Best Day Hikes in Utah

[WasatchWill]

Having done most of what @Bill listed among many others to compare too, I have to agree with his assessment. Some of them take you on a beautiful journey with no particular destination while others are great specifically because of the destination.

 

[Henk]

Virtually all the Southern Utah hikes already mentioned and others like:

Yellow Rock and surroundings
Hike to the Solstice Snake
Otho Arch
Hidden Valley
Wire Pass, Buckskin Gulch to Edmaiers Secret (loop with shuttle)
Mule Tower Ruins +3 levels of ruins down into the canyon below
Mule Canyon via House on Fire up to Wall Ruin.
Owl Canyon upto Nevill's Arch.
Squaw Canyon - Lost Canyon loop (possibly including Big Spring Canyon)
The non-technical part of Egypt 3 slot canyon (slim people only!).
Hurst and Exclamation Bridge.
Ding & Dang Slot Canyon loop (when dry)
The Citadel
Moonhouse and surroundings left and right

And for the more ambitious dayhiker:
Peekaboo Campground to Angel Arch
Mouth of Davis Canyon to Klingon Battle Cruiser Arch

 

[Yvonne]

I can't believe only one person listed Angel's Landing.

too crowded
It's a nice hike, but the crowds are awful.
I did my 25th Angel's Landing hike last June. in 2013/14 I did it twice a month to get in shape for some backpacking trips.

 

[Bob]

White Pine Lakes
Tony Grove Lakes
Ben Lomand Peak
plus a lot mentioned...

 

[Scott Chandler]

As long as I've lived in Utah it amazes me at how much I still have to experience in this state! There is simply too much wonder out here.

Some of my favorites, in no particular order

The Zion Narrows- Top-down, hands down one of the coolest things for someone simply walking to do


Lake Blanche


Devil's Garden Primitive Loop- Arches NP


Yant Flat


The Subway- especially for those that can work in the couple rappels and come in from the top


And Observation Point in Zion. Easily beats Angel's Landing in my opinion


Like I said, I need to do a ton more in my "home" state

 

[chandlerwest]

Not sure if I have declared this on BCP but for years I have said. The Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park is the greatest front country adventure in the National Park System.

 

[chandlerwest]

Fairyland Loop - Bryce Canyon
Edmaiers Secret - Take the Buckskin Gulch Trailhead 4 miles in from the highway. Geology heaven (freakshow)
Buckskin Gulch from Wire Pass
Middle Fork Taylor Creek - Zion Kolob... Go beyond the Double Alcove.
South Fork Taylor Creek - Zion Kolob.....best bang for your buck....powerful....however you want to put it. (I still need to do Karraville)
Crawford Wash to the Parunuweap Overlook (window?)- I have focused on exploring the east canyons of Zion this year and this one stands out as unique.

 

[irishivy]

What do you guys think are the very best easy to moderate day hikes in Utah? Give me your top 5 or 10.

I haven't done Timpanogos or many of the hikes in The Wasatch Range so I know I'm leaving off some good ones. But my list is:

1. The Joint Trail + Chesler Park Loop, Canyonlands National Park
2. Delicate Arch, Arches National Park
3. Christmas Meadows to Amethyst Lake, High Uintas Wilderness
4. Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Swell
5. Moonshine Canyon, Robbers Roost
6. Bald Mountain, Uintas
7. Mount Naomi via Tony Grove Lake, Bear River Range
8. Clyde Lake Loop (via Wall Lake & Cliff Lake), Sandbox Games Uintas
9. Colonnade Arch, Robbers Roost
10. False Kiva, Canyonlands National park

Maybe not in that exact order though.

Hey there! Longtime lurker, first-time poster here. That’s a killer list to start with - Chesler Park / The Joint Trail is hard to beat for pure Southern Utah magic!

- Navajo Loop + Queen’s Garden (Bryce Canyon NP): About 3 miles, moderate effort, but dropping down into the hoodoos feels like walking on another planet. Easily a top-5 day hike in the state for payout vs. effort.

- Cassidy Arch or Cohab Canyon (Capitol Reef NP): Capitol Reef gets slept on, but Cassidy Arch gives you that classic red rock slickrock experience with way fewer crowds than Arches.

Solid list overall - Bald Mountain in the Uintas is such a great high-elevation bang-for-your-buck hike too. Looking forward to seeing what others add!