Utah, located in the western United States, is renowned for its diverse landscapes and unique landmarks.
Often referred to as the “Beehive State,” Utah is characterized by its stunning natural beauty, ranging from red rock alien-like deserts and slot canyons to towering mountain cliff ranges. Even their license plate displays one of Utah’s most iconic natural arch landmarks that is recognized worldwide. Through these landmarks, you will get a showcase of the state’s geological diversity which provides you with an endless playground of outdoor adventures!
In 2022, we spent over two weeks road tripping through Utah in search of the most impressive landmarks and iconic landscapes. Beyond the usual touristic spots, we sought to also discover the areas less traveled or alternatives to the overly famous spots.
Below we’ve compiled our list of the top 12 noteworthy landmarks you’ll find in Utah. In the aim of helping you further with your brainstorming, we also wanted to include a few of the famous landmarks in Arizona that are very close to the Utah border.
These are frequently included in a Utah Road Trip as the landmarks are only a short drive across the border. We certainly wouldn’t want you to miss out on an amazing location that is 30 minutes drive away simply because it is considered in a different State!
The best way to travel around Utah is by car! Check car rental prices and availability for your days here.
12 Famous Landmarks in Utah
1. Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch stands as the most recognized symbol of Utah and the American South West. In fact, It is the most iconic and well-recognized arch in the entire world. Found in Arches National Park near Moab, it was formed from Entrada sandstone over thousands of years and stands at an impressive height of 52 feet.
It earned its name due to its free-standing, slender, and distinctive shape. Delicate arch is perched above a sandstone bowl and is set against the snow-capped La Sal Mountains in the distance. To reach it, you will need to embark on a 4.8km roundtrip hike from the parking lot.
This is an ideal spot to visit at sunset and will allow you to witness the Delicate Arch in all its splendour. In fact, Delicate Arch is featured on all Utah License plates!
2. Angel’s Landing
Angel’s Landing, located in Zion National Park, is known as one of the United State’s most dangerous hikes. Picture a steep mountain ridge, with sheer cliffs on both sides, and a metal chair anchored to the rock that you can hold onto as you traverse the trail.
Angel’s Landing is one of Utah’s most famous and recognized hikes, attracting over 4,500,000 visitors per year. You start at the bottom where you climb up countless switchbacks until you are about 1500 feet high.
Then the metal chains appear and you get your first glimpse of the massive Zion National Park valleys. The railing section lasts for about 1 hour but throughout, you will witness the incredible views right near the edge of a 1800-foot cliff.
Once you reach the end, you will be presented with a full 180-degree view of the entire valley. Angel’s Landing is an out-and-back hike and takes around 4-6 hours in total. Due to its over-popularity, visitors will now need to enter a lottery system to get an entry pass for the trail.
3. Narrows
If Angel’s Landing is not the first hike landmark that you picture in Utah, then the Narrows likely will be. Here you will be trekking through ankle to knee-deep water as you penetrate through the narrowest sections of Zion Canyon.
This massive slot canyon was carved over thousands of years by the natural elements of the river and wind, creating a spectacular winding corridor. The hike is out-and-back and normally lasts between 3-6 hours depending on how deep into the narrows you go.
Fortunately, it can be customized to any difficulty level by simply turning around and heading back sooner.
4. The Wave-Coyote Buttes
Spanning the border between Utah and Arizona, the Wave is a famous geological formation characterized by swirling and sloping lines, with distinct red, pink, and white hues, creating the illusion of undulating rock waves.
Over the years, this site has become very popular with both tourists and photographers which has resulted in the park limiting entry in order to preserve the natural landscape. The Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion cliffs and to visit it, you will need to enter a lottery and draw system.
5. Cassidy Arch
Cassidy Arch, located in Capitol Reef National Park, is one of the most impressive arches to be found in Utah. Unlike the Delicate Arch found in Moab, Cassidy Arch offers the rare opportunity for visitors to traverse on top of the arch and stand on it.
Measuring about 50 feet across and towering at 400 feet high, it provides you with a unique perspective of the red and white rock valley of Capitol Reef. To reach the arch, you will need to embark on a 3.4-mile out-and-back hike comprising multiple switchbacks and trekking through some beautiful otherworldly slick rock landscapes.
Legend has it that Cassidy Arch was named after Butch Cassidy, a notorious railroad bandit, who used this area as a hideout. For more details about this experience, check out this post where we walk you through how to hike Cassidy Arch.
Be sure to also check out the following tours:
Hell’s Revenge 4×4 Off-Roading Tour from Moab
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon Tour UTV Adventure (Private Tour)
Canyonlands National Park Half-Day Tour from Moab
6. Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend is a striking natural landmark located in Page, Arizona, near the border of Utah. It is a massive canyon characterized by a distinctive horse-shoe shape carved out by the Colorado River over thousands of years.
Visitors can enjoy the incredible panoramic views from the lookout points, from where you can see the U-shaped curve of the Colorado River over 1000 feet below. This iconic site is particularly popular with photographers, especially during sunrise and sunset.
Not only can you witness this from the canyon overlook, but you can also kayak along the Colorado River to experience it from the bottom. Starting from Glen Canyon Dam upriver, you paddle over 10 miles following the flow of the Colorado through some of the most spectacular red rock canyons.
For more details on how to experience paddleboarding through Horseshoe Bend, check out this post.
7. Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a breathtaking desert landscape located on the Arizona-Utah border in the United States, within the Navajo Nation Reservation. It is characterized by its iconic red sandstone buttes, mesas, and spires that rise dramatically from the flat landscape. Monument Valley has been featured countless times in popular American Western films and was also made popular in a particular scene of Forest Gump.
Some of the most iconic structures in Monument Valley include the Mittens, Merrick Butte, and Totem Pole. The Park features a 17-mile scenic drive for visitors, and additional tours led by Navajo guides can be purchased. These will give you a more up close and off-the-beaten-path view of their famous landmarks.
Check prices and reviews of this Monument Valley Tour.
8. Forest Gump Point
Forest Gump Point features a famous scene depicted in the movie Forest Gump and showcases one of the best viewpoints of the Utah landscape with the backdrop of Monument Valley. It is a quick stop along Highway 163 close to the Arizona Border.
Simply park your car on the side of the road, and run to the center of the road when there are no cars driving by. From this angle, you will see the long highway sloping all the way down into the horizon, where the pinnacles of Monument Valley punctuate the sky.
9. Dead Horse Point State Park
Although not as iconic as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Dead Horse Point State Park features breathtaking panoramic views of multi-layered deep canyons carved out by the Colorado River.
In fact, we actually preferred the views at Dead Horse Point State Park over the Grand Canyon due to how much fewer crowds were present, and how it presented the impressive canyon landscapes in a more compact manner.
Visiting Dead Horse Point State Park is also very easy as you can drive straight to the parking lot, and then the viewpoints are a mere 2-3 minutes walk from there. Multiple options of hiking trails are available that provide different perspectives of the landscape.
Legend has it that Dead Horse Point State Park was used in the 19th century by cowboys and ranchers as a natural corral for wild mustangs. However, on one occasion, a group of horses was left stranded there without any food, water, or means of escape.
The mustangs perished there and their remains could be seen from a distance. This was how the park earned its quite particular and morbid name. Despite the story, Dead Horse Point State Park is one of the most beautiful and majestic landmarks in Utah.
10. Bryce Canyon Hoodoos
Bryce Canyon is home to one of the largest collections of hoodoos in the world. If you don’t know what hoodoos are, they are tall rock spires formed over thousands of years from the erosion of water, wind, and ice.
They range in shapes and sizes but some can reach heights of over 200 feet! In Bryce Canyon, the hoodoos display an incredible array of hues ranging from white, pink, and orange, to red, and tend to be concentrated into natural amphitheatres.
From scenic viewpoints along the rim of the canyon, you are provided with some of the most breathtaking panoramic views of the valley and the huge density of hoodoos. Otherwise, visitors are welcome to embark on hiking trails to explore the hoodoos from up close.
Some of the most famous trails include the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden.
11. Bonneville salt flats
Located in North Western Utah, is a unique and expansive salt pan called the Bonneville Salt Flats. Covering an impressive area of 30,000 acres, the white salt crust left over by the ancient Bonneville Lake has created a surreal and vast landscape of pure white.
When the conditions are right, and with some rain, the salt surface can be exceptionally smooth and reflective, giving the illusion of a massive mirror. Standing still, the blue skill will be perfectly mirrored by the entire reflective salt pan, merging the sky and the ground as one.
The Salt Flats are an incredible sight to see and can be accessed from Interstate 80. In addition, the salt flats have been regularly used when attempting to break land speed records. The flat, featureless, and endless stretch of land provides the ideal conditions for this type of high-speed racing.
12. Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is a mesmerizing slot canyon featuring a narrow sandstone winding passageway carved by the elements of wind and water over thousands of years. It is one of the most visited landmarks located in the private Navajo reserve of Arizona, right near the border of Utah.
Walking through Antelope Canyon, you can witness the interplay of light and shadows, reflecting the ethereal red glow of the rocks.
If you visit at the right time of day, the sun’s rays penetrate into Slot Canyon, creating a narrow shaft of light illuminating the sand and textured canyon walls. As Antelope Canyon is located on the protected land of the Navajo people, visitors may only enter with a guided tour.
How to visit these landmarks in Utah?
With so many incredible landmarks to see in Utah, it is important to properly plan your itinerary and figure out the logistics of visiting these sites.
To travel through Utah, it is highly recommended to rent a car. This will allow you the freedom to visit all the landmarks as well as some off-the-beaten-path locations. Shuttle services are sometimes available but only bring you between the primary towns and National Parks. They are also quite inconvenient due to the time schedule and will end up being far more expensive.
See prices and availability on car rentals for your trip to Utah here.
Utah is one of the most iconic road trips in the United States and was one of our favorites to date. We have highlighted the ideal 2 week Southern Utah road trip itinerary here that includes most (10/12) of the mentioned landmarks. We break down how many days to spend in each place, what there is to see, where to stay, and logistical details for each site.
Recap: Famous landmarks in Utah
Utah is filled with some of the most incredible natural landmarks that are recognized worldwide. Whether wanting to visit the most dangerous hike in the United States with the chained pathway, the famous Horseshoe Bend frequently photographed in magazines like National Geographic, or the unique Delicate Arch, Utah offers an incredible array of experiences for all outdoor enthusiasts.
Ryan & Nan are two curious travel storytellers and adventure photographers who started WaylessTravelers to share their passion for travel with the world. Having explored over 25 countries across the globe, they seek to share their passion for travel planning and photography to help others organize their next adventure.
