Time to Get Outside

Hey, hey, hey, it’s Spring Break 2021! For thousands of students across the US, school is about to go on a week-long recess. Which means it’s the perfect chance to explore the great outdoors. Whether or not you and your family have been been doing Zoom School and Zoom Work, we can bet you’re tired of being cooped-up inside. So we at the Lodge have a couple of suggestions on where you can go play in Southern Utah this Spring Break!

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Play in Goblin Valley

Goblin Valley is probably our favorite state park in Utah. It’s chock-full of hoodoos that you can play in and around and on. Making it a perfect playground for families. You can’t ask for a better spot to play hide-and-seek, or tag, or hide-and-seek-tag. There is also the nearby Little Wild Horse Canyon to hike in when you’ve had your fill of hoodoos.

There is a campground in Goblin Valley, if you want to camp. The camping charge per night is $35. (Unless you get one of the cool yurts that they offer, then it’s a bit more.) There is also a park entrance fee of $20 per private vehicle. You can make reservations and get more information at the official site here.

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Road Trip the Grand Staircase

Road trips are our favorite! In fact we just wrote about two great ones here and here, which you should definitely check out. But there are two others in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that we think make for excellent Spring Break trips.

• Hell’s Backbone Trail – This is a great backcountry roadtrip that covers areas of the national monument that don’t get seen as often. It also has a fantastic bridge over a 1,000-foot drop off, which is pretty impressive. Get more details about Hell’s Backbone Trail here.
• The Burr Trail – We never pass up an opportunity to recommend the the Burr Trail. It connects Capitol Reef National Park with the Grand Staircase. It’s got great views, fantastic canyons, and some pretty intense switchbacks. Read our in-depth guide to the Burr Trail here.

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Explore Canyonlands and Arches

Two of Utah’s impressive national parks are located right next to each other – Canyonlands and Arches. And between the two of them, they have thousands of natural arches for you to explore. There are the big attractions, of course, like Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, and Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. But there are also a lot, a lot, of cool ones off the beaten track. If this sounds like your kind of adventure, read our in-depth reviews of Arches and Canyonlands to start planning your Spring Break.

There are campgrounds in both parks, and some pretty good options in the surrounding areas. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov. There is also an entrance fee of $30 per vehicle per park. So if you want to visit both Canyonlands and Arches, then it might make sense to grab one of the passes that are available, which give you unlimited access to any national park for a year. They cost $80.

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The Best Suggestion for Last

Capitol Reef National Park is our last suggestion! We love Capitol Reef, and not just because we live here. It’s the hidden gem of Utah’s parks. If you’ve never been here before, we recommend that you check out our Top Ten Things to Do in Capitol Reef, and maybe our customizable itinerary here. Reservations can be made to camp in the park, and at nearby campgrounds at recreation.gov. And of course, we’d love to have you stay with us.

There is no fee to enter Capitol Reef, but there is a $20 toll to take the Capitol Reef Scenic Road, which we recommend.

Wherever you end you this Spring Break, we hope you have a fantastic time exploring nature!