Travel to Utah

[Kent R]

Heading to Southern Utah this summer, how bad are the crowds at the National Parks and on the trails around Moab?

Moved this to Trip Planning to get more traction. You might also post a question on the Rocky Mountain regional page.

 

[Geo Explore and Adventure]

Thank you, Kent R!

 

[Kent R]

Also we have lots of tracks and POI's for Utah on the app/map

 

[MOAK]

It’s been my experience that if you go in the summer- it’s going to be extremely hot- there won’t be any crowds anywhere, maybe in town, but even then, it’s going to be extremely hot. We go at least annually. One time we went in early Sept. The temps in Devils Kitchen were triple digit. After two nights we left the lower elevations and headed up into the mountains for a bit of heat relief.

 

[BroncoTrail]

It’s been my experience that if you go in the summer- it’s going to be extremely hot- there won’t be any crowds anywhere, maybe in town, but even then, it’s going to be extremely hot. We go at least annually. One time we went in early Sept. The temps in Devils Kitchen were triple digit. After two nights we left the lower elevations and headed up into the mountains for a bit of heat relief.

This.

Contrary to what some people may think, the crowds in summer will not be as bad as over the next month or so.

Plan out any permits you may need, wake up early, and get your day started ASAP while it's cooler and while less people are out. Definitely have plenty of water, electrolytes, sun block, hat, shades, etc. I don't mind being out in high temps here in the West because it's dry heat. 95 F in Southern Utah is not nearly as bad as 95 F in South Carolina.

 

[Psfracer]

I went in May (just last week) and Canyonlands wasn’t bad at all - but Moab was crowded. In my experience the busiest months are May and October.

 

[HighVoltOverland]

Just in case you need different options for the future, UT is more than Arches, Zion, or Moab.
Starting from the general south, near Hurricane/St. George, Sand Hollow can be a lot of fun
Escalante is Gorgeous.
Goblin Valley in Bryce Canyon is out of this world
Pando is wild and Fish Lake appropriately has some massive lake trout.
Manti La Sal has some great trails and alpine lakes, Skyline Drive starting just north of I70.
Little Sahara is great
The Pony Express Trail is awesome.
The Boneville Salt Flats are neat.
Buffaloes can be seen on Antelope island just outside of SLC.
Mirror Lake Highway up near the WY border is awesome.

 

[Sirgoomba]

Just in case you need different options for the future, UT is more than Arches, Zion, or Moab.
Starting from the general south, near Hurricane/St. George, Sand Hollow can be a lot of fun
Escalante is Gorgeous.
Goblin Valley in Bryce Canyon is out of this world
Pando is wild and Fish Lake appropriately has some massive lake trout.
Manti La Sal has some great trails and alpine lakes, Skyline Drive starting just north of I70.
Little Sahara is great
The Pony Express Trail is awesome.
The Boneville Salt Flats are neat.
Buffaloes can be seen on Antelope island just outside of SLC.
Mirror Lake Highway up near the WY border is awesome.

I enjoy the Escalante up to Boulder Mountain with all the “find me if you can” lakes up on the highest plateau in North America!