Utah Mighty 5 — The 10-Day RV Trip From Salt Lake City

The cheapest way to run Utah’s Mighty 5 is to launch from the city that sits closest to the first park. Salt Lake City puts you about 3h45 from Moab, then loops you south and west through Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion before the drive home — roughly 1,000 miles round trip across 10 days, with no ground repeated. When we researched this in July 2026, our pull of 3,398 live listings showed a $150/night national median, with drivable Class C motorhomes running about $229/night — the class I’d rent for this loop. Starting in Salt Lake City skips the long airport-to-canyon haul that a Las Vegas start forces on you, and it drops you at Arches, the park that fills first.

What does the route look like at a glance?

Ten days, about 1,000 miles round trip from Salt Lake City, five national parks in one no-backtrack loop — best in spring or fall.

• Origin and return: Salt Lake City, UT (SLC airport)
• Distance: ~1,000 miles round trip
• Parks, in order: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion
• Recommended class: Class C under 27 ft — clears the Zion tunnel without an escort and fits every campground
• All-in budget: about $4,100–$4,700 for two people
• Best months: April–May and September–October (avoid summer heat at Moab/Zion, snow at Bryce/Capitol Reef)

Day-by-day route

Day 1: Salt Lake City pickup → Arches (Moab)

• Morning: Pick up the RV in Salt Lake City
• Drive: SLC → Moab — 235 mi, 3h 45min via US-6 E and I-70 to US-191 S
• Evening: Park Avenue drive and Balanced Rock · Camp: Devils Garden inside Arches or a Moab RV park ($25–$55/night)

Day 2: Arches full day

• Morning: Devils Garden trail — Landscape Arch and Double O Arch (4 mi loop)
• Afternoon: Windows Section; timed-entry reservation required 7 a.m.–4 p.m. April–October
• Evening: Delicate Arch sunset hike (1.5 mi each way, no shade — carry water) · Camp: same as Day 1

Day 3: Canyonlands Island in the Sky day trip

• Drive: ~30 mi each way from Moab to Island in the Sky
• Morning: Mesa Arch (a sunrise classic, but it reads well midday too)
• Afternoon: Grand View Point and Upheaval Dome · Camp: back at the Moab base

Day 4: Moab → Capitol Reef (Fruita)

• Drive: Moab → Capitol Reef — 145 mi, 2h 45min via US-191 N, I-70 W, and UT-24 W
• Afternoon: Hickman Bridge hike; the Scenic Drive to Capitol Gorge; the Fruita orchards
• Camp: Fruita Campground ($25/night)

Day 5: Capitol Reef → Bryce Canyon

• Drive: Capitol Reef → Bryce — 120 mi, 2h via UT-24 and UT-12, the Scenic Byway 12 All-American Road (watch the steep Hogback grade near Boulder)
• Evening: Sunset Point for your first hoodoo views · Camp: North Campground at Bryce ($30/night)

Day 6: Bryce Canyon full day

• Morning: Navajo Loop / Queen’s Garden combo hike down into the hoodoos
• Afternoon: Rim drive to Rainbow Point, the park’s high point at 9,115 ft
• Evening: Mossy Cave, a quieter trail off UT-12 · Camp: Bryce North ($30/night)

Day 7: Bryce → Zion

• Drive: Bryce → Zion — 85 mi, 1h 30min via US-89 and UT-9; you enter Zion’s east side through the Zion–Mount Carmel Tunnel
• Afternoon: Ride the mandatory Zion Canyon shuttle; walk the Pa’rus Trail
• Evening: Springdale dinner · Camp: Watchman Campground inside Zion ($30/night)

Day 8: Zion full day

• Morning: Angels Landing (permit lottery required) or the Observation Point alternate
• Afternoon: The Narrows (water shoes; check the flash-flood forecast first)
• Evening: Emerald Pools or a second shuttle stop · Camp: Watchman ($30/night)

Day 9: Zion → Salt Lake City

• Drive: Zion → SLC — 305 mi, 4h 30min via I-15 N
• Option: Split the haul with an overnight in St. George or Fillmore if you’d rather not do it in one push

Day 10: Salt Lake City return

• Morning: Empty tanks at a dump station, refuel, and return the rig; fly out of SLC

What does it cost all-in?

Plan on roughly $4,100–$4,700 for two people, and the nightly rental is under half of it.

Line item	Amount
Class C rental: $229/night × 9 nights	$2,061
Booking fees + insurance + cleaning	$500–$700
Fuel (1,000 mi @ 8 mpg @ $3.75/gal)	$469
NPS America the Beautiful pass	$80
Campground fees (NPS $25–30, Moab private $45–55)	$250–$350
Zion tunnel escort (rigs over 11’4” tall)	$15
Food, propane, dining (2 people)	$700–$1,000
All-in 10-day loop	$4,075–$4,675

That $229 Class C rate is the national median from our July 2026 pull; a travel trailer sits cheaper at $125/night, but it needs a truck to tow, so for a fly-into-SLC trip a drivable rig usually wins. Our RV rental cost guide breaks down every line beyond the nightly rate.

When do you need to book?

Six months ahead, to the minute — and for the Mighty 5 that clock matters more than almost anywhere else. Devils Garden, Fruita, Bryce North, and Watchman all release exactly 6 months out on Recreation.gov, and July–October dates can go within minutes. Set a calendar alarm for your arrival date minus six months, and remember Arches layers a separate timed-entry reservation on top for daytime entry April through October.

What should you watch out for?

Four things trip up first-timers here: the Angels Landing permit, Arches timed entry, Bryce’s elevation, and Moab heat. Don’t drive to the Angels Landing trailhead without a permit — rangers turn people back. Book Arches timed entry the moment it releases or you’ll be limited to entering before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Bryce sits between 8,000 and 9,115 ft, so snow is possible into May and from October. And Moab and Zion routinely clear 100°F in summer, which most rental air conditioning can’t beat — one more reason to run this in the shoulder seasons.

Which RV class fits this route?

A Class C under 27 feet — it clears the Zion tunnel without an escort and fits every campground on the loop.

Class	Mighty 5 fit
Class B under 22 ft	Fits everywhere, no escort — cramped for 10 days
Class C under 27 ft	Sweet spot — fits all campgrounds, no Zion escort under 11’4”
Class C 28–30 ft	Most campgrounds; $15 Zion tunnel escort
Class A 30–35 ft	Tight at Bryce and Capitol Reef
Class A 35+ ft	Skip — pick a different trip

What are the good variations?

Drop one-way in Las Vegas to skip the return drive, or stretch to 14 days and fold this into a wider Southwest circuit. A one-way that ends near Zion and drops in Vegas trims the 305-mile haul back to SLC, though the surcharge usually runs $400–$1,000. If you have more time, add two days at Canyonlands’ Needles district and a Moab rest day, or connect the whole thing to the Southwest Desert Circuit for Grand Canyon and beyond. For other launches and routes out of the same city, see our Salt Lake City trip guide.

Bottom line

Launch in Salt Lake City for the closest airport and the steadiest rates, run a Class C under 27 ft, budget about $4,100–$4,700 for two, and book every NPS campground six months out — with Arches timed entry on top. Run it in April–May or September–October and the desert cooperates. See also our Utah state guide, plus the individual park guides for Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands.