Best Road Trip: Arches National Park to Zion National Park

Why I keep going back to drive on this route?

The first time I drove this road, I loved it so much that I came back three times in the next 10 months. I love driving, nature, rivers and mountains, and here the rocks even show signs of an ancient ocean, so it feels like driving along the floor of a sea that dried up long ago.

I first found it on a cross-country family road trip from Boston to California via Utah, heading west on Interstate 70. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado are beautiful, but the best part comes in southern Utah, from Moab to Zion National Park via Green River.

Moab: Arches and Canyonlands

Start in Moab, home of Arches National Park. Then visit Canyonlands National Park, just north of Moab off US Route 191. After that, head toward Green River.

Green River to Hanksville: welcome to Mars

On Interstate 70, one of the best freeways in the world, you are firmly in the modern world. Turn off toward Hanksville and you feel like you are in a different country. Forget about country, you are on a different planet. With red rock boulders all around, it feels like a movie set on Mars.

On the way to Hanksville, I told my family we had seen enough beautiful landscapes and did not need any more pictures. Then, from Hanksville on, we were stopping to take photos every five minutes.

Swing Arm City: driving on the moon

Just west of Hanksville is Swing Arm City, and now you feel like you are on the moon. I am not kidding. The picture of Neil Armstrong and the American flag comes to mind as you drive through.

Fruita and Torrey: rock art and a river

Continue west to Fruita, in Capitol Reef National Park. A river runs along the way, and I found the old rock carvings there fascinating. Next comes Torrey, a small town surrounded by this otherworldly landscape.

Utah State Route 12: Torrey to Zion

In Torrey, do not stay on Utah State Route 24, which carries on west toward Loa. Instead, turn onto Utah State Route 12 south. This is the most important turn of the whole trip.

From Torrey, Utah State Route 12 heads south to Boulder and Escalante, past another side of Capitol Reef and through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Then come Tropic and Bryce Canyon City, the gateway to Bryce Canyon National Park.

After Utah State Route 12 ends, take US Route 89 south through the town of Glendale, then head west on Utah State Route 9 to Zion National Park.

All of America on one highway

Utah State Route 12 is a Utah Scenic Byway, and it is also a national All-American Road. To me, that name fits. Along this one road, you get a glimpse of the American landscape from the Northeast to the Midwest, Northwest and Southwest.

I always tell my friends: if you love nature and mountains, drive this road.

Five national parks, and much more

This one drive links Utah’s five big national parks: Arches National Park, right outside Moab, then Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and finally Zion. You can stop and explore each one, or just catch a glimpse of them along the way if you are short on time.

The national parks are only the start. Along the way there are state parks, national recreation areas such as Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, museums such as Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, and more great overlooks than you can count.

How many days you need

There is no single right length for this trip. I have driven it three times, and it works in two days, three days, a week, 10 days or even two weeks.

If you simply love road trips, two or three days is enough to drive the whole route and stop at the best viewpoints. Three days is my sweet spot. If you love to stay and hike in the parks, give yourself a week to two weeks, because there are so many stops beyond the big five.

Which way to drive

In my opinion, the best views come from driving north to south: start at Arches National Park in Moab, head to Green River, take Utah State Route 12 south and finish at Zion National Park.

You can also do it the other way around. If you are coming from California, many people drive to Las Vegas first. From Las Vegas, start at Zion National Park and drive north all the way to Arches National Park.

After Zion: where to go next

Once you finish Zion National Park, you have a few options.

Head to Las Vegas. It is about a three-hour drive, and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, just outside the city, is a great last stop.

Or drive back toward Glendale and on to Kanab. From Kanab you can visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is open only in the warmer months, so check before you go. You can also continue to Page, Arizona, to see Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

Or turn it into a full loop. From Page, drive east toward Mexican Hat, then on to Bluff and Monticello, and all the way back to Arches National Park. On the drive north from Monticello to Moab, the La Sal Mountains rise on your right, close to the border between Utah and Colorado. It is a really good way to explore the whole region.

Why I would choose it over the Grand Canyon

Many people I have met plan their trip around the Grand Canyon. It is truly great, but if I had the chance to go again, I would choose this drive, and it is what I advise my friends to do.

At the Grand Canyon, you mostly see one spectacular canyon from its rim. On this road trip, you see spectacular canyons too, along with arches, red rock deserts, rivers, mountains, forests and five national parks, each one completely different from the last. And the drive between them is just as beautiful as the parks themselves.

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