Many might say that doing a National Park trip through Utah in July would be a sweltering-hot-fail. Many would be right, but we did it anyway. My mom and I flew out to Salt Lake City to explore all the wondrous, natural beauty that the United States has to hold via the Big 5 (even though we only hit four of them).

Below is how we covered the state, from our arrival in Salt Lake City to our departure from Las Vegas, in approximately three weeks. Calling out here that even though my mom was on summer vacation, I was working full-time (at the time), taking a Friday or Monday off as able - aka we had to work around my work when visiting some places, which accounts for our length of stays in a single location.

Salt Lake City - 6 Nights

We arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah in the evening, renting a car from the airport and driving to our stay in the Lower Avenues area of the city. It was a very charming location near many beautiful Victorian homes and an easy distance to shops, restaurants, 9th Ave, Temple Square, and more. Here’s what we covered:

• Downtown Salt Lake City

  • Temple Square

    • At the time, there was a lot of construction going on so we didn’t get to see as much, but we were able to go inside a few of the buildings like the Tabernacle, the Salt Lake Temple, and the conference center.

  • Eva’s Bakery - Great place for breakfast in town. We were able to snag a seat outside and had some delicious quiche, blueberry french toast, and coffee (for mom, as I’m a tea gal - like the posh lady I am).

  • Maven District - Very cute area of town that supports diverse and women-owned businesses. I admit to taking many mural photos outside and splurging in Koo De Ker.

  • 9th and 9th - Covering a couple of blocks, filled with shops, restaurants, and more. My personal stop-by recommendations are the Salt & Honey market and a sweet treat at Pie Fight, cause who doesn’t take every opportunity to consume pies, especially when fork nor spoon is required?

• Antelope Island State Park - True of everywhere but here especially, make sure you bring plenty of water. The trails have little to no shade and depending on when you’re going may lean… lean (aka not many folks around) so don’t risk dehydration. You can also get into the Salt Lake here if you please.

• Bear Lake - Go! However you need to work this into your itinerary, go! It’s so beautiful, the color of the water is unreal for the location. Pack a lunch, rent a jet ski, cross into Idaho (well you aren’t supposed to but… it was an accident), and soak up the sun.

  • *HOT TIP* - If it starts to get stormy or looks like a storm is coming, get really close to your jet ski drop-off location, so you can get there quickly if need be. Take it from us, those storms come on fast and then all of a sudden you feel like you’re navigating for your life in The Perfect Storm.

• Bonneville Salt Flats - This is a little drive outside of the city but 100% worth it. If you’ve ever wanted to imagine yourself in another world - say Game of Thrones or maybe something more uplifting - this place is insane.

  • *HOT TIP* - Depending on the length of your stay, you likely will need to wash your car off (and your shoes) following this visit. It’s very fun to drive onto the flats but your car will crust with salt like it does snow/ice in the winter. Make sure to wear shoes you’re not afraid to get salty - cause they will and the inside of your car will look hella ashy.

Moab - 6 Nights

From SLC we drove down to Moab. This drive is where, in my opinion, you really start to see “classic Utah.”. The Utah that everyone posts about with the rich red-hued soil, mesas, canyons, and more. Here’s what we saw:

• La Sal Loop Scenic Drive - This was our first scenic drive in Moab and it didn’t disappoint. If you enter from Old Airport Road and follow the loop back, it starts off slow but fear not, you’ll end up seeing quite the array of stunning landscapes.

• Arches National Park - Highly recommend an early alarm for a sunrise hike in the park. We made it into the park as the sun was rising, which was beautiful, as was the rise over the arches on the trail.

  • *HOT TIP* - Even if you don’t have an interest in a sunrise hike, get over it and get up early for the parking, because there isn’t a lot and you’ll want to be able to grab a place early.

• Canyonlands National Park - We did a sunrise hike here as well - I know, who do we think we are? We were a little late but still able to see a lot of the colors and beauty of the sun waking up over the canyons. Afterward, and in my top two favorite hikes throughout this trip, we hiked to Upheaval Dome - an easy-to-moderate hike with very cool views. Before leaving the park, make sure to stop at the Shafer Canyon Overlook for some beautiful views.

• Dead Horse Point State Park - This was cool, wouldn’t say it was mindblowing and you do have to pay a fee here since it’s a state park and therefore don’t take the National Park pass.

• Downtown Moab - Plenty of fun shops, restaurants, and soft serve (my kryptonite) for a break from hiking or post-hike refuel. Would highly recommend Sweet Cravings Bakery + Bistro for a sweet treat (we sampled many ‘o cakes) or a quick bite.

Alton - 9 Nights

Our last “hike” landed us in Alton, Utah. Now you may be wondering, where and why Alton? I shall tell you. Since we wanted to hit both Bryce National Park and Zion National Park (and whatever fell in between) Alton offered us a good middle ground to both areas AND a way better price per night. The closer you get to the parks, the steeper the rates - who wudda thunk? Here’s what we did:

• Bryce Canyon National Park -  I loved the Queens Garden Trail and Navajo Loop. It’s beautiful from both sides with a bit of a plateau in between to catch your breath. Just don’t be like my mother and take four Advil on a dehydrated and empty stomach halfway through the hike. You won’t feel great. This was my favorite hike of our trip in Utah, it gets a triple thumbs up from me!

• Coral Pink Sand Dunes - We ended up renting ATVs the day after a mild rain which at first we thought might be bad but honestly, I think was a secret win. The sand was a little more packed and therefore we weren’t getting as much sand sprayed in our eyes. A very fun activity and a great way to see the beauty of the dunes.

• Zion National Park - By this point in the trip I figured, “this is gonna be just another park.” Wrong. The fact that Bryce and Zion are in such close proximity to each other but with such completely different landscapes is just another testament to mother nature and the Utah terrain. This was maybe the first park on our trip where I felt incredibly small next to the mountains we were driving through.

  • *HOT TIP* - Same as Arches, get here early for parking. If you’re traveling here in the summer, getting here early should be the main objective anyway as it’ll be hot as hell by lunch and you’ll be glad you kicked off early.

• Kanab - Small town to walk through, for a leisurely afternoon. Shout out to the Raven’s Heart Gallery where I purchased a beautiful abstract landscape painting done by a local professor.

• Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - My mom hit this one up solo since I, unfortunately, had to work, but loved the experience. Sheltering a wide variety of animals, simply book an appointment to visit online and go love on a furry friend!

To close out our trip, we did a swoop by the Grand Canyon on our way to Vegas for an evening red-eye. And, of course, drove through the strip since my mom had never seen the… wonders?... of Vegas.

BONUS *HOT TIPS*:

• Buy an Annual U.S. National Park Pass. It’s the easiest and cheapest way to see all the sites and it lasts for a year. The cost is around $80 and gets you into most national parks - when you peep the cost to get in without a pass you’ll see that once you visit two it’s paid for itself.

• Water is crucial. Don’t underestimate the amount of water you will need or hope that you might find some at a park or trail. Always bring extra and fill up where you can. Utah is not only a dry climate but a hot one in the summer, so you will dehydrate more quickly.

• My tip for every road trip itinerary - fill up with gas where you can. Especially in a hot summer climate, the last thing you want to be is stranded in 110-degree weather because you should have stopped for gas 10 miles back.

That’s all folks!