To be perfectly honest, Salt Lake City is a pretty awesome place, and we imagine most people who live there are happy sticking around town most of the time. Nevertheless, there are always times when you feel the need to escape the city and experience something new. The good news? There are tons of weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City that will satisfy this urge just fine.
With so many national parks and other natural areas nearby, it would be hard to run out of things to do around Salt Lake City. In fact, what might be more difficult to do is to run out of Salt Lake City day trips and weekend trips near the city. This can make it difficult to pick and choose what to do.
Lucky for you, we’ve done a lot of the legwork and chosen the very best things to do outside Salt Lake City. This makes your trip planning a whole lot simpler—just choose a destination and get ready to have an awesome adventure!
Cedar City, UT
Distance from Salt Lake City: 3.5 hours
First on our list of weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City is Cedar City, Utah. This is a lovely little town that every Utah resident should visit at least once. We love that it is extremely close to all kinds of natural areas but still offers the food, shopping, and other amenities of a city.
One of the best things to do when visiting Cedar City is to visit Zion National Park. This is an incredible park where there are tons of scenic views, some amazing ranger programs, and of course, plenty of wonderful hiking trails. You do have to take a shuttle to get to a lot of the park during the busy months though, so be sure to plan for that.
Want even more cool things to do around Cedar City? We recommend hiking Cedar Breaks National Monument and checking out the petroglyphs at Parowan Gap. If you visit in the winter or early spring, a visit to Brian Head for some skiing is also a fantastic way to fill your weekend.
Where to Stay
We recommend staying in Cedar City RV Resort while in Cedar City. This park is in an excellent location and features full hookups, cable TV, free Wi-Fi, a playground, and even an outdoor pool. It’s the perfect place to call home for a few days!
Moab, UT
Distance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours
The perfect spring or fall destination, Moab is an absolutely fantastic home base for your southern Utah adventures. This awesome little town has everything you might need in the way of adventure gear, as well as groceries, restaurants, and more.
When visiting Moab, you absolutely must spend some time in both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Both are right outside of town, and both offer some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. Head out on a hike, attend a ranger program, or go on a drive and take in the views. No matter what you do, you’re sure to enjoy your time in these incredible parks.
More fun things to do in Moab include ATV and Jeep tours, as well as rock climbing. The city also has a fun arts scene and plenty of awesome community events such as free concerts, skating nights, and more.
Where to Stay
There are a number of great RV parks in and around Moab. Our top pick? Sun Outdoors Moab Downtown. This park puts you right in the middle of downtown, so you can walk to nearly everything. It offers full hookups, clean bathrooms, a pool, and more.
Bear Lake
Distance from Salt Lake City: 2.25 hours
Need to escape the city to somewhere you can cool off during the summertime? Why not pay a visit to the beautiful Bear Lake? Located just a couple of hours from Salt Lake City, this is the perfect place to spend a summer weekend.
A gorgeous, turquoise body of water, Bear Lake offers plenty to do. Whether you’re looking for an afternoon of sunbathing and swimming or a relaxing paddle out on the water, you’ll find it at this Utah lake. People also enjoy boating on the lake, and fishing is a popular pastime for many.
No matter how you fill your time at Bear Lake, you’re sure to head back home feeling refreshed, relaxed, and connected with nature once again.
Where to Stay
Bear Lake State Park is definitely our favorite place to park an RV while visiting Best Lake. This park is just lovely and offers a great escape into nature. There are multiple campgrounds in the park, our top pick being Cisco Beach Campground, which offers dry camping right on the beach.
Goblin Valley State Park
Distance from Salt Lake City: 3.75 hours
Want to escape to an otherworldly place that seems like it should only exist in a fantasy book? If so, Goblin Valley State Park is the place for you. Located way out in the middle of nowhere, this incredible state park is sure to provide you with some awesome memories that will last you a lifetime.
The main attractions at Goblin Valley State Park are the amazing and sometimes downright bizarre rock formations. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and shades, and are what makes the place feel as though it’s from another planet. Many of the rock formations look very much like goblins, giving the park its unusual name.
Hiking among the strange rock formations is definitely the number one thing to do in Goblin Valley. One especially popular hike is the Goblin’s Lair, which takes you to a cave that hikers are allowed to explore.
Where to Stay
Goblin Valley State Park is home to a wonderful campground, leaving visitors no reason to stay anywhere else. Goblin Valley Campground does not have hookups, but does offer designated sites and restrooms with flush toilets and showers, as well as potable water and a dump station.
Capitol Reef National Park
Distance from Salt Lake City: 3.5 hours
You may not hear Capitol Reef talked about much, but it’s actually an incredibly beautiful park that you really must see. Filled with interesting red rock formations that stand in stark contrast to the park’s surprising greenery and bright blue skies, this is one of those parks that photos really can’t capture properly.
As you might have guessed, we highly recommend hiking while in Capitol Reef. Many of the hikes in this park are relatively short and easy, meaning you can probably knock out two or three hikes in a single day. This is great because it means you can see more of the park’s beautiful landscape!
Hikes we recommend include the Sulphur Creek Waterfall Trail and the Hickman Bridge Trail. It’s also a good idea to stop and see both Panorama Point and the petroglyphs.
Where to Stay
When visiting Capitol Reef National Park, staying in the park itself is absolutely the way to go. Fruita Campground is located near the visitor center and is a beautiful dry camping spot. Restrooms are available here, and drinking water, trash cans, and a dump station are all provided as well.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Distance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours
Another of the “Mighty 5” national parks of Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is a smaller park but still gorgeous to look at, and well worth a weekend of your time. As the name suggests, the park features a canyon. This canyon is filled with hoodoos and offers some interesting scenery that you’re sure to love.
Like Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon has several short and easy hikes to choose from, meaning even novice hikers can hit the trail. In our opinion, the best trail in the park is the Queens Garden Trail, but we also really like the Navajo Loop Trail, the Fairyland Loop Trail, and the Mossy Cave Trail.
In addition to hiking, we also highly recommend watching the sunset from Sunset Point, checking out Inspiration Point, and leaving the park to see nearby attractions such as Kodachrome Basin State Park and Willis Creek Slot Canyon.
Where to Stay
Once again, we recommend staying in the park itself. North Campground is our favorite of the two in-park options. This place can accommodate RVs up to 60 feet in length and has water, a restroom, and a dump station. However, there are no RV hookups.
Grand Teton National Park
Distance from Salt Lake City: 5 hours
The drive to see Grand Teton National Park might be a bit longer, but trust us when we say you won’t regret it. It’s an amazing escape from the red and beige scenery most of Utah has to offer, and many people love it so much that they visit it over and over again.
As is the case in most national parks, Grand Teton does offer some wonderful hiking opportunities, and we highly recommend hiking to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. That said, these are far from the only things to do in the park.
You see, one of the things we love most about Grand Teton is the fact that it offers so many water-based activities, making it an ideal summer destination. Whether you choose to go rafting on Snake River, Kayaking on Jenny Lake, or water skiing on Jackson Lake, you’re sure to appreciate the many beautiful bodies of water in this incredible park.
Where to Stay
Grand Teton National Park also has some great onsite camping that you will want to take advantage of. Colter Bay Campground is right by all the amazing recreation the park has to offer. It has a total of 324 sites, and 13 of them include electric hookups. Additionally, water and a dump station are available.
Great Basin National Park
Distance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours
Great Basin is one of those underappreciated national parks that you really don’t hear much about, but you definitely should make the time to visit. This Nevada park is just four hours from Salt Lake City and is an absolutely perfect one of the weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City.
Hiking is a must-do when in Great Basin National Park. There are a huge number of trails for people of all areas and fitness levels. Some of the best hikes include the Bristlecone Trail and the Lehman Creek Trail. That said, any hike you choose is sure to be fantastic!
Fishing and stargazing are also popular in-park activities and are well worth experiencing while you’re there. Be sure to take your fishing gear along and pack your telescope if you happen to have one.
Where to Stay
Lower Lehman Creek Campground is our pick when it comes to campgrounds in Great Basin National Park. This lovely campground is open May–October and can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet long. Unfortunately, there is no water available and electric hookups are not provided. That said, the location and price really can’t be beat!
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Distance from Salt Lake City: 4 hours
Last on our of weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City is Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. This place boasts a very strange landscape that does indeed leave you feeling as though you’ve landed on the moon.
The cause of this strange landscape? A sea of cooled lava flows with small islands of local greenery, such as cider cones and sagebrush. You’ll find all sorts of unusual rock formations wit plenty of places to climb and explore.
Our favorite thing to do while in Craters of the Moon is explore the underground lava tubes. It’s also a lot of fun to check out the Tree Molds Trail, as well as the Broken Top Loop Trail. You can even climb up Inferno Cone to get up close and personal with a volcanic cone.
Where to Stay
The campground in Craters of the Moon National Monument is known as Lava Flow Campground. These are first-come, first-served sites and the cost to camp is extremely affordable. Water and flush toilets are available seasonally, but there aren’t many amenities beyond that.
More Things to Do Outside Salt Lake City
These are the best weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City. That said, they are far from the only things to do around Salt Lake City. When you get through the list above, you might try heading to Sun Valley Idaho for some skiing, spending a weekend floating around Lake Powell, or checking out Dinosaur National Monument. Heck, you could even take a chance and wander off the beaten path to create a completely unique adventure!
No matter which things to do outside Salt Lake City you decide to experience, you will need an RV in order to explore in total comfort. This is where our Salt Lake City RV rentals come into play. We have tons of different models to choose from, so you can pick a camper that perfectly suits your needs and then get out there and start experiencing some of these amazing weekend RV trips near Salt Lake City!
