The city is surrounded by mountains and the views are spectacular. Salt Lake City is the world headquarters of the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and if you have timed your journey to be here on a Sunday you can attend the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra’s live broadcast at 9.30am. The choir also rehearses on a Thursday evening. The Historic Temple Square area is the city’s top attraction with guided tours of the historic sites, interactive exhibits, art displays and parks and gardens. For anyone interested in genealogy, a visit to the Family Search Center is a must.

Stay two nights in Salt Lake City.

Hidden within the mountains above Cedar City is the incredible geology and vibrant environment of Cedar Breaks National Monument. Cedar Breaks’ majestic, naturally formed amphitheatre is a three-mile-long cirque made up of eroding limestone, shale, and sandstone. The monument sits entirely above 10,000 feet, and the amphitheatre is like a naturally formed coliseum that plunges 2,000 feet below with arches, towers, hoodoos, and canyons. The area is home to great hiking trails, ancient trees, views along the ‘Circle of Painted Cliffs’, and pristine night skies that have earned the area a Dark Sky Parks certification.

Stay two nights in the Cedar Breaks National Monument area.

Head via Bryce Canyon National Park, known for its amazing wind- and rain-carved hoodoos, to the lesser known but stunning Kodachrome Basin State Park. 67 monolithic stone spires, called sedimentary pipes, accentuate multihued sandstone layers that reveal 180 million years of geologic time. The colour and beauty found here prompted a National Geographic Society expedition to name the area Kodachrome, after the popular colour film, in 1948.

Pillars shaded red, pink, white, yellow, and grey are only the start to the greatness of Kodachrome Basin State Park. Due to the geographical remoteness, superb air quality, high elevation and low humidity, the park boasts one of the darkest skies remaining in the continental US. Exquisite detail in the Milky Way can be seen by the naked eye, and the park offers several astronomy events through the year. In addition to hiking and star gazing, guided horseback riding is also available in the park.

Stay one night in Kodachrome Basin State Park.

This park has long been labelled one of Utah's best-kept secrets. It is just as scenic as the other parks, but far less developed and with fewer annual visitors. It offers a myriad of slot canyons which are great for hiking, high Navajo sandstone domes with huge red rock cliffs amazing photo opportunities. It is almost like a planet unto itself! Whether you stay inside the park itself or in nearby Torrey, a designated Dark Sky Community, the night sky viewing is incredible. The National Park service offer regular night sky viewing programmes and have a host of astronomical information available for visitors. 

Stay two nights in the Capitol Reef / Torrey area

Here three natural bridges have been formed by meandering streams slowly cutting through the canyon walls. There are many overlooks along the scenic drive at Natural Bridges as well as touch of history with ancient Puebloan ruins and cliff dwellings that can still be seen today. At night time the area has one of the darkest night skies in the country, which offers some fantastic stargazing. Natural Bridges was the world’s first Dark Sky Park due to having some of the world’s least light-polluted night skies. Park rangers not only give interpretive discussions on astronomy but have changed the park’s light fixtures to reduce their own light pollution.

Stay one night at Natural Bridges National Monument or in nearby Blanding.

Endless deep canyons, towering mesas, pinnacles, cliffs, and spires stretching across 527 square miles of Canyonlands National Park, which was formed by the currents and tributaries of Utah's Green and Colorado rivers. Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch, guided mountain biking and rafting tours to ATV and sunset jet-boat tours. 

Stay two nights in Canyonlands National Park or in one of the campgrounds outside of Moab. 

Nestled in the rolling mountains to the east of Salt Lake City sits Jordanelle State Park and the beautiful Jordanelle Reservoir, popular with water lovers, but also birders, photographers and nature lovers thanks to elevated boardwalks and interpretive trails that run through the area. Enjoy paddle-boarding, jet-skiing, kayaking and boating on the lake and for a maximized experience try to be on the lake during sunrise or sunset. Watching the surrounding Wasatch Mountains light up during the golden hour is spectacular. The park is also a certified International Dark Sky Park, with the surrounding hillsides and mountains provide a blockade for light pollution. The park hosts dark sky events and its Rock Cliff Nature Area boasts the darkest skies in the park.

Close by Rockport State Park sits at a base elevation 6,000 feet above sea level in a rural valley between the Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges and is also a certified International Dark Sky Park. Park staff host popular public programs on best dark sky practices and the importance of dark skies for the areas nocturnal species.

Stay two nights in the Jordanelle or Rockport State Park area. 

Drop-off your RV in time to check-in for your flight.