Discover activities for the whole family
The Moab Arts and Recreation Center offers family pottery classes, painting workshops, and a gallery showcasing local artists every weekend. The center is a hub for Moab's vibrant arts community. Ceramics classes for kids ages 5 and up include take-home finished pieces fired in the studio kiln.
The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park sits on a 6,000-foot mesa with a 1,000-foot vertical drop to the Colorado and Green River canyons below. Easy walks to Grand View Point and Mesa Arch are among the most spectacular short hikes in Utah. Mesa Arch glows orange in early morning light.
Mill Creek Canyon east of Moab is a popular local swimming hole where the creek has carved a slot canyon with natural swimming pools and small waterfalls. The hike in is about 2 miles on a sandy trail. The canyon is one of the best places in Moab to cool off in summer away from crowds.
Half-day family raft trips on the calm Colorado River below Moab offer stunning red canyon scenery suitable for all ages. The flat-water section passes ancient dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs visible from the river. Several outfitters depart from downtown Moab and provide all gear including life jackets for young children.
Moab Giants is an outdoor trail with life-size dinosaur models and thousands of real dinosaur footprints 220 million years old embedded in the sandstone. An indoor theater and 3D theater tell the story of the ancient Moab seas and swamps. One of the most accessible dinosaur experiences in the American Southwest.
Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab offers what many consider the most dramatic overlook in the American West—a 2,000-foot vertical drop to the Colorado River below. The Intrepid Trail system has 9 miles of beginner-to-intermediate mountain biking trails within the park. Excellent geology and ecology exhibits at the visitor center.
The Windows Section of Arches National Park contains the highest concentration of large arches in the world within a short walking area. Two easy trails under a mile each reach North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch—massive sandstone frames through which the La Sal Mountains are dramatically visible. Perfect for young children.
The Landscape Arch in Arches National Park is the longest natural arch in the world at 306 feet. The 3-mile round-trip hike on a well-maintained trail passes three additional stunning arches before reaching the delicate span of sandstone. Best visited in the cool morning to avoid intense midday heat.
The Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder preserves the ruins and artifacts of an ancient Ancestral Puebloan village occupied about 1050-1200 CE. Excavated ruins are visible under a protective structure. The museum houses outstanding ceramic collections and displays the ancient agricultural knowledge of the Kayenta Anasazi.
The 8-mile Capitol Reef Scenic Drive passes through the Waterpocket Fold—a 100-mile-long wrinkle in the earth's crust. The drive passes red canyon walls, balanced rocks, and sweeping desert vistas. A short hike to Grand Wash or Capitol Gorge can extend the adventure into an unforgettable canyon experience.
The Fremont Culture petroglyph panels along Highway 24 in Capitol Reef National Park are among the most accessible Native American rock art sites in Utah. Hundreds of images including human figures, bighorn sheep, and geometric shapes were pecked into the sandstone cliff 700-1,300 years ago. A short paved path reaches the best panel.
Capitol Reef National Park's historic Fruita district preserves an orchard planted by Mormon pioneers that still produces apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and apricots. Park visitors can pick and eat fruit directly from the trees at no cost during harvest season from June through October. Deer graze freely under the trees.
Little Wild Horse Canyon near Goblin Valley is one of the most accessible and spectacular slot canyons in the American West—a narrow squeeze of red Entrada sandstone with undulating walls illuminated by filtered light. The best slot section is in the first mile of the canyon. Ages 6 and up.
Goblin Valley State Park in central Utah contains thousands of sandstone hoodoos called goblins eroded from the Entrada sandstone. Unlike Bryce Canyon's towering spires, these goblins are small enough for children to weave through and scramble over safely. The valley resembles a Martian landscape—a favorite of kids and sci-fi fans.
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park near Escalante preserves fossilized logs 225 million years old that litter the hillsides. A 1-mile interpretive trail winds through the petrified wood landscape. A swimming beach at Wide Hollow Reservoir adjacent to the park provides a refreshing reward after the fossil walk.
Kodachrome Basin State Park south of Bryce Canyon is named for its vivid red and white sedimentary layers and features 67 giant stone monoliths. The Angel's Palace Trail is a family favorite offering views of multiple monoliths and colorful badlands. Petrified geysers in the park are a fascinating geological curiosity.
Red Canyon on Highway 12 between Panguitch and Bryce Canyon is a brilliant miniature Bryce Canyon accessible by walking tunnels and a paved bike path through towering red hoodoos. The Losee Canyon Trail and Arches Trail are easy family hikes under 2 miles. Often overlooked by visitors rushing to Bryce Canyon.
Bryce Canyon National Park hosts one of the country's premier astronomy festivals each June with dozens of free telescope viewing sessions and presentations by NASA scientists. The park's remote location and high elevation provide exceptional dark skies. Ranger-led stargazing programs run nightly in summer.
The Queens Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon is the most beloved hike in the park—a 1.8-mile route descending among the towering hoodoos. Children can spot faces and figures in the stone formations. Combining with the Navajo Loop creates a 3-mile loop covering the park's finest hoodoo terrain.
The Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park is an easy path along the canyon rim with the world's finest views of the hoodoo formations below. Accessible sections near Sunrise and Sunset Points require no strenuous hiking. Sunrise and sunset light turns the hoodoos fiery orange and pink making any time of day magical.
Tuacahn Amphitheatre in a canyon outside St. George is one of America's most spectacular outdoor performance venues surrounded by 1,500-foot red sandstone walls. Summer and fall Broadway-caliber musicals run on an elaborate stage with real waterfalls and live animals. A cultural arts experience for the entire family.
Grafton is one of the most photographed and best-preserved ghost towns in the American West sitting on a bluff above the Virgin River near Rockville. Original adobe buildings remain standing including a church, schoolhouse, and pioneer homes abandoned in the 1940s. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed here.
Kanab served as the backdrop for over 200 Hollywood westerns and the Little Hollywood Land historical site preserves original western movie sets from the golden age of cinema. Families can explore the sets and visit the visitor center documenting the area's remarkable film history. Kanab's red-rock scenery remains spectacular.
Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George is a free 5-acre botanical showcase of Mojave and Great Basin desert plants set against red sandstone cliffs. A gentle paved walk loops through cacti, agaves, native grasses, and endangered Mojave milkweed. A live Mojave desert tortoise is the star resident of the garden.
The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm preserves actual dinosaur footprints in situ—over 100 theropod tracks including rare impressions of a sitting dinosaur. The climate-controlled building allows close viewing of the tracksite and guides explain the Jurassic science in age-appropriate ways.