Visiting Utah’s National Parks with Young Kids
Utah has some of the nation’s most beautiful national parks. There are so many diverse things to see and do even with young kids! The parks can easily be combined into one trip if you have about a week, including travel days. Have fun visiting Utah’s national parks with young kids!
Parts of this article reference products that were given to us for promotion. We received a 2021 Yukon from GMC for use during this trip.
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Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Getting to the National Parks in Utah
The major airports you will most likely fly into and out of are Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. You can start in Las Vegas and go from Zion National Park to Arches National Park, or fly into Salt Lake City and start in Arches National Park and work your way to Zion.
However, it is worth checking if you are able to fly into or out of either St. George Regional Airport in St. George, Utah, or Grand Junction Regional Airport in Grand Junction, Colorado. Those will both be closer to the parks, but are smaller airports that aren’t quite as accessible.
Can You Road Trip Through all 5 Utah National Parks?
If you love road trips, this is the trip for you! You’ll be spending a decent amount of time driving through Utah to hit all of these national parks. It’s a beautiful drive. All together, you’ll drive about 400 miles to get from Zion National Park to Arches National Park with the rest of Utah’s national parks in between. That’s a lot for kids, so make sure to read our road trip tips!.
We were grateful that GMC loaned us a new 2021 GMC Yukon AT4 for our most recent trip to several of these parks. We loved this vehicle and it was perfect for our family of five to road trip through the national parks.
The Yukon AT4 handled the backroads and even the winter weather beautifully. We loved the large sun roof that we were able to see high canyon walls and the gorgeous night sky through.
As you can tell from the photos, we took it on some dirty backroads and through some snowy weather and it handled all of the conditions wonderfully!
I also loved the active response four-wheel drive feature so that I knew we would always be safe on the roads, no matter the conditions. My kids loved that they had their own media screens in the back of the car and all of the room made for a very comfortable road trip!
How Many Days to Spend in Each Utah National Park
I recommend spending your days in the following manner:
Zion National Park — 2 days
Bryce Canyon National Park — 1/2 day
Capitol Reef National Park 1/2 day
Canyonlands National Park — 1/2 day
Arches National Park — 1.5 to 2 days
The two Utah national parks with the most to do for young kids, are Zion National Park and Arches National Park and you’ll want to spend the most time available there, with multiple hikes and points of interest.
Both Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park can be seen in a few hours in the same day while driving from Zion to Moab.
Canyonlands National Park can also be enjoyed in a few hours. We recommend visiting in the evening after a day spent at Arches National Park.
What order should I visit the Utah National Parks?
If you are doing a 5-day trip to see all of, I recommend spending your first two days in Utah visiting Zion National Park and the surrounding area.
On day 3, leave Zion and drive through Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park and then drive the rest of the way to Moab. This will be your longest day full of driving.
On days 4 and 5, visit Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Arches National Park is one that you need to visit very, very early in the morning, as it fills up and the park is known to close sometimes before noon. I recommend an evening visit to Canyonlands National Park on one of these days, whichever suits you.
What To Do At Each Park
And now for the fun part! Here are the best things to do about each of Utah’s national parks with young kids!
Planning a trip to the national parks with young kids is going to require a little bit different planning than with older children or adults only. You’ll want to find kid-friendly hikes and attractions and also prioritize your time spent visiting and riding in the car.
We always favor keeping the kids happy while seeing as much as we can and balancing it out with some fun afternoons in the pool or an otherwise more kid-friendly activity!
Here are the highlights at each Utah national park to see with your young kids.
Zion National Park with Young Kids
As mentioned before, Zion National Park is one of the most fun parks to visit with young kids. They will love seeing the canyon and there are a ton of kid-friendly hikes.
You’ll want to spend at least half a day in Zion Canyon as there is lots to see and many kid-friendly trails. We spent about 5 hours in Zion Canyon before spending the rest of the day in the hotel pool and then returning for a sunset hike!
Depending on the day of the week and the time of year, Zion can get very busy, so we recommend starting your day early.
On the second day, drive the scenic route through the park and hike the Canyon Overlook Trail on the East Rim of the Canyon and visit the River Walk Trail.
For more details about each of these hikes and other recommendations, visit this post.
Bryce Canyon National Park with Young Kids
Bryce Canyon National Park has one of the most unique and beautiful rock formations in the world. The Bryce Canyon Amphitheater contains the most Hoodoos found in one location in the world. If you are unfamiliar with Hoodoos, they are a type of rock formation formed by freezing and thawing of water over and over again. This results in stone pillars that are always changing and breaking away.
My kids love learning about how they were made and the different types of rock found through the park. We hiked the Rim Trail along the amphitheater and attended a Geology Talk with a ranger at Sunset Point. I highly recommend that! It really helps in explaining to young kids how the Hoodoos were formed.
For this trip, since you only have a few hours to spend in Bryce Canyon National Park, I recommend sticking to the Rim Trail for fantastic views of the amphitheater.
Next, drive about 10 miles deeper into the park to see the Natural Bridge. There aren’t any trails here, but it’s definitely worth the short drive to see. It’s a natural window made in the rock that creates an arched bridge. You’ll see arches and windows later in your trip, but this one is very close up and with unique landscape around the arch compared to Arches National Park.
If you have extra time, hike down into the amphitheater from Sunset Point in the Navajo Loop Trail!
Capitol Reef National Park with Young Kids
Capitol Reef National Park is a small park located about two hours from Bryce Canyon National Park.
While there are some hiking trails in Capitol Reef National Park, with kids and a short time frame, I recommend just stopping at some of the interesting vantage points before finishing your drive to Moab.
We loved the view from Panoramic Point, where you can see several of the interesting rock formations including Twin Rocks and Chimney Rock (both can also be seen from the road). You should also stop at the Visitors Center for some informational packets and Junior Ranger booklets to complete!
There is a scenic drive that heads south through the park, but if you are feeling strapped for time, you can continue east through the park after stopping at the Visitors Center.
Canyonlands National Park with Young Kids
Canyonlands National Park is a large national park near Moab, Utah. I recommend visiting in the evening after spending at day at Arches National Park.
With young kids, definitely visit the Island in the Sky District of the park. There is a visitors center and several easy hikes and vantage points.
We recommend viewing the canyon from the small trail across from the Island in the Sky Visitors Center.
Afterward, I recommend hiking to the Mesa Arch. This arch is incredible and one that you can get up close to. Be prepared to keep an eye on your kids because there is a very steep and high cliff once you get to the arch. But there is a large clear area to enjoy the arch and the view of the canyon beyond from a safe distance once you get there!
This hike is about half of a mile and very easy for young kids to enjoy. You’ll also see various signs along the trail teaching you about the various plants and living crust in the Canyonlands.
After hiking to the Mesa Arch, continue driving to the Grand View Point to see even more of the canyon. You’ll be able to see the White Rim, The Needles and the Maze. You can also take a short walk to the first view point or continue walking another mile to the second viewpoint.
Arches National Park with Young Kids
For the last park on your trip visiting Utah’s national parks with kids, Arches National Park will not disappoint. This incredible park is very unique and offers a ton of kid-friendly action.
There are a host of hikes that you can do with kids to see various different types of arches. You’ll also love the Sand Dunes Arch where your kids can spend hours playing in the soft red sand.
One of the most impressive arches in the park is Delicate Arch. If your kids are great hikers, you can hike the 3 miles out to see it up close. However, you can also hike to a viewing platform to see it from a distance. This was good enough for our kids, and allowed us to pack in more hikes during our trip.
Some of our favorite hikes are Broken Arch and Double Arch. I’ve got an entire article written about ways to see all of Arches National Park with kids here.
Other things to add to your trip
And that’s it! You saw all five of Utah’s national parks in 5 days time! What a great adventure!
If you have extra time, consider spending a day or two in either Saint George or Moab, Utah. Both have lots to offer for young kids!
There are also several Utah State Parks that are worth visiting if you have the time, including Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Dead Horse State Park and Goblin Valley State Park.
