Utah Mighty 5 Road Trip: Route, Miles, and How Many Days You Need

Utah's Mighty 5 is the classic National Park road trip for a reason: five parks, one state, and roughly 750 miles of driving from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City, with every leg short enough to leave most of the day for the parks themselves. The drive between them is half the fun. Scenic Byway 12 alone is worth the trip.

This post covers the road: the route leg by leg, the miles and drive times, where to stay, when to go, and how many days to give it. Each stop gets a short plan here, and the full days are in my guides.

The Mighty 5 Road Trip at a Glance

• Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches.
• Start and finish: Las Vegas to Salt Lake City (one way), or a loop back to Las Vegas.
• Driving: about 750 miles one way, or about 1,000 miles as a loop, plus the driving inside the parks.
• Time behind the wheel: roughly 13 hours one way, spread over the trip, before stops.
• How many days: 7 at the least, 10 to 14 to enjoy it.
• Best seasons: April to early June and mid-September through October.
• Pass: the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers all five parks for U.S. residents.

Orientation sketch, not to scale. Check the official park maps for detail. Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); state lines from the U.S. Census Bureau.

How Many Days Do You Need?

My honest answer is 10 days, and I'd take 14 if you can. Here's the math. The driving legs between parks run 1.5 to 3 hours each, which is easy, but each park deserves at least one full day, and Zion and the Moab parks deserve two. Add a travel day at each end and you're at nine or ten before you've built in any slack for weather, a closed road, or a day you simply don't want to get back in the car.

Can you do it in 7? Yes, if you accept that Capitol Reef becomes a drive-through and Canyonlands gets an afternoon. Five days is a sightseeing sprint: you'll see all five, but mostly through the windshield and from overlooks. If you only have a long weekend, pick two parks that sit close together (Arches and Canyonlands from Moab, or Zion and Bryce Canyon) and save the full loop for later.

Which Direction to Drive It

Most people drive southwest to northeast: fly into Las Vegas, start at Zion, and finish in Moab, then drive to Salt Lake City and fly home. That order puts the biggest crowds (Zion) first, while you're fresh, and ends with Moab, the easiest base on the trip, since you can sleep in the same bed for both Arches and Canyonlands.

The one catch is the one-way rental. Dropping a car in a different city usually costs extra, sometimes a lot. If the drop fee is steep, drive it as a loop instead: Las Vegas to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, and Moab, then back to Las Vegas on Interstate 70 and Interstate 15, about 460 miles and 7 hours from Moab. Driving it in reverse works just as well; flip the legs below.

The Route, Leg By Leg

Las Vegas to Zion: About 165 Miles, 2.5 to 3 Hours

Take Interstate 15 north, through a short corner of Arizona and the Virgin River Gorge, then exit at Utah 9 (exit 16) and follow it through Hurricane and La Verkin to Springdale, the town at Zion's South Entrance. Set your watch ahead: Nevada is on Pacific time and Utah is on Mountain time, so you lose an hour on the way in.

Springdale is small and fills up fast, so plan your parking before you arrive. For most of the year Zion Canyon's scenic drive is open only to the park shuttle, which changes how you plan the day there. In Zion, the timing of the shuttle, the permit hikes, and the hikes you don't need a permit for are exactly what my Zion National Park guide works out for you, with nine one- to three-day plans.

A short plan for Zion: Park in Springdale and walk in through the pedestrian entrance by the South Entrance, then ride the shuttle (seasonal; some winter dates you drive the road yourself) to the Temple of Sinawava. Bring a picnic for the Riverside Walk and turn around where the pavement ends at the Narrows. Ride down to Canyon Junction and walk the Pa'rus Trail back. Full days are in my Zion National Park guide.

Checkerboard Mesa from a viewpoint along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway near the East Entrance, in a July 2010 National Park Service photograph by Caitlin Ceci. Photo: Caitlin Ceci, National Park Service. Public domain.

Zion to Bryce Canyon: About 85 Miles, 1.5 to 2 Hours

This leg starts with one of the best drives in the West. Utah 9 climbs out of Zion Canyon by switchbacks to the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, a mile long and carved through the cliffs in the 1920s, then crosses slickrock country to the East Entrance. Continue to Mount Carmel Junction, turn north on U.S. 89, then east on Utah 12 at Red Canyon, where the road passes through two short rock tunnels. Turn south on Utah 63 to reach Bryce Canyon.

A big change for RVs and trailers: since June 7, 2026, vehicles over the park's limits (11 feet 4 inches tall, 7 feet 10 inches wide, or 35 feet 9 inches long for a single vehicle) can't use the road between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance at all. Mirrors and bike racks count. If that's you, the park suggests going north on Interstate 15 to Cedar City and taking Utah 20 east to U.S. 89 instead, about 2.5 hours.

Bryce Canyon sits at 8,000 to 9,000 feet, so it's cooler than Zion and it gets real winter. The park road is a single 18-mile dead end along the rim, which makes it simple to drive and easy to overdo. My Bryce Canyon National Park guide sorts out which viewpoints and rim trails fit an easy, moderate, or strenuous day.

A short plan for Bryce Canyon: Come in on Utah 63 and start at the visitor center. In shuttle season, April to mid-October in 2026, ride the free bus; otherwise drive. See Bryce Point first, then Inspiration and Sunset Points, and walk the paved rim to Sunrise Point. Get lunch at the General Store there (typically closed January through March), then turn back instead of driving on to Rainbow Point. Full days are in my Bryce Canyon National Park guide.

Bryce Canyon National Park. Natural Bridge, an arch of red rock on the Southern Scenic Drive, framing the forest below, October 2016. Photo: Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons (from Flickr). CC0 (public-domain dedication).

Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef on Scenic Byway 12: About 120 Miles, 2.5 Hours

This is the leg people remember. Utah 12, an All-American Road, runs east through Tropic, Cannonville, and Escalante, across the slickrock of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and onto the Hogback, a stretch near Boulder where the road rides the top of a ridge with steep drop-offs on both sides and little room for error. Then it climbs over Boulder Mountain, topping out a bit above 9,500 feet among aspens, and drops to Torrey.

A few things matter on Utah 12. Fill up in Escalante or Boulder: gas is sparse, and cell service drops out for long stretches, so download your maps before you leave Bryce. Drive it in daylight. Cattle graze the open range and deer cross at dusk, and you'll want to see the views anyway. In winter, Boulder Mountain gets snow; the road is plowed, but check conditions before you go.

Capitol Reef's visitor center is about 11 miles east of Torrey on Utah 24, and the highway runs right through the park along the Fremont River, so you can see a surprising amount without a plan. It's still the park most people shortchange. My Capitol Reef National Park guide shows how to spend a real day there, from the orchards of Fruita to the canyons off the Scenic Drive.

A short plan for Capitol Reef: Buy lunch in Torrey, since the park has no restaurant, and start at the visitor center on Utah 24. Walk the petroglyph boardwalks, then picnic under the cottonwoods near the Gifford Homestead, where pies are sold in season. Drive the Scenic Drive, walk into Grand Wash if no storms are near, and turn around at the end of the pavement. Full days are in my Capitol Reef National Park guide.

Capitol Reef National Park. The one-room Behunin Cabin beside a sandstone cliff along Utah Highway 24. Photo: A. E. Crane, U.S. Department of Transportation, Wikimedia Commons (from the U.S. National Archives). Public domain (U.S. Government work, U.S. National Archives).

Capitol Reef to Moab: About 145 Miles, 2.5 Hours

Follow Utah 24 east through the park and the gray badlands to Hanksville, the last real gas for a while. From Hanksville, Utah 24 heads north to Interstate 70 near Green River. Take I-70 east to Crescent Junction (exit 182), then U.S. 191 south into Moab. If you have an hour to spare, Goblin Valley State Park sits just off Utah 24 north of Hanksville and makes a fun stretch-your-legs stop.

Moab: Arches and Canyonlands

Moab is your base for both parks, which is why this end of the trip is the easiest. Arches' entrance is just 5 miles north of town on U.S. 191. Canyonlands is bigger and split into districts that don't connect by road inside the park. The Island in the Sky visitor center is about 32 miles from Moab, around 40 minutes via U.S. 191 and Utah 313. The Needles District is about 75 miles and 1.5 hours south, by way of U.S. 191 and Utah 211. Most road trippers do Island in the Sky; Needles is worth its own day if you like to hike.

Canyonlands National Park. The Green River winding through its canyon below the White Rim, seen from Green River Overlook, June 2017. Photo: Julianibarra, Wikimedia Commons. CC0 (public-domain dedication).

Good news for 2026: Arches dropped its timed-entry reservations this year, so you can drive in at any hour. The Fiery Furnace and Devils Garden Campground still need their own reservations. The entrance line still backs up onto U.S. 191 on busy mornings, so early and late arrivals are the move. For which arches, overlooks, and trails to put on which day, see my Arches National Park guide and my Canyonlands National Park guide.

A short plan for Arches: Enter from U.S. 191 with lunch and water, because the park has no restaurants. Go straight to the Delicate Arch viewpoints, your turnaround, and leave Devils Garden for a longer stay. Heading back, walk to Double Arch in the Windows Section, then picnic at Balanced Rock. Park Avenue is the last stop before the exit. Full days are in my Arches National Park guide.

A short plan for Canyonlands: Take Utah 313 to the Island in the Sky entrance with lunch from Moab, since there's no food on the mesa. Walk to Mesa Arch, then drive to Grand View Point, your turnaround at the end of the road; check at the visitor center first, since parking work closed it some days in 2026. Picnic at White Rim Overlook and finish at Green River Overlook. Full days are in my Canyonlands National Park guide.

Arches National Park. Delicate Arch in winter, with snow on the distant country and the La Sal Mountains on the horizon. Photo: Neal Herbert, National Park Service. Public domain.

Moab to Salt Lake City: About 235 Miles, 4 Hours

Head north on U.S. 191 to Interstate 70, west a few miles to the U.S. 191 exit toward Price, then U.S. 6 through Price and Spanish Fork to Interstate 15 north. It's an easy drive with gas and food in Price. If you're looping back to Las Vegas instead, it's about 460 miles and 7 hours by way of I-70 west and I-15 south.

A Sample 10-Day Driving Schedule

This is the driving skeleton only, so you can see where the miles fall. The park days themselves are in the guides.

Day	Drive	Driving Time	Overnight Town
Day 1	Las Vegas to Springdale, about 165 miles	2.5 to 3 hours	Springdale
Day 2	Zion, driving from Springdale	Local driving	Springdale
Day 3	Zion, driving from Springdale	Local driving	Springdale
Day 4	Zion to Bryce Canyon through the tunnel, about 85 miles	1.5 to 2 hours	Bryce Canyon City
Day 5	Bryce Canyon to Torrey on Scenic Byway 12, about 120 miles	2.5 hours	Torrey
Day 6	Capitol Reef, then on to Moab, about 145 miles	2.5 hours	Moab
Day 7	Arches, driving from Moab	Local driving	Moab
Day 8	Canyonlands' Island in the Sky, driving from Moab, about 32 miles each way	About 40 minutes each way	Moab
Day 9	A spare day for Needles, Dead Horse Point State Park, or the weather, driving from Moab	Local driving, or 1.5 hours each way to Needles	Moab
Day 10	Moab to Salt Lake City, about 235 miles	4 hours	Fly home from Salt Lake City

Where to Stay Along the Way

Only two of the five parks have lodges inside them (Zion Lodge and The Lodge at Bryce Canyon), and both book up early. Most road trippers stay in the gateway towns:

• Zion: Springdale is the closest, right at the South Entrance, with the most hotels and restaurants. Hurricane, La Verkin, and Mount Carmel Junction are cheaper and farther.
• Bryce Canyon: Bryce Canyon City sits just outside the entrance. Tropic, about 11 miles east, and Panguitch, about 25 miles northwest, have more choices.
• Capitol Reef: Torrey, 11 miles west of the visitor center. There's no lodging in the park itself, only the Fruita Campground.
• Arches and Canyonlands: Moab has more rooms than everything else on this route combined, and it still fills on spring and fall weekends. Monticello is the closer town for the Needles District.

Book the towns in the order you'll reach them, and book early for spring break, Memorial Day, and October. The campgrounds inside the parks are a separate story and mostly need reservations months ahead.

Best Time of Year to Drive It

Spring (April to early June) and fall (mid-September through October) are the best seasons for this trip: warm days in Zion and Moab, cool nights at Bryce, and roads open everywhere. They're also the busiest, so book early.

Summer is hot. Zion and Moab regularly reach 100°F, and July and August bring afternoon thunderstorms and flash floods. Bryce, 3,000 feet higher, stays 20 degrees cooler, which is why it's the one summer stop people rave about.

Winter is quiet and beautiful, especially Bryce under snow, but days are short, Boulder Mountain and Bryce see real winter driving, and some facilities close. Outside the shuttle season, you can drive Zion Canyon's scenic drive yourself, which is a nice perk. If you go between November and March, give yourself a spare day for weather and check each park's alerts before every leg.

Road Trip Tips for Southern Utah

• Buy the annual pass. Paying at each gate runs well over the $80 cost of the America the Beautiful pass for one car across five parks. Nonresidents pay $250 for the annual pass in 2026, and without it they pay a $100-per-person surcharge at Zion and Bryce Canyon on top of the entrance fee, so for most international visitors the pass is the cheaper route.
• Fill up when you can. Treat half a tank as empty on Utah 12 and Utah 24. Escalante, Boulder, Torrey, and Hanksville are your gas stops.
• Download everything. Offline maps, your reservations, and the guide PDFs. Cell service is spotty in all five parks and on the roads between them.
• Carry water and snacks in the car. Long stretches have no services, and summer heat makes a breakdown dangerous.
• Watch the clock. Sunrise and sunset matter on this trip, both for the light and for the deer and cattle on the road after dark.
• Check road conditions on UDOT's site and each park's alerts before each leg, especially in winter and during the summer monsoon.

Plan Your Days Inside Each Park

This post gets you from park to park, with a short plan for each stop. The full days are what my guides are for: each one has nine itineraries for one, two, or three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for bad weather or a closure, plus orientation maps, the park's history, and the animals you're likely to see. You get an EPUB and a printable PDF, so the day's plan can ride in the car with you.

• Zion National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 31 photographs
• Bryce Canyon National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 31 photographs
• Capitol Reef National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 32 photographs
• Canyonlands National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 33 photographs
• Arches National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 7 maps, and 28 photographs

For This Route

The Utah National Parks Collection covers all 5 parks on this route (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches) in one download.

Short on time at one stop? Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every U.S. National Park.

Mighty 5 Road Trip FAQ

What's the best airport for the Mighty 5? Las Vegas has the most flights and usually the cheapest rental cars. Salt Lake City works well for the other end. St. George and Cedar City are closer to Zion but have fewer flights, and Grand Junction, Colorado, is about 110 miles from Moab.

Is Scenic Byway 12 scary? The Hogback has steep drop-offs and few guardrails, so it can feel exposed, but it's a paved two-lane highway that thousands of cars drive every day. Take it slowly, in daylight, and let the passengers enjoy the view.

Can I do the Mighty 5 in an RV? Yes, with planning. Check Zion's new vehicle limits before you go, since an oversize rig now has to skip the tunnel road and go around. Parking at the popular viewpoints is tight in every park, and campgrounds book up early.

Do I need reservations to enter the parks? Not in 2026. None of the five require a timed-entry reservation this year, though permits are still required for some hikes, like Angels Landing in Zion and the Fiery Furnace in Arches. Rules change from year to year, so check Arches National Park alerts and Zion National Park alerts before you lock in your dates.

Before you go: roads, campgrounds, and visitor centers close for snow, fire, and repairs, so check each park's alerts and current conditions, updated daily: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches. For every park at a glance, see the park conditions dashboard.

Planning a different route? See all my National Park road trips.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates without stops, and conditions change; check each park's current alerts before you go.