Must-see attractions in Southwestern Utah

  • HOODOS, PINNACLES AND SPORES, DIFFERENTIAL EROSION. LIMESTONE SEDIMENTARY ROCK. BRYCE CANYON, UTAH. BRYCE POINT

    Bryce Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    If you stop nowhere else along the scenic drive, be sure to catch the stunning views from Bryce Point. You can walk the rim above Bryce Amphitheater for…

  • Maynard Dixon Living History Museum

    Southwestern Utah

    In Mt Carmel, the Architectural Digest–noted Maynard Dixon Living History Museum is where renowned Western painter Maynard Dixon (1875–1946) lived and…

  • Zion National Park

    Southwestern Utah

    A bold desert beauty, this 230-sq-mile park is a highlight of southern Utah. Hikes range from trails traipsing the ridge lines to river wading under steep…

  • Walking the Bryce Canyon Trail.

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Southwestern Utah

    The Grand Staircase – a series of steplike uplifted rock layers stretching north from the Grand Canyon – dramatically culminates in the Pink Cliffs…

  • Cedar Breaks National Monument

    Southwestern Utah

    Sculpted cliffs and towering hoodoos glow like neon tie-dye in a wildly eroded natural amphitheater encompassed by Cedar Breaks National Monument. The…

  • The Castle, Capitol Reef National Park.

    Capitol Reef National Park

    Southwestern Utah

    Termed 'the land of the sleeping rainbow' by Native Americans, this colorful desert landscape encompasses buttes and canyons replete with rock art, Mormon…

  • Fruita Rural Historic District

    Southwestern Utah

    Fruita (froo-tuh) is a cool, green oasis, where shade-giving cottonwoods and fruit-bearing trees line the Fremont River's banks. The first Mormon…

  • Pine Valley Wilderness Area

    Southwestern Utah

    Mountains rise sharply in the 70-sq-mile Pine Valley Wilderness Area in the Dixie National Forest, 32 miles northwest of St George off Hwy 18. The highest…

  • Swamp Canyon

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    The overlook at Swamp Canyon sits in a forested dip between two ridge lines that extend into the canyon as fins, dropping to hoodoo formations. From the…

  • Mountain Meadows Massacre Monument

    Southwestern Utah

    About 12 miles north of Veyo on Hwy 18 stands a remote monument to one of the darkest incidents in the Mormon settlement of Utah. In 1857, for reasons…

  • Agua Canyon Viewpoint

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    One of the best stops at the southern end of the park, the Agua Canyon viewpoint overlooks two large formations of precariously balanced, top-heavy…

  • Human History Museum

    Zion National Park

    A half-mile from the park's southern entrance station, the Human History Museum presents a modest exhibit of the geological and human history of Zion. A…

  • Grafton Ghost Town

    Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks

    The freely accessible Grafton ghost town, outside Rockville, achieved its 15 minutes of fame in 1969 as the setting for the bicycle scene in Butch Cassidy…

  • Sunrise Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Marking the north end of Bryce Amphitheater, the southeast-facing Sunrise Point offers great views of hoodoos, the Aquarius Plateau and the Sinking Ship,…

  • Farview Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    A grand view of the tree-studded rises and benches, giant plateaus, blue-hued mesas and buttes that extend from the skirts of Bryce into the Grand…

  • Paria View

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Three miles north of Swamp Canyon, signs point to the Paria View viewpoint, which lies 2 miles off the main road. This is the place to come for sunsets…

  • Sunset Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    This is the nexus of the park, with easy access to the lodge, trails and other services. Aside from great views of the Silent City, this point is known…

  • Natural Bridge

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Natural Bridge is an extremely popular stop, and with good reason: a stunning span of eroded, red-hued limestone juts from the edge of the overlook…

  • Yovimpa Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Accessed by a paved path from the same parking lot as Rainbow Point, Yovimpa Point is one of the park’s windiest spots. The southwest-facing view reveals…

  • Rainbow Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    On a clear day you can see more than 100 miles from this overlook at the southernmost end of Bryce Canyon Scenic Dr. The viewpoint provides jaw-dropping…

  • Ponderosa Canyon

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Ponderosa Canyon offers long vistas over giant ponderosa pines and a small amphitheater of hoodoos and burnt-orange cliffs, which are especially…

  • Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

    Southwestern Utah

    Restless winds shift giant Sahara-like sand dunes across half of this 3700-acre state park. For lovers of the strange, it's worth the 24-mile, 90-minute…

  • Bryce Wildlife Adventure

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    This roadside attraction displays dioramas of more than 800 animals from around the world, as well as Native American artifacts and butterfly and giant…

  • Zion Lodge

    Zion National Park

    Whether you plan to stay at the Zion Lodge or not, a visit to this historic lodge, smack in the middle of Zion Canyon, is a must. Although the…

  • The Toadstools

    Southwestern Utah

    This wander gives passersby a taste of the harsh Utah desert and cool rocks. The thin sand trail meanders through the scrub-brush, desert boulders and…

  • Dixie National Forest

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    This national forest covers over 2 million acres with amazing hiking, biking, camping and exploring opportunities in the red rock country just outside…

  • Fairyland Point

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    Off Bryce Canyon Scenic Dr, Fairyland offers views north toward the Aquarius Plateau and hoodoos at all stages of evolution, from fin to crumbling tower…

  • Kodachrome Basin State Park

    Southwestern Utah

    Dozens of red, pink and white sandstone chimneys highlight this colorful state park, named for its photogenic landscape by the National Geographic Society…

  • Anasazi State Park Museum

    Southwestern Utah

    This petite museum protects the Coomb's Site, excavated in the 1950s and inhabited from AD 1130 to 1175. The minimal ruins aren't as evocative as some in…

  • Fishlake National Forest

    Southwestern Utah

    More than 300 miles of trails cover this mountainous forest; 4WD roads lead north of town around Thousand Lake Mountain (11,306ft). Hwy 72, 16 miles west…

  • Silver Reef

    Southwestern Utah

    A few of the original buildings remain intact, while others are crumbling at this 19th-century silver-mining ghost town. The restored Wells Fargo building…

  • Red Canyon

    Southwestern Utah

    Deep ocher-red monoliths rise up roadside as you drive along Hwy 12, 10 miles west of the Bryce Canyon turnoff. The aptly named Red Canyon provides an…

  • Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

    Southwestern Utah

    Two miles west of town, the centerpiece of this state park is a 130-acre lake. Hike uphill about a mile on an interpretive route to see pieces of colorful…

  • Tower Bridge

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    With ramparts, goblins and a drawbridge, this remarkable feature is found on a little spur off the Fairyland Loop Trail. It's an excellent picnic spot…

  • Fremont Petroglyphs

    Southwestern Utah

    Just east of the visitor center on Hwy 24, look for the parking lot for freely accessible petroglyphs; these are the rock-art carvings that convinced…

  • La Verkin Overlook

    Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks

    West of Virgin on Hwy 9, before La Verkin, a 1.5-mile gravel-and-dirt road leads south to La Verkin Overlook. Stop for a fantastic 360-degree view of the…

  • Ripple Rock Nature Center

    Southwestern Utah

    Across the road from the blacksmith shop (just a shed with period equipment) in the Fruita Rural -Historic District is the Ripple Rock Nature Center, a…

  • Queen Victoria

    Bryce Canyon National Park

    While many of the hoodoos look like various chess pieces, the Queen Victoria feature at the bottom of the Queen's Garden Trail is one of the more…

  • Panorama Point & Gooseneck Overlook

    Southwestern Utah

    Two miles west of the visitor center off Hwy 24, a short, unpaved road heads to Panorama Point and Gooseneck Overlook. The dizzying 800ft-high viewpoints…