Utah is such a fun place to take a road trip and explore all it has to offer, but there are certain items you will want to bring along with you to make your trip easier.
You should pack the following items for Utah Mighty 5 Adventure:
Annual National Park Pass
All of the parks in Utah require an entrance pass unless you are entering before/after park hours. The annual pass was so helpful to us, so we did not have to individually pay at each entrance. We could easily show our pass and ID then they’d waive us through. This made for a quicker entry. If you plan on going to every park in Utah and/or even other National Parks within the year, it is definitely worth it to invest in an annual pass. The annual pass we bought is $80 and it lasts a year from the day purchased. There are different annual passes available, check out the NPS website to see all the options and to buy your pass.
Passport
This may seem like an odd one, but all of the National Parks have a stamp at each visitor center that you can stamp your passport with. If you walk into the visitor center, you can ask one of the staff members or just look around and you will quickly find the passport stamp station. I really enjoy being able to stamp my passport so I have a memory of each National Park I’ve visited. For the kids, there is always a Junior Ranger stamp which is neat.
Alltrails App
Planning out and navigating hiking trails can be hard if you’ve never been to the area, so that’s where Alltrails became helpful to us. It allows you to search all the trails in the area and shows detailed descriptions for each trail. There are GPS driving directions to the trails to make it easier to find the trailhead. It allows you to stay on track while hiking and not get lost off the trail. There is a free and a paid version. The paid version becomes helpful when there is no cell service which happens a lot in the National Parks. You can download offline maps of each trail you plan to hike for the day.
All of the Hiking Gear
If you are heading out do the Mighty 5 trip, you will definitely want to hike the beautiful trails they have. Having the essential hiking gear is important to make your hikes safe and enjoyable. Depending on the season you go to Utah, you may need more cold weather items or less. Check the weather forecast to plan accordingly for your trip.
Hiking Clothes/Baselayers
Hiking clothes are really personal preference. I like to shop at REI, Columbia, Lululemon for leggings, Patagonia, and Amazon. During our trip in May, it was colder in the mornings. Baselayers became important for this, so we could remove them throughout the day as the temperature warmed up.
Hiking Boots/Socks
Again hiking boots are going to be personal preference and I would suggest going to the store to try on what feels best for your foot. REI is a great starting place to look for comfortable hiking boots. For socks, I really like the company Darn Tough. They have good cushion and have many different varieties to choose from.
Hiking Daypack
A comfortable hiking backpack is important to have while on the trails to carry essential items needed for the day. I like to have a daypack that also has a water bladder in it so that it is easy to keep hydrated while hiking.
Water Bottle
Drinking plenty of water is very important while out hiking. Ensuring you have enough water for the day is also very important. If you don’t have a daypack with a water bladder, you will want to bring a water bottle. Even if you have a water bladder, it may be a good idea to bring along a water bottle that can be easily filled up at stations.
Snacks
Having food to fuel yourself while on the trail is something you will want to bring along. Bars, jerky, and fruit are good ideas for snacks to bring.
Sun Protection
In Utah, the sun is bright and will easily sunburn. Make sure to bring along your favorite sunscreen and hat to keep protected. I’m sure everyone has been on a trip where you forget to apply or reapply sunscreen and it makes for a not so fun time the rest of the trip.
Headlamp
There may be hikes that you would like to do at sunrise or sunset where you need to hike while it is darker. We did a sunrise hike that we had to hike during the early morning hours to make it to the sunrise spot and a headlamp was useful for this.
First Aid Kit
Last, but certainly not least. A first aid kit is extremely important in case of any accidents out on the trail. You want to be prepared as much as possible for what could happen. It is always nice to know you have items to treat an injury if needed.
