Utah has some of the most beautiful natural sites in the world. It’s a great state to visit if you love appreciating nature and exploring the great outdoors. The state is full of national parks, monuments, historical sites, and other attractions, but here are six of the best places to visit on your trip:
Arches National Park
Arches National Park is known for its large stone arches. You can find more than 2,000 naturally-occurring stone arches throughout the park, and some of them are enormous. The most famous is Delicate Arch, which is about 60 feet tall and frames the mountains in the distance. Some of the other popular destinations within the park include Devil’s Garden, Double Arch, Balanced Rock, and Broken Arch. There are several hiking trails that take you to the arches and to other beautiful natural views.
Zion National Park
Zion National Park has a wide variety of natural sites, including waterfalls, valleys, and red rock cliffs. You can hike through one of the park’s numerous hiking trails, all of which vary in level of difficulty, or you can take a scenic drive through the park. The drive goes through Zion Canyon, which has some of the tallest sandstone monoliths in the country. If you visit in the spring, summer, or fall, you can take a sightseeing bus through the park to see all the major sites.
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is known for the thousands of fossils that were discovered in the area throughout the 20th century. The monument spans more than 200,000 acres of land, and there are more than 1,500 fossils still embedded in the cliffs. You can visit the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall and the Visitor Center to learn more information about the history behind the fossils before heading up to the Dinosaur Quarry itself, where the majority of the dinosaur digs took place.
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is made up of beautiful orange rocks and stone pillars that reach up from the ground. The canyon is at an elevation of about 8,000 feet, so it’s cooler than most areas in Utah and should be visited between April and October. You can explore the park’s many hiking trails that go through and around the canyon, and you can enjoy the view of the greenery surrounding the canyon.
Natural Bridges National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument is made up of three bridges: the Kachina, the Sipapu, and the Owachomo. You can reach all of them with a short hike. The bridges formed gradually over time as water carved down the sandstone in a canyon. It’s a great site to see in person, and the landscape surrounding the bridges is beautiful as well.
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake is located a half hour drive from Salt Lake City, and it is the largest lake in the western United States. The lake is known for its high salt content, and swimmers can easily float without sinking. The south end of the lake has several beaches and a park where you can swim, enjoy the sun, or have a picnic. You can also visit Antelope Island, the lake’s largest island. The drive to the island has fantastic views, and when you reach the island, you can watch for birds, bison, and antelope.
Overall, there are dozens of other exciting places to visit in Utah, whether you’re a tourist or a local. If you have a limited amount of time in the state, though, these sites should be at the top of your list. There are countless incredible natural wonders in the world, and you can find many of them in Utah.