With 13 magnificent National Parks located near to Salt Lake City, it is the perfect entry point to explore an array of national parks. From Salt Lake City, it takes less than a day to reach 13 National Park’s across Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Arizona.
We recently used Salt Lake City as our starting point to explore the surrounding National Parks and wanted to share our guide to the best National Parks near Salt Lake City.
13 National Parks Near Salt Lake City
From the magnificent geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone National Parks to the ancient cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde and the vastness of the Grand Canyon, there are some incredible National Parks near Salt Lake City.
1 | Arches National Park, Utah
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 30 minutes
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.
The instantly recognizable Delicate Arch, a symbol of Utah and a fixture on the state licence plates, is one of the most popular hikes in the park. Other great trails include the challenging Devil’s Playground, the permit only Fiery Furnace and the towering cliffs on Park Avenue.
Remember, if you are planning to visit Arches between April 3 and October 3 2022, a new timed entry system will be in place. See our Arches National Park itinerary for more details.
National Parks near Salt Lake City tip: Arches is one of the best National Parks near Salt Lake City for families. Most of its trails can be managed by kids and there are easy to access viewpoints throughout the park.
2 | Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 30 minutes
With its endless rugged landscape and colorful desert rock, Capitol Reef National Park is a magical place to visit. The defining feature of Capitol Reef is Waterpocket Fold, a 100 mile long buckle in the earth’s surface along which erosion and uplift have created deep narrow canyons and fascinating rock formations.
Capitol Reef is an easy and extraordinary park to explore. Highway 24 cuts through the park and showcases the beautiful Panorama Point, Goosenecks Overlook and Sunset Point. The Capitol Reef Scenic Drive, an 8 mile scenic drive, leads the way through the most magnificent scenery in the park and includes access to the Hickman’s Bridge trail where Capitol’s Reef natural stone arch sits.
National Parks near Salt Lake City tip: the five Utah National Park’s (Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef) can be explored together on a Utah National Parks road trip.
3 | Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 3 hours 45 minutes
Located in eastern Nevada, Great Basin National Park is centered around the dry and mountainous Great Basin region between California and Utah. The park is incredibly diverse with a stunning mix of alpine lakes and limestone caverns which are set in a solitude environment. The park is home to Nevada’s only glacier as well as the oldest living trees on the planet with its 5,000 year old bristle cone pine trees. Great Basin National Park is also renowned for its dark skies.
Its highlights include the Lehman Cave tour, the Alpine Lakes Loop trail, the Bristlecone Trail and the trail to the summit of the second highest peak in Nevada, Wheeler Peak.
4 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 4 hours
Canyonlands is the largest of Utah’s National Parks and its vast and dramatic landscape comprises colorful canyons, buttes and mesas. Canyonlands is divided into four distinct districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze and the rivers.
The districts are located quite far apart. Island in the Sky is the most accessible and is a 30 minute drive from Moab. This is where Mesa Arch, the most photographed arch in Utah, is located. Perfect framing the surrounding canyons and rock formations, Mesa Arch is only a 10 minute hike from the nearby parking lot.
Many of Canyonland’s best viewpoints are nearby: Grand View Point, Orange Cliffs, Buck Canyon, Candlestick Tower and Green River are all amazing overlooks while White Rim Overlook and the Gooseberry trail are all popular hikes.
National Parks near Salt Lake City: Canyonlands National Park is usually combined with a visit to Arches National Park – both are within 30 minutes drive of the two of Moab, Utah, which is used as base for both.
5 | Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 4 hours 15 minutes
With its signature hoodoo rock columns Bryce Canyon National Park is a truly magnificent sight. Its series of natural amphitheaters are carved into the edge of a high plateau and there are some spectacular viewpoints along the rim: Rainbow Point, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, and Bryce Point all offer sweeping views.
The Queens Garden trail and the Navajo Loop trails are the most popular in Bryce and our favorite is the combination of both trails (1.5 hours). It includes Sunrise and Sunset Point, descends into Wall Street and the canyon floor and back up to Sunset Point.
National Parks near Salt Lake City tip: Bryce Canyon is Utah’s smallest National Park and it can easily be explored in a single day. Bryce Canyon is only 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Zion National Park and a visit to the two is often combined.
6 | Zion National Park, Utah
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 4 hours 45 minutes
Home to soaring red cliffs, iconic hikes and a rich variety of wildlife, the magnificent Zion National Park is one of the most visited of the National Parks near Salt Lake City.
Hikers flock to Zion to conquer the iconic Angels Landing (remember, Angels Landing will soon be permit only, check out the post for more details) and the water-based Narrows. Canyon Overlook, Riverside Walk, Observation Point, Scout Lookout and the Emerald Pools are among the other best things to do in Zion.
7 | Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 4 hours 45 minutes
The oldest National Park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park is a geothermal and wildlife filled wonderland.
Yellowstone’s most famous sights include the Old Faithful Geyser which erupts every 60 to 90 minutes and the largest hot spring in the US, the Grand Prismatic Spring. The colorful Morning Glory, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Minerva Terrace on the Mammoth Hot Springs are other highlights.
The Yellowstone wildlife is incredible with bears, wolves, bison, bighorn lambs, elk and antelope among its residents.
8 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 5 hours 45 minutes
Formed by 1.7 million years of erosion from the Gunnison River, a deep river gorge cuts through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The narrow canyon is surrounded by 2,000 foot tall canyon walls and, as a result, the canyon floor only receives a few minutes of sunlight each day.
It is a challenging hike to the canyon floor so most visitors are content exploring the rim. There are two scenic drives through the park: the North Rim Road and the South Rim Road are dotted with viewpoints from which to gaze upon the beauty of the canyon. The South Rim is open year round and the North Rim closes in Winter.
9 | Mesa Verde National Park
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 6 hours 30 minutes
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Mesa Verde was the home of the ancestral Pueblo people for over 700 years between the 6th and 12th Century. 4,400 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings are protected in this unique National Park.
The cliff dwellings are only accessible via a guided ranger led tour. The 800 year old Balcony House, the 150 room Cliff Palace and the more remote Long House can be explored this way. Cliff Palace can also be seen from along the scenic drive on Mesa Top Loop Road.
Other interesting sights at Mesa Verde include the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum and the 2.4 mile Petroglyph Point Trail.
National Parks near Salt Lake City tip: cliff dwelling tours must be reserved in advance. The tours are on hold at the moment.
10 | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 6 hours 30 minutes
Depending on the time of year and where else you are planning on visiting, it can be a possible to visit either the North or South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The South Rim is the most popular of the two and has a more extensive tourist offering and is home to many of the best things to do in the Grand Canyon. It is also open year round. A series of viewpoints along Desert View Drive and Hermit Road showcase the vastness of the canyon. Other highlights include the South Kaibab Trail with its incredible viewpoints including Ooh Aah Point.
The North Rim is much quieter, and cooler, than its South Rim counterpart. It is only open from May 15 to October 15 for overnight stays and December 1 for day access as the winter conditions at the North Rim are more extreme. Highlights of the North Rim include Bright Angel Point, Cape Royal and Roosevelt Point.
It is possible to hike Rim to Rim via the North Kaibab trail and either the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trail. This is an extremely challenging hike and one which only a small number of visitors undertake.
National Parks near Salt Lake City tip: the Grand Canyon West Rim, where the Skywalk is located and the helicopter tours visit, is in the part of the canyon owned by the Hualapai Tribe. It is not part of the Grand Canyon National Park.
11| Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 7 hours
Located just south of Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park is 310,000 acres of snow capped mountains, amazing wildlife, valleys, lakes, rivers and lush forest. It encompasses the Teton mountain range and part of Jackson Hole valley.
Grand Teton can be explored through a mix of scenic drives, picturesque hiking trails and boat trips on the lake.
A 42 mile scenic drive along Teton Park Road and Jackson Highway ticks off most of the major sights with a detour to the summit of Signal Mountain to admire the panoramic views of the park. The Jenny Lake Scenic Drive is another highlight as are the nearby hikes to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls.
12 | Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Drive time from Salt Lake City: 7 hours 30 minutes
Rocky Mountain National Park is 265,000 acres of mountainous beauty with 147 lakes (check out Dream Lake or Sprague Lake for sunrise) and 77 mountains soaring over 12,000 feet. The magnificent wildlife includes elk, moose and big horn sheep.
Trail Ridge Road, a seasonally road which climbs to over 12,000 feet, has spectacular views and crosses the continental divide at Milner Pass. Old Fall River Road and Highway 36 are also beautiful drives.
There are over 355 miles of hiking trails in the park and the best hikes include Mount Ida, Chasm Lake, Emerald Lake and the Flattop Mountain Trail.
National Parks near Salt Lake City: With the elevation on the park’s roads reaching 12,000 feet, Rocky Mountain National Park is a high elevation park and visitors need to be mindful of the potential to suffer from altitude sickness. It is important to allow time to adjust to the higher altitude when planning a visit.
13 | Death Valley National Park, Nevada
Drive Time from Salt Lake City: 7 hours 45 minutes
Located on the Nevada – California border, Death Valley is a National Park of extremes. It is the lowest, hottest and driest of the US National Parks and some of the hottest temperatures on the planet have been recorded in Death Valley.
The highlights include Badwater Basin which, at 282 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in North America, Dantes Valley Viewpoint and Zabriskie Point.
