Utah's Mighty Five — Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands — make for one of the best road trips in America. I did it counter-clockwise over ten days, which let me start gentle in Zion and end with the wide-open silence of Canyonlands.
The trick is timing the light. Red rock is at its best in the hour after sunrise and before sunset, when it genuinely glows. Midday I'd retreat to the car, drive the next stretch, and save the hikes for the golden edges of the day.
Bryce Canyon stole it. Walking down into the hoodoos on the Navajo Loop at first light, with frost still on the trail, felt like stepping onto another planet. And because the parks are so remote, the night skies were the darkest I've ever stood under.
Trip highlights
- Sunrise on the Navajo Loop through Bryce's hoodoos
- Zion's Narrows — hiking up the river itself
- Stargazing in some of the darkest skies in the US
- Delicate Arch in Arches at golden hour