Utah Mighty 5 | 5-Day Camping Trip

Endless Panoramic Views of Canyonlands & Greater Moab Area

We’ll pick you up from Salt Lake City and drive through the Wasatch mountains en route to the incredible canyons of southern Utah. First up for the five National Parks is Canyonlands, known for being rough, rugged, and desolate…but with much beauty to behold! Explore the district called Island In The Sky where we’ll hike to some outstanding viewpoints.

Additionally, we will stop at Dead Horse Point State Park for one of the most awe-inspiring views of the mighty Colorado River. This amazing place has been featured in many movies and television shows ranging from “Thelma & Louise” to HBO’s recent series “Westworld”.

This evening we will set up camp just outside the town of Moab. All of our Moab campsites are reserved 6 months in advance to give you the best campsite imaginable! Your guides will provide you with all the camping gear necessary, a detailed tutorial on how to set up tents, and then let you get settled in as they cook up a hot meal. Relax by the fire and enjoy the dark southern Utah night sky.

Driving Time: 4 Hours
Hiking: 3+ miles | Minimal elevation gain
Accommodation: Moab Campground or similar

Hike to the Renowned Delicate Arch & Explore Arches National Park

Wake up to breakfast and fresh hot coffee provided by your guides. Today we’ll get an early start to explore the greatest concentration of sandstone arches on Earth. Arches National Park is a testament to the erosive power of wind and water that wear away the sedimentary rock layers of the Colorado Plateau. We’ll see the Windows, Double Arch, and take a 3-mile round-trip trek to the infamous Delicate Arch.

“A weird, lovely, fantastic object out of nature like Delicate Arch has the curious ability to remind us—like rock and sunlight and wind and wilderness—that out there is a different world, older and greater and deeper by far than ours” – Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

After some additional active options in Arches National Park, we’ll stop at the visitor center before returning to Moab for some downtime. This evening we’ll enjoy a group dinner in the town of Moab.

Get Off the Beaten Path in Capitol Reef & Goblin Valley

Departing from Moab, we drive 2 hours to our first adventure for the day at Goblin Valley State Park. This place is out of this world! The “alien-like” landscape has become a strange favorite for many of our guests. Small hoodoos—known locally as goblins—are scattered over a former tidal plain, creating a playground of rock to explore.

The next stop is Capitol Reef National Park, named for its white sandstone domes and rocky cliffs that barrier the Waterpocket Fold, a wrinkle in the crust of the Earth. Hosting almost a quarter million acres of red rock formations, cliffs, canyons and natural bridges, this is Utah’s wilderness at its best. Capitol Reef is the least visited of Utah’s National Parks due to its remote location, which makes it somewhat of a rare gem.

We’ll continue our journey southwest to spend the night near Bryce Canyon. At the highest elevation of the Utah parks, it is often a cool reprieve from the desert heat.

Enjoy Bryce Canyon at Sunrise & Hike Into Bryce Amphitheater

This morning we will enter Bryce Canyon National Park just in time to capture the sun rising over a collection of sandstone spires called “hoodoos”.  Explore several viewpoints before we descend into the Bryce Amphitheater on “The world’s best 3-mile hike”.  This trail is rated as moderate and is a wonderful way to view a variety of geology, flora, & fauna.

Tonight we head closer to Zion and set up camp under juniper pines.  You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the campground amenities including a swimming pool and recreation barn, then enjoy a fresh dinner prepared by your guides.

Driving Time: 2 Hours
Hiking: 3-4 miles | 600+ feet elevation gain
Accommodation: Zion Ponderosa just outside of Zion

Hike the Iconic Narrows in Zion & Return to Salt Lake City

Today we explore our 5th National Park in 5 days at Zion National Park! Marvel at the red cliff walls that rise over 2,000 feet above the blue-green waters of the Virgin River. We’ll spend the day exploring much of what this park has to offer before making our return trip to Salt Lake City.

Weather permitting, venture down the Narrows where you’ll wade through cool, rushing water in a scenic gorge surrounded by towering walls of sandstone. After several hours of optional hiking and exploring, we depart from Zion National Park and begin our return 4.5-hour drive to Salt Lake City.

Due to weather variability, we refer to the conditions provided by Mother Nature when deciding which hike will be preferred. Other amazing options may include an adventure to the Upper Emerald Pools or similar.

Driving Time: 5 Hours
Hiking: 3-6 miles | Minimal elevation gain