Utah Mighty 5 | 5-Day Camping Trip

Today, we’ll depart from Salt Lake City and drive through the beautiful Wasatch mountains en route to 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! We will explore the district called Island In The Sky where we’ll hike to some outstanding viewpoints and see an iconic natural arch.

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 of the town of Moab.  Your guides will provide you with all the camping gear necessary, provide a detailed tutorial on how to set up tents, then let you get settled in as they cook up a hot meal.  This night we’ll relax by the fire and enjoy the dark southern Utah night sky.

Driving time: 4 Hours

Hiking: 3+ miles – Minimal elevation gain

Accommodation: Kane Creek Campground or similar

Wake up to breakfast provided by your guides (including lots of coffee!).  Today we’ll be exploring one of the greatest collections of natural arches on the planet at Arches National Park!  We will depart early to view the Windows, Double Arch, and hike 3-miles round-trip to one of the most famous features in the entire southwest, 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 make a trip to their visitor center before returning to Moab for a couple hours of down time at our campsite.  Depending on group preference, some additional options this afternoon may include a visit to Castle Creek Winery for some wine tasting or a stop at the Moab Museum of Film and Western Heritage.  This evening, we will have a group dinner in the town of Moab.

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! It is hard to envision a more “alien-like” landscape than what you’ll see here.  Small hoodoos, locally known as goblins, fill a former tidal plain and make for one of the most unique destinations in the American Southwest.

After Goblin valley, we’ll enjoy one of America’s most scenic drives as we explore Capital Reef National Park for a possible hike to view a famous Natural Bridge. Capitol Reef National Park includes 241,904 acres of amazing red rock formations, cliffs, canyons and natural bridges. It is Utah’s wilderness at its best.  Capital Reef is also the least visited of Utah’s National Parks, so it’s definitely worth checking out!

This evening we will spend near Bryce Canyon.