By state · UT

National Parks in Utah.

Utah's NPS network at a glance — units, designations, visit totals, and what shapes the visiting season.

By Nicholas Major · Last updated

Utah's NPS footprint is anchored by the "Mighty 5" National Parks — Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef — plus Glen Canyon NRA, Cedar Breaks, Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, Hovenweep, Timpanogos Cave, Dinosaur, Golden Spike, and a handful of National Historic Sites. Salt Lake City (SLC) is the main anchor; Las Vegas (LAS) is closer to Zion and Bryce. The Colorado Plateau dominates southern Utah's NPS network — high-desert sandstone and slickrock at 4,000 to 9,000 feet elevation. Zion is the most-visited park and runs a mandatory shuttle from spring through fall. April through May and September through October are the best visiting windows for the southern parks; summer high temperatures push into the 100s°F at low elevations, and winter brings snow and reduced services at the higher-elevation parks.

Every NPS unit in Utah.

Utah's 17 NPS units: 6 National Monuments · 5 National Parks · 4 National Historic Trails · 1 National Recreation Area · 1 National Historical Park. Combined 5-year-average annual visits: 16,096,851 (multi-state units count their full visits in every state they touch — see methodology). The most-visited unit is Zion National Park at about 4.86M annual visits.

UnitDesignation5-yr avg visitsBusiest month
Zion National Park National ParkZION 4,857,321 June
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area National Recreation AreaGLCA 3,929,828 June
Bryce Canyon National Park National ParkBRCA 2,277,194 June
Arches National Park National ParkARCH 1,545,566 May
Capitol Reef National Park National ParkCARE 1,342,558 May
Canyonlands National Park National ParkCANY 821,122 May
Cedar Breaks National Monument National MonumentCEBR 703,334 July
Dinosaur National Monument National MonumentDINO 334,989 July
Timpanogos Cave National Monument National MonumentTICA 121,053 July
Natural Bridges National Monument National MonumentNABR 74,915 May
Golden Spike National Historical Park National Historical ParkGOSP 52,790 May
Hovenweep National Monument National MonumentHOVE 29,695 May
Rainbow Bridge National Monument National MonumentRABR 6,486 July
California National Historic Trail National Historic TrailCALI
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail National Historic TrailMOPI
Old Spanish National Historic Trail National Historic TrailOLSP
Pony Express National Historic Trail National Historic TrailPOEX

Methodology

Unit list and per-unit visit counts come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The "5-year average visits" column is the mean of 2021-2025 Recreation Visits. Multi-state NPS units (Yellowstone, Death Valley, Great Smoky Mountains and others) are listed under every state they touch; the per-unit visit count is the unit's total, not a per-state share. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.

Independence

Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.

Last updated · 2026-05-19