If you’re ever in the mood to feel small—in the best possible way—stand at the edge of a canyon carved over millennia or hike beneath towering red cliffs that defy description. That’s exactly what my husband, Harold, and I experienced this past spring when we finally made our long-awaited trip to Utah’s national parks.

We’ve long had a love for the beauty of our country’s national parks. Over the years, we’ve visited Acadia in Maine, Glacier in Montana, Yellowstone and Grand Teton in Wyoming, Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde in Colorado, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Great Smoky Mountains, and even Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Some of these places we’ve returned to at different stages of life. But one dream always remained on our list: visiting Utah’s “Mighty Five.”

Life, as it often does, delayed our plans. But this year, following the graduations of two of our granddaughters, we finally made it happen. With guidebooks and online resources in hand, we carefully mapped out a road trip and booked our reservations in advance. We opted to drive the whole route, but for those who prefer to fly, both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City make great starting points with car rentals available.

Of course, this wasn’t going to be a trip without a little fun for Harold—he packed his golf clubs and played a few rounds along the way. We stayed overnight in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and then Farmington, where he enjoyed a round at the beautiful Pinon Hills golf course.

From there, we made our way to Moab, Utah, and spent a couple of nights exploring Arches National Park and the nearby Dead Horse Point State Park—absolutely worth a visit! Utah has a wealth of stunning state parks that complement the national ones beautifully. For Arches, you’ll need a timed entry reservation, which is easy to make for just $2 through the NPS website or app. (By the way, the NPS app was incredibly helpful throughout our journey.)

Moab is an outdoor lover’s paradise with activities like biking, ATV and jeep rentals, hiking, and river rafting on the Colorado River. We especially enjoyed staying at the Sunflower Hill Inn, a charming bed and breakfast in the heart of town.

Next, we headed to Springdale, home to Zion National Park’s main entrance. We split our stay between two great hotels—Cliffrose Springdale by Hilton and the Desert Pearl Inn—both located on the Virgin River with views that stopped us in our tracks. Zion is so popular now that personal vehicles aren’t allowed on the scenic canyon drive. Instead, there’s a free shuttle system with seven easy-to-navigate stops. We hiked a couple of shorter trails, including the Riverside Walk, which ends at the start of The Narrows, where the canyon walls close in and hikers wade into the river. The sheer red cliffs of Zion were breathtaking.

Driving out of Zion, we passed through the Mt. Carmel Tunnel—an engineering marvel just over a mile long—and were treated to stunning views on the east side of the park.

Bryce Canyon National Park was next on our route, where we were fortunate to stay at the lodge inside the park. The hoodoos—those whimsical spire-shaped rock formations—were more beautiful than we could have imagined. We woke up at 5:30 AM to watch the sunrise from Sunrise Point. At 42 degrees, it was chilly, but the memory was worth every goosebump. Other favorites inside Bryce included Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, and Navajo Overlook.

From there, we drove to the Glen Canyon area outside of Page, Arizona, where we visited Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, and Horseshoe Bend. Though the temperatures soared into the 90s, the short (but hot!) mile hike to Horseshoe Bend was absolutely worth it.

While we weren’t able to explore Canyonlands and Capitol Reef this time around, they’re still calling our names. As far as we’re concerned, a return trip may be in our future!

One of the best decisions we made a few years ago was purchasing the “America the Beautiful” pass—a lifetime ticket to every national park in the country. A park ranger once told us it’s “the magic pass,” and we couldn’t agree more.

If you’ve never explored the national parks of Utah, we highly recommend planning your own Mighty Five adventure. God’s handiwork is on full display in every canyon, trail, and desert sunset—and we’re so glad we finally got to witness it together.