Whether you’re looking for a nice afternoon drive or a more lengthy road trip, one of the following eight best road trips in Utah will surely lead you to the perfect destination. Of course, as with any road trip, most of the fun is enjoying the journey itself.
- Fruit Way: Brigham City to Willard
Maddox Ranch House/Facebook Hungry? On this road trip, you can eat your way along U.S. 89 from Brigham City to Willard. Start with lunch at Maddox Ranch House.
ewan traveler/flickr Then check out the fresh produce stands, sampling peaches, cherries, tomatoes and more as you go.
Pettingill’s Fruit Farm/Facebook Culminate your trip with a raspberry shake at Pettingill’s in Willard.
- Salt Lake City to Wendover on West I-80
sandwich/flickr Every Utahn has taken this road trip at some point. Start in Salt Lake City and travel on I-80 Westbound. 15 miles later, you’ll pass historic Salt Air, which was once the scene of Big Band shows and beachgoers — now it’s a concert venue.
Tom Kelly/flickr Stop for a quick visit at Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. The 87-foot-tall sculpture by artist Karl Momen was completed in the 1980s.
loonyhiker/flickr You’ll arrive in Wendover, Utah 121 miles from where you started. Most people drive right on through to Wendover, Nevada, to the casinos where you can check out a concert and lose some money at the blackjack tables.
- Spanish Fork to Salina: Utah’s Small Towns
lemonjenny/flickr Take U.S. 6 from Spanish Fork, then turn off on U.S. 89 at Thistle. This ghost town was flooded in 1983 and completely covered in sediment – you can still see some rooftops.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr In Mt. Pleasant you can visit the Pioneer Historical Preservation Association Museum and Relic Home.
J. Stephen Conn/flickr Continue driving 15 miles to Ephraim, the largest city in San Pete county, with over 6,000 residents.
J. Stephen Conn/flickr If you’re visiting in June, you can check out the Mormon Miracle pageant in Manti.
Andrew Dash Gillman/flickr In Sterling, check out Palisade State Park or golf at the Palisade Golf Course.
Casino Star Theater/Facebook The charming little town of Gunnison has a quaint Main Street. Check out a movie at the renovated Casino Star Theater.
Ken Lund/flickr Grab a meal and a piece of pie at Mom’s Cafe in Salina – a quintessential small-town cafe. From Salina, you can turn north onto U.S. 50, which will take you back to I-15, or go south to hook into I-70.
- Mirror Lake Scenic Byway
Mirror Lake Diner/Facebook The Mirror Lake Scenic Byway starts at Kamas. Enjoy a tasty breakfast at the Mirror Lake Diner before you begin your road trip.
madpoet_one/flickr Proceed with caution and make way for moose.
Ken Lund/flickr At 10,687 feet, you’ll reach Bald Mountain Pass.
JR P/flickr Then, descend down to Mirror Lake.
- Nebo Loop
Ken Lund/flickr The Nebo Loop is closed in the winter, but during the summer, it provides lots of amazing views. Start in Nephi.
Ken Lund/flickr You’ll find many scenic overlooks along the way.
ninny_pants/flickr Devil’s Kitchen is a popular stop. It looks a lot like a miniature Bryce Canyon.
Emily Robin/flickr You’ll find three lakes up Payson Canyon. The byway ends just outside of Payson, where you can rejoin I-15.
- Ogden Canyon Loop
Zach Tirrell/flickr Take State Road 36 up Ogden Canyon. It’s narrow, winding and a little nerve-wracking in spots, but well worth it.
denebola2025/flickr Emerge into Ogden Valley, a scenic valley and home to the towns of Eden and Huntsville. Enjoy some summer splashing in Pineview Reservoir.
Silus Grok/flickr Stop to visit the Trappist monks.
Chris Bojanower/flickr Grab a burger at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville.
Beehive Cheese/Facebook From Huntsville, take State Road 167 to I-84 down Weber Canyon to Uintah. Stop at the Beehive Cheese Factory for some fresh, award-winning cheese.
- Highway 12 - Capitol Reef National Park to Red Canyon
Bruce Tuten/flickr It’s called The All American Road, with a National Park at each end and plenty to see in between. Start at Capitol Reef, then go south along State Route 12.
Gilbert Widdowson/flickr Visit the Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder – you’ll find lots of Anasazi Puebloan pottery and artifacts, along with some reconstructions of ancient housing.
Wikipedia If the weather’s good, take the Hell’s Backbone Road from Boulder for a 32 mile loop that connects you back to SR 12. You’ll travel along a gravel road along the spine of the mountain, with thousand-foot drops into the valley floor below.
Ken Lund/flickr Take a 5-mile roundtrip hike to see lower Calf Creek Falls – a 126-foot waterfall and a shady pool.
rjcox/flickr See petrified logs, fossils and dinosaur bones at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.
Don Graham/flickr You’ll want to allow at least a day to explore Bryce Canyon National Park.
Gary Windust/flickr Enjoy a short hike at Red Canyon, in the Dixie National Forest.
- Alpine Loop
Ken Lund/flickr Starting at the base of American Fork Canyon, travel along Utah Highway 92, up to the Uinta National Forest and down Provo Canyon on U.S. 189.
Jim Mullhaupt/flickr Stop at Timpanogos Cave National Monument and take a hike to the cave.
Ted & Dani Percival/flickr You’ll drive through the Uinta National Forest.
Stacy/flickr Enjoy the view from Empire Pass
Ken Lund/flickr Stop at Sundance Resort to ride the Zip line, go for a hike or attend a concert.
Have you been on one of the best road trips in Utah? If you’re looking for more adventures to tackle in our beautiful state, here are some bucket-list-worthy day trips.
Maddox Ranch House/Facebook
Hungry? On this road trip, you can eat your way along U.S. 89 from Brigham City to Willard. Start with lunch at Maddox Ranch House.
ewan traveler/flickr
Then check out the fresh produce stands, sampling peaches, cherries, tomatoes and more as you go.
Pettingill’s Fruit Farm/Facebook
Culminate your trip with a raspberry shake at Pettingill’s in Willard.
sandwich/flickr
Every Utahn has taken this road trip at some point. Start in Salt Lake City and travel on I-80 Westbound. 15 miles later, you’ll pass historic Salt Air, which was once the scene of Big Band shows and beachgoers — now it’s a concert venue.
Tom Kelly/flickr
Stop for a quick visit at Metaphor: The Tree of Utah. The 87-foot-tall sculpture by artist Karl Momen was completed in the 1980s.
loonyhiker/flickr
You’ll arrive in Wendover, Utah 121 miles from where you started. Most people drive right on through to Wendover, Nevada, to the casinos where you can check out a concert and lose some money at the blackjack tables.
lemonjenny/flickr
Take U.S. 6 from Spanish Fork, then turn off on U.S. 89 at Thistle. This ghost town was flooded in 1983 and completely covered in sediment – you can still see some rooftops.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
In Mt. Pleasant you can visit the Pioneer Historical Preservation Association Museum and Relic Home.
J. Stephen Conn/flickr
Continue driving 15 miles to Ephraim, the largest city in San Pete county, with over 6,000 residents.
If you’re visiting in June, you can check out the Mormon Miracle pageant in Manti.
Andrew Dash Gillman/flickr
In Sterling, check out Palisade State Park or golf at the Palisade Golf Course.
Casino Star Theater/Facebook
The charming little town of Gunnison has a quaint Main Street. Check out a movie at the renovated Casino Star Theater.
Ken Lund/flickr
Grab a meal and a piece of pie at Mom’s Cafe in Salina – a quintessential small-town cafe. From Salina, you can turn north onto U.S. 50, which will take you back to I-15, or go south to hook into I-70.
Mirror Lake Diner/Facebook
The Mirror Lake Scenic Byway starts at Kamas. Enjoy a tasty breakfast at the Mirror Lake Diner before you begin your road trip.
madpoet_one/flickr
Proceed with caution and make way for moose.
At 10,687 feet, you’ll reach Bald Mountain Pass.
JR P/flickr
Then, descend down to Mirror Lake.
The Nebo Loop is closed in the winter, but during the summer, it provides lots of amazing views. Start in Nephi.
You’ll find many scenic overlooks along the way.
ninny_pants/flickr
Devil’s Kitchen is a popular stop. It looks a lot like a miniature Bryce Canyon.
Emily Robin/flickr
You’ll find three lakes up Payson Canyon. The byway ends just outside of Payson, where you can rejoin I-15.
Zach Tirrell/flickr
Take State Road 36 up Ogden Canyon. It’s narrow, winding and a little nerve-wracking in spots, but well worth it.
denebola2025/flickr
Emerge into Ogden Valley, a scenic valley and home to the towns of Eden and Huntsville. Enjoy some summer splashing in Pineview Reservoir.
Silus Grok/flickr
Stop to visit the Trappist monks.
Chris Bojanower/flickr
Grab a burger at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville.
Beehive Cheese/Facebook
From Huntsville, take State Road 167 to I-84 down Weber Canyon to Uintah. Stop at the Beehive Cheese Factory for some fresh, award-winning cheese.
Bruce Tuten/flickr
It’s called The All American Road, with a National Park at each end and plenty to see in between. Start at Capitol Reef, then go south along State Route 12.
Gilbert Widdowson/flickr
Visit the Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder – you’ll find lots of Anasazi Puebloan pottery and artifacts, along with some reconstructions of ancient housing.
Wikipedia
If the weather’s good, take the Hell’s Backbone Road from Boulder for a 32 mile loop that connects you back to SR 12. You’ll travel along a gravel road along the spine of the mountain, with thousand-foot drops into the valley floor below.
Take a 5-mile roundtrip hike to see lower Calf Creek Falls – a 126-foot waterfall and a shady pool.
rjcox/flickr
See petrified logs, fossils and dinosaur bones at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.
Don Graham/flickr
You’ll want to allow at least a day to explore Bryce Canyon National Park.
Gary Windust/flickr
Enjoy a short hike at Red Canyon, in the Dixie National Forest.
Starting at the base of American Fork Canyon, travel along Utah Highway 92, up to the Uinta National Forest and down Provo Canyon on U.S. 189.
Jim Mullhaupt/flickr
Stop at Timpanogos Cave National Monument and take a hike to the cave.
Ted & Dani Percival/flickr
You’ll drive through the Uinta National Forest.
Stacy/flickr
Enjoy the view from Empire Pass
Stop at Sundance Resort to ride the Zip line, go for a hike or attend a concert.
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Address: Utah, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Best Road Trips In Utah May 07, 2021 Leah What are everyone’s most favorite places to visit in Utah? Utah has some incredible destinations that are wildly popular, and for good reason. Bryce Canyon National Park is one of them, receiving over 2 million visitors a year in the last half-decade. The incredible canyons are worth visiting at least once in your life to see what all the fuss is about. The photographs of Bryce Canyon just don’t compare to seeing it in person. Zion National Park is even more popular with over 4 million visitors a year, and there’s plenty of reasons for that, too. Not only is it the most popular park in Utah, but it’s also one of the most visited national parks in the entire country. What are the best things to do in Utah? If you’ve visited the national parks and explored the state’s scenic drives, here are a few other options of cool things to do in Utah that you don’t want to miss. You can view Utah’s mountains while whizzing by on a mountain coaster any time of the year in Park City. If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it’s like unearthing fossils, you can dig up your own at U Dig Fossils just west of Delta, Utah. You can keep any of the trilobite fossils you find. These fossils can be up to 550 million years old! It’s the largest trilobite concentration in the world, so you’ll find many. What other drives should I take when traveling through Utah? There are many scenic routes you can take through the Beehive State beyond these ones. We put together an entire list of stunning scenic drives in Utah, highlighting special highways, loops, byways, and more. Each will take you through some of the state’s natural wonders and some even include special attributes like natural arches, impressive canyons, or the chance of seeing wildlife such as bison.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Best Road Trips In Utah
May 07, 2021
Leah
What are everyone’s most favorite places to visit in Utah? Utah has some incredible destinations that are wildly popular, and for good reason. Bryce Canyon National Park is one of them, receiving over 2 million visitors a year in the last half-decade. The incredible canyons are worth visiting at least once in your life to see what all the fuss is about. The photographs of Bryce Canyon just don’t compare to seeing it in person. Zion National Park is even more popular with over 4 million visitors a year, and there’s plenty of reasons for that, too. Not only is it the most popular park in Utah, but it’s also one of the most visited national parks in the entire country. What are the best things to do in Utah? If you’ve visited the national parks and explored the state’s scenic drives, here are a few other options of cool things to do in Utah that you don’t want to miss. You can view Utah’s mountains while whizzing by on a mountain coaster any time of the year in Park City. If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it’s like unearthing fossils, you can dig up your own at U Dig Fossils just west of Delta, Utah. You can keep any of the trilobite fossils you find. These fossils can be up to 550 million years old! It’s the largest trilobite concentration in the world, so you’ll find many. What other drives should I take when traveling through Utah? There are many scenic routes you can take through the Beehive State beyond these ones. We put together an entire list of stunning scenic drives in Utah, highlighting special highways, loops, byways, and more. Each will take you through some of the state’s natural wonders and some even include special attributes like natural arches, impressive canyons, or the chance of seeing wildlife such as bison.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Utah has some incredible destinations that are wildly popular, and for good reason. Bryce Canyon National Park is one of them, receiving over 2 million visitors a year in the last half-decade. The incredible canyons are worth visiting at least once in your life to see what all the fuss is about. The photographs of Bryce Canyon just don’t compare to seeing it in person. Zion National Park is even more popular with over 4 million visitors a year, and there’s plenty of reasons for that, too. Not only is it the most popular park in Utah, but it’s also one of the most visited national parks in the entire country.
What are the best things to do in Utah?
If you’ve visited the national parks and explored the state’s scenic drives, here are a few other options of cool things to do in Utah that you don’t want to miss. You can view Utah’s mountains while whizzing by on a mountain coaster any time of the year in Park City. If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it’s like unearthing fossils, you can dig up your own at U Dig Fossils just west of Delta, Utah. You can keep any of the trilobite fossils you find. These fossils can be up to 550 million years old! It’s the largest trilobite concentration in the world, so you’ll find many.
What other drives should I take when traveling through Utah?
There are many scenic routes you can take through the Beehive State beyond these ones. We put together an entire list of stunning scenic drives in Utah, highlighting special highways, loops, byways, and more. Each will take you through some of the state’s natural wonders and some even include special attributes like natural arches, impressive canyons, or the chance of seeing wildlife such as bison.
