Utah

Best time to visit Utah

The best time to visit Utah depends on what you're looking for.

In summer (June-August) you can expect warm weather which is perfect for outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and rafting. But you will also find the biggest crowds, higher prices and the potential for heat and drought.

Autumn (September-November) has some pretty stunning foliage, cooler temperatures and fewer crowds but bear in mind some attractions may close for the season.

In spring (April-May) you will find mild temperatures, beautiful wildflowers and fewer crowds but the potential for rain and snow.

In winter (December-February) you can find world-class skiing and snowboarding, winter festivals but this of course comes with cold temperatures, potential snowstorms and fewer daylight hours.

Ultimately, the best time to visit Utah is the time that works best for you.

Discover Utah

With five stunning national parks in close proximity, Utah is America's national park capital. The unique towering sandstone monoliths, red and orange red rock spires, deep canyons, sheer cliffs and natural arches and bridges draw adventurers and movie makers from around the world. From red sandstone mesas to vermilion canyon walls, turquoise lakes to powder-white ski slopes, the sheer diversity and grandeur of Utah's landscape is spellbinding.

Today, world-class recreational activities abound conjuring up endless opportunities to ski, hike, bike, swim, sail, and golf. Southern Utah is characterised by red-rock canyons, soaring monoliths and an open expanse of sandstone desert, while the craggy and snow-covered peaks of the Wasatch Mountains dominate northern Utah, providing the epicentre of winter sports entertainment for the region. Spectacularly nestled at the foot of these rugged mountains is the state capital, Salt Lake City - a small, navigable city relishing a wide range of shopping, dining, and performing arts venues.

Highlights of Utah

What is Utah famous for?

• Salt Lake City
• The Great Salt Lake
• Zion National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Arches National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Monument Valley
• Kanab

Swipe left or right to learn more about each destination.

Salt Lake City

With spectacular mountain backdrops to the east and west, Salt Lake City is a safe metropolis of wide streets, open green parks and lots of culture.. It is bustling and vibrant, with a dynamic nightlife, warm hospitality, a strong and growing culinary scene and award-winning breweries. It provides an excellent base for access to mountain activities including some of the world’s best skiing on the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth'®. Historic Temple Square and the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or the Mormon Church is the city’s main attraction where you can learn about the Mormon history and their way of life on guided tours.

The Great Salt Lake

The Lake and its islands provide outstanding scenery and recreational opportunities and are a short drive from Salt Lake City. The lake's turquoise waters attract boaters, its white sand beaches are popular with swimmers and sunbathers, and craggy outcroppings on Antelope Island draw in hikers and mountain bikers. Antelope Island is the largest of the lake’s nine islands at 75 square miles, and is home to bison, pronghorn and big horn sheep and hiking. Biking and horseback trails lead to several scenic points that are perfect for taking in the breath-taking sunsets and sunrises.

Zion National Park

Just a couple of hours drive from Las Vegas, or around four hours from Salt Lake City is the striking landscape of Zion National Park. A huge canyon with sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, and sandstone monoliths. The Virgin River runs through the middle of Zion, inviting visitors to don their hiking gear. A hiker’s paradise, hikes including The Narrows and Angels Landing, walk through the river and its narrowing high walled canyons as the sunlight paints hues across the high rock walls.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Just a couple of hours from Zion, Bryce Canyon is a large amphitheatre of red rock ‘hoodoos’ standing tall like a massive army of terracotta warriors. A spectacular site, take a hike down into the canyon, head down on a mule or wait until dark and join a Dark Ranger for a moonlit star-spotting walk under some of the clearest skies in the U.S.

Arches National Park

Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are both easily accessed from the town of Moab, nicknamed the ‘Adventure Capital of Utah’ Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches. The most famous, Delicate Arch, stands around 65 feet tall – the equivalent of a six-storey building and is one of nature’s most amazing geological wonders and one of Utah’s most iconic images. Visit at sunrise or sunset for the best views.

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, and its diversity evokes the imagination. It’s divided in to four districts with the Island in the Sky district the most accessible to Moab. This is home to the popular Mesa Arch and jaw dropping views over the vast canyons and sandstone towers. Make sure to stop at Dead Horse Point State Park, located just north of the park which boasts mesmerising views over the Colorado River and where the final scene in the film Thelma and Louise was shot when they drove off the cliff.

Capitol Reef National Park

The lesser known of ‘Utah’s Mighty Five’ National Parks, the park can be reached by driving the jaw-dropping Scenic Byway 12 which connects on to Bryce Canyon. Capitol Reef is a 100-mile water-fold that gives visitors the eerie feeling they are looking at a real underwater reef – in the desert. See twisting canyon, multi-coloured cliffs, and domes and even its own orchard.

Monument Valley

This is a Navajo Tribal Park of approximately 30,000 acres of flamboyantly carved buttes, jagged pinnacles, gigantic sandstone monoliths and rippled sand dunes that have combined to create the magical spell of Monument Valley. Due to its incomparable beauty, Monument Valley has been the distinctive backdrop to many an iconic movie including Forrest Gump, Back to the Future III and the Lone Ranger.

Kanab

Kanab is a small town located close to the Arizona border and is the the perfect base to explore the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Lake Powell, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and many other scenic attractions. Huddled away against a striking backdrop of vermillion cliffs to the east and west, the town has gained its nickname "Utah's Little Hollywood" because more than 100 motion pictures have been filmed here.