Summer is fast approaching, and that means you’re probably looking for places to take the family on summer vacation. RV travel in Utah during the summer is one of the best ways to roll on a family vacation you’ve been itching to take.
We feel this way because Utah is packed with five national parks, favorable summer weather, and cheap vacation ideas that’ll keep your whole family in awe without breaking the bank.
Cheap summer vacation spots are abundant in Utah
The best things to see in Utah from your RV during the summer are its national parks. Utah has a chain of national parks that are affectionately known as The Mighty Five. Most of the cheap family vacation ideas can be based around these parks because the areas around Utah’s national parks typically offer BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands where you can park your RV for free. For example, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion National Park all have BLM lands near them making RV travel in Utah during summer a highly affordable option.
Launching a Utah RV summer vacation
RVing Utah is a great way to roll because you can park for free or very affordably at most of the summer vacation spots in Utah. If you don’t currently have an RV, that’s where we come in. Outdoorsy has very affordable RV rentals near Moab, Utah, Kanab, Utah, and Salt Lake City — all potential launchpads for your RV travels in Utah this summer.
The best places to go inside of Utah with an RV this summer
Summer RV driving in Utah affords some of the best vistas and grandest outdoor adventures that our country has to offer. Here are some things you must see in Utah from the windows of your RV.
Arches National Park
As the name implies, Arches is full to the brim with iconic rock formations in the shape of arches. It is a mecca for wonderful hiking, camping, and fun, cheap summer vacation ideas for the whole family. To hack a cheap summer vacation at Arches, you should start in Moab, Utah, at the Moab Field Office for BLM lands. This office will help you find a beautiful and cheap vacation spot to park your RV for the duration of your time there.
Once you’re parked, you should explore Moab — a hip western town with a laid-back vibe. Moab will get you affordably provisioned with s’more making supplies and other essentials. Once you’re stocked up, you can keep the cheap family vacation alive by turning Arches National Park into your playground. The Arches entry fee is just $15, and that’s good for seven days of non-stop adventuring for you and the family.
Zion National Park
Like Arches, Zion is surrounded by cheap family vacation ideas that’ll keep everyone affordably entertained. For example, the Bureau of Land Management manages lands along the Virgin River, which could be a cheap summer vacation spot for you and your family to enjoy Zion.
Once you’re camped, you could head to nearby St. George, Utah, for provisioning and then set your sails for Zion National Park. Zion is a spectacular web of canyons whose beauty defies the imagination. It costs $20 per person or $35 per private vehicle/RV.
The name of the game at Zion is hiking and sightseeing. The park has a shuttle that runs by all the major sites and trails, so you and the family can spend each day exploring the vast beauty that is nestled in the park.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is one of the more secluded parks, so the best cheap vacation idea here is to make camp with the family and enjoy the nature that surrounds you. To do this, you’ll once again want to park your RV at free or cheap RV vacation spots on BLM lands.
Once you’re settled in, you should take a day to drive through Bryce Canyon. The park costs $35 per car to enter and is best enjoyed via a scenic drive with stops at the many viewpoints. Bryce isn’t a hiking mecca like Arches or Zion, so that’s why an RV vacation at Bryce can be focused on enjoying time in nature with your family. For example, you could lead fun family activities that focus on time together.
The above are some of the best places to visit in Utah in an RV because you can camp cheaply and enjoy an array of affordable outdoor activities with the family for summer vacation. Utah is positive proof that cheap vacation ideas don’t come at the expense of fun.
