Guide to Utah's Five National Parks

Above, The Narrows at Zion National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first time I visited any of the national parks in Utah was in August 1969 with my parents. We camped in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.

The reason I remember the month and year so well was due to the news coming from Los Angeles of the Sharon Tate and La Bianca murders by the Manson Family while we were camping at Zion's Watchman Campground.

Back in those days, the parks weren't crowded at all. Nowadays, they are very crowded and reservations need to be made in some.

The Salt Lake Tribune has posted a guide to Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks.

They begin it with:

Even if you didn’t know very much about Utah before moving here, one aspect you likely are fairly well acquainted with are its national parks. A tourism campaign launched in 2013 put Utah’s “Mighty 5″ on the national landscape — some would say too well. Visitation increased by half a million visitors, on average, during each of the three years after the campaign launched. They now rank among some of the country’s most visited national parks, drawing between one and five million visits each year.

But how well do you really know Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion national parks?

If you think the attractions are all in the names — arches, canyons, heavenly views — think again. While all five are well-stocked with those, there’s plenty more to see. Check out the rivers, stars and even orchards.

To read more, go here.