park as it involves a solid incline and a bit of navigating the sandstone, but is more than doable for most visitors. Landscape Arch is the largest arch on earth spanning some 306 feet of weathered sandstone. This one is an easy 1.5 miles round trip and a must on your Arches trip. Double O Arch featured in the image above is a very unique arch on top of an arch. This 4.1 mile out and back hike is a bit more strenuous, especially in the summer heat, so plan accordingly and bring plenty of water. RELATED: Utah’s Fishlake National Forest: It’s Even More Magical Than You Know 2. Bryce Canyon National ParkDistance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours [via I-15 South] Resources: Map | Guidebook | Road Trip | Where to Stay Bryce Canyon National Parkis among the most beautiful I’ve hiked in the parks system. Sunrises in the park are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Park highlights include: Wall Street Trail which is a spectacular trail through Bryce Canyon’s famous otherworldly scenery. Sunset Point is the quintessential Bryce Canyon overlook where visitors are amazed at the mind-bending beauty and concentration of hoodoos and rock formations. As it’s name suggests, sunsets here are not to be missed. Inspiration Point has a fitting name – from here you can look out on the vast landscape that makes up this unique portion of Utah. Hoodoos, mesas, ponderosa pines, cedar, and beautifully striped hills as far as the eye can see. RELATED: This Utah National Parks Road Trip Is The Best For 2022 3. Canyonlands National ParkDistance from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 47 minutes [via U.S. 6 East] Resources: Map | Guidebook | Where to Stay Canyonlands National Park is one of the parks that has views that one can seemingly gaze upon for days without losing interest or comprehending exactly the vastness of the landscape. Mesa Arch here represents one of the most photographed sunrises in all of the national park system and Green River overlook one of the most dazzling sunsets. The catch? Four-wheel drive. If you’ve got it you’re set and have full access to all of the unbelievable destinations the park has to offer. Without it, your time in the park will be mostly limited to overlooks from above, which are still well worth the trip. Highlights At CanyonlandsHighlights include: The Needles which makes up the southeastern corner of the park and is named after the multi-colored spires of sandstone that dominate the area. The Needles area offers a multitude of hiking opportunities as well as 4WD roads leading to fascinating ruins. Mesa Arch which is the most photographed feature in the park and is where you’ll find the bulk of tourists looking to snag their very own photo of this arch with a view. Sunrise is the best time to head over and see the sun makes its way up through the arch while illuminating the vast landscape. Shafer Trail which is perhaps the pinnacle of 4WD trails in the United States. Here you can put your high clearance four-wheel-drive SUV through the wringer on this challenging, unpaved, and downright scary road. 4. Capitol Reef National ParkDistance from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 25 minutes [via I-15 S & UT 24E] Our Favorite Resources: Map / Guidebook / Things to Do / Where to Stay Probably the least known Utah national park, and yet it’s easily one of the best. No crowds, abundant scenery, and there’s even a small town (Torrey) nestled up against the park that has restaurants and conveniences that will surprise you. Lots of great day-hikes and truly out of this world stargazing opportunities (pun intended). Overlooks that look out on vast and lonely landscapes shaped by geological activity over millennia, uncrowded trails through ancient petroglyphs, natural arches, and beautiful red rock scenery, and historic structures preserving early pioneer life. What’s not to like about this often-overlooked Utah gem? RELATED: Manti-La Sal National Forest: The Forest As Beautiful as Utah’s Parks Capitol Reef HighlightsHickman Bridge is an easy 2 mile trail (1 mile each way) taking you to a spectacular sandstone arch. The trail also takes you by early Fremont ruins and a smaller arch. Grand Wash is an spectacular gorge that cuts through the Capitol Reef’s Waterpocket Fold geological formation. The trail follows a flat wash for just over 6 miles, but most visitors prefer to explore the half mile narrows (featured in the image above) before simply turning back. Stargazing Capitol Reef was designated an International Dark Sky Park back in 2015 and for very good reason. The night skies over Capitol Reef provide some of the best stargazing opportunities in the United States. 5. Zion National ParkDistance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours 26 minutes [via I-15 S] Exquisitely carved by the Virgin River over millions of years, Zion Canyon is one of the most stunning places on earth. But don’t stop there! This park has so much more to offer outside of the main canyon. Golden meadows, sweeping vistas, red rock mountains, towering white temples, and powerful ancient rivers comprise this incredible treasure. RELATED: 16 EPIC Hikes In ZION NATIONAL PARK Best Things to Do in Zion National ParkThe Narrows is one of the absolute coolest hikes and things to do in Zion National Park and the entire national park system for that matter. Hikers hike, walk, and wade through a narrow canyon of massive red rock canyon walls where the Virgin River has been at work for millions of years. Angel’s Landing is the most popular, well-known hike in Zion National Park leading to one of the most iconic views in all the National Park system. The Angel’s Landing trail is a steep 5 miles with about 1,500ft of elevation gain. Canyon Overlook is one of the most spectacular and relatively easy to access overlooks in all of Zion National Park. Located on the Zion Mt. Carmel (East) side of the park, the Canyon Overlook Trail is a popular one. RELATED: 20 EPIC Things To Do In ZION NATIONAL PARK Watch the Zion National Park FilmThis breathtaking film was produced by the team at More Than Just Parks ZION is the culmination of nearly a month spent by the Pattiz Brothers exploring Zion National Park during peak fall color. Exquisitely carved by the Virgin River over millions of years, Zion Canyon is one of the most stunning places on earth. But don’t stop there! This park has so much more to offer outside of the main canyon. Golden meadows, sweeping vistas, red rock mountains, towering white temples, and powerful ancient rivers comprise this incredible treasure. This was filmed primarily in stunning UHD 8K. The Pattiz Brothers chose to capture this film in Autumn to showcase the stunning and little known fall color of Zion National Park. Fall is also a time when visitation dies down from peak summer months and one can find more solace in the park. RELATED: 14 BREATHTAKING National Park Videos to Inspire Your Next Trip Map Of National Parks Near Salt Lake CityList Of National Parks Near Salt Lake City
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation. We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below! Helpful Related Posts
How close is Zion to Salt Lake City?Zion National Park is located 300 miles (4.5-hour-drive) from Salt Lake City. Most of the drive is along Interstate 15, which has some beautiful sights and attractions along the way. Rather than racing from Salt Lake City to Zion as quickly as possible, slow down and enjoy the drive.
Is Salt Lake City near Bryce Canyon?The distance between Salt Lake City and Bryce Canyon National Park is 221 miles. The road distance is 274.3 miles. How long does it take to get from Salt Lake City to Bryce Canyon National Park? It takes approximately 5h 29m to get from Salt Lake City to Bryce Canyon National Park, including transfers.
How far is Zion and Bryce Canyon from Salt Lake City?(4.5 hours from Salt Lake City) Here we enter this beautiful canyon with towering red and white sandstone cliffs and enjoy our first stop at the Human History Museum.
Which National Park in Utah is closest to Salt Lake City?Arches National Park is the closest National Parks to Salt Lake City. Located in the town of Moab in Utah, Arches is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches. One of its most famous arches, Landscape Arch, is the longest natural stone arch in the USA.
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Is Bryce or Zion closer to Salt Lake City?
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