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🇺🇸 State · United States
Utah: red deserts and sandstone arches
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Utah is the grand spectacle of the American Southwest: a land of red rock, deep canyons and striking desert plateaus. Most travelers come for the Mighty Five, the state's five national parks, which hold some of the most photographed landscapes in the country, from Zion to Arches. But Utah is far more than its parks: national monuments, state parks, gateway towns like Moab and Springdale, and vast wilderness weave a backdrop where you drive for hours between wonders. To the north, Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains show a more alpine face, with ski resorts and salt lakes. This is an outdoor destination par excellence, where hiking, climbing and road trips flow one into the next under exceptional light and remarkably clear skies.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) opens at Arches National Park, on Double Arch, near Moab.
The Great Salt Lake is so salty you float effortlessly, like in the Dead Sea; its salinity can exceed that of the oceans.
At Moab, rise before dawn for Delicate Arch: low light sets the sandstone ablaze and the crowds haven't arrived yet.
Spring and fall are the ideal seasons: summer often tops 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the southern deserts. Distances are enormous and a car is essential; expect several hours of driving between parks, and fill up whenever you can, as stations grow scarce. Carry plenty of water, especially while hiking. As for the network, expect frequent dead zones: mobile coverage is limited inside the parks and the signal vanishes as soon as you drop into the canyons or head into remote areas. Download offline maps and keep a paper map as backup.