Is it possible? Yes! Is it crazy? Yes! This is one of the fastest ways to see all of Utah’s National Parks in one day. This could be done from anywhere in the state, but it’s built to be from Salt Lake City. The driving will alone take about 12 hours (without too much traffic) and add at least one hike in every national park and you are looking at a tight 22 hours!
Make sure you fill up with fuel, food, and water along the way!
In order to save money, we encourage you to purchase a national park pass which is $80. It’s good for a whole year and you can buy it at any national park entrance station. Each of these national parks average about $25-35 per vehicle to enter. Capitol Reef is the exception, because it is free.
Make sure to bring a backpack for your food and snacks while hiking, bring a layer of clothing, good sturdy hiking shoes, sunglasses, and hat.
Trip Itinerary
- Drive from Salt Lake City to Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
- Mesa Arch is doable in under 10 minutes
- Drive to Delicate Arch Trailhead in Arches National Park
- Delicate Arch roundtrip is doable in 2-3 hours
- Drive to Hickman Bridge Trailhead in Capitol Reef National Park
- Hickman Bridge is doable in 1 hour roundtrip
- Drive to Queens Garden Trailhead in Bryce Canyon National Park
- Queens Garden Loop is doable in 2 hours
- Drive to Zion National Park Visitor Center and take shuttle to Zion Lodge (stop #5) for Emerald Pools
- Emerald Pools is doable in 2 hours or less and another 1 hour for shuttle times.
Total driving time: About 12 hours
Total miles driven: 605 miles
Total hiking time: About 6-10 hours
Total Adventure Time: 22 hours
Adventure 1: Drive from Salt Lake City to Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
Driving time: just over 4 hours. 250 miles
Nothing beats seeing Mesa Arch at sunrise! You won’t have the arch all by yourself, but this is a great way to begin this trip! It’s a very short distance to the arch and you could technically do it in a few minutes.
Read the Trek guide here for Mesa Arch
Adventure 2: Drive from Mesa Arch to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park
Driving time: just over 1 hour. 50 miles
The hike to Delicate Arch, one of the most iconic spots in Utah, is about 3 miles roundtrip and isn’t particularly difficult. This is one of the most popular trails in the park, but its good to do this one early in the morning before the hot sun!
Read the Trek guide here for Delicate Arch
Adventure 3: Drive from Delicate Arch to Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef National Park
Driving time: 2 hours and 40 min. 153 miles
The Hickman Bridge Trailhead is located right off the highway, so it’s one of the fastest adventures to do while in Capitol Reef. The trail is about 1.5 mile roundtrip and is also not a difficult hike. The loop trail leads under Hickman Bridge and then back down.
Read the Trek guide here for Hickman Bridge
Adventure 4: Drive from Hickman Bridge to Sunset Point in Capitol Reef National Park
Driving time: 2 hours and 30 min. 122 miles
Bryce Canyon has some great trails and incredible overlooks. The Queens Garden (Navajo Loop) won’t take you more than two hours, and you will see sandstone towers, pillars, hoodoos, and more along the way!
Adventure 5: Drive from Sunset Point to Zion National Park Visitor Center
Driving time: 2 hours. 87 miles
Once you get to the Visitor Center, you will need to take the free shuttle to the Emerald Pools instead (Shuttle stop #5 Zion Lodge). This is a great hike to end your 24 hour Utah National Park adventure!
Read the Emerald Pools Trek.
Congratulations! You have visited every Utah National Park in under 24 hours! Very few people have done this, so you should feel great about what you have accomplished!
Was this too intense? Yes! Was it too crazy! Yes! But, did you complete a very difficult challenge? Also yes!
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
