When you think of Utah, you probably think of lots of different things like the Jazz, Mormons, Great Skiing but one thing you should definitely think about is exploring the wonderful national parks that are the hidden marvels of Utah's south.

Getting to Salt Lake City is pretty easy, despite it being nestled in the mountains, it has an excellent airport and is also a great place to explore. Once there you are best to hire a car for your national park exploring. If you are there in winter I would recommend a good four wheel drive.

You can visit the national parks in all seasons however the winter versus summer experiences will be very different. The national parks all offer unique natural beauties and we recommend you visit includes: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Fishlake National Forrest, Bryce Canyon National Park, a drive through the Dixie National Forrest and walk in Zion National Park.

Head south east out of Salt Lake City towards Moab, Utah. The drive to Moab takes about 4 hours but is picturesque and follows excellent roads. There are plenty of places to stay in Moab for a few days. Moab provides easy and close access to both Arches and Canyonlands. The area surrounding Moab is also home to a number of Hollywood movie scenes so make sure you explore its cinematic history.

From Moab head for Richfield, Utah as your next stop, a comfortable and stunning 3 hour drive west. Richfield provides you easy access to the beauties of Fishlake National Forrest and Bryce Canyon. After you have spent a day or two exploring nearby Fishlake Forrest we suggest you leave Richfield early for your drive to Bryce Canyon, heading via Panguitch the trip will take about 2 hours. There are a range of accomodation options for your stay at Bryce Canyon.

Leaving Bryce we then recommend you travel south west to St George, Utah, about 3 hours of road time. Head back towards Panguitch but turn south and take the route through beautiful Dixie National Forrest using routes 143/148/14. There are a number of key sites to visit, this route can be closed during winter so check in advance.

Once in St George Zion National Park is about an hours drive to the east. Allow yourself 1 or 2 days to explore all the wonderful natural treats that Zion has to offer. If you have time at the end of your Southern Utah adventure the Grand Canyon is about 4 (North Rim) - 6 (South Rim) hours south east of St George.

Deadhorse Point, Canyonlands National Park

Angel's Landing, looking down on Zion National Park