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The national parks of Utah usually steal the thunder, but don’t forget about its state parks. Utah has 46 state parks, and there are some serious gems among them. I’ve rounded up nine of my favorites, ranked.

I do want to add a disclaimer that, while I’ve visited every park on this list, I haven’t gotten a chance to visit all the state parks in Utah yet. A few on the top of my list are Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point (where I would love to go mountain biking), and our state’s newest park: Utahraptor. Established in 2021, will stage its grand opening this spring. Visitors can explore an area where more than 5,500 dinosaur bones have been found, including those of the park’s namesake. The park also has a new campground and trails for hiking, mountain biking, and off-roading—and preserves the historic site of a former Japanese internment camp.

But back to the state parks on this list—for each park, I’ve shared my favorite adventure, the best time of year to go, and some local tips for maximizing your time. While individual park fees vary, if you plan to visit more than five or six state parks in the next 12 months and you’re a Utah resident, it makes sense to purchase a ($125). Finally, all of Utah’s state park reservations can be made through the site up to four months in advance.

9. Great Salt Lake State Park, Magna

Specs: 162 acres, with access to the 1,000,000+ acre lake

Best For: Boating, wandering, learning, bird watching

While not the most idyllic environment, the Great Salt Lake is a defining feature of the state of Utah and this is the perfect place to learn about it. The mostly consists of the marina, shoreline, a campground, and a short trail. If you’re interested in learning more about this bizarre, saline environment, the visitor’s center here is the best place to start.

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Rent a tandem kayak at the marina through (from $40 for two hours) and paddle out to explore the biggest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Bring binoculars and see how many birds you can spot. Millions of birds visit the lake each year to feast on brine flies—more on that below.

When to Go

The park is open year-round, but it’s most pleasant in the fall. hatch from April and stick around through November. Mid-spring can be a particularly nasty and unpleasant time to be on the lake or its shores due to the bugs. Call ahead to check on the fly status.

Local Pointers for Great Salt Lake State Park

The nearby historic Saltair is just a couple miles from the park (a five-minute drive) and is a strange and interesting site to check out. First built in 1893, the recreational building has been the victim of fire and flooding over the years, with several reconstruction efforts over the years as a result. Today, it mainly serves as a .

8. Anasazi State Park Museum, Boulder

Specs: 6 acres

Best For: Learning

This is not your ordinary state park—it’s actually a museum located on the historic site of what was once a large Ancestral Puebloan village. Puebloans lived on these lands from 1050 to 1200 C.E. At , you can tour remnants of the original site, explore a replica of an ancient dwelling, and see artifacts excavated from the site itself. The museum is located in tiny, quirky Boulder, one of the gateway towns to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

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While the artifacts inside the museum are interesting, I most enjoyed walking around the original site and the replica of a kiva. I visited on a cold November day and it was fascinating to imagine living in this landscape in a round, subterranean structure year-round, staying warm by fire.

When to Go

You won’t want to travel all the way to Boulder, Utah, for this museum—most likely, you’ll be tacking it on to a trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante. While the museum is open year-round, the best times of year to explore the national monument are early fall and mid to late-spring.

Local Pointers for Anasazi State Park Museum

This museum is within spitting distance of , a James Beard-nominated restaurant, and in my opinion, the best in Utah. Open seasonally (usually mid-March through early November), the grill is a mandatory stop for breakfast or dinner. The grill is located at the Boulder Mountain Lodge, if you’re looking for accommodations in the area, too.

7. Jordanelle State Park, Park City

Specs: 6,704 Acres

Best For: Beaching, boating, fishing, grilling, camping

Utah’s Wasatch Back—the backside of the Wasatch Mountains—has a number of reservoirs that are managed as state parks with high-quality fishing, boating, and beaching. Echo, Deer Creek, and Rockport are all fine options, but by far the largest and most developed in terms of infrastructure is the Jordanelle. With three separate recreational areas and 363,000 acre feet of water, this reservoir offers a beach-like experience with plenty of opportunities for every stripe of boater, from jet skiing to SUPing.

has three separate entrance areas. Hailstone is the main marina and by far the most developed with cabanas, pavilions, several campground options, and even cabins for overnight rentals. While Hailstone makes sense if you’ve got a big crew, my favorite area is Rock Cliff near Heber, with a nature center, a boardwalk through wetlands, and trails. There’s also the quieter Ross Creek entrance, with cabanas, a non-motorized boat ramp, and a perimeter trailhead. But if sand and boating are your main objectives, Hailstone is the place to be.

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SUPing is my favorite way to experience this massive reservoir. On a hot day, it’s a fun way to cool off and you can get on the water without waiting in a line of boats. You can bring your own SUP, kayak, or other boat to take out on the Jordanelle. Or you can rent a kayak, SUP, jet ski, or boat from the marina at the Hailstone area through (pontoons start at $499 for four hours; kayaks start at $30 for one hour; full pricing and reservations available online).

When to Go

Summer is the time to be at the Jordanelle. In spring or fall, temperatures might be favorable, or it might be snowing—you never know. The park is great year-round for hiking and peaceful waterside walks, but if you’re coming for the watersports and the beach vibes, peak summer will be prime fun.

Local Pointers for Jordanelle State Park

While there is a plethora of camping options at the Jordanelle, these sites book up months in advance. Reservations open up four months in advance of any given date, so set a reminder for yourself to make reservations on your calendar. Or use a site like to snag a campsite when someone cancels. Also consider what type of camping experience you want—the Jordanelle offers RV campgrounds, tent-only campgrounds, group campgrounds, and the hike-in Phostan Bay Campground. There are also five cabins available to rent as well as three cottages that sleep up to eight. If you’re only coming for the day, but want a cabana, you should reserve that well in advance, too.

6. Wasatch Mountain State Park, Midway

Specs: 21,592 Acres

Best For: Hiking, mountain biking, golfing, cross-country skiing, camping

This state park is practically in my backyard (20 minutes away), so it definitely makes the list of my favorites. Within the park, you’ll find campgrounds, endless trails, the Wasatch Mountain Golf Course, and the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, which was used during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

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More often than not, I go to to mountain bike, usually to ride the relatively new , which tours aspen groves and fields of wildflowers. You can ride this trail as an out-and-back—climbing up some 2,400 feet, then descending back the way you came—but most ride it as a downhill shuttle, since the climb is a grind. WOW isn’t the only ride in the park—the Dutch Hollow trails are flowy, fun and there’s plenty of road riding, too. Trail Forks has a helpful map of the riding .

When to Go

Summer is my favorite time of year to hit the trails at Wasatch Mountain State Park. Rarely do temperatures sore too hot for me to tolerate. Fall, when the foliage is popping off, is also an incredible season to hike or bike in the park. In winter, you can explore the extensive groomed cross-country skiing and tubing of Soldier Hollow. Spring is the least ideal, since trails are likely to be snow-covered or muddy.

Local Pointers for Wasatch Mountain State Park

The gateway town to this state park is Midway, which bills itself as a Little Switzerland. There are a few awesome restaurants worth checking out in town, including Lola’s Street Kitchen and Midway Mercantile. You can also have a post-ride or post-hike soak at the Homestead Crater, a 65-feet deep hot spring.

5. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, near Kanab

Specs: 3,700 Acres

Best For: Wandering, ATVing, camping

You’ll think you made a wrong turn on the long, narrow, dusty road that leads to . This massive dune deposit formed from Navajo sandstone rock that eroded millions of years ago. Like Great Sand Dunes in Colorado—one of my favorite national parks—this state park is a beautiful place to roam, explore, and spend a night under a starry sky.

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I’m not a motorized sports person, so I won’t tell you that an ATV is the best way to explore this park. For some, that may indeed be the most fun option. But I believe the best way to take in this serene and stunning landscape is on foot. Pick a point in the distance and hike to it. Grunt up hills, then rollick back down them. Spread out a blanket and read a book. Become one with the sand. You do you at the dunes.

When to Go

While the park is open year-round, this is the desert and there is no shade. It follows that the best seasons for the park are spring and fall, when you’ll find moderate temperatures. In summer, you’ll only be able to tolerate the heat early in the morning or at dusk. Don’t get caught out in the dunes barefoot and burn the bottoms of your feet. Winter can also be a smart time to explore this state park, when the moderate crowds thin even further. But you’ll want to hike with shoes and it may be pretty chilly to camp.

No matter which season you go in, with the limited shade, be sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection, including sunscreen and UPF apparel.

Finally, as the name suggests, sunrise and sunset are spectacular times to behold the dunes blushing coral pink—another reason to consider camping here for a night or two. But be sure to in advance.

Local Pointers for Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

There is also good hiking and scenic driving surrounding the park. One cool and easily accessible stop off Sand Springs Road is the South Fork Indian Canyon Pictograph Site. Just a short hike from the parking area, this rock art features several figures, including twins.

4. Kodachrome Basin State Park, Cannonville

Specs: 2,240 Acres

Best For: Hiking, camping, horseback riding

This quiet, off-the-beaten-path state park is known for its 67 pillars—sand pipes, in geologic terms—that rise out of the desert landscape like geologic sentinels. makes for a nice add-on to a trip to nearby Bryce or the northwestern edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

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This little state park offers three campgrounds as peaceful as they are scenic. All reservations can be made , and if you’re going on the weekend from spring through fall, book four months in advance (or as early as possible). With plenty of easily accessible, family-friendly trails nearby, it’s easy to hike around the sand pipes right from your campsite, too.

When to Go

Spring or fall are the best seasons to visit this state park. Summer can get quite hot, and winter, surprisingly cold.

Local Pointers for Kodachrome Basin State Park

If you’re more of a glamper than a camper, stay at nearby (from $250 per night) just a ten-minute drive from Kodachrome Basin. The glamping domes let you stargaze from bed and come equipped with firepits and grills so you’ll feel like you’re camping, but still get to sleep in a real bed and have a bathroom. Or check out the Clear Sky Resorts domes in nearby Cannonville (from $300 per night), which are a 15-minute drive from Kodachrome Basin.

3. Bear Lake State Park, Garden City

Specs: 7,400 Acres

Best For: Water sports, swimming, beaching, camping

Spanning 20 miles from southern Idaho into northern Utah, is a massive body of water formed around 30,000 years ago by earthquakes. It’s known for its striking blue hue and named for the black bears that dwell in the woods nearby. When I posted photos of Bear Lake, friends asked what ocean I had visited—so if you’re looking for the seashore in Utah, this is as close as you’ll get.

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Even though the lake was quite choppy on the weekend I visited Bear Lake—we had to convince the marina to let us go out, since my friend was an experienced boat captain—we still had the best time. Despite the strong winds, sailing on those turquoise waters with hills and mountains surrounding us was a blast. The tubing was a bit like hurtling through a supersonic wind tunnel, but fun all the same.

When to Go

If you want to get in the water and bask in the beach vibes, summer is the time to go—but it’s also when it’s most crowded. Flocks of boaters and campers descend during this season, so you’ll want to and plan your trip four months in advance. If you don’t care about swimming and sun, the park is open year-round and the lake is just as dreamy to behold on a stroll through the sand in February as it is in August.

Local Pointers for Bear Lake State Park

While there is plenty of camping at Bear Lake—though reservations fill up fast—they are far from the most scenic or idyllic campsites in Utah. The appeal is the proximity to the shoreline, not the campsites themselves. They are quite developed and there’s not much separating you from other parties. It sort of felt like camping in a public park.

Bear Lake is also known for its locally grown raspberries, so refuel after a day on the water with a raspberry milkshake or other treat.

2. Snow Canyon State Park, Ivins

Specs: 7,400 Acres

Best For: Hiking, mountain biking, climbing, camping

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of St. George. It’s congested, a golfing hub (in a place with a water shortage), and feels like someone decided to stack as many strip malls and chain restaurants as they could in the middle of the desert. I also find it pretty disgraceful that the word “Dixie” continues to stay past its welcome in this area, including in the name of the convention center and a nearby national forest.

But one reason to come to (or at least through) St. George is . The landscape rivals what you’ll find in Utah’s national parks, but with much less hype.

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The takes you through sandy washes and over red rock scrambles to a cave with a keyhole-shaped opening and sweeping views. At 4.4 miles total, it’s also easily doable in a half day—or easy to sneak in at dawn or dusk if you’re visiting from late spring through early fall when the weather is super hot.

When to Go

Early/mid-spring and late fall are the best times to visit Snow Canyon. If you don’t mind hiking in a puffy jacket, winter is also an awesome time to get your desert fix with no crowds. In summer, it gets extremely hot, so only pre-sunrise or post-sunset adventures should be undertaken.

Local Pointers for Snow Canyon State Park

I’m a bit biased as the editor-in-chief of , but I’ve had my sights set on the for a while. I’ve only visited the park once—with some friends who don’t climb—but I would love to return. If you climb, it’s definitely worth bringing your gear and sampling the sport and trad routes on sandstone. Moderate climbers will love the Island in the Sky Traverse (5.3, trad), but there are plenty of harder routes in the 5.12 neighborhood for climbers who want more of a challenge. You can also book a local guide through (from $410 per person for a half-day climbing trip, but as little as $130 per person if you have a larger group) if you’re climbing curious, but don’t have the gear or knowledge yet.

1. Antelope Island State Park, Syracuse

Specs: 28,000 Acres

Best For: Hiking, biking, camping, wildlife viewing, stargazing

The largest island in the Great Salt Lake, offers an eclectic mix of wildlife, ranching history, and trails. As far as outdoor adventures go, it’s a great spot for hiking, trail running, road cycling, mountain biking, and camping.

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One of the coolest aspects of visiting Antelope Island is the unique wildlife that abounds there. While the island is named for the resident pronghorn antelope, the most well-known fauna around are bison. Somewhere between 550 and 700 bison live on the island and can be frequently seen grazing the island’s shores. Every October, viewers can observe the annual , which consolidates the herds and provides health screenings. Birdwatching is also a popular activity, since the island attracts over 250 species along their migration pathways.

When to Go

Antelope Island is open year-round, though in mid-spring, midges hatch and make a visit absolutely miserable. While these nasty biting midges can be present from spring through fall, they’re usually tolerable after their annual spring resurgence. Call ahead to check on midge conditions.

Antelope Island also doesn’t see a lot of snow and visiting during the less crowded winter months is a nice, quieter way to experience this state park.

Local Pointers for Antelope Island State Park

While no one besides the animals call Antelope Island home these days, a few Latter-day Saints settlers did move there and built a ranch in 1848. Now a preserved historic site, the is a fun stop on your Antelope Island tour. The park sometimes hosts ghost tours of this allegedly haunted ranch in fall, aka spooky season. Another cool event to check out is one of the on dark nights, from spring through fall, which pair perfectly with a night camping on the island.

is the editor-in-chief of Climbing Magazine and the author of four Moon travel guides to Utah, including and . She has lived in Utah for eight years and has been exploring its beautiful public lands for far longer. While she lives just outside the Uinta Mountains, she is a desert person at heart who would always rather be climbing or riding her mountain bike over some red rock under the sun.