Being from Alberta, we frequently hear of families taking a road trip to Utah with kids. From what we understand, it’s not uncommon to see a lot of Alberta license plates around Moab and the five Utah National Parks in April every year.
It’s the perfect trip in April to escape what seems like a never-ending winter to bask in sunshine filled days hiking.
We planned a three week Utah road trip itinerary to ensure we had time to visit the Mighty 5 National Parks properly. As we suspected, we loved our road trip in Utah with kids.
Utah Road Trip with Kids
- 3 Week Road Trip Itinerary for Utah with Kids
- Itinerary for Visiting Utah National Parks
- The Mighty 5 National Parks with Kids
- 1. Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids
- 2. Zion National Park with Kids
- 3. Arches National Park with Kids
- 4. Canyonlands National Park with Kids
- 5. Capitol Reef National Park with Kids
- BONUS: Goblin Valley State Park with Kids
- Things for Kids in Utah National Parks
- What to Bring for a Utah Road Trip with Kids
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3 Week Road Trip Itinerary for Utah with Kids
While we understand that not everyone has 3 weeks to dedicate to one trip, we couldn’t have been more pleased to have this much time with our kids in Utah. This allowed us the time to see as much as possible and fit in all the hikes we wanted to do at a pace that worked for our kids.
Our kids are no strangers to hiking, given that we hike with kids in Banff and the surrounding area all the time. We also incorporate outdoor activities like hiking, biking or kayaking into every trip we do, regardless of where we are around the world.
Our tips for hiking with kids is what we use, especially when we plan a trip with as much hiking as our trip to Utah had.
We should also mention that our kids were 3 and 5 at the time of our trip, so we had to take into consideration how much hiking we did with them and consciously taking time each day to let them have time to just play.
Itinerary for Visiting Utah National Parks
When we originally planned our Utah family vacation, we planned to visit Bryce Canyon last to give it more time to warm up. As luck (or lack thereof) would have it, with events happening in Moab we had difficulty finding a place to stay.
We ended up shifting the order of our visits to each of the Utah parks.
Here is the breakdown of our 3 week road trip in Utah:
- Bryce Canyon National Park– 5 Days
- Day 1 – Hike Queen’s Garden Trail
- Day 2 – Red Canyon hikes: Bird’s Eye Trail, Pink Ledges Trail & Golden Wall Trail
- Day 3 – Mossy Cave hike & Angels Palace hike in Kodachrome Basin
- Day 4 – Hike Fairyland Loop
- Day 5 – Panorama Trail in Kodachrome Basin
- Zion National Park – 5 Days
- Day 1 – 1.5 hr drive from Bryce to Zion and setting up camp
- Day 2 – Northgate Peaks trail in Kolob Canyon
- Day 3 – Riverside Walk and Lower Emerald Pools hikes
- Day 4 – Hike Watchman Trail & Zion Human History Museum
- Day 5 – Hike Weeping Rock, Grotto Trail & Pa’rus Trail
- Moab (including Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park) – 5 Days
- Day 1 – 5 hr drive from Zion NP to Moab and setting up camp
- Day 2 – Arches NP – Hikes to Delicate Arch, Double Arch and Windows Trail
- Day 3 – Arches NP – Devil’s Garden Trail, Sand Dunes Arch, and Park Avenue Trail
- Day 4 – Canyonlands NP – Slickrock Trail in the Needles
- Day 5 – Canyonlands NP – Hiked Mesa Arch Trail, Grand View Point Trail, and Upheaval Dome
- Capitol Reef National Park – 4 Days
- Day 1 – 1.5 hr drive to Goblin Valley State Park then another 1 hr drive to Capitol Reef NP
- Day 2 – Gifford House for pies then hiked to Hickman Bridge and the Chimney Rock Loop
- Day 3 – easy hike at Capitol Gorge
- Day 4 – Hiked Frying Pan to Cassidy Arch to Grand Wash Trail
While 5 days in each National Park might seem like a lot, there was one day allotted to travel each time we changed parks. This left us with closer to 4 days in Bryce, Zion and Moab and only 3 days in Capitol Reef.
We also had to spend a couple of days on each end driving down from Alberta, Canada.
We have detailed posts for not only each of the Mighty 5 National Parks in Utah but also for many of the hikes we did throughout the parks.
Interested in more family road trip ideas? See our Southern USA road trip with kids.
Highlights of Visiting the Utah National Parks with Kids
We were concerned that after that much time, things would all start to look the same. We were especially concerned that once we got to our final stop in Capitol Reef that we’d lack the energy to explore it properly.
We are happy to say that didn’t happen. Each of the 5 Utah National Parks is amazing in it’s own right. We found each of the parks different enough that we were still excited to explore and hike each day.
Here are some of the highlights from our Utah road trip:
1. Hiking Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon NP
The Fairyland Loop hike in Bryce Canyon is something else. At each turn, there’s an incredible view to be had. We highly recommend this hike to anyone physically able to do it!
2. Visiting Goblin Valley State Park
A stop at Goblin Valley State Park will probably be the most fun time your kids have in Utah. On a whim we added it to our itinerary after chatting with other parents we met along the way. We think the kids would agree this was the best thing to do in Utah with kids.
3. Hiking Angels Landing in Zion (without kids)
I couldn’t visit Zion National Park without hiking Angels Landing. Thankfully Zion has plenty of short easy hikes Dan was able to take the kids on while I accomplished this goal.
4. Our kids hiking their furthest distance yet in Capitol Reef National Park
The Capitol Reef hike made up of the Frying Pan trail to Cassidy Arch and finishing up on the Grand Wash trail was the best hike we did in Capitol Reef National Park. We were so proud of our kids for completing this 13.2 km / 8.2 mile hike.
5. Slickrock hike in Canyonlands
Every once in a while we come upon a hike that our kids love. They’ll run through the hike from one thing to the next excited the entire way. Hiking the Slickrock trail in Canyonlands National Park was one of these hikes.
6. Camping in Utah with Kids
We had spent a lot of time camping prior to kids, but never got back to doing it once we had our kids. We spent a large portion of our time in Utah camping with kids.
Between camping by the river in Zion with incredible views and the fun campground staff in Moab, it was a camping trip we all loved!
The Mighty 5 National Parks with Kids
We arrived in Bryce Canyon in the afternoon, which left just enough time to complete the Queen’s Garden hike. We spent our remaining time in Bryce Canyon with kids visiting the various viewpoints, hiking the Fairyland Loop and the Mossy Cave. We also dedicated three days for hiking in the nearby areas of Red Canyon and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
While Bryce Canyon has some of the most impressive views, the other areas definitely held their own. The Angel’s Palace and Panorama trail in Kodachrome Basin State park were super fun for the kids. In the Red Canyon area, we highly recommend the Golden Wall Trail.
Where to Stay in Bryce Canyon NP: We stayed just minutes outside the park’s gate at the Best Western Plus Ruby Inn. This rustic, massive hotel complex is good value for the money, considering its amazing location. The Ruby Inn offers great amenities for the kids, with an indoor swimming pool, hot tub and a very well stocked gift shop with groceries and all kinds of stuff your kids will beg you for.
Zion National Park has many short easy hikes that are fun for kids. While we weren’t able to hike the Narrows, we still made sure to hike the Riverside Walk. This hike was short enough that we were able to also hike the Lower Emerald Pool trail in the afternoon.
Hiking the Watchman trail with kids was more of a challenge, but the views from the top more than made up for the effort. As did spotting the California Condors flying up above.
Though Angels Landing wasn’t a possibility for all of us, one of us had to hike Angels Landing while in Zion NP. Thankfully Dan was able to keep the kids busy hiking the Weeping Rock trail, the Grotto trail and finishing up on the Pa’rus trail.
We also did an easy hike called Northgate Peaks in the Kolob Canyon section of Zion. This was our way of escaping the crowds on a day we knew would be extra busy in Zion NP.
Where to Stay in Zion National Park: We camped at the Zion Canyon Campground and RV Resort near Springdale Shuttle Stop 3.
After Zion, we drove to Moab where we set up our campsite in preparation for a few days of exploring Arches National Park with kids.
We spent our first two days seeking out as many arches we could cram in. We hiked to Delicate Arch with kids and though most was easily doable, we had to take some extra precautions near the end of the trail. The path is narrow and clings to the side of the rockface. We made sure to hold hands with the kids and keep them on the inside the entire time.
On our second day, we hiked the Devil’s Garden Loop (as much of it that we could hike with two small children). We finished each of the days with a series of easy hikes in Arches NP that included Double Arch, Sand Dunes Arch and Park Avenue trail.
Where to Stay in Arches National Park: We stayed at the Moab Rim RV Campark, which is located just outside of town but only a few minutes’ drive from town center.
While still in Moab, we dedicated a couple of days to hiking in Canyonlands National Park with kids. The Slickrock trail in the Needles area of Canyonlands was one of our favorite hikes.
We also loved our day hiking in the Island in the Sky area of Canyonlands NP. We were able to do three easy hikes in Canyonlands in one day, although we did end up carrying both kids on our final hike. They were getting tired and there was an impending storm we wanted to avoid.
Where to Stay in Canyonlands National Park: We were still at the Moab Rim RV Campark while we visited Canyonlands NP
Our final stop in Utah was hiking in Capitol Reef National Park with kids. The highlight for us, besides the delicious pies from the Gifford Homestead, was hiking the Frying Pan to Cassidy Arch trail. We encountered some of the most incredible views along this hike.
Also included in our time in Capitol Reef NP was hiking the Hickman Bridge Trail, hiking the Chimney Rock Loop trail and the one the kids probably like best, hiking the Capitol Gorge Trail.
Where to Stay in Capitol Reef National Park: After 10 days of camping were so happy to finally kick back and relax in a charming Airbnb in Teasdale, not far from the Capitol Reef National Park.
Goblin Valley State Park might be the best natural playground there is and one of the best things to do in Utah with kids. Adding this into our itinerary on a whim, and to help break up a long drive, turned into one of the best decisions we made along our Utah road trip.
The kids had an absolute blast running around, hiding and climbing. Who are we kidding, we had just as much fun doing it with them!
Things for Kids in Utah National Parks
At each of the Utah National Parks, we always stopped in at the Visitor Centre first. This gave us an opportunity to grab a map, learn about the trails but more importantly get the Junior Ranger Booklets for the kids.
Our kids loved completing all the exercises in their Junior Ranger books, but they loved saying their Junior Ranger Oath with a Park Ranger and getting their Junior Ranger badges even more!
We highly recommend taking the time to do with your kids when visiting any US National Park. It’s educational and fun for kids.
What to Bring for a Utah Road Trip with Kids
We know that we are minimalists when it comes to packing both on our trips and for our daily outings, but here’s our must-haves for visiting the Utah National Parks:
- The days can get quite hot, so we recommend staying well protected from the sun. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses and plenty of water are a must for visiting these 5 Utah parks with kids.
- Our Utah road trip with kids was in April, so layers were key for us. While we were wearing jackets complete with hats and mitts in Bryce Canyon, we had to switch to shorts and t-shirts for Zion and Arches. It was easiest to bring packable down jackets that didn’t take a lot of space, especially since we only used them for Bryce Canyon.
- We also packed fleece jackets for days that started out cool.
- We knew we’d be spending the majority of our time hiking, so we had proper hiking boots for us and for the kids. We’ve summarized our favorite hiking gear for kids in this post.
- The other must-haves for us were backpacks for carrying everything we needed for the day, complete with hydration packs for the adults and kids.
- We also packed two toddler carriers with us. These were so useful if we wanted to do an extra long hike or if one of our kids needed a small break from hiking.
See all these items in our convenient Utah National Parks with Kids Amazon Shopping List
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