Utah trivia is mostly rock trivia, and that’s a good thing on a long drive. The southern half of the state is canyon country: arches, hoodoos, slot canyons and red cliffs, with five national parks close enough to link in one trip. The north has the Great Salt Lake, the salt flats and the spot where the first transcontinental railroad was finished.
A route idea: the Mighty 5 loop
Most families drive the parks in this order, starting from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City:
- Zion first, near the southwestern corner. The Virgin River question belongs at the canyon floor.
- Bryce Canyon, a couple of hours northeast. Ask the hoodoo question at the first viewpoint, where the answer fills the view.
- Highway 12 from Bryce to Torrey, the scenic byway in the deck. The Hogback is a narrow ridge with drop-offs on both sides, so keep the questions easy for the driver’s sake.
- Capitol Reef, where the white domes that gave the park its name are visible from the main road.
- Canyonlands and Arches, both near Moab. Save the “more than 2,000 arches” question for the Arches entrance.
Pacing questions between parks
The drives between parks run from about 90 minutes to 3 hours. Play in short rounds: five questions when you leave a park, then a break for snacks and scenery, then five more as you get close to the next one. The last round before each park should include that park’s question, so the answer is waiting at the gate.
The northern half
On I-80 west of Salt Lake City, the Bonneville Salt Flats are flat and white to the horizon. There’s a rest area with a viewing spot along the interstate. Golden Spike National Historical Park, where the railroad was completed in 1869, is northwest of Ogden. Dinosaur National Monument and its wall of bones are in the far northeast, near Vernal.
Three Utah facts that aren’t in the deck
- Spiral Jetty, a 1,500-foot coil of black rock built in 1970, curls out into the Great Salt Lake at Rozel Point.
- At Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, the rising sun lights up the underside of the arch, and photographers line up before dawn to catch it.
- Moab is the gateway town for both Arches and Canyonlands.