PARKS Atlas
A sweeping panoramic view of Bryce Canyon's distinctive hoodoo formations, with towering red-orange sandstone spires filling the amphitheater under bright midday sunlight and a vivid blue sky. The scene conveys dramatic geological grandeur with warm, saturated tones contrasting against scattered green conifers and distant layered mesas.

Utah · Road Trip · 5 Parks

The Mighty 5

Five national parks on one red-rock loop — Zion to Bryce to Capitol Reef to Arches to Canyonlands, with the pass and the route order sorted before you leave.

The Trip in Numbers

What the loop asks of you

From Las Vegas the full circuit runs about 1,180 miles and 22 hours of driving. Nine days does it comfortably; seven works if you keep Capitol Reef to one morning. Gate fees run $150 if you pay park by park — the $80 annual pass clears all five.

If you pay at each gate $150

Zion $35 + Bryce $35 + Capitol Reef $20 + Arches $30 + Canyonlands $30.

With the National Park Pass $80

Plus 5,600+ other federal recreation sites for 12 months.

National parks 5
Driving 1,180 mi · 22 hr
Days it rewards 9 (7 minimum)
Sweet-spot seasons Apr–May · Sep–Oct
Buy the pass before you go $80 once vs $150 if you pay at each park gate — the pass covers all five Utah parks plus every other federal site for the full year.

The Loop

Five parks, one circuit

Zion anchors the southwest corner of the loop. The route runs northeast across southern Utah through Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, then into the Moab country shared by Arches and Canyonlands. Closing the loop back toward Zion is the longest drive day — many travelers fly into Las Vegas and out of Salt Lake City to skip it.

The Route

How the loop runs

The Grand Circle runs out of Las Vegas — northeast through Zion and Bryce, across Capitol Reef to Arches and Canyonlands near Moab, then the long leg back. Driving it in this order keeps each day's mileage manageable and saves the emptiest desert stretch for the return.

9-day loop · ~1,177 mi · ~22.5 hrs driving

  1. Start / finish Las Vegas
  2. Stop 1 Zion
  3. Stop 2 Bryce Canyon
  4. Stop 3 Capitol Reef
  5. Stop 4 Arches
  6. Stop 5 Canyonlands
  7. Loop back to Las Vegas

The Five Parks · In Route Order

Each park is a different desert

The five share a state and a sandstone palette and almost nothing else. Zion is a wet slot canyon, Bryce a hoodoo amphitheater at 8,000 feet, Capitol Reef a slickrock fold most travelers skip and shouldn't. Arches and Canyonlands sit thirty minutes apart and read as opposites. Plan time in each — they don't substitute for one another.

Plan Offline

Carry the field-tested guide

A printable PDF that lays out the best hike per day, where to fill the tank between parks, which Springdale lots fill first, and the permits that need lining up months ahead. Built for canyon country, where cell coverage drops for long stretches between Capitol Reef and the Needles district.

Utah's Mighty 5 Field-Tested Guide — 2026 edition digital guide cover with Delicate Arch at sunset Get the guide — $20

One Pass, Five Parks

One pass covers every entry on the loop — and 2,000 other federal sites.

Paying at the gate for all five parks runs $150. The America the Beautiful annual pass is $80 and clears every entry station on the route — it pays for itself by the third park.

America the Beautiful National Park Pass — the 2026 annual pass card Buy your pass → Learn more about the pass

Ships from US Park Pass. Free shipping in the continental US.