We spent a little over two weeks exploring the incredible state of Utah. Two weeks doesn’t sound like much time, but we packed a TON into our time there! We visited all 5 National Parks, had a blast with an amazing group of friends, and Utah got named one of our top states so far!

1st Stop: Moab, Utah (Arches & Canyonlands National Park)

Moab was a place we had heard a lot about. We knew there was amazing boondocking in the area as well as stunning scenery. We realized several of our friends might be in the area around the same time, so we coordinated plans and found a large piece of land where we could fit multiple RVs and made a big circle with our RVs, creating a little neighborhood!

Boondocking in Moab

Our boondocking spot was was some BLM land just outside the city limits of Moab called Willow Springs Trail. We adore boondocking, and it’s even better when you do it with friends! Some of our favorite full-time travelers all together in one spot in the desert, living life together. What could be better? We had an absolute blast. Daily adventures and nightly campfires were how we filled our time there. 

Arches National Park

Arches National Park is really close to that spot, so that was the first park we explored. We went in several days and had a lot of fun there! We pulled over for a picnic and checked out Balanced Rock first, then continued on to hike Delicate Arch Trail. Delicate Arch is an iconic feature in the park and was really cool to see in person. It’s gigantic and just quite a site to behold in person!

The second time we went into the park, we were doing some pre hike prep work. We had decided to hike Fiery Furnace, which requires you to get a permit and go through an orientation. They only issue a certain amount of permits each day, so we went in the day before we wanted to hike and took care of everything the day before. 

Fiery Furnace is like a maze through boulders and canyons, where you somewhat create your own path and can veer off and explore different areas as you want. We went with a lot of friends and had an absolute blast! It was worth the pre planning and fees. I believe it was $3 for kids and $6 or $7 for adults. 

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park is also within driving distance of Moab, so we drove out there one day. All the kids did the Jr. Ranger program (as they do in all the NPs) and we all hiked Mesa Arch Trail. We didn’t have a ton of time in this park, and from the little time we spent there I’d say Canyonlands was my least favorite Utah park. 

We had Dead Horse State Park on our Moab list but never got around to it. We heard sunset there is amazing. There is a fee to get in, and the afternoon we thought about going was cloudy, so we opted to stay at the camp site. We would like to check it out one day though! We will definitely be back to Moab!

2nd Stop: Torrey, Utah (Capitol Reef National Park)

Our next Utah stop was to see Capitol Reef National Park. We booked Thousand Lakes RV Park in Torrey, UT. It was really close to the park, which was really nice. It was also nice to have full hookups after boondocking for a while! 

Capitol Reef is really really beautiful. As we drove through, I was in total awe at the beauty around me. It’s a smaller park and you can see a lot of it in a short amount of time. Mormon settlers that used to live there planted many orchards, and visitors to the park are allowed to pick fruit from the trees! You can pick and eat any for free, and just pay for any you take with you. 

There’s also a bakery in the park in Fruita known for their pies and cinnamon rolls! By the time we arrived at 11am they had sold out of the rolls but we were able to snag an apple pie and it was delicious!

We hiked Capitol Gorge Trail, which was really cool. The kids especially had a blast climbing in the holes throughout the gorge! We drove past the first parking area to get to a closer parking area and started there. We felt it was an interesting hike and also enjoyed seeing some of the settlers names carved in the rocks. 

3rd Stop: Bryce Canyon

After our time in Capitol Reef, we moved on to check out Bryce Canyon National Park. We boondocked not far from the park entrance at George’s Gift. It wasn’t our favorite camping spot, as it was reallllly dusty when we were there, but the proximity to the park was perfect, so we stuck it out for 2 nights while exploring the park. 

Bryce Canyon is stunning. Seeing the hoodoos up close and personal was awesome. I’d say it is Utah’s most beautiful park. Capitol Reef is a close second for sheer beauty. We really enjoyed hiking Navajo Trail/Queen’s Garden and highly recommend it. 

4th Stop: Boondocking Near Zion National Park

After our 2 days at Bryce it was time to head to our final Utah park- Zion. One word to describe Zion is MAJESTIC. Towering rock formations, steep red cliffs and the Virgin River make up this park. Two hikes had been on my bucket list for a while and I was ecstatic to finally get to do them! Angles Landing and The Narrows didn’t disappoint!

We found a great boondocking spot that we enjoyed a lot that we shared with friends in Virgin, Utah, not too far from Zion. It was called Hurricane Cliffs. Once again, we created a circle of rigs, creating a little neighborhood where we enjoyed nightly fires and the kids roamed free, exploring the beautiful desert surrounding us.

These are the days we’ll always remember and the memories we’ll never forget.