Best Road Trips in Utah for Camper Van Travelers
Utah is one of my favorite places to travel while in a van. The state has tons of national forest and BLM land to camp on for free, there are a bunch of other vanlifers to make friends with, and the scenery is beyond gorgeous. I’ve done road trips all over Utah over the years, and even now, there are loads of areas still on my list to see.
With so many things to do and see, you could probably spend a year road tripping around Utah and still not see everything. These are four Utah road trip ideas that are all incredible to do in a van. However, with these itineraries, I want you to keep two things in mind: one, these are outline itineraries, and two, they are not set in stone. If I gave detailed itineraries for each of these routes, this would be a wildly long post, but also, this leaves room for you to fill in the gaps and make it unique. The beauty of setting out in your own van is you can make your trip truly your own—stop at the places that interest you, skip the ones that don’t, and definitely stop for ice cream whenever possible.
A note on recommended days: I’ve given a recommendation for the number of days that you’d likely want for each road trip. Depending on your travel style, you could probably do them in less, and you could definitely add tons more time to any of these if you wanted.
1. Utah National Parks Road Trip: The Mighty 5
Number of recommended days: 8-15
Stops: Salt Lake City, Canyon Lands National Park, Arches National Park, Moab, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Las Vegas.
This might be one of the most iconic vanlife road trips in the United States. There aren’t many places where you can visit five national parks in the span of one road trip that’s less than a thousand miles. This is one of those places. Branded “The Mighty Five,” these five national parks in Utah are all mind-boggling in their own way. See tons of natural arches in Arches, overlook huge canyons formed by the Colorado and Green Rivers at Canyonlands, see the white domes of Navajo Sandstone at Capitol Reef, marvel at the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, and walk the Narrows at Zion.
This itinerary starts in Salt Lake City, which has its own fair share of delightful van attractions, and ends in Las Vegas (another favorite van stop), though you could easily do it in reverse as well. This is a ton of driving, though, so I recommend giving yourself plenty of time so you get at least 1-2 full days in each national park, plus an extra day to explore Moab. A whirlwind classic trip, you’ll likely see plenty of other people doing the same route as you, so expect company.
2. Northern Utah: The Wasatch Mountain Range
Number of recommended days: 5-7
Stops: Salt Lake City, Mirror Lake/Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur National Monument, Salt Lake City
This shorter mountainous road trip is one you’ll want to take in either the spring or fall. The road going into the Uinta-Wasatch mountains (UT-150) closes in the winter, and Dinosaur National Monument can be pretty scorching in the summer (think, highs in the 90s).
However, for a trip that’s a little more under the radar, but still has gobsmacking good views, this one’s for you. Expect stunning spring wildflowers and fall colors (depending on the season), beautifully clear alpine lakes, and incredible gorge views looking down at the Green River. This can be an especially nice trip if you’re planning to rent a van from Salt Lake City.
Only planning for a short weekend getaway? You can absolutely shorten this and just head into the Wasatch Mountains.
3. Moab Adventure: Salt Lake City to Moab
Number of recommended days: 5-12
Stops: Salt Lake City, Canyonlands National Park (Grand View Point Overlook), Arches National Park (Devils Garden Trail), Moab, The Needles District (also Canyonlands), Salt Lake City
If you’d like to take a bit more time exploring just a few of the National Parks in Utah, I highly recommend spending some time in Moab. Moab is a vanlifer mecca. There’s a ton of BLM land outside of town that’s super easy to camp out on, and Arches and Canyonlands are right nearby. To top off the trip, I recommend heading further south to the significantly less-trafficked part of Canyonlands, the Needles District. This area is every bit as stunning, but with a quarter of the people. Plus, you get to drive through Indian Creek, which is gorgeous and a huge hotspot for rock climbers.
Pro tip: most of the BLM dispersed camping areas around Moab require that you have your own bathroom system because there are no public toilets. The area is too popular for everyone to be burying their poop in this fragile desert environment, so keep this in mind if you plan to camp at dispersed sites.
Related article: Stealth and Dispersed Camping: How to find free (and legal) overnight parking in the U.S.
4. Southern Utah: Las Vegas, Zion, and Antelope Canyon
Number of recommended days: 6-10
Stops: Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon
Okay, so this road trip does go outside of Utah a bit. In fact, you go through Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. But hear me out—it’s worth it. Again, if you have limited time and you’d rather dig deeper into just a couple of Utah’s national parks and nearby areas, this southern route is a good compromise. You can hike the Narrows in Zion, see stunning hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, and get a guided tour of the famous Antelope Canyon. If you have an extra day and aren’t afraid of heights, I highly recommend trying to get a permit for Angel’s Landing so you can hike along the infamous ridge.
You don’t have to include Antelope Canyon, of course, but I mean, c’mon, it’d be pretty cool right? Just know that you’re only able to enter Antelope Canyon via guided tours that you need to book with an external group.
Related article: Best Camper Van Destinations in the Southwest US
