Utah has five national parks and they are strung across the southern half of the state in an arc about 500 kilometres long. Zion in the southwest, Bryce Canyon an hour and a half east of it, then Capitol Reef, then Canyonlands and Arches together at Moab in the east.
Between them is almost nothing. Small towns, long empty highways and very few hotels of any standard. The distances are the defining fact of a Utah trip and people consistently underestimate them: Zion to Moab is five hours of driving.
How to base a trip
You cannot do the five parks from one hotel. What works is two or three bases.
Springdale, at the mouth of Zion Canyon, is the closest a town gets to a national park anywhere in America. The park shuttle stops in the town itself and Zion's walls rise directly behind the main street.
Moab, five hours east, sits between Arches and Canyonlands with the Colorado River running past it.
Canyon Point, on the Arizona border near Page, is not near a national park at all. It is near Lake Powell and the slot canyons, and it holds the most desirable hotel in the American Southwest.
St George, an hour southwest of Zion, is the practical airport town with more inventory than anywhere else in the region.
The six below are the properties in the region that meet this guide's standard, and there are not many, which is itself the story of southern Utah.
Canyon Point, near Page
Amangiri occupies 240 hectares of protected desert with a swimming pool built around a rock escarpment that rises through the middle of the building. Thirty-four suites, a spa, and the most photographed hotel architecture in America. It is two and a half hours from Zion and forty minutes from Antelope Canyon, and it is a destination rather than a base.
Springdale, at Zion
The town at the park gate, with the shuttle stopping on the main street.
Cliffrose Springdale, Curio Collection By Hilton sits closest to the Zion entrance with a pool, a good restaurant and rooms looking directly up at the canyon walls. It is the best position of any hotel at any Utah park.
Cliffrose Springdale, Curio Collection By Hilton
Springdale, Zion gate · 4★ · $$$
Closest hotel to the Zion entrance, walls above the street
Check availabilityMoab, between Arches and Canyonlands
The eastern base, on the Colorado River.
Sorrel River Ranch Resort occupies a ranch on the river 27 kilometres upstream from Moab, with cottages, horses, a spa and red cliffs on both sides. It is the most attractive place to stay in eastern Utah and it is a drive from the town.
Sorrel River Ranch Resort
Colorado River, near Moab · 4★ · $$$$
A river ranch with horses and red cliffs on both sides
Check availabilityHoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton sits in Moab itself with a pool, a rooftop bar and the most contemporary rooms in the town. It is the practical base for both parks.
Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton
Moab town · 4★ · $$$
Rooftop bar and the most contemporary rooms in town
Check availabilitySt George, the gateway town
An hour southwest of Zion, with the airport and the range.
Red Mountain Resort occupies a large site against red rock with a spa, several pools and a wellness programme. It is the most complete resort in southern Utah.
Red Mountain Resort
Ivins, near St George · 4★ · $$$
Most complete resort in southern Utah, against red rock
Check availabilityThe Advenire, Autograph Collection sits in the St George town centre with a rooftop pool, straightforward comfortable rooms and the best value in the region.
The Advenire, Autograph Collection
St George · 4★ · $$
Rooftop pool and the best value in the region
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The tented camps outside Zion, Moab and Bryce are excluded, and in southern Utah they are a substantial and growing share of the good accommodation. They are tents, however well appointed, and this is a hotel guide.
The in-park lodges at Zion and Bryce are also excluded on the standard: both are historic and worth knowing about, and both are three-star.
What to do
Book the permits. Angels Landing at Zion requires a lottery permit, and the arrangements for park entry and shuttles change; check current requirements rather than assuming.
Do The Narrows at Zion, which is a walk up a river between 300-metre walls, in the right season and with the right footwear. Flash flood risk is real and the park posts a daily forecast that should be taken literally.
At Moab, watch sunrise at Delicate Arch and sunset at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, both short walks with enormous payoff.
Antelope Canyon near Page requires a Navajo guide and books out. Horseshoe Bend is a ten-minute walk from a car park.
Drive Highway 12 between Bryce and Capitol Reef, which crosses a ridge with a thousand-foot drop on both sides and is among the best roads in America.
Practical notes
Las Vegas is two and a half hours from Zion, Salt Lake City four to Moab, and St George has a small regional airport. A car is essential and distances are long.
April, May, September and October are ideal. Summer at Moab and Zion regularly exceeds 38 degrees and the canyons hold heat. Winter is cold, quiet and often beautiful, with some road closures at higher elevation.
Carry more water than you think, in every season.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Zion Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Can you do all five parks in one trip?
In ten days with a lot of driving. In a week, choose two or three. Zion to Moab alone is five hours.
Springdale or St George for Zion?
Springdale, without question. The park shuttle runs through the town and the walls are behind the main street.
Is Amangiri near a park?
Not really. It is forty minutes from Antelope Canyon and two and a half hours from Zion. It is a destination in itself.
How many nights?
Seven. Three at Zion, three at Moab and a night in between, or two bases with a long drive.
If you only book one
Search 4 and 5 star hotels in Zion, Moab and the Utah Canyons, USA