When travelers think of Utah, they often picture the sandstone arches and slot canyons of the “Mighty Five” Utah National Parks. The five National Parks in Utah are amazing, but they are also very popular. Parks like Zion and Arches have had to implement reservation systems for park entry and some of the more popular hikes. I love the National Parks in Utah, but I am branching out to spend more time in the National Monuments in Utah. The same National Parks pass will give you access to these lesser-known Utah destinations.

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Utah National Parks

A Utah National Parks Road Trip is on many travelers’ bucket lists, and for good reason! All five Utah National Parks offer outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, but they will take some planning in order to ensure you have someplace to sleep at night. There are no National Parks near Salt Lake City, so you will be visiting smaller towns that fill up very quickly, especially during Spring Break, Christmas Break, and Summer Break.

• Explore things to do in Moab, including Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park Travel Guide
• Drive from Bryce Canyon National Park to Capitol Reef National Park
• Explore several National Parks on this Southern Utah Road Trip
• Hike Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park

Many of these monuments are reached by some of Utah’s scenic highways!

National Monuments in Utah

In addition to 5 National Parks in Utah, there are currently eight National Monuments in Utah. These places range from cultural to natural attractions and are all managed by the National Park Service. As National Monuments, they are well-maintained, but not quite as popular as the National Parks, and are often more pet-friendly than National Parks. The eight Utah National Monuments are:

• Bears Ears National Monument
• Cedar Breaks National Monument
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
• Hovenweep National Monument
• Jurassic National Monument
• Natural Bridges National Monument
• Rainbow Bridge National Monument
• Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Bears Ears National Monument

Bears Ears is Utah’s newest National Monument and one of my favorite regions of Utah. In addition to stunning views and fascinating geologic features, this area is also rich with Native American sites. I highly recommend hiring a local guide to show you around the area, as there are many cool ruins and petroglyphs that are best explored with a Native guide. My mom and I took a 1/2 day tour with Louis from Ancient Wayves; it was a fantastic experience. They are launching river trips soon, and I can’t wait to join one.

Start your Bears Ears visit at the Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff. There, you can maps and recommendations to plan your visit to Bears Ears. A few of the best things to see in Bears Ears are:

• Butler Wash is a treasure trove of archeological sites; we hiked to a beautiful ruin site surrounded by petroglyph panels.
• House on Fire is a popular hike to a ruin site; unique rock fins above the dwelling often look like flames, hence the name. This is an easy hike along a dry wash.
• Valley of the Gods is a nice scenic drive in the area, with cool rock formations. The Moki Dugway drops 1,200 feet from Cedar Mesa to Valley of the Gods.
• The Sand Island Petroglyph Panel is super easy to access just south of Bluff.
• Goosenecks State Park has a fantastic overlook of the San Juan River, with views rivaling Horseshoe Bend (minus the crowds!)

Explore some of the best sites for Indian ruins in Utah!

Where to Stay Near Bears Ears National Monument

To truly explore the area, I recommend allocating at least two days, which means you’ll need a place to stay near Bears Ears. If you are into boondocking or rustic camping, there are plenty of places to camp off the grid. If you prefer a roof over your head, there are plenty of options to choose from.

• Bluff, Utah Hotels – I love the Desert Rose Resort & Cabins – great location and they have a beautiful indoor pool and outside seating area that is stunning at sunset. There are several cute restaurants in town as well; the Cottonwood Steakhouse and Comb Ridge Eat & Drink were both really good.
• Blanding, Utah Hotels – equally convenient to Bears Ears, with a few more businesses. Four Corners Inn is a budget-friendly and pet-friendly place to stay near Bears Ears.
• If you prefer a larger town with more amenities, Moab is less than two hours away. Just be sure to book your Moab hotel well in advance as it’s a very busy (and expensive) town!

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a great alternative to Bryce Canyon. It’s located near Cedar City and Brian Head ski resort and has some of the same amazing red rock hoodoos that you’ll find at Bryce Canyon National Park. It is located at an elevation of 10,000 feet, so you can expect it to be much cooler year-round. In fact, the park road is closed in the winter, so be sure to check the conditions before you plan your trip. The park often hosts guided hikes and festivals, and Cedar Breaks is a certified Dark Sky Park, so the stargazing on a clear night is unreal. The park road has several scenic overlooks, so try to catch a sunset from one of them!

Where to Stay Near Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar City is the nearest city to Cedar Breaks. There are lots of fun things to do in Cedar City Utah, and it makes a great home base for exploring Cedar Breaks and other beautiful spots in the area. Since I work for Marriott, I usually stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Cedar City, which I much prefer over the nearby Springhill Suites. There are lots of hotels in Cedar City to choose from.

Dinosaur National Monument

Located in Utah’s northeast corner is a great spot for geology and archeology. Dinosaur National Monument spans the Utah-Colorado border and has lots of great things to explore. The Green River winds through the monument, carving stunning bluffs, which you can see from several overlook points along the way.

Start your visit at the Dinosaur National Monument Visitor Center, where you can grab maps and plan your stay. There are tons of cool things to see near the monument. Find out all the cool things to do in Vernal, Utah aka Dinosaurland.

• The Quarry Exhibit Hall has over 1,500 dinosaur bones and fossils still embedded in the dirt. At busier times of the year, you will need to take a shuttle bus from the visitor center. At other times, you can drive directly to the exhibit.
• A multi-day rafting trip through Dinosaur National Monument is a great way to experience the natural beauty and dark skies of the area
• Visit nearby spots like Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Red Fleet State Park, and Fantasy Canyon

Where to Stay Near Dinosaur National Monument

In addition to many camping options in and near the monument, Vernal hotels are the nearest accommodations to Dinosaur National Monument. Additionally, there are tons of hotels in Steamboat Springs, just 90 minutes away.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

At 1.7 million acres, Grand Staircase is Utah’s largest national monument and, due to its remote location, possibly one of the least-explored areas of Utah. The best way to experience your first time at Grand Staircase is to drive Scenic Byway 12, which also happens to be the best route between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. Grand Staircase has slot canyons, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and cultural attractions. This is definitely a Utah destination I look forward to exploring more in the future!

Some of Utah’s best glamping resorts are near Escalante!

Hovenweep National Monument

I first visited Hovenweep National Monument when I was driving from Moab to Mesa Verde National Park. Hovenweep is located 45 minutes east of Bluff, so it’s an easy attraction to combine with a trip to Bears Ears National Monument. This Utah National Monument was once home to six different villages dating back to 1200 AD. There are several hiking trails that wind throughout the various ruins. This is a smaller monument that is easily explored en route to other Utah or Colorado destinations.

Where to Stay Near Hovenweep National Monument

• Bluff, Utah Hotels are just 45 minutes from Hovenweep
• Blanding, Utah Hotels are about 50 minutes from Hovenweep
• If you prefer a larger town with more amenities, Cortez is less than one hour away, and a great place to stay if you plan to visit Mesa Verde, one of Colorado’s National Parks. Browse Cortez hotels.

Jurassic National Monument

Utah’s newest monument is the Jurassic National Monument, previously known as the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. I visited the quarry when writing my book, before it became a National Monument. For the life of me, I can’t find any photos from that day. The quarry is quite a ways down a dirt road, and the nearest towns are Price and Helper. Much like Nine Mile Canyon, Jurassic National Monument is best visited if you are exploring between Salt Lake City and Moab.

Natural Bridges National Monument

This remote National Monument is surrounded by Bears Ears, so it’s easy to combine your visits and see both. In addition to the natural sandstone bridges for which the monument is named, it was also the world’s first International Dark Sky Park. While access is all on paved roads, Natural Bridges is incredibly remote. Blanding is 50 minutes east, while Hanksville is two hours northwest.

There are several short hikes to overlooks, and if you are prepared with lots of water, you can also hike below the rim to some of the arches and native ruins in the canyon. Each of the three natural bridges has a hike, or you can combine all of them for a 12-mile loop.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Rainbow Bridge is possibly the most elusive National Monument in Utah. In addition to being one of the world’s largest natural arches, it is also the most difficult National Monument to reach. It’s located on a remote arm of Lake Powell, and access gets harder as lake levels drop. The monument is also part of the Navajo Nation and is a sacred area to many natives living in the surrounding area.

To reach Rainbow Bridge National Monument, there are a few options:

• Lake Powell Resorts offers a day cruise to Rainbow Bridge. As long as I’ve lived in the Southwest, tours were suspended either due to low water or the pandemic. I finally got to take the cruise in 2024, and it was amazing! It’s a long day on the water, but totally worth it.
• With a permit from the Navajo Nation, you can hike to the bridge. It is 16 miles each way, so it’s typically done in a 2-3 day backpack trip.
• With a private boat, you can beach your boat and hike to the bridge

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

If you’re looking for National Parks near Salt Lake City, this is the closest. Located in American Fork Canyon just south of Salt Lake City, Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a fun day trip from Park City or Salt Lake City. The highlight is, of course, the cave, but it’s also a beautiful hike with amazing views before you reach the cave. Due to high elevation and snowpack, this Utah National Monument is only open during the summer months, typically opening in mid-to-late May.

If you want to tour the cave, you will need to secure advance tickets for the tour online. The standard ranger-led tour takes about one hour and visits three different caves. In order to reach the cave, you have a pretty steep hike to complete. The trail (shown above) is mostly paved, but it gains over 1,000 feet in just 1.5 miles. Fortunately, the views are amazing, so you won’t mind stopping to catch your breath every so often. Note when purchasing your tickets, the ticket time is the time you will start hiking, not the actual cave tour time. You may want to adjust your arrival time if you are a fast or slow hiker. Be sure to bring layers, as it’s quite cold in the cave, and you’ll work up a sweat on the hike.

Salt Lake City is 40 minutes from the Visitor Center, so Salt Lake City hotels are the best place to stay near Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Of course, I prefer Park City hotels and it only adds 20 minutes to your drive. Not to mention, all the fun summer activities in Park City, Utah!

Other National Park Service Sites in Utah

• Golden Spike National Historical Park is a cool spot for railroad enthusiasts and history buffs. This is the site where the first transcontinental railroad was completed. They hold a reenactment every summer. If you’ve already traveled all this way, you may as well continue down the dirt road for another 30 minutes to see the Spiral Jetty art installation.

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area includes Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam; the nearest town is Page, Arizona, one of the stops on my Northern Arizona road trip itinerary.
• Several National Historic Trail sites can also be found throughout Utah, including the Mormon Pioneer Trail, Old Spanish Trail, and the Pony Express.