Why Spend Your Honeymoon on a Utah Road Trip

From the mighty 5 national parks in Southern Utah to the Great Salt Lake and mountains in Northern Utah, there is something for you and your partner. This is the ultimate planning guide for your Utah honeymoon road trip.

You can pin this for later to help you plan 🙂

When to go on your Utah honeymoon road trip

The best time for your Utah road trip is in the Spring and Fall. In the Spring you will be able to catch the desert blooming in southern Utah, or cherry blossoms, poppies, and wildflowers blooming in Northern Utah. In the Fall, the mountains are covered in spectacular yellow, orange, and red leaves. Summer months tend to be hot (90 degrees plus) and crowded when everyone visits for summer vacation. 

Utah has the best snow on Earth! But winter snowstorms also make for hazardous driving conditions so I don’t recommend a winter road trip to Utah. Though, this time of year is a spectacular sight to see the national parks covered in snow or go snowboarding. 

Where to start your road trip

Your Utah road trip can easily be connected to other amazing western road trip destinations. Many couples fly into Salt Lake City or Las Vegas and rent a car from the airport.

If you want to explore the Southwest you could visit the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite along your trip. If you head North you will make it to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone or East is Rocky Mountain, National Park. Wherever you go, it will be beautiful!

Southern Utah & Utah National Parks Road Trip Stops

Utah is home to five, count em FIVE, beautiful national parks: Zion’s, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Arches. Primarily in Southern Utah, you can see all of these national parks within a week on your honeymoon road trip.

Several of these parks offer nightly campgrounds, yurt, tent, or cabin rentals. Be sure to book in advance as they usually fill up fast!

Lake Powell – on the border of Utah and Page, arizona you can check out Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Glen Canyon and spend the day on the beautiful lake or paddleboard along the Colorado River.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes – red sand and painted mountains, this place is beautiful.

Zion National Park – Near St. George in Southern, Utah. You can explore beautiful red rock everywhere you look. Enjoy a drive through, the overlooks, or for the avid hiker’s you can take on Angel’s landing.

Bryce Canyon National Park – Near Panguitch, in Southern, Utah. You’ll never see anything like it, towering, textured red ombre rock filling the canyon.

Grand Staircase Escalante – Just south of Bryce Canyon, this is a peaceful escape with so much of the past to be explored like fossils etched into the rock.

Capitol Reef National Park – Between Bryce and Canyonlands, you will be amazed at the terrain here.

Canyonlands National Park – Explore the Moab desert in these vast canyons.

Dead Horse Point State Park – Right next to Canyonlands, you will get to see the most epic views.

Arches National Park – Hike delicate arch to see the rock formation that is on half the license plates in Utah.

Northern Utah Honeymoon Road Trip Stops

Northern Utah has more lakes (the Great Salt Lake is that giant blue spot on the map), mountains and greenery.

Little Sahara Sand Dunes – Endless sand dunes that are absolutely magical!

Hot Springs – Utah has several natural hot springs that are amazing to soak in! These two are my favorite: Mystic hot springs have tubs you can soak in and Diamond Fork 5th water hot springs (be sure to check that the road and the hot springs are open). 5th water hot springs are a little bit of a hike but so worth it to soak in the springs while looking at a beautiful waterfall.

Bridal Veil Falls – Gorgeous waterfall right off the side of the road. There are a few hikes if you want a closer look at the Falls 🙂

Timpanogos Cave – Paved, albeit steep, switchback trail to the top of Timponogas to enter the cave. The tour is really amazing!

Big Cottonwood Canyon – One of the most beautiful drives that Utah has to offer. There are 3 different ways to get to the top of this canyon. This mountain is covered in pine trees, beautiful tall canyon walls, and lakes.

Bear Lake – beautiful teal waters, this is one of the best places for watersports in Utah

Antelope Island – get the best 360 view of the Great Salt Lake from this island. There is also a herd of bison living here you can find grazing as you drive along the coast.

Bonneville Salt Flats – Miles and miles of endless, glittery white salt covering the ground. This place is like another planet.

Seasonal Utah Road Trip Spots

Capitol Cherry Blossoms – The Utah State capitol is a beautiful building open to the public. You can explore the marble, elegant indoors and view the whole city from the top of the steps. The cherry blossoms circling the outside of the capitol typically bloom for 2-4 weeks around April.

Young Living Lavender Fields – This is an essential oil lovers dream! Explore the beautiful farm and in June you can see the blooming fields of lavender.

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival – endless fields of tulips blooming around April every year, it is an unbelievable sight!

Poppies – There are small pockets of bright, red poppies blooming around early June. They are a magical sight! There’s an Alpine poppy field and Mantua poppy field open to the public.

Ice Castles – An incredible man-made park of ice. Usually opens in January for 2-3 months depending on the weather in Midway (near Park City Utah).

Temple Square Christmas Lights – The temple will re-open in 2024 and has an amazing Christmas light display open to the public for free.

Hidden Gems

The Up House – There is an exact replica of Disney’s Up House in Herriman, Utah.

Spiral Jetty – Natural art formed by Robert Smithson. You can camp out here and enjoy the beautiful salt lake. The spiral is made up of black basalt rocks, but is flooded with salt water in the winter which turns them white.

The Crater – the only warm water scuba diving available in the continental US, you can snorkel or just do a tour here without getting wet.

Krishna Temple – gorgeous temple and home to color festivals (color powder) in the Spring and Fall.

Where to stay on your Utah Honeymoon Road Trip

Anniversary Inn – we love staying at Anniversary Inn on our anniversaries. It is charming, albeit old and slightly cheesy. Each room is themed. You can stay in Romeo and Juliet’s suite or sleep in a full-size carriage.

Castle Creek Inn – if you’ve wanted to stay in an actual castle, here is your chance. Lovely little bed and breakfast and every room has a large sweetheart tub.

Tree houses – Utah has several unique Aribnb’s you can stay in, my favorite is this tree house in Park City.

Hotel Monaco – is a historic treasure in central Salt Lake City. This unique hotel was built in the 1860s and is really thin, but long. They also have the best steak and Chimichurri I’ve ever had!

Under Canvas – I love these glamping sites! You can stay in large beautiful canvas tents and go on guided tours around Moab or Zion National Park.

Waldorf Astoria – If you are looking for a romantic, luxurious getawat Waldorf Astora in Park City is the way to go. You will be well taken care of!

Amangiri – Luxiourous 5 star resort in Southern Utah (near the grand staircase and Arizona border). I love the modern, minimalist, oasis style rooms where you can have a private deck and even a private pool. Even better, you can add experiences to your stay like horse back riding or a hot air balloon ride.

Sorrel Ranch – beautiful, large ranch property in the heart of Moab. Relax with a massage or go on an adventure!

Things to Do on your Utah Honeymoon Road Trip

If sight-seeing and exploring the outdoors isn’t enough for you, Utah also has a super fun amusement park geared towards thrill-seekers: LAGOON. Just north of Salt Lake City in Farmington, you can camp or bring your RV there. Home of The Cannibal roller coaster and Wicked Roller Coaster, you are sure to have a fun time! 

Utah also has one of the largest aquariums in the Western US, The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. The aquarium has an immersive South America exhibit, an underwater tunnel walk-through, and tons of touch pools. The Utah zoo is also lovely, home to safari animals, seals, and even a polar bear.

Where to Eat on your Utah Honeymoon Road Trip

I’ve included these four restaurants based on their uniqueness to Utah and the unique experience you will get there.

Roof Restaurant – Fine dining with the best views of Salt Lake City right from the center of temple square. We went here for our first anniversary.

La Caille -Follow the cobblestone road to this beautiful French style restaurant near Salt Lake City. You’ll fall in love with the property that is covered in vines and lush greenery plus some roaming peacocks.

Swinging Steak – you’ve probably never seen meat cooked like this – swinging! Located in Mexican Hat, South East Utah.

The Pie – you’ll feel like a local going into a secret resteraunt that is underground. They have the BEST pizza and their vegan options are amazing!!!

There are so many amazing places to eat in Utah. I LOVE food, even hole-in-the-wall places so if you are looking for a certain type of place to eat just let me know in the comments or email me 🙂

Is a Utah Honeymoon road trip right for you?

If you are looking for adventure, hiking, and the great outdoors, Utah is the place for you. On a road trip, you can see so many different places in Utah in just a week or two! Exploring Utah is a great way to celebrate together as newlyweds.

I’m happy to help if you have any questions or need guidance planning your Utah road trip! Just leave a comment below or email me at kaci@kacilou.com.